FISHING / DAN STANTON : Don, Guy Ashley Continue a Family Tradition of Angling

For more than four decades, the name Ashley has been involved in sportfishing.

While they were growing up, brothers Don and Guy Ashley spent much of their time aboard the Fisherman II, which operated out of Pacific Landing in Long Beach. The captain of the boat was their father, Whitey.

Don, 45, and Guy, 35, said they gained valuable experience from working with their father. They started out as deckhands, learning boat operations and even how to build sportfishing vessels.

When he was 6, Don took his first trip aboard the Fisherman II. The 16 anglers aboard caught 116 yellowtail at Horseshoe Kelp.

After Pacific Landing in Long Beach was closed for a harbor expansion project, Whitey decided to build luxury sportfishers.

His first boat was the Cortez, which was launched in 1974 and made trips out of 22nd Street Landing in San Pedro.

In 1976, the 65-foot Aztec was launched. It was followed by the Pacifica in 1978.

The brothers gained valuable experience in building and maintaining boats and engines.

When their father died in 1985, the Ashleys had four boats that made trips out of Long Beach Sportfishing.

Don and his partners now have seven boats that charter trips out of Long Beach, Seal Beach and Redondo Sport Fishing.

Guy owns the Pacifica, which he uses for rock cod trips during the winter out of L.A. Harbor. Trips run from November to June, when the boat departs to San Diego for tuna trips.

Don and Guy have made several memorable trips. During a four-day trip aboard the Toronado several years ago, Don said the group returned with 1,000 albacore. He also remembers a three-day trip when the anglers caught 300 yellowfin tuna.

Guy said he once took a group of anglers out on a day trip and returned with 446 albacore.

With the El Nino effect expected to continue, Guy is looking forward to another good season of fishing this summer.

During the summer, when surface fishing is good, Don occasionally uses his half-day boat Southern Cal to give groups of underprivileged children an opportunity to go ocean fishing.

Because of adverse weather conditions the past week, most of the sportfishing fleet remained tied to the docks.

Boats that did venture out returned with catches of calico bass and sheephead.

Fishing at Horseshoe Kelp aboard the Victory, Long Beach fisherman John Boltz caught a 7 1/2-pound calico bass.

John Harootunian of San Pedro, aboard the Matt Walsh, caught a 10-pound white seabass.

But boats returned early from rock cod trips to Catalina Island when big swells prevented anglers from fishing the deep water rocks.

Before fishing was halted, most anglers had caught half of their limits of grouper and cow cod.

South Bay fisherman returned from trips to Mexico with impressive catches.

Tom Reynolds of Torrance, fishing off Socorro Island aboard the Red Rooster III, caught a 171-pound yellowfin tuna.

Bill Quigley of Long Beach, aboard the Star Fleet off Mazatlan, caught an 84-pound, 9-ounce sailfish.

South Bay catches: Shoji Tatsugawa of San Pedro, aboard the Sportking off Catalina, caught a 22-pound rock cod, the whopper of the week.

Lara Bethel of Culver City, aboard the Del Mar in Santa Monica Bay, caught a 15 1/2-pound halibut.

Jean Marsh of Wilmington, aboard the Hitless Miss at the Rock Pile, caught a 15 1/2-pound white seabass.

Joe Stanley of Westchester, aboard the Redondo Special, caught a 12-pound salmon grouper off Rocky Point.