Field Notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 26/52 | Summer
Jun 20, 2021
Field notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 26 of 52 | Rewilding Los Angeles
Flew to Cali with my teenage boys this last week to visit dear friends in L.A. They showered us with their love and generosity and the reunion was filled with sweet moments, stories, excellent food and laughter. Los Angeles was all the things…beautiful, outrageous, at times overwhelming, but certainly the last place I expected to venture into the wild with no cell reception.
On an early morning walk, I noticed a few old-timers fishing near the Jetty in Marina Del Ray. Of course I was intrigued and wanted to know what kind of fish were biting and how I might get an opportunity to get a pole and some bait. They recommended I take an early morning sea charter. We had one vacation day left and luckily when I called they had a few spots available on “The New Del Mar”. We woke up at 6 am the next day to meet the fishing boat at the marina.
What a blast! They gave us fresh squid and sardines to use as cut-bait. Once our lines were dropped there were 15 of us cheering each other on with money in the pot for who might catch the biggest fish. We reeled up California Scorpion fish (bright orange and monstrous looking), Sand Dab (flat and bizarre), and one guy caught a small shark! I don’t know about the shark but the first two make an excellent pan-fried dinner and the guys in the boat filleted and bagged them for us to take home.
I was thrilled to rewild in L.A. and loved that I found a way to get zero cell reception for 5 hours by venturing out to sea. We had a pod of dolphins racing us starboard side of the bow, we saw multiple sea lions who barked at us and had a chance to witness and hold fish I have never seen or heard of before. I met great people including Ted who showed me his treasured tackle box filled with stories and prized lures.
After 4 days immersed in the sites of the city ~ its excitement, wonder, and extravagance…the simplicity and joy of fishing with my boy was priceless.
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