A bright and sunny afternoon at the Del Mar Fairgrounds provided the backdrop for opening day at the Fred Hall Show. The crowd, judging by the cars parked outside at one P.M. and the crowd walking the floors in several buildings, was just about “normal,” not huge,(it seems to build to a peak on the weekend), but big enough to keep vendors and salespeople busy yakking it up with potential customers, ringing up receipts, and renewing old friendships.

I walked those floors, particularly the main floor, for several hours, taking photos and learning a few new things. One new plastic swimbait in particular caught my attention, a pollywog-looking critter in three sizes that was originally meant to imitate a flying fish, said Matt Paino. It swims like nothing before, he said. Matt said he’d send me some info, which I’ll pass on.

“I’m retired now,” his dad Tony told me.

“Does that mean you don’t have to come in to work?” I asked.

“”No, I’m in there most of the time,” he replied. “Matt likes me to come in about four A.M.”

I thought that was very much like my own retirement, which has me working only seven or eight hours a day, instead of 10 to 12.

Two of the Izorline gals, Wendy Tochihara and Shauna Barton, showed me the latest lines while they were also operating the gizmo that tests for knot strength, a regular feature of the shows for many years.

I had a wonderful time talking with my old friend John Rowe, executive director of the Friends of Rollo over these many years. John is in remission from a fight with cancer. It affected his stomach and liver and reached stage four. His chemotherapy was successful so far, he told me.

“I’m in recovery,” he said. “I lost my hair, so I’m growing a beard. I’d really like to thank my friends. People came out of the woodwork, and it meant a lot to me. I want to thank them for all their prayers.”

Rowe and I had a few minutes to reminisce about an incredible trip we made aboard the Excel many years ago to Guadalupe Island. One dinner in particular stands out in memory.

“Remember that night when you and I sat at the table with Russ Izor, Carl Newell and Bill Poole?” said John. “That was something else, to dine with those giants. Paul Brown was there, too. I’ll never forget it.”

I chatted with Brandon Hayward, who was selling his new journal, The Bight. His young son Noah was in Brandon’s care, waiting for Mom to come and pick him up. Noah is growing like a weed, and almost ready for regular underwear. Brandon said he’d provide me with copies of The Bight to sell onsite, which I will do shortly. Viewers will be able to purchase online. It’s a great buy at $15, and well suited for your fishing library.

Brandon said he’d picked up his first sizeable white seabass the other day, and looks forward to the run, also the appearance of yellowtail on the coast between San Diego and Dana Point.

New displays were on hand for Cousin’s Tackle, Seeker rods and a couple other “new” businesses. Rep Bob Kotula and a client posed with one of the rods Cousins is offering.

Gary Gillingham was manning the Accurate booth, getting ready for a brace of 16-day trips he’ll be making soon. His good wife Betsy was there, too, and Gary showed me the little spinning reel many of us have been hoping to acquire for nearshore, inshore and freshwater fishing. It’s a little marvel of engineering, and strong beyond anything I’ve seen before in that size. It’s named the SR-6. Good luck to Gary, making those long trips with a week layover.

Doug Kern has been managing the tackle store at Fisherman’s Landing for so many years he’s become an expected fixture at the shows, where his store does a great business during the events. Doug was a part of the recent and totally unexpected opah beaching, just a few days ago. You can read about it on the site and a see a photo of the rare fish, which was cut up at Fisherman’s Processing. Doug said a biologist picked up the carcass, so maybe we will learn later about why a deep water fish like that was in San Diego harbor, where it was obviously disoriented.

There were dozens of boats on display, as always. Some were small skiffs, some were inflatables, some were cruisers and at least one was a great-looking dream, a millionaire’s dream, I reckon. I wish I had enough money to keep it in fuel and pay the taxes and docking fees. It was sitting on a more-than-substantial trailer, so I guess you could take it home, with some effort. But it was a beauty.

I talked with the guys from Sea Tow, who will come and bail you out if you get stuck at sea for any reason. Like the anglers, these rescuers are looking for a better season this year, what with the warm water that’s coming. Warm water, more fish, more boats on the water. If your engine(s) quit, you’d like to see that yellow boat coming your way, for sure.

Jonathan and Jillian Roldan must go with their Tailhunter Sportfishing outfit to every fishing show in the west. They were at Del Mar, too, with their palapa-style booth and permanent smiles, some of the nicest folks in the biz, still cheerful after being on the road for many cold and snowy weeks. I thanked Jonathan for his great reports on fishing in the La Paz area. It would be great to stay at their place in La Paz, a truly international city, my wife calls it, and fish that area again. I haven’t been to La Paz for many years. Hopefully it hasn’t overgrown itself the way Cabo San Lucas has.

John Ireland was in Pete Gray’s Let’s Talk Hookup booth. Both are fixtures in this business, always ready with a smile and a quip. Both men have helped literally thousands of anglers to enjoy the fishing off Baja and southern California, and both are a great source of information. John appears regularly on Pete’s weekend radio shows, where he offers a news roundup for the East Cape. During his shows, Pete pretty much covers whatever’s happening.

There was much more to see and do than I can offer here, of course. The show runs through Sunday. There are great deals to be had there, on tackle, accomodations, fishing trips, clothing and all fishing related goodies. So get the family and head on down to where the surf meets the turf. Kids and military get in for free—can’t beat that!