Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2014 - (Page 92)

outdoors OCE AN BOUND From top: Lively Marina del Rey; the writer strikes a triumphant pose; one of the pelicans that followed the boat all day long, hoping to score some bait. castIng call A SP O RT FIS H ING TRI P OU T O F LO S ANGE LE S ' MA R INA D E L RE Y D E L IV E R S TH RI LLS FO R E XP E R I E NCE D F IS H E R ME N A ND N OV IC E A NG L E RS A LI K E By Kalee Thompson 92 w w w. r i t z c a r lt o n . c o m I It's just before noon on a sun-drenched Southern California morning as I join a growing crowd gathered on Pier 52 in Los Angeles' Marina del Rey. I've lived in L.A. for years but only recently learned of the sport fishing excursions that leave from the marina almost every day of the year. As I look around, I see that plenty of other people are in on the secret: About half the crowd has brought their own carbon-fiber fishing rods and personal tackle boxes. I might be in over my head. Our ride, the 64-foot, 92-year-old Betty-O, approaches the pier. Soon we're cruising smoothly past rows of gleaming-white fiberglass sailboats and several monster yachts, toward a cluster of Easter-egg-painted surf shacks, one of which houses a bait shop where Betty-O deckhands Mikey and Zander shovel the slimy, 5-inch squids that will serve as today's bait into our holding tanks. As we head back out into the bay, then round the massive stone breakwater that marks the mouth of Marina del Rey and south down the coast toward our first spot, I hand $5 to the captain's wife, buying into the jackpot that will be awarded to the person who catches the biggest fish of the day. Within minutes, we have a pod of dolphins off the stern. Gulls and pelicans shadow the boat from above. I approach the bait tank. These squids are a tantalizing treat to the birds but less than appealing to me. I've done a little fly-fishing on East Coast rivers, and spent time as a kid catching sunfish and the occasional lake trout off the end of the dock at my family's lake http://WWW.RITZCARLTON.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2014

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2014
Contents
Contributors
Editor’s Letter
President’s Letter
Falling in Love With ... Bangalore
Design
Shopping
Gifts
Beauty
Jewelry
Watches
Tradition
Behind the Scenes
Family
Local Knowledge
Outdoors

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Winter 2014