Deep Sea Fishing

    So once again back into the way back era of Woodwardia, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Ever so often on a weekend my Dad would take me deep sea fishing on one of the charter boats that operated out of the pier at Santa Cruz. This was a big deal for me. He'd wake me up really early and he'd be filling his thermos with coffee and I'd wolf down some cereal. We would whisper in the kitchen as we got our gear together so as not to wake up the rest of the house.Get into the car and head for the ocean while it's still dark.
     We always stopped at this small cafe that was on the pier and have a bite to eat and they had sea sick pills there which I always gulped down . Bitter, but they did the job, never got sick once on the rolling ocean.Make our way down the pier to the boat, lunch pails in one hand and fishing poles and tackle box  in the other.
      These charter boats were all wooden and had many layers of peeling paint...pretty rough,  not fast, but they worked. About 25 to 30 feet in length with the Capt.'s wheel house close to the bow. Right behind that is the the head or bathroom , or thoroughly disgusting place that served as a cubicle to relieve yourself. Benches on the back deck, both port and starboard with each side seating about 5 or 6. A burlap sack tied to the railing in front of you to hold your fish and up by the head several buckets of bait. Squid, Herring and some other chopped up stuff that was un unidentifiable.There was also a bucket of rusty railroad spikes that you used as a weight to get your baited hook down to the bottom.
      So it goes like this . You tie on the railroad spike, tie on an enormous hook, baited with your choice of sea food and slowly lower your line over the side of the boat slowing the descent with your thumb on the large open faced reel. Too fast and the line will "bird nest" and then you've got a real mess. When the line stops spooling out you've hit the bottom. You reel up about 10 feet or so and wait.
      Becuase your hook is so deep in the ocean and cod aren't great fighters you can't really tell when youv'e got one on. I reeled up so many times thinking I had something on and then only to find an empty hook.
       Mostly we caught rock cod or ling cod but once in awhile some other denizens of the deep. The boat heads back to the pier and there's guys there with little cleaning stations set up who will, for a price, clean and wrap your fish.
       So little Bobby goes home with his wrapped up fish, a little sunburned  and real happy for his time spent on the ocean with his Dad .What say Dad , do it again?
       Take care, Bob of the boat