Fisherman's fest honors Bodega Bay's salty dogs

The heyday: "From '71 to '80, we had three different fisheries that were very lucrative. Salmon from '71 to '79 was really, really good. You could end up with anywhere from zero to 125 fish in a day. Back then, the fish was worth anywhere from $1.75 to $3.50 a pound because they were shipping a lot to France. By '73, I made enough to pay the mortgage off on my house and buy a new truck."

Compare that to now: "We're looking for next year to be a little bit better than this year in crabs. The only thing we've got, really, is the hope for a season that they'll give us — if there's enough salmon to catch. If we catch too much, then we may not have a season next year. So we're just kind of playing it by ear."

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Bodega Bay Fishermen

How important is the festival as a way of paying homage to what you do? "The more exposure we have to the public the better. But right now with the green movement, a lot of the people don't understand that we are not rapers of the ocean, we are definitely stewards of the ocean. We're not respected as much as we used to be. As for the blessing of the fleet, I grew up in a religious family, so we like to have our boats blessed. We're Italian people and we have our Catholic faith, and we'd like to keep the tradition going."

Can you imagine a festival without the fishermen? "The average age of the captain out here, they're in their 60s or late 50s or even older than that. We have probably, like, six guys who are under 40 fishing out here. My youngest boy, he chose fishing as a career and it's going to be pretty tough for him to make it. But we're eternal optimists."

Lester Elmore

Age: 46

Boat: Miss Heiley

Years fishing: 34

What was your dream when you got into fishing? "I started when I was 12, going out with my uncle and in two days we'd catch 6,000 pounds of fish. It was amazing."

The heyday: "In the early '80s, we were in the money everywhere we went — herring season, crab season, salmon season. It was a fun time. On a good day of salmon, it would be 50 to 100 fish, easy.

"We never really had the northerly or southerly influence of other boats who came down. There's a lot more competition than there used to be."

Compare that to now: "Now I'm stuck with a boat that all it has is a salmon permit and we haven't fished for two years now, quite possibly going on three years. I've done crabbing with my brother-in-law (Paul Wedel) the last couple of years. I quit fishing for almost two years, sold my boat that had the crab permit and the pots. But my feet just aren't made for the pavement."

How's the crabbing this year? "It's on the increase. Last year was really bad. But it goes in a seven- or eight-year cycle and we're on the increase on the catch. This year, we had to travel out of town. We spent December, January and part of February in Crescent City and we did well. The guys that stayed home caught a few crabs but not a lot."

How important is the festival to what you do? "I used to love it. Every year, I would decorate. I got a wall full of plaques for first place grand sweepstakes. Last year, I didn't go because what are we celebrating? We don't have no season."

Can you imagine a festival but no fishermen? "It's happening. I remember when we first started doing this fish fest, there would be a steady line of boats from Lucas Wharf all the way to the end of the jetties. Last year, there were maybe 15-20 boats. What are we celebrating?"

Bay Area freelancer John Beck writes about entertainment for The Press Democrat. You can reach him at 280-8014, john@sideshowvideo.com and follow on Twitter @becksay.