Almost Old Enough To Vote

Bill Roecker's Oceanic Productions is 20 years old this year.?? In April of 1988 Roecker's new company began producing fishing and hang gliding videos. Oceanic Productions was selected as the name for the fishing side; Flyin' Pig Productions for hang gliding.

It was ten years later to the month that FishingVideos.com came along. The online section has since come to dominate the other divisions. In 1990 Roecker published "Fresh One! Standup Fishing: Methods, Tackle & Techniques." The book was intended as a primer or textbook for new and experienced anglers alike. It has sold well over the years and now only a few dozen copies remain in stock.

The sport of hang gliding suffered inroads from newer forms of flying: ultra-light aircraft and paragliders (parachutes intended for gliding rather than life-saving).?? But hang gliding perseveres, and Torrey Pines, where Bill flew daily for 20 years, remains open as a city flight park.?? Roecker released "Spring Soaring," a DVD about flying at the park, in 2002. It can be found in the products section with the fishing videos. Bill is now retired as a hang glider pilot.

What's next for OP and FishingVideos.com? The new DVD release, "The Hot Zone," is just now getting to the stores. The story of a ten-day tuna trip to Alijos Rocks aboard Excel also features some of the wildest dorado fishing ever, and the tuna can be described as "quality" fish, with gorgeous golden sides and back-breaking power.

Four new Bill Roecker Standup Fishing DVDs will be released in the next few months, featuring: Giant yellowfin at Hurricane Bank and off Clarion Island on Q-105; Fall fishing down Baja aboard the spanking new Intrepid; Yellowtail surface jigging and bait fishing at Cedros Island on the Shogun; and standup fishing (believe it!) for lunker rainbow trout up to six pounds, with one and two-pound line, at Diamond Valley Lake with guide Mark Franco.

Coming next will be a fifth trip and an eight-day June smorgasbord on the Red Rooster III with George Daniels of Melton International Tackle. The trip leaves June 19, and returns the 27. Albacore, yellowtail and possibly yellowfin action at Alijos are likely to be the targeted species. There'll be gobs of free samples, prizes and awards for anglers on this trip, which is filling up fast. Call the Rooster office at (619) 224-3857 to see if you can still get on.

While some companies are getting long in the tooth at two decades, here at OP, we're just getting started! We've added computer graphics artist and editor Paul Sweeney's talents, and the company can now also produce production ads for print or video, as well as brochures, decals, business cards, etc.

FishingVideos.com continues to bring you the latest and most accurate news of southern California saltwater fishing, the best fishing photography and video in the southland, and the most entertaining and informative fishing videos anywhere.?? We'd like to thank you, our readers and viewers for that. We hope you'll be with us for the next couple of decades as well!