The beauty of saltwater fishing, whether from the beach, the rocks, a pier, a boat, or a kayak, is that there is always something new to try. Despite a lifetime of plying the waters off California for over a 100 different species, most catches are not "firsts," and seldom are they "personal bests." Certainly, there are several California species that I have yet to capture at all, and with a little luck, time, and effort, I may enter my first sturgeon, striped bass, or salmon on my 2012 fish logs.
What is more likely this year, and perhaps just as satisfying, is the prospect of fishing with my son, who will be turning four in April of the coming year. Although he has caught several different species of fresh and saltwater fish, he has been expressing a new interest in accompanying his dad on fishing trips a lot more lately. I'm looking forward to showing him things that my own dad showed me at some point, though I really can't remember specifically when-- how to find sand crabs in the wavewash, or sandworms where the "wet sand" and the "dry sand" meet; how to reel S-L-O-W-L-Y when grubbing, and QUICKLY when trying to get a rig up off the bottom in a hurry to avoid drifting kelp; how to hook a sheephead, despite their bony mouths; how to measure a crab or a lobster, and not lose a finger in the process.
Like I said, I don't really remember when I learned these things, and I have the skunks and scars to prove that several lessons were required. What I do know is that these were things my father showed me with patience and persistence, time spent on the water together with my brothers and me.
2012 promises to be a year of firsts and personal bests... for my son. I can't think of any better fishing goal for me in the coming 12 months than to foster in my son a love of ethical angling and an understanding of the unique marine ecosystems we enjoy in California. It's a goal I know will pay dividends well past our next trip around the sun.
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