Free Fishing Trips for Kids; 'Manzanar Fishing Club' Opens in Santa Monica

Congratulations to Haley Pearson from Edison High School for organizing the Fishing for Mobility event in Newport Harbor over the weekend. Pearson, 16, put together the benefit fishing tournament and banquet to buy adaptive tricycles for disabled youth. Not only was the event a huge success but, there is much hope for the future with young adults like Pearson leading the way.

Ned Wallace from Newport Beach and from Wallace Air Cargo Group recently funded another youth outdoor event for the kids from 75th Street Elementary School in South Los Angeles. According to Tim Barbee from the school, many of these children never get out of a four-block area. “This was a huge day for these kids,” Barbee said. “It’s the kind a day that could be that fork in the road that leads to a better life.” The attached video shows just how much fun the children had as well as getting lessons on the value of conservation and being good citizens.

Saturday is the Mile Square Park Fishing Derby at Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley. Kids age 15 and under fish for free and compete to win multiple prizes for finalists and winners in different age groups. Registration is from 7-8:30 a.m., with the derby at 9 a.m.-noon.

Fishing clinics will be hosted on-site, and a limited number of fishing rods will be available for loan. A complimentary barbecue lunch will be served to all who attend. The event will be hosted by yours truly from Philip Friedman Outdoors. The lake will be stocked with 1,600 pounds of trout for the derby. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Twilight sand bass fishing has been good on the Native Sun out of Long Beach Sportfishing in Long Beach. On Friday, 28 anglers caught 72 sand bass and a few sculpin. The best way to get a bite has been on 20- to 30-pound test, with a 2-ounce banana leadhead tipped with fresh dead squid.

Many of the fish were in the 2- to 3-pound class caught on glow-in-the-dark green leadheads. The trips depart every Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and return around midnight. There are pro staffers on deck and a free raffle for everyone on board. Call (562) 432-8993 to get on board. See the video from last Friday’s trip attached.

Kids 15 and under fish for free out of Pierpoint Landing and Long Beach Marina Sporfishing for the entire month of April. Children with a paid adult can fish on the half-day and three-quarter-day boats any day of the week, including weekends. “It’s our way of trying to get kids into the great outdoors,” said Don Ashley from Pierpoint. The timing couldn’t be any better with Easter break and kids looking for something to do.

The Toronado from Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach has a special rockfish trip departing Friday, April 6, at 10 p.m. for surface and rockfishing at San Clemente Island. The game plan is to look for yellowtail, white seabass and calico bass, with the fall-back plan of filling everyone’s sacks with delicious rockfish.

Rockfishing will be mostly in shallow water, so anglers do not need heavy equipment. A 12- to 16-ounce torpedo sinker will be perfect for catching lingcod, vermillion rockfish, sheepshead and more. Special pro staffers will be on deck to help you along, and there will be a raffle provided at no extra charge. Trip is $150. Call (424) 237-0250 to save $20 and sign up now.

Todd Lee was fishing the Long Beach breakwall with his friend Todd Benton Tuesday afternoon when he thought he had snagged bottom. Lee tried to break his line free when he realized he had a fish on the other end. It turned out to be a 9-pound cabezon, which Lee quickly released. Cabezon in Spanish means big head and is the largest member of the sculpin family. The two men also caught sand bass, calico bass and sugar bass.

The Tradition out of Redondo Sportfishing has been catching good rockfish, and so have the Marina del Rey boats. The Tradition had five lingcod over the weekend and lost several other presumably bigger fish.

The Manzanar Fishing Club is screening Friday in Santa Monica at the Laemmle Monica 4. The film chronicles the World War II internment of Japanese Americans from a new and unique perspective.

The Manzanar Fishing Club is about how some of those unjustly imprisoned risked their lives to fish for trout in the surrounding waters in the Eastern Sierra. They risked their lives and sneaked past armed guards and through barbed wire to taste sweet freedom and regain lost dignity if even for a brief moment. The film speaks to the human spirit and carries with it valuable life lessons for everyone.

On Saturday, the “voices” of the Manzanar Fishing Club will be available to meet with the public after the 7:30 p.m. showing. I was proud to have been chosen to narrate Act III of this very enlightening film and will be among the attendees.

Advance ticket sales are available at the Laemmle Theatre website. Group sales inquiries can be directed to (310) 292-3600.