Third place Newspaper Column/Essay 2008

Grandfather Randall: A Sinner or a Saint?

from the St. Helena Star

By Bill Ryan

Mike Randall - Saint or Sinner? Regular readers will remember that I have mentioned my Grandfather Randall (Mom's Dad) over the years. He is the one who got me started fishing back in Rhode Island when I was six years old. Now you must choose his title. If you like my column, he's a Saint. If you don't, he Sinned. To help your deliberation, here is a picture of a bunch of fish Grandpa and his fishing partner caught in front of his little camp trailer. Yep, he was a good fisherman. (Hey, check out the pipe and tie.)

With my vote for Saint, let me tell you why I loved him so. He came to America from Italy as a very young boy and finally settled in West Kingston, R.I.. He was a farmer, a butcher and a grocer. As such, he touched the lives of every one of the 100 citizens of that tiny town. His was truly a "general store" needed by the locals who didn't travel to the mall to shop. There weren't any. During the depression, he gave boxes of food to the less fortunate every Friday night — for years.

Mike held court around the pot belly stove in his store as the village elders assembled after supper. The barrel of that hot stove was orange-red. His crooked stem pipe smelled good to me — and no one else ever sat in his chair. Cracker barrels and stacks of cartons provided the other seating. He sold a full range of groceries, produce, dairy and meat. In addition there were patent drugs, Levis, shotgun shells, Waterbury watches and lamp chimneys. Out back were barrels of vinegar and molasses, sacks of grain, wood and coal for sale in bulk. His walk-in cooler was cooled by ice my uncles harvested from their pond. A quarter bought you a big chunk that rode home wedged behind your front bumper. The natives showed their trust in Mike by electing him Town Fence Viewer year after year. His job was to settle differences over the height and spitefullness of neighbor’s fences.

Can't tell you why, but I was his favorite grandchild — and I loved every minute of his attention. Best was fishing with him on Worden's Pond in a heavy old plank row boat or ice fishing with tilts. Keep warm with hot tomato soup and watch for the tilts to spring up through the frosted window of his little cabin. Stroll down to unhook the fish and bait up. By then, sitting on the ice, they were fresh frozen. He called me "Bub" and taught me a lot about life and fishing. You would have liked Mike Randall — even if you voted for "Sinner".

Lied To Again...The fishing news is bleak. I’ve been helping you choose some fishing spots for the past seven years now. Unfortunately, there will be fewer available going forward. 175 lakes and streams will no longer receive DFG plants of trout — effective immediately.

Just look at those close by that we fish regularly: Conn Dam/Lake Hennessey, Putah Creek, Lake Solano, San Pablo Dam Reservoir, Lafayette Reservoir, Indian Valley Reservoir, Lake Pillsbury, Cache Creek, Upper Blue Lake. It's unthinkable that we won't be bringing our kids to Conn Dam for an April fishing derby any more.

Here's what happened. The Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Rivers Council sued the DFG (California Department of Fish & Game) in 2006. The Stanford Environmental Law Clinic representing them argued in supreme court that the DFG should be required to complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for each lake before being allowed to stock it.

Their cover story was that we needed to protect frogs and pollywogs from trout. That is absurd; they have been living together with trout successfully for eons. Want proof of what trout eat? Stop in at Sweeney’s and take a look at the hundreds of trout flies for sale — 95% of them are smaller that you thumbnail. Experts have long maintained that the decline in frog populations has not been caused by trout — and won't be reversed by stopping the plants.

Here's one clear example of that. At a wilderness lake in the High Sierra, all the trout were netted out and killed to protect the “endangered” frogs. But, all of the frogs died the next year anyway — killed by chitrid fungus. Rowland Knapp of the Sierra Nevada Research Laboratory said in part, "...the trout had nothing to do with all the frogs disappearing at that test lake". My Napa Valley Register page mate, Guy Carl, said it best when he asked if protecting a few frogs was more important than Californians being able to fish as part of our outdoor heritage.

As outdoors enthusiasts and citizens, we need to challenge this continuing junk science. We must ask our representatives in the legislature to find out what shadowy agenda is pushing the Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Rivers Council. Should we sit by while our rights are taken from us without real reasons? What’s next? Hunting, trekking, birding, skiing? You can call our State Senator, Patricia Wiggins at 707 224-1990. Call our State Representative, Noreen Evans at 707 258-8007. Or, write to each of them at 1040 Main Street, Suite 205, Napa, Ca. 94559. (We are forever grateful to Tom Stienstra of the Chron for keeping us posted.)

Happy End Note. Huge (30 to 70 pound) Humboldt Squid are on the chew. Just listen to this catch by the New Sea Angler out of Bodega Bay last Thursday. Twenty anglers caught 400 in 90 minutes that averaged 30 pounds. The top fish was 70. Buckie’s calculator sez that totals 12,000 pounds or 133 pounds per minute. This news will fill up the boat real fast. Better call the Bodega Sports Fishing Center at 707 875-3344 to book some space on The New Sea Angler for your kids out on Christmas Break.