This man knew the sea

Deepa Bharath

God.

That’s what they called Ken Dickerson along the shoreline, from

Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas.

Ken was one of the last of a vanishing breed of California’s

master fishermen.

He read the skies. His weather forecasts, way before fancy radars

and Doppler machines, were so accurate that they made it seem like he

was dancing the weather gods like puppets.

He seemed to study the water and the fish that swam in it. He

enjoyed reeling in anything -- from tuna and trout to marlin and

albacore.

And he was god because he could show the people on the

sportfishing boat he captained exactly where to find the fish. He

even made business cards with “God” printed on them.

He was God because the fish seemed to follow him. Days before he

would take his boat to Cabo, local anglers would complain about the

lousy fishing. But when Ken showed up, the fish showed up. And when

he left, the fish disappeared into the horizon with him.

He’d only done it for 47 years. But Ken had an instinct, a sixth

sense, which many frustrated fishermen couldn’t even begin to fathom.

He joked about it and made light of his own incredible talent.

When people asked him where he found the fish, he’d reply: “Oh, I

found it behind the boat.”

Ken was always drawn to the water like the fish were drawn to his

boat. He started working on sportfishing vessels when he was 21,

after spending four years with the U. S. Army. He started out with

places such as Davey’s Locker in Balboa. For a few years, he operated

his own charter boat.

But for the last 37 years, he worked for Carlton Forge Works as

the captain of the El Tigre and Lauren C, sportfishing boats owned by

Alan and Lorraine Carlton of Lido Isle.

For several years, he stayed away from his Costa Mesa home for 10

to 11 months in a year. His children never knew their dad, but he

always stayed in close touch and tried to compress a whole year of

parenting into the one month he was home.

He knew his life was one no family man would dream about. But he

did it because it was good money and it was fun. And because he lived

and breathed it.

Ken hardly took any days off work. When he did, he went

trout-fishing with his son to Irvine Lake.

He had a dry sense of humor. He made people laugh without cracking

a smile himself. He did have a distinctive laugh which almost sounded

like a cackle. And he laughed often. So when people heard that

cackle, they knew god was on board.

Ken’s personality almost assumed Hemingwayesque proportions. He

was much like Ernest Hemingway’s immortal protagonist in Old Man and

the Sea.

He had that indomitable spirit and an undying larger-than-life

optimism, which to many, seemed truly superhuman.