OLD MAN HAS THE SEA, LOCAL ANGLER HAS HIS GEAR.Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer MONROVIA - Little did Ernie Aragon know that his ultimate passion would be fueled by a chance meeting with actor Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001) was a two-time Academy Award-winning Mexican/American actor, as well as a painter and writer. more than 50 years ago. Aragon, then 12, says he was having his typical day of fishing at Echo Park in East L.A., a limit of trout, when Quinn showed up. ``All I had was really cheap equipment and he came with all this fancy gear,'' the Monrovia resident recalled. ``I was catching fish and he wasn't. Finally, he got so mad, he threw his rod in the water and walked away.'' Aragon ran after Quinn and asked if he was going to retrieve the rod and reel. When the two-time Academy Award winner, who died last year, replied in the negative, Aragon took off his shoes and socks, waded out and came back with the rod, reel and a few cuts from broken bottles. He used the equipment until he was able to buy his own gear. Now, Aragon, a former motorcycle racer, owns fishing tackle and hunting equipment that was made for and used by Ernest Hemingway Noun 1. Ernest Hemingway - an American writer of fiction who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1954 (1899-1961) Hemingway , Zane Grey Noun 1. Zane Grey - United States writer of western adventure novels (1875-1939) Grey , Gary Cooper, Gene Autry, Joe Pesci Joseph Frank Pesci (born February 9, 1943), commonly known as Joe Pesci, is an American Academy Award-winning actor, comedian and singer. Biography Early life and John Wayne. He also owns each type of Penn reel produced. In addition, he has a signature firearm collection, numerous stuffed bears, pronghorned antelope, a five-point buck, bobcat bobcat: see lynx. bobcat Bobtailed, long-legged North American cat (Lynx rufus) found in forests and deserts from southern Canada to southern Mexico. It is a close relative of the lynx and caracal. and badger he harvested in the western United States Noun 1. western United States - the region of the United States lying to the west of the Mississippi River West Santa Fe Trail - a trail that extends from Missouri to New Mexico; an important route for settlers moving west in the 19th century , an extensive bait collection and a lot of fishing trophies, including a third-place finish in the 1991 Gold Cup marlin tournament in Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (popularly known as just Cabo) is a small city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula at , in the municipality of Los Cabos in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico. . Aragon, 68, uses the famous equipment that he acquires, which is usually in an interesting way. When he obtained Hemingway's two-speed Fin-Nor 16/O reel, he was stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It was shortly after the completion of the Korean War Korean War, conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces in Korea from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953. At the end of World War II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into Soviet (North Korean) and U.S. (South Korean) zones of occupation. and he figured he would be heading to Asia. But because he spoke fluent Spanish, he was assigned to the U.S. base's quartermaster quartermaster Officer who oversees arrangements for the quartering and movement of troops. The office dates at least to the 15th century in Europe. The French minister of war under Louis XIV created a quartermaster general's department that dotted the countryside with corps. During his stay in Cuba, he met the boat captain, Gregorio Sanchez, who took Hemingway fishing. Through his friendship, Aragon acquired the reel and used it to fish to third in the Gold Cup, catching a 320-pounder. He also used it to land a 27-pounder on 16-pound test. He later found a custom-made Hardy reel that Grey, the Western fiction writer, used to set records in Bermagui, Australia, in the 1930s. Sixty years later, Aragon took the reel with him to southern Australia, following the exact path Grey used. ``I just love collecting items like this,'' Aragon says, holding up the Hemingway reel. ``But people think I am crazy.'' At first, Aragon's wife, Clara, had no interest in this fishing stuff. But on one trip to Cabo, he convinced her to go with him. She caught a 295-pounder and was as equally hooked on fishing. ``I love to fish,'' she said. ``The bigger, the better.'' Clara topped her husband and comrades in a trip to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. She landed the largest Chinook salmon chinook salmon or king salmon Prized North Pacific food and sport fish (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) of the salmon family. The average weight is about 22 lbs (10 kg), but individuals of 50–80 lbs (22–36 kg) are not unusual. on the trip, a 62-pounder. It weighed nearly 50 pounds more than any other salmon caught on the trip. Injuries and knee-replacement surgery during his motorcycle-racing career led Aragon to the big-game fishing tournament tours, but Clara suffered a heart attack two years ago fishing off Cabo and it has kept both from making recent trips, although Clara says she is well enough to return to Cabo. So, Ernie spends time working with his tackle and at his Arcadia glass shop. ``This is my passion, like golf is for others,'' he said. |
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