Pier fishing is all about adventures and good fish stories, and that's exactly what the inaugural Crystal Pier Kid's Classic provided yesterday for about 300 young anglers.
“It's a beautiful day and a wonderful event for these kids,” said organizer Ron Baker, captain of the Point Loma sportboat, who used a boatload of donations and a $5,000 grant from the San Diego County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Commission to put on the big day. He was assisted by his wife, Deena, captain Tim Green of the Premier and Larry Coffeen. The Lakeside Optimist Club loaned out more than 100 rods and reels.
Morgan Krueger, 5, won the grand prize with a 2-pound, 4-ounce spotfin croaker that she hooked on a Carolina-rigged mussel.
Chris Lee caught and released 11 fish, best total of the day. Ian Tinney took the 8-11 age division with an 11-ounce barred surfperch when a school of surfperch made a mid-morning run at the Uni Goop chum buckets dangling over the side of the pier and in the water. Last week, fishing on his father Ron's boat, Tinney landed a 23-pound, 7-ounce halibut that, if approved, will be an IGFA small fry world record.
Sam Kaye, 4, took the 7-and-under division with a barred surfperch.
Best fish story went to Ezekial Cruz, 12, whose rod and reel combo was pulled over the side of the pier by a huge bat ray as Cruz was tending to his other rod and trying to catch a barred surfperch. A boater passing by saw the bat ray pulling the rod and fetched the rod out of the water. The boater reeled in the bat ray, released it and then drove over to the pier and returned Cruz's rod to him by hooking it to a line that was reeled up to the top of the pier.
It was a day when San Diego's unique pier, with overnight cottages that feature bedrooms with surf breaking underneath the wood planks, was closed to the public. Owner Jim Bostian closed the pier to the public and those staying in the cottages. Including parents, there were more than 400 folks at the event.
Since the late 1990s, Baker successfully and graciously has hosted more than 35 of these kids events, holding them on barges, lakes and piers. He said he'll return to the pier next year if he gets the same sponsorship and grant money.
“I'll apply again for the grant,” he said. “The money went for all kinds of things like ice, groceries, prizes, lots of stuff. We had a lot of great donations. Randy Jones brought us 800 Padres items. And Luc Ofield at Angler's Choice sold me a lot of stuff at cost and saved me a lot of traveling.”
$1 million bass
Michael Bennett of Lincoln, outside of Sacramento, is a few hefty bass away from winning the largest check given a pro bass fisherman. With one day to go at the $2 Million Forrest Wood Cup, the FLW Championship on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C., Bennett held a nearly 3-pound lead over
Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa. Bennett landed five bass totaling 16 pounds, 1 ounce.
Brent Ehrler of Redlands is fifth, but nearly 8 pounds back. Winner gets $1 million, the largest payout in pro bass fishing and the second year the FLW has paid that to its champion.
Bay fishing
Jim Sammons of La Jolla Kayak Fishing and
Mike Palmer,
veteran bay angler, report very good fishing for big spotted bay bass in south San Diego Bay. Palmer and Greg Waggle had a 100-fish morning, mostly spotted bay bass that they caught in 15 feet of water south of the Coronado Bridge. Sammons is hosting his annual tournament, the sixth edition of the Steve Moyer Memorial Kayak Fishing and Spear Fishing Tournament set for Sept. 6. Call (619) 461-7172 or check lajollakayakfishingadventures.com
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
