THE HARBOR COLUMN:A job that’s plenty fishy

Ahoy.

Who knows what fishing club was established in Newport Harbor circa 1922 and is still a very active club today? Let me give you a few hints.

First, the club is in Balboa on the bay front. Your second hint is that the club has a fish scale, and lastly the club is adjacent to Gary Hill’s fuel dock.

Give up?

The correct answer is the Balboa Angling Club, with over 450 members. I spoke with Lynn Cathcart, who has been working at the club for five months, and she was very friendly to chat with about the club’s activities.

Cathcart is looking for someone to work part-time so that she can have a couple of weekends off a month for fishing. This is the perfect job for someone who is retired or someone who only wants to work a couple of weekends a month to interact with the fishing crowd.

What better way to spend a weekend than weigh the catches of the day, talk about fishing and handle some light office work.

Lynn informed me that the club is not only for the hard-core fishers, but the club provides memberships for families too, with kids’ tournaments.

As I have said many times in the past, a national survey showed families spend more time together boating and fishing than any other recreational activity. In our harbor is a club that offers an environment for the whole family, with tournaments, get-togethers, seminars and sitting on the dock by the bay. The membership rates are reasonable too.

The club and its members are very conscious of conservation and enhancing the fish stocks in the ocean. The club’s weighing scales are quieter these days, as catch and release is encouraged. Additionally, the club assists with the white sea bass facility in the harbor, and the fingerlings are from the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (www.hswri.org) in San Diego.

I encourage those excited about the chance to work at Balboa Angling Club to call Cathcart at (949) 673-6316, and you can call her about membership too. The club’s website is www.balboaanglingclub.org or stop by at 200 A Street in Balboa.

Tip of the week is good news about the proposed Marinapark plan, which received support from the Newport Beach City Council to move forward with the project.

Visitor slips are included in the plan for boaters coming to our harbor, and a sailing center is included, which I remember from the ‘80s was on the drawing board for the park behind the American Legion property.

The plans that I reviewed take into account that visiting boaters from other harbors travel in boats that are in the 30- to 70-foot range, sometimes bigger. The marina’s design shows a 200-foot side tie that can accommodate boats over 50 feet, which are the vessels that I actually see transiting the Pacific Ocean.

I am pleased that the city is proposing a park with public water access because we are losing water access, not only in our harbor but across the nation.

Many waterfront properties are being developed into the highest and best use, which is condos. Sometimes, the highest and best use is the best for the public, especially when dealing with water access.

The American Legion and the Girl Scouts will have renovated facilities, and a nice park setting will be built with tennis courts, grassy areas and a community center.

I am excited to see that our world-class harbor is undertaking plans to take a major leap forward for boaters.

Remember to tune in to the No. 1 boating talk radio show in the nation at noon Saturdays. “Capt. Mike Whitehead’s Boathouse Radio Show” is on KCBQ-AM (1170) and can be heard online at www.boathouseradio.com.

Safe voyages.