It was Sunday afternoon in Santa Cruz. As the tourists packed up from the beach and Boardwalk to head back over the hill, a select group of pint-sized pescadores gathered outside the gate of "F" Dock at the Santa Cruz Harbor. Clutching various fishing rods and tackle boxes, each dreamed of landing the biggest fish on this special twilight trip aboard Stagnaro's flagship Velocity.

Captain Mike Baxter has retired from full time fishing, but occasionally fills in as relief skipper for Stagnaro's Sportfishing on the weekend outings. Having teenage kids of his own, Baxter came up with the plan to hold the first annual Grom Fishing Derby aboard the Velocity. The idea was met with great enthusiasm, and the Velocity sailed into choppy evening seas with 20 kids plus a few parents aboard.

Fishing was tough and conditions less than optimal. It was windy with a bit of a swell. Baxter found his spot though, and held the big Velocity on the tip of South Rock Reef where rockfish filled the sonar screen. Once the crowd got comfortable with the fishing techniques, fish soon littered the deck. The bite was hot and heavy for small to medium sized widow rockfish. The occasional brown and vermilion were also hoisted over the rail. A few lingcod took the bait, including a 17-pound beast with a head like a basketball, caught by Ashley Held from Capitola. Before long, everyone had caught their limits.

Held won the "Biggest Fish" trophy for her enormous ling. Second place was captured by Kobe Hickey of Santa Cruz who worked extra hard for a lingcod, this one in the five-pound range. Third place went to Capitola's Shane Baxter. Often mentioned in this report, Shane came through with a good-sized rockfish to secure his spot on the leaderboard. All three received an awesome Abu-Garcia rod and reel combo in addition to the coveted golden trophies.

The fourth trophy for the day went to Luke Reason from Ben Lomond. Reason earned the "Best Sport" award for catching and then releasing a huge yelloweye rockfish. Yelloweye are a protected species and must be released immediately. Deckhands on the Velocity retuned the big rockfish to the sea so quickly there was not even time for a photo. Reason's yelloweye was estimated to weigh about 18 pounds, but he let it go with a smile.

Many thanks to Stagnaro's Sportfishing, Bayside Marine, Captain Mike Baxter and the hard-working parents who worked the deck on this special trip.

Bushnell can also be heard on The Let's Go Fishing Radio Show Thursdays at 8 p.m. on KSCO radio 1080 AM. Send your photos, comments or questions to scruzfishing@yahoo.com