For author Lance Sawa, sharing memorable fishing experiences, from catching his first salmon years ago in Ventura to landing a trout in a Japanese river this summer, makes them even more special. (LANCE SAWA)
FISHING WITH OLD FRIENDS
FROM CATCHING SALMON IN VENTURA TO TROUT AND CHAR IN A JAPANESE RIVER, THE SHARED MEMORIES ARE SPECIAL FOR ANGLING EXPAT By Lance Sawa
J
ohn was a great family friend who fished with us in the Southern California coastal community of Marina Del Rey. He always seemed to be busy with his construction business that took him not only all over California but even overseas. Fishing and cooking were his passions, though. Luckily, those two went well together. After working for 40 years, he decided that it was time to retire. He sold the business and moved up the coast to Ventura. About five years later, John called
and asked if my family wanted any salmon. The salmon fishing in Ventura was in overdrive and John’s refrigerator was full of fresh fish. He had been canning as much as he could, but now his cabinets were full. After that, he started smoking the salmon, but he’d filled a whole closet. So since every night salmon was on the plate, after three months his wife was sick of fish for dinner. My dad and I took the one-and-ahalf-hour trip north to meet up and get some salmon. Since John was a glutton for punishment, he was going salmon fishing that day as well. He asked if my
dad and I wanted to come along, as it wouldn’t take long to catch some. We jumped at the chance and we were on the boat together. This was my first time fishing for salmon, but John was a seasoned pro at this point. He set the rods up for us and showed us how they were catching them. The boat ride was quick – only about 30 minutes – and soon we were fishing. Within 10 minutes John had a fish on the boat, which shocked me. My dad had one about 10 minutes later. Just as Dad landed his fish, I got a bite and set the hook. The fish were
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