FISHING : Ray Duane Logs 3,000th Trip as Matt Walsh’s Skipper

Tuesday morning was a milestone for Capt. Ray Duane, 50, as he departed for his half-day trip on his boat Matt Walsh, operating out of L.A. Harbor Sportfishing.

It was Duane’s 3,000th half-day trip on the popular sportfisher in the past 10 years.

As a boy, Duane often went fishing with his father on boats and piers from Santa Monica Bay to Dana Point during weekends and vacations.

Duane served in the Navy, then worked at General Motors for five years. But having been exposed to outdoor recreation, he soon realized that he just didn’t belong in an inside job.

He found an opening as a deckhand and gained experience, and after two years he obtained his captain’s license.

He worked as relief skipper on the boats Rebel and Sea Horse until December, 1981.

Then Duane’s lifelong ambition to own his own sportfisher was realized when he became the owner of the Matt Walsh, which was running out of L.A. Harbor Sportfishing.

“Each half-day trip is a challenge because of the short fishing time for this type of a schedule,” Duane said. Most fishing is done at the local Horseshoe Kelp area, over sandy areas and outside oil rigs.

He recalls that one of his most exciting and productive fishing trips was in 1984, on a 9 a.m.-to-3 p.m. trip several miles out from Palos Verdes, checking out kelp paddies for yellowtail.

“This trip was one of the best ever on the Matt,” Duane said. “We returned late with 165 yellowtail and one stray 66-pound albacore.”

What makes the 51-year-old Matt Walsh so popular as a half-day sportfisher is its wide, roomy beam, which makes it easy to fish on.

“We get many vacationers in the summer months who prefer shorter fishing time so they can keep their schedule of events while on vacation,” Duane said.

The Matt was refurbished last year and has a full, seated galley, which it lacked in the past.