Randy got the fishing bug when he caught his first fish in the surf at the beach in Rosarita Mexico in August 1976. He was only two years old. (See “The Mexico Connection – The First Fish Turning Point, September 2015 blog post). Fishing became Randy’s passion and he seized every opportunity to go fishing.
The day after he finished middle school in June 1986, Randy went fishing with his friend Michael at Miramar Lake a few miles from our home in Mira Mesa. He was approaching thirteen years old. Later that afternoon I drove my pickup truck to the lake to pick up the boys and hear their fish stories and see the evidence of their tales.
On the way I was thinking that the dream of every young boy was to get a car or truck. When the driving age approaches, the prospect of having a car intensifies, often monopolizing every thoughtful moment. Anticipating this would soon be coursing through my son’s mind, I decided I needed to make something very clear to him. For some unknown reason I seized this time as the opportune moment to talk with him on the subject.
I rounded up the boys and their catch of cat fish and loaded their equipment into the back of the truck. We headed for home and when we came up to a red light, I initiated my planned conversation with Randy.
I said, “Randy, when you are seventeen you will want to drive. And once you have a taste of driving, you will want to have your own vehicle. I am telling you right now, I will never buy you a car. Even if I were rich, even if by then I am a millionaire, I will not buy you a car. So you need to think ahead and figure out how you are going to get the money to buy your own car.”
The next day Randy asked me if on Monday I would take him deep sea fishing like we often did during the summer months. I told him I had a big project at work and couldn’t take off until later in the month. Since I wouldn’t let him go alone he asked if I would let him and his friend Michael go on the three-quarter-day sport fishing boat. I explained that only if Michael’s mother gave her permission would I agree. The boys ran to Michael’s home to get his mother’s permission. Once that was obtained, I acquiesced and agreed to take them Monday morning to the sport fishing landing in Point Loma. Carol planned to pick the boys up later that afternoon.
Now the wheels were set in motion and Randy and Mike went to work getting their fishing gear prepared for the early morning departure. The boys checked the fishing report in the newspaper sports section and began dreaming of the fish they were going to catch. Neither of them slept much during the night as their excitement was piqued.
Monday morning dawned and I helped the boys pack their gear into my pickup truck. At 5:30 Monday morning we left for the Point Loma sportfishing landing in San Diego. We arrived at six o’clock and parked at the marina. I checked in at the office and I bought their $16 tickets for the La Jollan, a boat that would return in the late afternoon. I gave the boys some cash for lunch and snacks and walked them down the dock to the boat. With a few words of encouragement I admonished them to behave and have fun. I also reminded them that Randy’s mom volunteered to pick them up when the boat returned at about 3:30 in the afternoon.
The La Jollan at the dock
The boys had an exciting and prosperous day, the details of which I would discover later that evening. Carol arrived and found the boys and their gear along with a hefty catch of fish. They lugged all their gear and sacks of fish up the dock to the parking lot. Once it was packed into the trunk of the car they headed home.
At home, Randy and Mike got to work filleting their catch. Normally, when Randy and I would go ocean fishing, we would catch mackerel, a prolific fish with an oily flesh. Since we were not fond of eating mackerel we normally threw them back or gave them to another fisherman. This day, however, Randy kept every mackerel he caught. He filleted every one and put a couple fillets into individual plastic zip-lock bags. When he was done, he got cleaned up and went around the neighborhood with his bags of mackerel filets offering them for fifty cents each to the neighboring Filipino ladies. Before long they were all sold. The ladies told him they would buy from him again, but they preferred he sell the whole fish instead of filleted.
That evening at the dinner table, Randy shared his exciting day fishing with Carol and me.
Then he asked, “Dad, will you take me again tomorrow?”
I replied, “Randy, I do not mind taking you there, but you can’t expect me to pay $20 a day for your fishing and food every day this summer.”
Randy was ready for this and retorted, “Dad, I have the money. In fact I have $26, so I am covered!”
Curious, I inquired, “Randy, where did you get that kind of money?”
“Well Dad,” he replied, “you know that when we go fishing together, we always throw back the mackerel we catch. Well I saved all of the ones Mike and I caught and then filleted them when we got home. I put them in plastic bags and went to all the Filipino ladies in the neighborhood and sold them for 50 cents each. Now I have $26.”
I was quite impressed with his resourcefulness so I gladly supported his request. Not only did he go fishing on Tuesday, but Wednesday as well.
At the dinner table Wednesday evening, Randy asked me to call the Captain of the fishing boat. With some concern, I inquired as to the reason.
Randy said, “She wants me to work for her on the boat as a deckhand. Can I please? She said that all she needs is your approval.”
After dinner I called Gigi, the captain of the La Jollan, a 40 foot fishing boat that makes daily three-quarter-day runs to the kelp beds just off the San Diego coast. The kelp beds harbor a plethora of fish species most of which are fine eating.
As I spoke to Gigi and got all the details, I wondered why she wanted Randy to work for her, so I asked, “Why do you want my son to work for you?”
She replied, “Don’t you know what he did?”
I replied, “I know that he was on your boat these last three days and that he caught a lot of fish. But beyond that I know not what he did.”
“Well, “she said, “Let me tell you.”
Gigi explained that she took notice of Randy the very first day because he out-fished her regulars. Her regulars, she confided, were very good fishermen. She noticed too that he was courteous and respectful of the fishermen around him. Randy’s diligent care of his fishing gear was also something that created a positive impression. On the second day, she continued her vigil and was surprised when he quit fishing 15 minutes early. He cleaned up his gear and stowed it away. To her even greater surprise, Randy retrieved a bucket and nylon scrub broom and commenced to scrub down the boat! He had obviously watched the deckhands the first day and followed their lead.
Randy did the same thing the third day, Gigi explained, and she just had to get this remarkable boy on her team before the competition got him!
After discussing this with Carol and Randy, we decided to go forward and allow him to work on the boat. I called Gigi back and thrilled her with our decision.
Randy worked as a deckhand on the La Jollan until the boat retired from service in San Diego a few years later. He then was hired by another boat as his reputation apparently found its way to other boat captains at the marina.
Randy proudly displays a Calico Bass
The work of a deckhand is hard work, physically taxing, long hours and almost constant activity. Even though being a deckhand was hard work, Randy enjoyed his free time fishing. If his day off fell on a Saturday, he would entice me to join him for a day of fishing on the La Jollan.
Randy filleting fish aboard the La Jollan
One such occasion is noteworthy. We were fishing the south end of the kelp beds just south of Ballast Point. The captain alerted us that there was a large school of fish and we all got ready to drop our lines. It turned out to be a large “boil” of calico bass. Randy and I were both hauling in fish after fish.
In the midst of the catching frenzy, Randy, standing next to me said, “Dad, I’m sure glad you are keeping up with me!”
I said, “Why?”
Randy said, “Because I told everyone on the boat that you taught me all I know about fishing!”
Randy aboard the La Jollan with someone’s catch
On another occasion, Carol was picking Randy up after a day at work on the boat. She arrived about 15 minutes early and she noticed Randy doing the final clean up on the boat. When she approached, Randy asked her to stay off to the side as he didn’t want people to think that his “mother” had to pick him up.
So while she walked up the dock away from the boat, some fishermen came by and one of them asked Carol if Randy was her son.
She replied, “Yes, why do you ask?”
He said, “My friends and I were on that boat all day. Your son caught our attention by the diligent way he worked. We concluded that his father must own the boat.”
Carol assured them that his father didn’t own the boat, but thanked them for the great compliment.
A few years later, Randy was working on the Daily Double, a half-day boat that also worked the local kelp beds. Randy invited me to go fishing on the Daily Double one day when he was working. I agreed and went out on the Daily Double one Saturday morning.
I boarded the boat as the deckhands were busy with their tasks in preparation for leaving the dock and heading out to the bait barges. I wanted to stay out of the way so I climbed up to the upper deck. In the wheel house I found Fred, the Captain and introduced myself. Then he said something that really touched me.
Fred said, “As soon as we leave the dock, I want you to observe something. You will see the cook and all the deckhands, except Randy, come up to this deck, turn over a bucket, sit down and light up a smoke. Randy meanwhile will go around the main deck seeking out children and teaching them how to set their bait properly. Singlehandedly he’ll insure that every kid will have an extraordinary day fishing. During the day he’ll make sure everyone catches a fish. That’s your boy!”
Wow was I proud of my son.
Over the years, Captain Fred would share from time to time letters that he received from guests who fished on the Daily Double. These letters praised Fred and his crew for the way they treated the families and especially the kids. Some specifically named Randy, acknowledging how he took time with their children to make their fishing day an extraordinary one. One of them touched our hearts more than the others. A woman from Phoenix had promised her nephew to take him fishing after his dad had died. Her letter explained how Randy’s gracious attention to her nephew throughout the day of fishing made his day simply extraordinary. What a blessing for the young lad and his aunt.
The Daily Double off the San Diego coast
By the time Randy reached driving age, he had amassed well over $7,000 in savings from tips and income from his working days on the boats. He worked Saturdays and holidays during the school year and throughout the week during summers and school vacations.
When he turned 17, he used the funds he saved to buy a used Toyota pick-up truck. Another goal achieved through resourceful planning, execution of a wise plan and willingness to work hard. He treated that truck like a valued treasure and after a few years sold it at a nice profit. But that will be another story.
Randy’s Blue Toyota Pick-up
Randy continued working the fishing boats through his college days, building a group of lasting friendships and earning a stellar reputation for customer service and excellent fishing skills. Along the way he learned to love sushi and how to make it.
Ultimately, after he started his career in pharmaceutical cancer research, he used this experience and knowledge to serve as a part time sushi chef at a Japanese restaurant affording him extra cash and a venue for expanding his circle of friends and relationships.
TURNING POINT
Once again a challenge presented to Randy inspired him to turn his passion for fishing into a solution for achieving an important goal. His confidence that he could reach his goal was justified. He again, as with his pursuit of his first snake, was willing to make sacrifices to achieve a lofty goal. Because he earned the money to buy his truck, its value was enhanced and he subsequently treated with respect and eventually reaped the reward of its increased value.
Understanding the power parents have in issuing challenges to their children is a turning point that has great consequences.
COPYRIGHT © 2014 ALLAN EDWARD MUSTERER