Lorrayne L.

We journeyed to the Land of Lost Sunshine early in the morning to beat weekend traffic in, had a lovely breakfast out on the piers, then headed over to the jetty where the class took place. The fog was still thick at that hour, and the tops of the skyscrapers were shrouded in white. Even the tops of the Golden Gate were virtually invisible, and remained so as the day progressed. Kirk Lombard is a very famous man. He's known for making the State record for largest monkeyface prickleback ever caught. Kirk has also worked for California Fish and Game for 7+ years, and now consults with them. Highly knowledgeable and extremely enthusiastic, you feel the contagion spread while listening to him talk about the wildlife to be found along the coast in the intertidal zones. He shows you the best techniques to catching small fish, crabs, and harvesting mussels, seaweed and kelp. He also demonstrates first-hand how to catch the famous monkeyface prickleback, which was very entertaining to watch. In addition to all this, he shows you the easiest way to gut and debone a small fish, and how to properly cast nets to catch smelt along the water's surface. We had a grand old time with Kirk yesterday, and I highly recommend everyone to take at least one of his tours. Trust me - by the end of class, you'll be hankering to run down to Pacifica Pier to buy a crab trap, or to your favourite bait and tackle shop to stock up on fishing gear.