HERE WE ARE | By Rita Rose Maes & Bennett Barthelemy

FISHING AND PSEUDO-GUIDING AT THE VENTURA HARBOR

Why do we spend time together in nature? Maybe its because we have the desire to decompress, or maybe it’s so that we can experience a natural state of our self. What appears obvious is that nature gives a sense of interconnectedness and memories.

This day was supported in whole for us. Some received just the right amount of decompression and others a bit of connection to self and to nature – a group of humans all interested in mostly the same thing. Beauty was present, as was consistency and mystery, exactly the kind of support that was needed.

Outdoor guiding is something I have known intimately for many years — and yet I still feel that I know very little. Somehow, when I step into the moments of being a leader or a guide, the most authentic takes lead and hold.

This day at the Ventura harbor held many of us in that way. My personal moments varied from frustration due to an injury that limited my ability to fully participate. My injury kept me from rowing, but not from observing. Staying back to wait for the kayak group to return allowed me to wander, take photos and appreciate the sharing between a father and son simply fishing from the rocks.

The boy cast his line and moments later an entire crew of nearby commercial fisherman were cheering for the boy’s unexpected catch. The boy stayed calm as he reeled in something that looked quite large from where I was standing. One of the fisherman yelled out, “That’s a keeper, a real beauty. That’s a white sea bass, good job dude!” The boy was humble and calm yet his eyes gleamed with excitement. His father gave quiet instructions of what to do next, staying calm describing how to remove the hook for a safe release back into the wild.

The fisherman kept cheering. The last cheer I heard was about how to keep the fish. “Put it in your pants!” It seemed obvious that he wanted them to smuggle the trophy home. By standards of Fish and Game it has to be of a certain size. Another fisherman yelled, “Keep it, that’ll be good ceviche!”

The dad and boy knew it was best to let the fish go back to the sea. The father told his son to fetch the vice-grips from the tackle bag. He then showed the boy how to hold the fish, remove the hook, effect a careful resuscitation to the gills by gently moving the fish back and forth in her native waters bringing oxygen.