Big Al's Guide Service
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About Big Al
I was born in Hawaii on the Island of Maui and moved to Oahu at the age of 2 years old. I attended school there and learned to fish because of my Hawaiian heritage. I also learned to net and spear fish at a very young age of 6 and was always in the ocean fishing or surfing. My mother was a school teacher and my grandfather who was Hawaiian, taught me about fishing and the Hawaiian culture as I was growing up. I literally grew up with fishing as a part of my life and it still is a joy in my life. By the age of 15 years old I had traveled to California at least 10 times and had lived here in Laguna Beach and Santa Cruz where I also learned to fish. I had also traveled across the United States and Canada with my mother and grandfather as well as other family members in a travel trailer and camped and fished all the way through the trip. This broadened my horizons about fishing even more.It was in Santa Cruz in the San Lorenzo river where I caught my first steelhead after learning to fly fish diligently and unsuccessfully for 2 seasons. I had watched the old timers catch fish and did not earn their respect until suffering through 2 winters of freezing and not catching anything. At that time many tried and gave up because of the determination it took to catch these silver bullets. I still remember that day I had rode the bus to the lagoon at the mouth of the river and after several casts the water exploded with a bright 9 lb Steelhead that absolutely did cartwheels several times before I dragged her on the sandbar. To my surprise those old timers came over to me and welcomed me to the elite class of Steelhead fisherman and asked what kind of fly I had caught it on in their very next breath. It was a variation of a fly I personally tied which made my catch even more memorable. From then on I was and still am hooked on fishing with an enduring passion to catch more of them. After 45 years and many more Steelhead and King Salmon I still get that weak leg and racing heart while fighting King Salmon or Steelhead. I was guiding for King Salmon and Steelhead from rafts and from the banks on the Trinity, Navarro, Eel, Russian, Ten Mile, Big River, Noyo,Albion,Gualala, Papermill Creek, Garcia, Pescadero Creek and many smaller creeks not to mention. These rivers are far from what they used to be but they still produce beautiful Steelhead even today. It is my dream that our youth will still find it in their hearts to preserve this precious resource in our future by making sure there is water for these fish to return to their spawning grounds
The Thunderjet Alexis Classic, suspension seats, heater, portapotty w/ enclosure, sleeps 3 comfortably, wash down pump, safety rails, downriggers, updated electronics, passenger storage, TR-1 autopilot with a 9.9 high thrust Yamaha trolling motor and all safety equipment. She has been well maintained and dependable.
Alumaweld Super Pro Vee Powered by a 350 Kodiak Vortec jet.Seats 4 to 6 with sliding rod holders,under seat storage,T-R 1 autopilot with a 9.9 high thrust Honda. Excellent for side drifting and running up those shallow rivers to get to those hard to get to fishing spots.
