Dan Blanton and his Bulletin Board community have shaped my fly fishing pursuits by their willingness to share wisdom, recommendations, reviews, general banter and a kindred spirit.

My first trip to the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta was inspired by coming across Dan’s website over ten years ago. I took my client from a former life working in the environmental consulting industry, out on a trip with premier guide, Captain Mike Costello, whose name I got from Dan’s Coast to Coast Guides Page. I landed a fish of a lifetime on the last cast of the day, on what became a full-moon-lit night in December 1999.

Then, I jones’ed for years about getting a boat because of the threads I would read on the Bulletin Board. Striperfest this, Striperfest that. I think one of the reasons for me getting the 15-foot Aluminum that I call Mustang, was to finally participate in this wonderful event that Dan has spear headed since the late 1990’s. Among other things, the Striperfest raises money to help fund West Coast Striped Bass conservation efforts through a raffle of incredible prizes donated by generous individuals and companies.

Fall 2007, which was my first chance to really fish the Delta, I was out with one of my brothers, Jess, when a couple of folks in a Western Eagle slowed down, they cut the motor, and I heard Dan call out, “Getting any fish?” We chatted a little while and then parted after a round of introductions. Dan cried out, “Jessie? That’s my dad’s name!” Considering his welcoming nature on the water and considering what Dan has built around his Bulletin Board, the best way I’ve found to describe Dan is as a true ambassador.

But aside from the Bulletin Board community, its conservation efforts and Dan’s camaraderie, which are what I personally observed, Dan’s accomplishments go far beyond my knowledge.

He has pioneered fly fishing the Pacific Coast as well as around the globe, from the San Francisco Bay in the 1950’s & 1960’s to the Sea of Cortez in the early 1970’s, and from Central America to the Cape of Carpentaria.

He developed fly fishing techniques and fly patterns that have become standards for all of us.

And, as an outdoor writer, editor and even as the moderator of his Bulletin Board, he takes his knowledge and hands it out for all of us to employ. Deservingly, Dan is the recipient of a slough of awards, including the Arnold Gingrich Memorial Life Membership Award (Federation of Fly Fishers, 1990), the Silver King Award (Federation of Fly Fishers, 1995), and he is an inductee into the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame (2002).

I have to hand it to Dan and his Bulletin Board community. I wouldn’t be able to live out my passion for fly fishing for striped bass as I have, without these folks.

Dad. He was the guy who introduced me and my five older siblings to fishing, camping and the outdoors.

I know how to pack a station wagon because of him. I know how to tie great monofilament knots. I know what a pile worm is, what grass shrimp look like, and what a broken back rebel can do when fished at night in the estuaries of San Francisco Bay.

Dad gave me my earliest memories of West Coast Striped Bass. I was a solid 4-year old boy in 1970, but the striper he brought home was even bigger than I. Whenever I land a nice fish I wonder if it’s bigger than the one Dad caught.

Dad was a civil engineer, a professor at the Far Eastern University, Philippines, and along with a passion for hunting and fishing, he had a passion for auto mechanics. He was known as Uncle Doc, the car doctor, to family and friends. I remember having to hold the flood light in a specific direction for an eternity just so Dad could see what his shrek-size fingers were doing in the small crevices of the ‘65 Mustang engine. He loved Mustangs.

My guess is that he’d be proud of the fact that I found, pulled and replaced the thermostat on my motor and that I was able to finally extract the length of bolt that I inadvertently broke off in the process. If it wasn’t for Dad, I wouldn’t have dropped the lower unit of my 1-year old motor, just to check things out. Nor would I be more the wiser because of that lesson in boat mechanics.

I have to hand it to Dad. Without him, I wouldn’t have any of the tools, literally and figuratively, that I use to thoroughly seize and enjoy life.