05/126/08 - Well, locally we've been enjoying a
nice inshore run of bonito. You may think, what's so great about that...
But, it is great if you like having an 8-15# fish tugging some line. The
bonito bite really wasn't too hot for the past few years, so it's nice to
see 'em back in some numbers. Other than that the only local bright spot
has been the halibut fishing. Using a drift sock to get the speed down and
dragging a few lines "bounce-ball style has been quite productive locally.
Catalina has been a bit frustrating, a very few whiteseabass caught. Water
has been getting right for the guys targeting threshers, and that's also
been a big bright spot for anglers fishing Oceanside on up.
March...
I
wanted to post a few pictures from the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach which
ran March 5-9. Also, there are a couple announcements to make as an update
from us at CharkBait. One important character with our team has moved on.
Matt Hornschu has been with me for over four years time.
We've very much enjoyed watching him grow up,
learn, apply himself,
and contribute to what was once a much
smaller business.
Matt's
dad is an electrician working with L.A. County, and avid fisherman. He
encouraged Matt to work with us, but also to develop himself by taking
classes to become a tradesman - electrician. Matt's a bright guy and
tested well in a battery of tests in this field. As 2008 approached he
kept me informed that it looked like he might get "picked-up."
Well, he did! Matt now is working at the Ontario
Airport. For him it's a great opportunity, and he'll have time to go
fishing as he gains some seniority! All of us at CharkBait wish him
nothing but the best, and he has my sincere thanks for all that he's done
to help build this little business into something much more than it was
when he teamed up with me. (Pictured right, Matt as a much leaner kid a
few years back and left with Jeff Lambert being congratulated for a job
well done).
Other changes coming to CharkBait, another of our
team will be moving on in June. Ross Nakamura will be joining the Marines
upon graduation from High School. Ross came aboard when he turned 16. He
was a client of ours, as was his dad, shopping at our retail shop in
Huntington Beach. I remember Ross well (and will try to search out a photo
of him...) coming into the shop and buying a Seeker blank to wrap, and
then coming back a month later to show off his work. Ross worked at the
shop for a couple years, and hopefully we'll grab him back during his time
away from the firing range... Ross is a dedicated fisherman, serious and
straight-ahead guy. Like Matt, we've really enjoyed having him a part of
our team, and we've benefited from his many contributions. (Thankfully, we
still have a few months left with this character).
We have added a few new faces to our shop's team
over the past few months...and more recently. Mark Hoffman joined up to
work at our shop last year, and was appointed shop manager this month.
He's a strong fisherman, long time visitor to our website, with much
background in Baja and with his dad chartering trips each year for the
past 20 or so years. Joining him at the shop is Aret Partalciyan. Aret is
a good friend, and fishing partner of mine. He and his wife owned a small
business in our shopping center, but with their new baby grew a bit tired
of the daily hassle of owning a business. So, I convinced him to come
aboard. To complete that package, we brought his wife into our warehouse
as our book-keeper and customer service rep to assist Leeana (who has been
with us for about a year's time). We've also added Max Murray to our
shop's staff. Max was a long time client of our shop. I remember him as a
skinny kid with a lot of hair... Well, he's now a student at Cal State
Long Beach. His intelligence, passion for fishing and enthusiasm represent
credentials for hiring. If you stop by our shop you'll meet up with these
"new" guys, in addition to the old staff of Jeff (the Bush) Lambert, Tom
Harmon and myself. Now, back to the show...
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