By Mary-Justine Lanyon

Some of the anglers on board the Gail Force were seasoned fishermen. Others had never so much as held a pole. But, at the end of the day, every person had caught at least one fish.

The occasion was a fishing trip sponsored by the Mountain Sunrise Rotary Club and organized by Rotarians Bob Mosby, himself an avid angler.

The group of 18 met bright and early on the morning of Aug. 17 in San Pedro and made the two-hour trip across the channel and began “bottom fishing” at about 7 a.m.

“The bite was on,” Mosby said, “and everyone got fish including red snapper, salmon grouper and assorted rock fish.”

A couple of the fishermen tried surface fishing, which only yielded a couple of barracuda.

The group returned to the dock at 5 p.m. “with a boat load of happy people,” Mosby noted. “Everyone caught several fish. The crew of the Gail Force was great.”

Mosby added that “most of the passengers had little to no experience with saltwater fishing. They caught on fast and did a great job.

“Everyone worked together in a spirit of cooperation to avoid crossed lines and tangles,” he said. “There are always tangles on any trip but I was amazed at how few there were. I am absolutely thrilled that everyone went home with fish.”

Michelle French, immediate past president of the Rotary Club, told Mosby that “this was absolutely the best experience and so much fun. Thank you so very much for all you did to plan and implement a wonderful outing for us! Let’s make it an annual event. I can’t wait to eat the almost four pounds of fish I brought home.”

“It was a great event even before I knew I had the big fish!” said Laura Dyberg, who reeled in a big salmon grouper to take the jackpot for the largest fish.

Geoff Hopper’s excitement at catching his first-ever fish – and the first of the day – was palpable. His brother Davis looks pretty excited for him. (Photo by Bob Mosby)

Novice angler Geoff Hopper caught the first fish of the day and his first fish ever. “To all of you novice anglers,” Mosby said, “you are no longer novices. You all caught on very fast and had little trouble with the equipment or with catching fish.”

Rick Miller and Bob Mosby are all tuckered out after an early morning push-off and all that fresh sea air. (Photo by Corina Colan)