Jigboat - Fishing out of Santa Monica Harbor, California. Catalina Island can be seen 22 miles to the West.

In the years precedingthe late 50s, before the sprawling kelp bedsÑthe natural habitat of sealifeÑwere harvested for fertilizer and iodine, schools of mackeral and sardine flourished. We would head into the sunset in our 2-man jig boat, spreading a chum-line astern. Ground fish was produced by the local canneries and packed in 50-gallon barrels. We would scoop the chum from the barrel on our deck by hand and broadcast it in our wake. We were rewarded by feeding schools of mackeral following the food line to our boat. Wearing hip-boots, we took our position in the metal racks hung over the side and jigged mackeral with short 4-foot striker- poles to which barbless hooks and line were attached. As we flipped them over our shoulder, the mackeral would fall free on the deck. As the schools increased, the striker-poles were replaced with brale nets on poles. With these we would scoop mackeral on board, adding to the deck load.

The ritual capping off of our nights work, was a refreshing sunrise bath in the bay.