Boy on no-tech vacation nets big bass
A story emerged last week at Shasta Lake, where Oliver Solus, 7, cast out a lure with his little $10 “Spider-Man Fishing Kit” — and caught a bass so big that he thought it might pull him into the water.
His dad, Wes, and mom, Heather, chose Shasta Lake because there may be no better lake anywhere right now for a chance to catch a fish, even if it’s often a small one.
Of course, they could have stayed home, working and checking off the items on their “To-Do” lists. In the meantime, they could let the kids play video games, watch TV, text their friends and watch YouTube.
Instead, the Soluses bought one of those little Spider-Man rods. These are the mini fishing rods, 2½ feet long, with a pushbutton reel filled with line, that comes mounted on cardboard with a picture of Spider-Man and shrink-wrapped in plastic. They cost less than $10 at Walmart. The rod is “Spider-Man” red and the reel is blue with red highlights.
Wes tied on a jig with a Keitech swim bait. Then, in a cove near a boat ramp, Oliver cast out the lure and started reeling in.
“He hooked something and started struggling with it,” said Heather. “He said, ‘This thing is big.’ We could tell he was really working at it, and you know how it is, you just don’t figure it’s a big one. Then he got the fish up, and none of us could really believe it, a 7-year-old with a Spider-Man pole, catching the big one.”
When I was 7, I had a similar episode, fishing with my dad, grandfather and brother, and know this is the kind of event that can change a life.
It also reminded me of an encounter I had at the end of last summer at the Outdoor Advanced Leadership Academy at the Suisun Marsh. This is where youngsters from the Bay Area and Sacramento Valley turn off their phones, turn on the outdoors and tune in to friends. I talked to several youngsters and they all said it was a relief to turn off their phones. Many said they often felt a social pressure to “keep up on their texts.”
“It’s actually not that hard to go without a phone,” said Kalia, an 11-year-old from Fairfield. “You’re not spending all your time catching up on your texts, staying in your room. Out here you focus more on what you’re doing, not just looking at a screen. You become aware of what is around you.”
“Your phone distracts you from the moment,” said Jasmine, 12, of San Francisco. “Instead of looking at your phone, trying to text, you look outside and really enjoy it.” Fill ’er up Inching close to 90 percent: Watching the big recreation lakes fill this month has been quite a sight. It sets up a great spring and summer for boating, fishing and camping. Even before the latest deluge at the end of the week, the numbers looked great: Pardee (100 percent), Stampede (91), Bullards Bar (90), San Luis (88), Don Pedro (87), Shasta (86), Whiskeytown (85) and New Melones (84). Others of note: Before the storm arrived, Lake Berryessa was 6 feet from spilling at the Glory Hole, Clear Lake was 4.2 feet at the Rumsey Gauge (looked great on a recent visit, up from 2.4 in December), and Lake Tahoe was 6 inches from the legal limit (it rose 10 inches in two weeks). Many smaller lakes are full or close to it. Bull’s-eye on Monterey Salmon opener: The delayed opener for salmon fishing off the Bay Area coast will shift the focus of many anglers to Monterey Bay, where the salmon season opens this weekend. From Moss Landing, it is often just a short boat ride out of the harbor to the edge of Submarine Canyon, where the upwelling attracts anchovies and salmon (on calm weekends, the line can be long at the ramp, but everybody plays nice). Out of Monterey and Santa Cruz, the fish are also often within close range. Compared to heading out the Golden Gate, the seas are often less hazardous. There can be one little problem: Some years, the salmon decide not to hang out here. Get the latest: Chris’ Fishing, (831) 375-5951, http://chrissfishing.com.