1997 Season
 
    This is a turning point in family affairs. I had retired from active practice and Carolyn and I proceeded to activate a program designed for the future - sell the Northridge home and move to San Diego. This we did and set up housekeeping in the condo she inherited from her Dad. Moving from 4500 sq ft to 1100 wasn't too easy, but storage helped and we started the process of house hunting.

    Meanwhile, we moved the boat from Marina Del Rey to the Kona Kai Marina on Shelter Island. Almost immediately I got involved with the politics of the fishing community and was elected to the Board of Directors of both the Marlin Club and the Kona Kai Anglers. In addition, I somehow got the job of directing the affairs of the Marlin Club ILTT, a job that lasted for 3 years.

 
   As we settled in we looked forward to the coming fishing season. The 10 years of no Albacore was wearing thin, but there was always the thought of Marlin. In mid-May one of the sportboats had picked up an Albacore and everyone had high hopes. Thus, on May 20th Harry Okuda, Al Epstein and I went out looking. At the "390" we found a couple of sport boats working, trolled between them, saw breaking fish, trolled over them and got bit with three jig fish and 2 bait fish. The drought was over. I believe this was the 1st Albacore of the Year caught by a yacht.

   

    Slowly, Marlin began to show and the "Sea Trek" took 3 fish at the bottom of the "upper finger" bank on July 19th. The next day the fleet headed in that direction. But Carolyn and I did not want to make that long a trip so we worked outside and below the islands. Just east of South Island we saw a huge area of breaking bait fish, apparently mackerel. So we worked up to that area and while everyone down on the 'finger" was blanking out we got a double bite, one falling off. Carolyn worked that fish, we brought it to the boat and I was able to release it even though Carolyn couldn't get me the tagging stick in time. This proved to be the 1st Release of the Year for the Marlin Club.

   But slowly, word leaked out about some exceptional Marlin fishing outside of Ensenada on the Banda Bank. In fact, the stories began to sound very good. And so, Geoff and I headed down there and found the Tuna Club boats having almost exceptional fishing. We watched Robert Ross with a charter take three fish by 10 AM by drifting base on the edge of the "finger" bank extension. Trolling down the bank we got bit and wound up catching and releasing 2 fish for the day.  

   Shortly thereafter, Geoff, Carolyn and I took four days off and, staying at the Hotel Coral, caught and released some 17 fish in 3 1/2 days of fishing. Doubles, triples, jig, bait, whatever. On another trip Geoff and I caught 3 more - one was tagged, but we could not revive it, 1 we were resuscitating when it slid under the boat and was "propped, and we thus took both back to SD. The third fish was released. We made other trips with Daniel, a friend of his, etc and for the entire summer caught 29 Marlin releasing 27. That was a good summer.

   

   But we weren't finished. One day Kenneth and I took Carolyn and Melody out for some Albacore looking. Somewhere out there we had an Albacore bite and it turned into a straight Bluefin bite for a good hour. Even Carolyn contributed (Melody slept through the whole thing) and we boated about 15 tuna before they shut off.

We then trolled back towards the "302" when a jig got nailed by a large Dorado. We forced Melody to take it and shortly thereafter, just outside the "303" we picked up a Yellowfin Tuna. Almost a local Grand Slam - but no Yellowtail.  

    No, 1997 wasn't a bad year, but I don't think we'll see Marlin fishing like that again.