"It is better to have a youngster hanging around a pier catching fish then hanging around a street corner catching something else".

LOANER POLES:  United Pier & Shore Anglers of California (UPSAC.org) has been accepting donated fishing poles and other tackle for several years now in the expectation of the future establishment of a loner pole program for area youngsters. What has prevented implementation so far is the lack of a local distribution system. 

Without storage facilities at the point of use distribution requires the potential user to pick up and return the tackle to a remote location. Problems with the equipment or misuse/abuse of the tackle cannot be addressed until the equipment is returned, if at all.

A pier based location is the obvious answer. The Pier Host and the Marine Center are the obvious points of contact. 

The Host not only checks the tackle out to the potential angler but also assesses their skill level and previous experience and offers instruction and assistance as needed. The angler could also be matched up with more experienced anglers as fishing companions for the day. 

Not only would they learn appropriate fishing skills but also they would 
be exposed to pier etiquette and the applicable Department of Fish and Game regulations. Such mentoring has always been a part of the public pier fishing experience. With the increase in the number of single parent families it has become even more important.

One of the best features of the website Pier Fishing in California (www.pierfishing.com) are the members biographies. Hundreds have chosen to respond to a brief survey of their first fishing experiences. Well over 90% have fond memories of the mentoring they received ... attitudes learned then have stayed with them all of their lives.

RECYCLED TACKLE:  Pictured is just a small portion of the lost and abandoned tackle found on the pier by one of the regular users in just a little over two year's time.

Such an accumulation represents a considerable amount of money to be spent in replacing the lost articles.  Almost every pier has one or more people with such collections. 

Other than the lead weights there is little that can be recycled through normal channels. However all of the pictured gear would find new homes if it were displayed and offered for free at the Marine Center.

Encouraging such a program would not only result in free tackle but would also benifit the wildlife around the pier since much of the lead and hooks are removed from fishing line which has become snagged on the pilings or under the pier. 

Such snagged lines are a hazard to seabirds and marine mammals alike and are budgeted for removal by many municipalites ... Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara has a regular crew that spends two hours every day doing nothing else.

The cleaning and repair of such gear could be another way for potential pier mentors to become involved in a unique form of community service. The Center would provide the workspace needed for such tasks. 

As with all services and material associated with the Center there would be no charge whatsoever. The Center would be established as a non-profit educational organization.