Great news! I just talked to Ginny Wylie from Wylie's Bait and Tackle in Malibu, a long time iconic store that I am sure MANY of you remember. I've known Ginny from almost the time I started PFIC, 1997, and I visited her many, many times over the years as well as talked to her monthly for a report on the Malibu Pier and the Paradise Cove Pier. She was one of my favorite people and the only problem was leaving given that once we started a conversation neither if us wanted to stop (our talks were long). In October 2024 we did a Youtube video of Ginny and the store for PFIC which we soon posted. I also wrote an article about her for the magazine Fish Taco Chronicles.
Everything seemed great and then just a short time later, at the start of January 2025, the Palisades fire took place. It burned down the bait and tackle shop that dated to the 40s, as well as the place she lived in the Palisades. She literally was forced to live in her car for a month until she found an apartment. As soon as I heard about the fire I tried to call her but there was no answer and though I tried for several months there just never was an answer. She called today! She too had tried to make a connection but the book where she kept phone numbers had burned up and she hadn't been able to find my number on the Internet until a friend found it yesterday.
It's been a rough year with all the insurance issues, business issues, and lodging issues but the toughest loss perhaps was that of her tortoise Walter that she had for 46 years and was estimated by the vet to be over a hundred years old. In addition were the life's accumulation of goodies including the state record mounted barred surfperch that hung on her wall. Many, many other valuable (in many ways) were lost. But she's healthy and hoping to rebuild and reopen the store and when she does I plan to be there on opening day. Here's a few pictures of Ginny over the years.
Ginny at the store in 2005.
Everything seemed great and then just a short time later, at the start of January 2025, the Palisades fire took place. It burned down the bait and tackle shop that dated to the 40s, as well as the place she lived in the Palisades. She literally was forced to live in her car for a month until she found an apartment. As soon as I heard about the fire I tried to call her but there was no answer and though I tried for several months there just never was an answer. She called today! She too had tried to make a connection but the book where she kept phone numbers had burned up and she hadn't been able to find my number on the Internet until a friend found it yesterday.
Ginny and myself at the store in 2017.
It's been a rough year with all the insurance issues, business issues, and lodging issues but the toughest loss perhaps was that of her tortoise Walter that she had for 46 years and was estimated by the vet to be over a hundred years old. In addition were the life's accumulation of goodies including the state record mounted barred surfperch that hung on her wall. Many, many other valuable (in many ways) were lost. But she's healthy and hoping to rebuild and reopen the store and when she does I plan to be there on opening day. Here's a few pictures of Ginny over the years.
Up on the wall was the mounted California record barred surfperch — lost in the fire.
The original sign that was blown down and destroyed by a winter storm.
The new Wylies sign built by a loyal group of custormers.
The original sign that was blown down and destroyed by a winter storm.
The new Wylies sign built by a loyal group of custormers.