West Coast Sportfishers

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What is your favorite species to seek?

• ​Salmon, the rush of getting a powerful fish on a barbless hook knowing it could come off any sec is an adrenaline high I can't get enough of. I love the Flag and Tiger rockfish as the stripes and colors are just so unique and beautiful that I have had the privilege to catch several of each in my years of fishing.

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When did fishing become an obsession for you?

• Fishing started decades ago with my next-door neighbor who became a great friend I used to do 3-4 salmon charter trips a year with him on Randy's out of Monterey and that was it for fishing. Then I met this hard-core guy Danny who had a 26' slaying machine and recruited me to be part of his fishing crew.​ Danny was a slayer, and a boat mechanic, and his boat was meticulous. I fished on his boat called the "High Tide Low Tide" for a few years out of Oyster Point before all the sky-rise buildings popped up. We fished just about every weekend for whatever was in season from salmon, cod, halibut, crab, and sturgeon. I credit Danny with teaching me a majority of what I know about fishing and boating. I was fortunate to have learned so much from him. The Faralones were our go-to fishing grounds when the weather was good enough; even marginal. This period of my life was when I was molded into a fearless passionate fisherman. I left the crew when my son came of age and I shifted to owning my own boat and taking my son out to teach him what I was fortunate to have learned from the HTLT crew.

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When did you join this club and what has it been like for you?

• I joined this club in 2016 or 2017. This club when I joined was more freshwater focused, so that's what I did while making a new saltwater friend here and there. I found a love for freshwater being in this club and consider it a  big part of my life as well. After years of being a regular member and fishing a ton, I took the opportunity to be a part of the rebuilding of this club post-COVID where membership fell off a cliff and the club almost became non-existent. I couldn't see this happen, so the change started with me and a few other members deciding we could rebuild. We are now up to 90+ members and growing.

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What has been the most notable experience while being out on the water/shore?

• ​To many great experiences, but some of the most nature-intense were having a huge whale dive right under our boat and another time 100's of mini whales jumping all around our boat as if allowing us to experience their playtime with them. We were 15 miles out of Santa Cruz.

• From a fishing experience, having 2 of my brother's boats out at the Channel Islands and fishing together with my brothers and nephews for Thanksgiving. We were in China Cove, this remote beautiful part of these islands with nobody around catching halibut, shark and barracuda.

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If you could fish anywhere in the world next, where would it be?

• ​Any tropical water where great fighting fish are located. I love seeing beautiful fish in videos from tropical waters. I think spear diving would be an amazing experience someday.

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Where are you local to? What do you hope to see from our club in the next year along with the duties/responsibilities/goals you are striving toward?

• I am out of San Jose. I feel we have a dream team with the volunteer board members we have and I am excited to see where this club is going. I love that our club is a community of people from all over CA who want and love to fish.

• ​I look forward to seeing our club continue to grow and friendships develop while we expand our fishing events with the growth.​

• ​My hope for this year is to do a trip up to Fort Bragg to fish with Frankie for some Albacore.

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Steve's message: My biggest reward in these later years of life is having had the time to teach my son everything that builds character through our fishing and boating experience together. How to fish and manage our boat has been unforgettable and something he will pass on to his kids one day. Fishing has allowed me to teach my son about survival, braving the unknown, facing fears, critical decision-making, being safety-minded, working with tools, sharing and teaching others about fishing and boating, being a responsible planner and so much more. Fishing is a platform to create, develop, grow, share, explore, and enjoy with friends and family.

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Life isn't about how many fish you caught or how good you are, it's about how many friends you make in the journey and how many lives you impact while you have the chance. This is why I enjoy being part of this club. I have made more friends then I could have ever expected and helping people learn about fishing and boating is something I enjoy. 

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