First New Years Resolution

My first New Years Resolution...

I will try to say "Twenty Twelve" for the new year. 20 12 will be a very profitable year.

Keith

Merry Christmas and Looking forward to a very good 2012

I think this is the best Holiday Card for this season.

Hopping you all had a nice holiday filled with family and love. Now as we look at the new year we turn to 20 12 with aspirations for a very profitable year.

I think the new year is going to be very good. This video is a great summery of The City this holiday season. I can really relate to it. Luckily I stayed out of the heave traffic. But the shots of the fireworks on the beach was when I was in the MDR Boat parade. So I was up close and personal with them when that shot was taken. Extra cool.

Enjoy...

Snow Globe Los Angeles from All Cut Up Films on Vimeo.

Nice! Right?

Keith

Upcoming holiday notes...

GIVING THANKS
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

A few years ago we did a family trip to Florida for a Thanksgiving Holiday. Ended up at a sports bar in Datona Beach where they were having holiday dinner of a big turkey leg and all the fixin's for a rather affordable deal price. We all had a nice vacation and toured the new places.

What will this next Thanksgiving be...

I'll remember the important things and be Thankful for my life and the blessings around us.

I have a new Grand Niece.
I have a Son in College. ( Boise State )
I have a Son on the Water Polo team ( Venice H S )
- and likely the Baseball and basketball teams as well.
I have some good friends
I have a supportive family.
- Mom, Sisters, Brother etc.

Just a few of the things I'm Thankful for.

Keith

Emerald Bay - Oct 2011

Nice little "Guys" boating weekend to Emerald Bay at Catalina with DRYC and to play at the Boy Scout Camp. Thanks to the help of the DRYC cruise coordination we got to use the camp and play as if we were kids again.

Thomas and I took Thomas' friend Daniel and his dad Steve to spend the weekend on the boat. We got a nice inside spot not far from the pier. The crossing on Friday was smooth. The boys spent much on the time on the helm. Thomas has a great boat sense and I trust him on the helm.

What a nice change to relax and visit in the salon while the young men are up on top with sharp eyes out for float-sum and tanker ships. Steve and I had a good visit below. Relaxing.

The activities on shore stared Friday with a tour of the Eco Station and the aquariums. There is a very nice science center at the location. Good for kids and future science majors. There was one big sea hare in the touch the sharks tank that was able to scoot along fast until he was disturbed. Very interesting.

Saturday was nice camp experiences. Shooting... 22's, Arrows, Shotgun (trap style), 22's, pottery, Canoe races, hike about. We got much better on the targets the second time at the 22's. The shotgun shooting was fun. Typical 5 rounds each turn. Just enough to figure it out.

The lark was the Canoe races. I started to challenge a few folks to a $5 side bet on the Canoeing. Little did I know I started to pick a Lot of interest. We eventually filled every canoe that they had with 2 man teams. Thomas and Daniel were confident that they would beat their dads. Little did they know it takes a bit of skill and practice to effectively maneuver a canoe. Steve and I have the background of having mastered this in previous (more youthful times) canoe experiences. We smoked them all.

Steve and I in the foreground. Thomas and Daniel in the blue canoe.

Luckily we got paid by a few of the race competitors. We even accepted the souvenir shop coupons. So Steve and I wet up to the shop and bought a souvenir and the proceeds go to the scout camp.

After the race Thomas and Daniel went to rescue a fellow DRYC boat form a prop that was wrapped on the Sand Line. I'm very proud of his water skills and confidence. Using snorkel only they got the line off. It was wrapped 7 times or so. Good going.

The last day we tried to fish a little but were having a hard time of it. eventually Steve managed a nice sheepshead and we called it a victory! Then we headed for home.

Fish Wish Granted. Nice Weekend at the island with my son.

Fishing Dad,

Keith

Turning the big Five Oh

Had a nice Birthday weekend the last weekend of August.

If anything can make turning the big 5 0 less painful it is good friends comming out to day Happy Birthday. And they had to make a journey to get there. We partied it up in Avalon. My happy place.

Night one was a nice dinner on the boat. Friends who came all the way from Monterey were able to joint us our on Ramblin and Mutual Fun for Thursday nights dinner.

I was so happy to share the sights and the Avalon experience with Kevin and Joanna. They seemed to love it up.

Friday we set up for a nice Beach BBQ and dinner out at Pebbly Beach with the help of Rocky. The food was terrific as rocky had his BBQ and Smoker going.

Then on Saturday after a nice day of relacing on the water side we went further ashore for a fabulous high end eating experience at the Catalina Island Country Club.

I will always remember the welcome I got as I walked up the hill and the gathering came out on the balcony and sang happy birthday as I arrived. Very touched by that. Thank you to all of you.

It was a magnificent experience to have such goof food and such good company. Wine flowed and good conversation went around the table from all corners.

And we ate. Then Ate. Then ate more.

One of my oldest friends Kevin was on hand.

Half of my friends who came out to my birthday party in Avalon a few weeks ago gave me various bottles of beer for my B-Day gifts. So very darned nice of them to appreciate my love of beer. Maybe they noticed it in all my Facebook posts and in my hand in so many of my fishing photos.

Sunday a few of us got in some golf. Here Thomas and I are preparing to tee it up on number 8

Sunday night we were more mellow. Having been moved to a choice 30 foot mooring we relaxed on the back of the boat.

We sat on the back of the boat and took in the views. Nice Yes?

Fish Wish Granted.

Thank you to those who came. Thank you to those who remembered with a card or a call.

Sincerely,

Keith

Wolf Pack Trip on My Susy

4 DRYC fishermen on the 70 foot My Susy had a long fun ride out for Tuna. On board was Marty S. (captain), Richard S., Larry G. and myself.

One of the reasons we went is that Marty wanted to run his boat to San Diego. And to be part of the Wolf Pack to share fishing info between friends boats. Unfortunately none of the fellow boats in the DRYC Wolf Pack wanted to go the distance to find them down south. So we were a pack of One!

Sunday...

We all arrived and stocked the boat late in the evening. Barely boarded in time to pick up bait at the docks before they closed at 6 pm. Left MDR as the last light faded. Marty set us up a Night Run from MDR to the fishing grounds. I had the 3 am to 5 am watch. I forced myself to go to bed early. Did not go back to bed at my watch end, went aft to set up and sort the tackle. Had too much to choose from and many options to be worked out. Marty had a wide array of rods, reels, lures and terminal tackle. Fun.

Monday...
We fished at the Butterfly Bank. Nothing in the flat waters in the early am. Then when we turned for Ensenada (for tele-com repairs) we eventually came across the area with fish. As reported these fish had Lock Jaw. Very boat shy. It was so frustrating to see tuna breaking the surface (more than once near the boat) and no bites! Not on the troll or live bait. Saw whales, dolphin, tuna, bait. - nice day on the smooth water.

Tuesday...
Todos Santos area south of Ensenada. No yellowtail. No good bites on the local bottom fish. We tried and Larry only landed one good keeper red rock fish. the various Ling Cod were all successfully released. I've got the opinion that Ling Cod with their toothy head look very prehistoric. AND are more trouble to clean than they are worth.

Night Run from Todos Santos to the fishing gounds and the tuna.

Wednesday...
Once we got down to the numbers over the "Airplane Bank" we did find the fish. The first fish came over the rail around 7:50 am. I had it on the troller. Larry put out the live baits. Then we switched it up and Larry boated a trolled fish or two. Next we put Richard S on a few of the Trolled Tuna. Marty wanted his on live line and tried a few casts as we stopped for a tolling stop. Marty did however spend a lot of time keeping the boat aligned so the boat did not get in the trough. He is a good boatsman. However the waves and wind built up fast and we had to give up and turn for home with only 11 fish on deck from 13 to 20 lbs. Weds 08-17-2011 we fished the area 150 miles south of San Diego at 166 degrees. A long run up hill from there in big seas got us very salt encrusted. Even in the top most decks of the boat got the spray. Wow.

Richard and I get a quick pose after we weighed them up.

Nice to catch them.

Thursday...
We overnighted up (set more watches) and eventually drifted in the lee of the Coronados Islands until the sun came up. We needed the rest. We fished some there with little baits and lures. No bites at all. Then we moved up over the 9 Mile Bank for a few minutes of marlin trolling. I think this was just a small detour that Marty did to satisfy my itch. Smooth and glassy water made it easy going and we found kelp paddies to cast on. No yellowtails at Coronados or on the paddies. So we eventually turned in for the customs stop in San Diego and docking at the SDYC. Nice evening. We cleaned up and ate at the club. Sweet.

Friday...
It was a lazy day in the harbor. Richard and I walked the docks and the amazing SDYC facility. We really got an eye full of beautiful boats. We redocked the boat at a location where My Susy could stay for the longer term. I dove home. Tired. Feeling rewarded to have Tuna to go into the freezer. Looking forward to my next trip out to Catalina for a family and friends vacation. No hard core fishing for a few days. At least until the marlin tournament(s).

Special thanks goes to the Crew and Captain of the My Susy. Good guys to boat with.

Fish Wish Granted. It went well.

Keith

Friday morning thoughts...

Lately I have had some big ups and downs.

Then this thought crossed my mind. "Savor small joys."

So I made this post of Facebook:

Small joys need to be savored. The hug form a child. A fresh razor blade to shave with. The first cooling sips of your 5 o'clock margarita. TGIF to all you FBook friends.
BTW, What small joys did you savor this week?

As I get to experience a nice little this and that. I must savor it. Find a way to savor the marrow of the every day experiences or I will drive myself crazy. This after finally putting on a fresh razor blade this morning?!?!?

I visited with some family last night. Reconnected with my sister. She is in town with her grandson Luke. I got a few hugs from him over the last couple of days. He is 4 years old. Not even in kindergarten yet. He loves cars. He and my 14 year old boy went to Lego Land on Tuesday. Thomas stuck with Luke and was a good cousin.

My sister and mom shared tales of how responsible and kind my big (high school freshman in 3 weeks) son was with the little 4 year old. Playing with Lego. Waiting in long lines with Luke. Not taking the time to ride any big kids rides at all. Preferring to hang out and make sure that Luke had a good time.

I'm proud of him. My son Thomas.

BTW I took him down to the docks last week (July 26th) and had him come with us as a Fishing Mentor with a bunch of kids form Mychals Learning Place. he worked with the special needs kids to help them experience a bit of fishing. Part of the MDRAnglers youth fishing program. It was cool that he helped. He did well. I did have to sneak it up on him. He would not have volunteered to do it as he does not enjoy fishing like I do. But he did say he was OK with it after the fact.

Thomas on the far right with the kids. It was a very good day of fishing and of catching.

But that leads to another story about the fishing.

The small joys. Time spent on the water.

Seeing your son blossom into a caring individual.

Sharing.

Fishing Dad is very happy about that.

Keith L.

Wow

One of the top predators in the sea... Swordfish

Spotted in an unusual place.

http://youtu.be/6YU_h-DiQ0U

This is a lucky photograph/Vid moment.

KL

Sunday on the Santa Monica Bay - Jeffery's Big Day

Out on the Ramblin' and got into some great fishing action on Sunday. 6/26/2011

We Got Em'! We were very lucky. We got very big fish. Jeffery was the lucky angler and he got 2 monster fish! Maybe it’s a payback from over tipping the bait guy.

We left Marina Del Rey harbor at the same time that the New Del Mar was making it out of the Breakwater. Headed south. We metered some good looking marks just north of the fleet of boats off of Redondo Beach. So we set up and fished. It was a while but we all got into the groove. Then Jeff hooked up. He gingerly worked it for a long time. It came up slowly. Then we saw the nice halibut and decided quickly to switch from net to gaff.

Jeffery's morning Halibut

I gaffed it and brought it over the transom through the aft door. Would have been smoother if Carl had not looked over my shoulder to see the fish. I bopped him in the eye with the gaff. Ooops. Sorry Carl. Hope the ice helped.

We relaxed a bit. Most of the fleet moved off to fish other areas. We stayed. We relaxed and kept at it. Then moved in tighter to where the fleet had moved from. Carl again picked a spot to anchor next to some good meter marks.

A few other fish came up for us. The Rays teased us with visions of WSB in our heads. Then Jeff got his second one. Jeff was on it. It had hit hard. A major bendo'. He followed the fish forward up the rail. Following the fish Under the anchor rode on the bow. Carl followed behind to hold his belt when transiting the narrow parts and to back him up if the boat rocked. Eventually Carl even gaffed the fish on the bow.

Jeffery's afternoon White Seabass

We kept only these two fish. However these beasts are worth braggin' about.

We got Halibut, White Seabass, Barracuda, and Rays within sight of the blue whale wall in Redondo Beach. The Barracuda and misc fish were released. I missed my chance to get one. It came unbuttoned with a bit of the fishes jaw attached to the hook. It had been in the rod holder and was too tight of a drag while we fooled around with the fresh one on deck.

Jeffery was the definitely the hot stick. All three of us DRYC guys on boat were blanked on the elusive White Seabass. My brother Carl. My dock mate David of the boat Top Dog. Carl, Jeffery and I are active members of Marina Del Rey Anglers. Carl and David are members at the Avalon Tuna club. All of us can and do get fish. It was just Jeffery's big day.

We headed in around 4 pm. It was a fine blue sky day with really nice weather and not any problems with the swell.

At the Marina Del Rey Fuel Dock

Unfortunately the Del Rey Fuels fish weigh-in hoist was not rigged with any lines or pulley. So we were out of luck to get an officially weighted in weight slip there.

Then we used a scale at Del Rey Yacht Club on their hoist. Since Jeffery and I had a bet as to the real size of the Halibut we needed an accurate scale. Carl just happened to have one.

Here are the Proof in the certified scale photos! First the Halibut.

When we got this one it measured out at 44 inches. I was sure it was closer to 36 lbs. Jeff was sure it was a 40 pound fish. Jeff won as it came in at 39lbs.

Then the Beast of the White Seabass

Jeffery had cared for the fish nicely in ice and careful to not bruise the meat. When it came out of the kill bag it still looked great. What do you think of this photo?

Only problematic issue with such big fish is you need a lot of ice and a lot of time to clean and package the meat. We felt like we were butchering a full cow it was so much work. In order to have a nice space to work on the fish we went over to Burton Chase park to the Fish Cleaning station in the park. It was a great space to do the butchering. We saved the WSB head for the research program.

In the end, my Fish Wish was granted… We had some fun!

Sincerely,

Keith
skipper of the Ramblin'


PS Thanks goes to Philip Friedman for his Facebook and Patch.com posts. His reporting helped me get my brother and some fishing buddies out on the water.


PPS WSB Fishing Tips...
Look at the tide charts and fish AM or PM hours during the best tide swing. Use a very light dragg on the pick up. Always have the freshest bait. Try not to ever leave the rail. Once hooked never let your rod lose it's bend. Speak up once hooked, tell your fellow fishermen to move as needed. Over or under as needed to follow your fish around the boat. It will take some time to bring these big fish to the boat! Cooperation is a must.

Fishing for White Seabass at Santa Barbara Island

On Tuesday the 14th the news was White F'n Open on White Seabass at Santa Barbara Island.

I got my work done and booked a passage on a sport boat. few can take midweek days off and go with me on my boat. If I'm on my boat I'm stressen' a lot of issues. Tide. Bait. Lines. Fuel calcs. Food and galley issues. Navigation. Captain. Gally Guy. Gilligan clearing lines and tying knots. Simple stuff like worrying about the health of the bait and where to anchor up is enough to tax the weekend warrior like me. I wanted to relax and fish!

So with the help of a fellow MDRA member steve Santin we picked the Toronado out of Peirpoint landeing in Long Beach. Had to wait until Friday. Hoping the bite had not ended by then.

Here is my Fish Report for the Friday, 6/17/2011, fishing on the Toronado. Left Pierpoint after 10 pm on Thursday and they went to my favorite target for WSB of SBI. A bit damp and misty but not that this would stop me from being out on the deck to tie up my rigs. I brought 5 rods (and used all 5)

I had an iron w/ glow paint rigged & ready on a spinner for casting as we arrived and was casting hoping for the first fish. Tossed that in the dark as we set up and anchored. The WSB did not show until much later when the chum brought them around around sunrise. I got one on the dropper loop in the middle of the bigger of the first two good runs of bites. It went approx 12 1/2 lbs. Very Tasty.

Then most of the AM they would breeze through and pop up as a 1 or 2 fish hook up. One short woman angler was always under the boat with a squid and got her 3 fish limit. So it was not the casting that mattered.

On the second big run of fish a 14 lb fish got on my line and the crew gaffed it at the corner and pulled in the fish and several lines to be freed up after we got the WSB on the deck.

One guy (Tennyson) worked it with long casts and finesse on the reel to hook and pass off several fish and also landed a 30# fish to take a big healthy jackpot. ($380) I look forward to seeing him again around Avalon for the marlin tournaments this season.

Special Note... The Crew and Deck Hands of the Toronado were helpful and cheery and fun. (some were noting the pleasant change here) I was happy to be on a open charter boat with good people. AND it seemed that the customers were very cooperative. No one tried to "own" the corner and most were very cooperative on over and under to follow the lines. Maybe that was because it was a week day and the folks on this trip were all there because they knew WSB limits had just changed to 3 fish. IE. There were folks on this boat who get it.

End Result... 26 fish for the boat. 2 for me. Fishing was good. water was calm and pleasant. Trip was relaxing and Fun. Fish Wish Granted. It was a very good trip to SBI to get White Seabass.

Tight Lines,

Keith


PS - Steve got blanked on the WSB like I did last year on a simular trip. ouch.