Ken Jones - Writer & Pierfisherman |

Berkeley Pier — 2011 Kid’s Fishing Derby

August 11, 2015 by kenjones

Saturday, August 6, 2011 saw an excited group of young anglers at the Berkeley Pier Kid’s Fishing Derby. Amidst a crowd of slightly over 50 people, the young anglers had the chance to fish using free loaner tackle, free bait, and free advice from a dedicated group of local “pier rats.” And though the fishing was slow at first, once the perch, rockfish and jacksmelt started to bite just about every youngster had the chance to land at least a few fish.

UPSAC’s Brian Linebarger answers some questions

Bat Ray

August 11, 2015 by kenjones

Order Myliobatidiformes — Eagle Rays — Family Myliobatididae — Bat Ray

A bat ray from Fortman Marina in Alameda

Species: Myliobatis californica (Gill, 1865); from the Greek words myl (a tooth or molar), io (an arrow or poison), batis (a skate or ray) and the Latin word Californica (referring to location). Apparently called aetobatus californica at one time in California: CA Fish Bulletin #28.

Alternate Names: Stingray, stingaree, bat sting ray, sea ray, eagle ray, batfish, big black, sea bird, flapper, rat tailed stingray, NASCAR, mud marlin (my favorite), and monkey face ray. Called raya murciélago or tecolote in Mexico.

A bat ray caught at the 2007 “Mud Marlin Derby” at the Berkeley Pier

Identification: Bat rays have a very heavy raised head and a dorsal fin at the base of a long whiplike tail with a stinger just behind it. Their coloring is blackish or blackish brown above and white below. Beware of the stinger.

Bat rays can give a very nasty sting

Size: Reported to reach nearly six feet across and over 200 pounds. Most bat rays caught from piers are less than fifty pounds but many in excess of a hundred pounds are caught every year.

A 240-pound bat ray was reported from Newport Bay in 1957. I received a note on the Pier Fishing in California Message Board of a 246-pound fish with an 8.5-foot-wing span that was reputedly taken from the Newport Pier in the ’80s. However, the width sounds too wide leaving the weight also in doubt. I’ve seen pictures of a 176-pound bat ray taken from the Newport Pier and a 175-pound bat ray that was caught at the Aliso Beach Pier in (I believe) 1990.

A very large bat ray landed at the Hermosa Beach Pier in the ’70s by “Mola Joe”

Another fish, this one weighing 203 pounds and measuring 54 ½ inches wide was measured and weighed on a certified scale. It was caught at the Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara on April 24, 2004. The fish struck a live smelt bait and was landed after a fight lasting one hour and twenty minutes. The fish was hooked and fought by James Elledge, and gaffed by Ron Maxell. With the help of bait shop owner Ray Angel (how appropriate) the fish was carried over to the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company to their certified scales. PFIC representative Boyd Grant was soon on the scene to witness and photograph the huge fish…one of the largest bat rays ever caught on a California pier (and possibly the largest to be weighed on a certified scale).

The Stearns Wharf bat ray; a possible record?

Although we’ve had several reports over the years of bat rays weighing 200 pounds or more, the official state (and world) record remains a fish that weighed 181 pounds 0 ounces. It was caught at the Huntington Beach Pier on July 24, 1978 by Bradley A. Dew, a senior at Huntington Beach High School. Records indicate it was 23 pounds over the prior record and, according to the Dept. of Fish and Game, the fish had a 5 1/2-foot-wingspan, a 3-inch-long stinger, and the width across the bat ray’s eyes was an even ten inches.

A large bat ray taken at the North T-Pier in Morro Bay in 2006

According to the California DF&G “female bat rays reach a greater size than males, attaining a maximum disc width of 70.9 inches and weight of 210 pounds. The largest reported male is 40 inches wide and a weight of 37 pounds. Bat rays grow slowly, reach sexual maturity relatively late, have few young, and seem to be fairly long-lived. A 60-inch disc width female was estimated to be 24 years old.” So, all of the big bat rays are moms, grandmas or maybe even great grandmothers.

A chart showing the relationship of width and pounds

A small bat ray taken at the 2015 Mud Marlin Derby in Berkeley

Range: Gulf of California to Yaquina Bay, Oregon.

Habitat: Prefers a flat, rocky bottom or sand among rocks although also seems to enjoy hanging around kelp beds. Most commonly caught in sandy or muddy bottom bays and the deeper water areas around piers. Bat rays basically “fly” through the water using their powerful pectoral fins and occasionally they will leap out of the water when hooked.

A large bat ray taken at Crystal Pier in San Diego

Piers: Bat rays are caught at almost all piers in California, both oceanfront and those in bays. Best bets: Shelter Island Pier, San Clemente Pier, Balboa Pier, Newport Pier, Huntington Beach Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier, Stearns Wharf, Cayucos Pier, Berkeley Pier, San Mateo Pier, Elephant Rock Pier, Angel Island Pier, Eureka Municipal Wharf and Del Norte Street Pier (Eureka).

Shoreline: A frequent catch of shore anglers from San Diego Bay to Humboldt Bay.

A bat ray taken at the Elephant Rock Pier in Tiburon in 2003

Boats: A frequent catch by boaters and kayakers fishing in almost every California bay.

Bait and Tackle: Bat rays eat a wide variety of foods with oysters, clams, crabs, shrimp, abalone, snails and worms being scarffed down on a regular basis. To be expected, they’ll also take almost any bait. However, frozen or live squid, and live bait such as anchovies, ghost shrimp, mud shrimp and grass shrimp, produce most of the fish. Frozen squid is the least expensive and easiest bait to use and is undoubtedly the number one bait for bat rays.

A small bat ray from the Santa Monica Pier in 2009

It’s reported by the way that these strong rays use their pectoral fins to lift their body rapidly up and down to create a suction that sweeps away the sand and gives easy access to their food on the bottom. Because of the potential large size, anglers wishing to fish specifically for bat rays should use heavy tackle and have a gaff or net available to bring the fish up onto the pier. Never use a pier gaff to lift them up to a pier unless you’re intending to keep them for food.

Food Value: Very good.

A really neat graphic designed by Lucy Philips

Comments: Although Ray Cannon’s book How To Fish the Pacific Coast holds a cherished spot on my library shelf, and in many ways was a model for Pier Fishing In California, I believe he was wrong in his comments on bat rays. His most egregious was that “These giant Bat Rays should be exterminated whenever possible because of their menace to crabs, lobsters, and all kinds of edible shellfish.” Although it’s true that those species may be included in a bat ray’s diet, I’m not sure why they were singled out over predators. I think it reflects the thinking of the day, in particular the opinion that bat rays were a danger to commercial oyster operations, i.e., those in Tomales Bay. We know today that they are not a danger to those operations; in fact, they may help by keeping crabs under control. I’m not sure why he made a second statement, an assertion that bat rays are “Seldom taken by anglers.” Even back in those days bat rays (usually called sting rays) were a common catch, and several shark and ray derbies were conducted along the coast, the most famous probably being that at Moss Landing. Today, many anglers concentrate on bat rays. The rays reach a very large size, they put up a strong fight, and are delicious to eat once the fight is over (although more and more people practice catch-and-release with them).

Anna and a bat ray at the 2014 Mud Marlin Derby at Berkeley Pier

Of interest are the bat ray pools found at several aquariums (including the Monterey Aquarium, The Aquarium Of the Pacific, and the Chula Vista Nature Center). The bat rays can be petted and in fact are rather pet-like; some even seem to like to have their backs stroked. Yes, their stingers have been removed! The venomous spines are cut off about once a month (before they reach a length long enough to hurt anyone). Apparently the bat rays receive no harm from these “manicures,” in fact the spines are made of keratin, the same substance found in human fingernails, and the spines grow back. However, bat rays in the wild still have their spines and can inflict a painful wound, so be very careful if you catch one (and some bat rays have two or even three stingers). For some reason Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara sees a lot of small, immature bat rays and they’re usually called monkey face rays.

Pete Wolf of “Big Hammer” fame and a 52-inch bat ray from the Goleta Pier

Scientists report that bat rays move into inshore waters to breed during the summer then tend to move offshore in the winter (so guess when they are more likely to be caught from a pier). While inshore, they are sometimes found in large concentrations. At times these bat ray gatherings contain several thousand individuals. The sea bottom holding these creatures must look a little weird and would certainly have a somewhat alien feeling; not sure if it would be more like a black-cloaked Darth Vader convention, a Raider Nation convention, or something even more outlandish (and scary), a political convention.

A very young “Minnow Magnet” (Justin Morris) and an even younger bat ray at the Paradise Park Pier in 2004

“Bat Ray Dave” and a bat ray from Newport Bay

Oscar Amaro and a bat ray from the Manhattan Beach Pier in 2015

A bat ray taken at Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay in 2004

A bat ray taken at the Goleta Pier in 2006

A bat ray taken at the 2004 Mud Marlin Derby in Berkeley

A bat ray taken at the Tides Wharf in Bodega Bay in 2004

A bat ray taken at the 2015 Mud Marlin Derby in Berkeley showing the correct way to hold them (via their mouth)

A bat ray taken at the Ferry Point Pier in Richmond in 2008

A bat ray at the Malibu Pier in 2007

A small bat ray from the Paradise Park Pier in 2015 showing the correct way to hold them (via their mouth)

A large bat ray from the Gaviota Pier in

Some unofficial records

≈ 220 Lbs. — Ventura Pier, early ‘80s

Source: PFIC

203 Lbs. — Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara), James Elledge, April 24, 2004

Source: Personal comm. Boyd Grant; PFIC

≈ 200 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, May 2014

Source: Let’s Go Fishing, Huntington Beach Pier

≈ 200 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, December 2009

Source: Let’s Go Fishing, Huntington Beach Pier

≈ 200 Lbs. — Oceanside Pier, April 2006

Source: Oceanside Pier Bait Shop

≈ 200 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, March 2001

Source: Big Fish Bait & Tackle, Seal Beach

≈ 200 Lbs. — Ocean Beach Pier, August 1998

Source: PFIC

≈ 200 Lbs. — Hermosa Beach Pier, “Mola Joe”, 1980s

Source: PFIC

≈ 200 Lbs. — Carpinteria Pier, Bill Hinckley, September 18, 1955

Source: Los Angeles Times, September 19, 1955

≈ 200 Lbs. — Redondo Wharf No. 1, June 25, 1888

Source: Los Angeles Herald, June 27, 1888

181 Lbs.* — Huntington Beach Pier, Bradley. A. Dew, 1978

Source: Los Angeles Times, July 28, 1978 & California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife * = Official state record fish and world record (IGFA)

175 Lbs. — Aliso Beach Pier, August 1984

Source: Aliso Beach Pier Snack Shack

≈ 170 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, May 2001

Source: Big Fish Bait & Tackle, Seal Beach

169 Lbs. — Hermosa Beach (pier?), July 30, 1912

Source: Oakland Tribune, July 30, 1912

160 Lbs. — Ocean Beach Pier, May 2009

Source: PFIC

≈ 160 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, March 2001

Source: Big Fish Bait & Tackle, Seal Beach

≈ 150 Lbs. — Oceanside Harbor Pier, August 2009

Source: PFIC

150+ Lbs. — Santa Monica Pier, May 2008

Source: Santa Monica Pier Bait Shop

150 Lbs. — Santa Monica Pier, May 2002

Source: Santa Monica Pier Bait Shop

≈ 150 Lbs. — Oceanside Pier, April 2001

Source: Oceanside Pier Bait Shop

≈ 140 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, March 2001

Source: Big Fish Bait & Tackle, Seal Beach

135 Lbs. — San Clemente Pier, June, November 1999

Source: PFIC

125 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, Greg Taite, April 1999

Source: Let’s Go Fishing, Huntington Beach Pier

123 Lbs. — Huntington Beach Pier, Robert Gerber, March 1999

Source: Let’s Go Fishing, Huntington Beach Pier

120 Lbs. — Ocean Park Pier, Stuts Baida, July 1927

Source: Los Angeles Times, July 31, 1927

110 Lbs. — Pine Avenue Pier (Long Beach), William Crowder, June 2, 1907

Source: Los Angeles Herald, June 2, 1907

106 ½ Lbs. — Belmont Pier (Long Beach), Bill Kerny, October 13, 1960

Source: Long Beach Independent,October 14, 1960

104 Lbs. — Rainbow Pier (Long Beach), Dave Feske, October 13, 1960

Source: Long Beach Independent, October 14, 1960

100+ Lbs. — Stearns Wharf (Santa Barbara), June 1997

Source: Mike’s Bait & Tackle, Stearns Wharf, June 1997

≈ 100 Lbs. — Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, Walter Cartwright, April 11, 1934

Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 12, 1934

100 Lbs. — Seal Beach Pier, April 1958

Source: Long Beach Independent-Press Telegram, April 13, 1958

Posted in Daily musings... · Tagged Bat Ray, Berkeley Pier, California piers, Crystal Pier, Elephant Rock Pier, Ferry Point Pier, goleta pier, Malibu Pier, Manhattan Beach Pier, North T-Pier in Morro Bay, Paradise Park Pier, Pier Fishing in California, pierfishing, saltwater fish, saltwater fishing, Stearns Wharf, Tides Wharf · 1 Comment

Thornback Ray

August 11, 2015 by kenjones

Order Rhinobatiformes — Thornbacks — Family Platyrhinidae

Thornback rays taken at the Ventura Pier

Species: Platyrhinoidis triseriata (Jordan & Gilbert, 1880); from the Greek words platys (flat and broad), rhin (shark with a rough skin), oid (like) and is (similar), and the Latin words tri (three) and seriat (rows, in reference to the three rows of spines on the back).

Alternate Names: Shovelnose shark, pinback ray, prickleback shark, banjo shark, round skate, and my favorite—throw-‘em-backs. Called guitarra diablo or guitarra espinuda in Mexico.

An interesting combo, a thornback ray on one hook and a sea star on the other. Combo landed at the Malibu Pier.

Identification: Large rounded disk; long stout tail with two large dorsal fins and a caudal fin, and three rows of spines on back and tail characterize the thornback ray. Their coloring is brown, gray brown, or olive brown above, and white or cream below.

Size: To three feet and nearly 6 pounds. Most caught off piers are less than 24 inches.

A thornback ray from the Crystal Pier in San Diego

Range: Gulf of California to Tomales Bay and once considered uncommon north of Monterey. However, increasing numbers have been showing up in the Bay Area since about 2010.

Habitat: Common to sandy-beach areas of southern California, especially sandy areas below kelp. Their main food is worms, clams, crabs and shrimp but they’ll eat almost anything they can find on the bottom.

A thornback ray from the Capitola Wharf (Photo courtesy of Capitola Bait and Tackle)

Piers: Probably the most common ray caught off southern California piers; most often caught just outside the surf area. Best Bets: Crystal Pier, Oceanside Pier, Newport Pier, Seal Beach Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Stearns Wharf, Goleta Pier and the Avila Pier.

Shoreline: A frequent catch of southern California shore anglers fishing near sand.

Boats: Few are taken by boaters.

Adam and a thornback ray caught at the Avila Beach Pier. It looks like he’s not too sure about the catch.

Bait and Tackle: Medium tackle with size 4 to 2/0 hooks. Almost any bait will work but squid and anchovies seem to catch the most thornbacks.

Food Value: Although a European thornback ray, Raja clavata, is considered perhaps the best tasting of all rays and skates, California’s thornback ray is not in the same class. In fact, because of its small size, I have never heard of anyone eating one of these rays.

Two happy anglers and an unhappy thornback at the Shelter Island Pier in San Diego

Comments: This can be a fun ray to catch on light tackle! Try fishing at night on almost any southern California pier (and a few in central California), use a light pole, and bring a good light so that you can distinguish this non-harmful ray from the more dangerous round stingrays.

A thornback ray from Capitola (Photo courtesy of Capitola Bait and Tackle)

A thornback ray caught at the Cayucos Pier

A thornback ray from the Redondo Beach Pier

Posted in Daily musings... · Tagged Avila Pier, California piers, Capitola Wharf, cayucos pier, Malibu Pier, oceanside pier, Pier Fishing in California, pierfishing, Redondo Beach, saltwater fish, saltwater fishing, Thornback Ray · Leave a comment

Oceanside Pier — 2011 Young Anglers Tournament

August 11, 2015 by kenjones

What do you get when you mix in a beautiful southern California day, youngsters eager to catch a fish (any fish), and a hard-working group of local and more distant volunteers? The answer in this case was the 2011 UPSAC-IGFA Oceanside Pier Young Anglers Tournament held August 6, 2011.

Getting ready

It starts

Sign here!

The sign-up tables

Sponsored by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), United Pier and Shore Anglers of California (UPSAC), NOAA, and the Oceanside Pier Bait and Tackle, the event was declared a rousing success by all.Loaner rods

Getting the “Goody Bags” ready

Free loaner rods and reels, free bait, free lunches (more than 300 served), and help from more than 25 volunteers greeted the 109 young anglers and their parents.

Heading out!

UPSAC President Ken Jones giving tournament instructions

Ed and Pam Gonsalves, co-sponsors from the Oceanside Pier Bait shop

You might as well be comfortable when you are fishing

UPSAC’s Hashem Nahid offers assistance to a young angler

Hook up?

The Bait Shop stayed busy

UPSAC’s Eugene Kim and Hashem Nahid

NOAA’s Marty Golden

NOAA’s Marty Golden and UPSAC’s Ken Jones talking to the mayor of Oceanside — “Wow, isn’t this a great event?”

The IGFA’s Mike Farrior and members of the Oceanside Senior Anglers Club

Although the fishing was a little slow, the anglers, many who were fishing for the first time, managed to pull in a nice variety of SoCal species that included halibut, kelp bass, barred surfperch, walleye surfperch, spotfin croaker, yellowfin croaker, white croaker, queenfish, sargo, jacksmelt, mackerel, and a baby bat ray.

A spotfin croaker

A nice catch of spotfin croaker

The capture of the fish yielded ten age-group winners.The winners were: 6-year-old Carlos Cruz, 7-year-old Emily Dipitro, 8-year-old Kathryn Oh, 9-year-old Riley Bryant, 10-year-old Angel Flores, 11-year-old Elvis Rivera, 12-year-old Claire Christy, 13-year-old Mikey Pugh, 14-year-old Edward Dizon, and 15-year-old David Hernandez (who was the grand champion in 2010). The Grand Champion this year was Mikey Pugh. Each of the winners received a new rod and reel, an autographed copy of Pier Fishing in California, and a beautiful IGFA certificate. The grand champion also had his name engraved on a perpetual trophy that stays at the pier.

Waiting for the results and the raffle

IGFA’s Mike Farrior and a young lady with a yellowfin croaker

It looks like a queenfish

Two yellowfin croaker

Ken Jones announcing the winners

6-Year-Old Winner Carlos Cruz

8-Year-Old Winner Kathryn Oh

9-Year-Old Winner Riley Bryant

10-Year-Old Winner Angel Flores

11-Year-Old Winner Elvis Rivera

12-Year-Old Winner Claire Christy

13-Year-Old Winner Mikey Pugh

14-Year-Old Winner Edward Dizon

15-Year-Old Winner David Hernandez

13-Year-Old Winner and Grand Champion Mikey Pugh with IGFA’s Mike Farrior

Next up was the raffle!

Waiting for the tickets to be drawn

A winner

Twenty youngsters won free raffle prizes and all of the participants received “goody bags” filled with a plethora of gifts.

Pam Gonsalves handing out “Goody Bags”

The main coordinators were Ed and Pam Gonsalves of the Oceanside Pier Bait and Tackle shop and Ken Jones, President of UPSAC. They were ably assisted by IGFA’s Mike Farrior and Gary Graham, UPSAC Board members Eugene Kim and Hashim Nahid, Marty Golden from NOAA, and a large group of volunteers including the judges from the Oceanside Senior Anglers Club – Lee Wood, Dan Ontiveros, Manuel Ontiveros, Hal Reeser, Ray Wilkerson, Fred Kazzmerek, Jim Swartz. Joining the crowd was the Mayor of Oceanside Jim Woods and Councilman Jack Fuller. Filming the event for KCOT TV was Video-Photographer Bill Stromberg.

Local helpers included Betty Sanchez, Konnie Newland, Joy Koepke, Willie Stevens, Don Dotson, Mountain Man Mark Lewis, Chris Monsale, Larry Snell, Wayne Kogow, Ted Gillespie, Chris Rivas, and Johnny Aggrange.

Among the groups and businesses donating prizes were Oceanside Pier Bait and Tackle, Anglers Bait and Tackle, Arcadia Tackle, Charles Belñavis T-Shirts, Danielson Mfg., Helgren’s Sportfishing, IGFA, J&M Bait Distributors, NOAA, Pacific Coast Bait and Tackle, Pat’s Bait and Tackle, Pierfishing.com, Promar, and Ruby’s Restaurant.

Some of the wonderful people who helped put on the tournament

Posted in Daily musings... · Tagged California piers, IGFA, oceanside pier, Pier Fishing in California, pierfishing, saltwater fish, saltwater fishing, spotfin croaker, United Pier and Shore Anglers of California, UPSAC · Leave a comment

Big Skate

August 10, 2015 by kenjones

Cartilaginous Fishes—Class Chondrichthyes — (A skeleton of cartilage that is not true bone)

Subclass Elasmobranchi—Sharks and Rays

Skates — Family Rajidae — Big Skate

A big Big Skate taken from the Paradise Park Pier in 2007

Species: Raja binoculta (Grard, 1855); from the Latin words raja (skate), bi (two), and oculata (eyed, referring to the markings on top of the skate).

Alternate Names: Skate, barndoor skate, and Pacific great skate. Called raya gigante or raya bruja gigante in Mexico.

Identification: The only skate with a notch in the rear edge of each pelvic fin. The nose is long, bluntly pointed, and broadly triangular. The body is flat with two separate dorsal fins near the end of the tail. Their coloring is gray, brown, reddish brown, olive brown, or blackish, with smaller white spots and two prominent eyespots above; whitish with a possibility of dark spots below.

A small Big Skate taken at the Paradise Park in 2006

Size: Reaches eight feet in length and to over 200 pounds. Those caught at piers rarely exceed 100 pounds in size although two big skates, one at the Cayucos Pier in July 2004 (estimated at 5 feet by 5 feet) and another one taken at the Trinidad Wharf in the summer of 1996 (4 1/2′ wide and 5 1/2′ long), seemingly were over the century mark.

Range: Cabo Falsa, southern Baha California, and Gulf of California, to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, at least west to Unalaska Island; also eastern Gulf of Alaska. Rarely seen south of Point Conception.

Habitat: Generally found in water of moderate depth although ranges to a depth of 2,200 feet; luckily for pier fishermen, they’re also found over sandy-shore beaches and in bays.

A Big Skate taken from the Cayucos Pier in June 2007

Piers: A few are caught each year, generally at piers north of Point Conception). Best bets: Pismo Beach Pier, Morro Bay T-Piers, Cayucos Pier, Seacliff State Beach Pier, Santa Cruz Wharf, Pacifica Pier, San Francisco Municipal Pier, Paradise Park Pier, McNear Park Pier, Fort Baker Pier, Del Norte St. Pier (Eureka), Trinidad Pier, and the B St. Pier (Crescent City).

Shoreline: An occasional catch for northern California fisherman in Humboldt and Arcata Bay.

Boats: A few are reported from boaters and kayakers fishing in Humboldt and Arcata Bays.

A Big Skate taken from the Pacifica Pier in 2006

Bait and Tackle: Due to their potential size, medium to heavy tackle should be used. However, most biggies are caught by anglers seeking other species, few anglers fish specifically for skates. Most any bait will tempt a skate but squid, clams, ghost shrimp, marine worms, and small fish seem to work best.

Big Skate taken at the Berkeley Pier in 2004

Food Value: Like guitarfish, skates when used for food are really delicious. The most common method is to cut off the skin around the wings and then use cookie cutters to punch out pieces of meat that are very similar in taste and texture to scallops. Many stories tell of skate being sold in stores as scallops. Deep-frying is the most common method of cooking for skate prepared in this manner. Another common recipe says to pan-fry the wings in butter (yes, of course after the wings have been skinned).

Big Skate taken at the Berkeley Pier in 2004

Comments: Far less common than bat rays but the average big skate taken is fairly good size. According to the CA DF&W, “skates have paired electric organs along the sides of their tails, which generate weak, low-voltage electric currents believed to be of use in intra-specific communication, possibly for mate recognition or to demonstrate aggression. These electric currents are not harmful to humans.”

A really big Big Skate taken from the Cayucos Pier in 2004

One of my favorite stories is about Rosie and The Creature From The Black Lagoon. The story’s main characters were Rosie, who used to work at Salty’s Bait and Tackle in Trinidad, and an unidentified creature that fell in love with our heroine. Well, not exactly! That might be a slight stretch. The actual incident took place during the summer of 1996 when Rosie decided to get in a couple of hours of late afternoon fishing down at the picturesque old pier in Trinidad Harbor. She was using an Abu-Garcia outfit loaded with 20-pound test line, and for bait she had brought along some herring. Maybe a salmon would grab her bait.

Rosie cast her bait out to the waters on the north side of the pier and began to wait for a strike. When it came, she was in the fight of her life. Something grabbed the bait and took off on the start of a long, long fight. Rosie was soon joined by friends and onlookers who shortly thereafter dubbed her unseen foe, “The Creature From The Black Lagoon.”

It actually wasn’t anything quite so exotic but you never know until you see your quarry. Eventually she did see the fish, a large 100+ pound big skate (and a name was never more appropriate) that measured 4 1/2′ wide and 5 1/2′ long.

It took Rosie, and several of her friends, 45 minutes to land the obstinate critter that apparently did not want to end up in Rosie’s kitchen (but it did). It may have been, in fact probably was, the largest fish ever landed from the pier. Although local boaters have brought in some huge salmon, lingcod, and Pacific halibut, I doubt if any was as hard to land as Rosie’s big skate. Keeping the fish out of the rocks and kelp that surround the pier, as well as keeping it out of the pilings, had to be a combination of Herculean skill combined with a good amount of luck.

A Big Skate taken from the Cayucos Pier in 2000