[Ol Pedro]

In 1962 my Dad took us camping to Otay Lake in San Diego . We got settled in Friday night and had a hearty camp breakfast . Dad descided that we would hike across the dam and work our way down the rock riprap on the other side to fish the face of the dam . My Sister Terry , Dad , and I headed off on our big adventure . Getting across the dam was the easy part as there was no path to the water . We had to walk on the rock rubble down hill some one hundred feet to the shore below . Dad tied on a Lucky 13 , Terry had a bobber and some garden worms , and I had a big Daredevil red and white spoon . Dad had picked up a Compac spinning set up for me when he was in Japan on his last cruise . I put some 30 lb test mono that I had salvaged from the trash on it . I could only cast a few feet with it but I didn't know any better . I was in Heaven just casting that spoon . My Dad caught a Bass around 1 1/2 lbs right next to the dam and my Sister caught a couple of Sunfish . I just stood in the same spot on a big rock casting for hours . I managed to get the big Pike spoon 15 - 20 foot out and watched it flash as I reeled it in . As the Sun started to head toward the Mountains to our West it happened . The spoon disappeared in a big boil right next to the rock I was standing on . I lifted the fish in one reactionary heave onto the rock . It was a 3 lb Largemouth ! With that rope I had for line he never had a chance . Dad said that we had to go in five minutes or it would be dark and we had to climb . He had another fish on the next cast . It was a Bullhead around four pounds on a Lucky 13 no less . We strung it and started back up the rubble . We walked into camp out of the gathering darkness . We cleaned our catch and enjoyed eating fish the rest of the weekend . I didn't catch another keeper sized Bass until I was 10 or 11 . I miss my Dad . He was the only one in my Family that got it .