A FRIENDS OF ROLLO FISHING TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
By Ron Ballanti
Special to Western Outdoor News
Every Friends of Rollo/United Anglers of Southern California fishing trip I've participated in has been a special, life-affirming event. Anybody who has witnessed the joy in a youngster's face as he or she catches that first fish knows what I'm talking about. Now imagine sharing in this unbridled excitement dozens of times in a single morning, as kid after kid lifts that jumping, squirming fish over the rail, giggling all the way.
 That scenario is enough to soften the macho facade of even the saltiest angler. A recent trip I coordinated for Boy Scouts of America Troop 549 of Granada Hills provided many of these now-familiar moments-but it meant even more to me personally.
Our May 15th half-day trip was aboard the Betty-O out of Marina Del Rey Sportfishing - a boat with special meaning to me. As a child, I was fortunate enough to have a father and three older brothers who introduced me to saltwater fishing as soon as I could see over the rail. I became "hooked" at an early age, and accompanied my brothers to places like Catalina or the Coronados Islands. Looking back, however, I would say it was when I started going on party boats by myself-at the tender age of 12-that it was obvious fishing for me would be a lifelong passion.
 I had my fishing "rite of passage" in the early 70s aboard the Betty-O, venturing out to the Short Banks to load up on big boccacio and the occasional cow cod (those were the days!). I can still remember hanging out with avuncular Captain "Frenchy" in the wheelhouse, acting like I was an old pro and feeling so grown up.
So the chance to return to the Betty-O after so many years (decades, actually), with a truckload of eager youngsters was too much to resist. My son David had recently bridged from Cub Scouts and joined Boy Scout Troop 549, and when I brought up the subject of a saltwater fishing trip at one of the weekly meetings, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
 Everybody was excited when the day of the trip finally arrived, a clear, sunny morning with little wind. The Betty-O arrived at Dock 52 in Marina Del Rey, looking pretty much the way I remembered her. After a brief safety talk from Captain Mike Reinsch, we filed onboard. In addition to our Troop 549 Boy Scouts, we were joined by brothers, sisters and friends, bringing our total crew to 28 boys and six girls ranging between eight and 16 years of age. We also had eight adults along, myself included, to help out and keep an eye on the youngsters.
 After a 40-minute ride, Captain Mike anchored us up over hard bottom in about 180 feet of water and kids quickly began reeling in whitefish and small rockfish. The crew was very patient and helpful with the inevitable tangles. Our colorful deckhands Daytona, Garrett, Nick and Vinny ran around from youngster to youngster, unhooking fish, unwrapping tangles and even pinning on live anchovies for the more squeamish fishermen. In what could be considered a "stressful" environment for any crew, they had fun with the situation, joking around with the kids while keeping control of the situation. Our cook Patty whipped up the hot dog lunches and drinks as part of the Rollo program, along with snacks and other items from the galley. Captain Mike let even small groups of kids join him in the wheelhouse and explained how things like the boat's radar, fishfinder and GPS worked.
We enjoyed a pretty steady bite on the whitefish, and even a visit from a few "exotics." Scout Devon Luehrmann reeled in a short lingcod that was admired by all before being released. Another angler reeled up a skate -a big hit with the boys - while one of the boys reeled in a baby black seabass that got a lot of ooohs and aaahs before it was released.
 As one might expect on a trip with so many "first-timers", a few kids (and adults, too) succumbed to mal de mer from the rocking motion of the swells, but because the trip was short it was no big deal. That's one of the advantages of a 1/2-day Rollo charter like this - it provides a great introduction to saltwater fishing without being too much for landlubbers. Besides, I witnessed a few miraculous recoveries when suddenly a fish was dancing at the end of the line.
Soon, too soon it seemed, it was time to head for the barn. Another Boy Scout troop from Long Beach was set to do a Friends of Rollo trip on the Betty-O's afternoon run, and they would be eagerly awaiting their turn at the dock. A whole lot of kids caught their first fish that morning, and whether it was a whitefish, mackerel or rockfish didn't matter much. I can think of no higher measure of success than this.
 On the run back, the kids watched the deckhands clean some fish, played in the bait tank and even snuck a few anchovies to the gulls that wheeled above us. It dawned on me that these were pretty much the same things I did when I was a kid on my first boat trips. It gave me great satisfaction to know that -- because of how I spent one morning with a group of youngsters - maybe one of them will be doing the same thing with his kid someday.
Friends of Rollo exists to honor the memory of Captain James "Rollo" Heyn by introducing youngsters to ocean fishing. The organization has sponsored fishing trips for thousands of disadvantaged and special needs kids over the years; however, it will organize and pay for fishing trips for any organized groups of youngsters. Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, school groups, boy's and girl's clubs, church groups and others all can take advantage of this wonderful program. Friends of Rollo knows that most of those who take one of these trips will be new to the sport, so they make the event as turn-key as possible. Trips usually include not only passage on the boat, but rental tackle, terminal tackle and lunch/refreshments. When the kids arrive, everything is onboard and ready to go.
 All this is made possible by the generous support of individuals and fishing industry sponsors like Pure Fishing. Maxima, Shimano, Tady Lures, West Marine, Fred Hall & Associates and many others. Because Friends of Rollo is under the United Anglers of Southern California 501c non-profit umbrella, donations to support this program are tax deductible.
Working with new Friends of Rollo coordinator John Rowe to set up our Troop 549 trip was a breeze. The organization wants to get as many kids as possible out fishing, so they are eager to help you organize a trip. "When you call up, be ready to talk about the type of group you have, the age range of the kids and three choices of dates for a trip," said Rowe. "Based on this information and the area you want to fish, we'll work with the landings and put together a trip that fits your group," added Rowe.
Friends of Rollo is based out of Fisherman's Landing in San Diego, but sets up trips up and down the Southern California coast. You can reach Rowe at (858) 350-5870, or write to him on behalf of Friends of Rollo at 2838 Garrison Street, San Diego, CA 92106.
DONATIONS are accepted at any level
"Friends of Rollo - U. A." is a 501(c) non-profit organization. All donations are 100% tax deductible.
www.friendsofrollo.com
Please make checks payable to: FRIENDS OF ROLLO - U. A.
and mail to:
FRIENDS OF ROLLO - U. A.
2838 Garrison Street
San Diego, CA 92106
|
$50 
