David Siskind | Sunday, 27 July 2025
It’s Saturday, time to submit my FP and I haven't been fishing or practicing much this week. What to do. Jackie has been visiting from NY. She was kind enough to spend a few early hours with me at the beach Thursday, looking for corbina. I’m not sure why but there was almost nothing going on. Tide was right, Surf was right. Water was a little dirty. We saw one good sized fish racing, shoulders out, ahead of a retreating wave, but that was it.
There’s a big grunion run tonight. That may have turned things upside down for a couple of days. Tomorrow we’ll go to another beach for a little while and if the Cobina don’t show up, will try casting some streamers to see if anyone else is lurking close-in, lured by the grunion. Could be halibut, white sea bass, or stripers.
We saw some fun art at the Hammer (great retrospective Noah Davis exhibit) and ate some good food - not hard to find in LA. Last night, at Jilli - a noisy, hip place in the center of Korea Town, we had tuna dip with roe, shrimp toast, pork jowl and fried chicken. And some nice drinks.
Re the Epstein blow-up - don’t imagine that there has been a turning of the tide. Mr. Trump and company are not retreating. They are moving to control all media outlets, re-writing history in our museums and parks (and archives?), working to control our educational institutions - public and private, and creating a state directed, pay-to-play crony-capitalism. It’s all gross. but the new secret police force is scary. Any assumption of process that ANY citizen might have to guard against a physical threat from our own government is crumbling. Presumption of innocence, professional policing, rule of law, access to an attorney - all gone. The new prisons and detention centers are cruelly primitive and for many there is no due process and no way out. Right now these “police” are targeting migrants and allies. Who will they go after next? It’s hard to believe it’s happening here. I fall into the trap of believing that someone, something or some event will save us from all this. But I don’t know how that would work.
Casting Note: Closed stance, closed stance, closed stance. There’s a lot for me to explore and learn there. So far so good. I’m thinking (except for the legs) it's the finish of every cast - pretty much.
David Siskind