Date: December 7, 2018
To: Pier Fishing In California Message Board
From: Ken Jones
Subject: RIP Board
After giving it some thought I think I am going to make a RIP Board for those in our community who have moved on. Just give me a little time to figure out the best format. Here’s a thread I ran across from many years ago. Ken
Date: January 19, 2006
To: PFIC Message Board
From: MikeA
Subject: Saying goodbye to a fisherman (long)
My brother and I are each posting this on favorite forums just to get it out. My father died five years ago. He called me one night to come over and take him to the hospital because he had chest pains and his left arm hurt but he couldn't leave because his wife was at the store and his adopted daughters were asleep. So my wife and I came by and she watched the girls while I took him to the hospital. They immediately took him in and transported him to another facility; he had two heart attacks in route but made it there. We flew my brother down from Oregon and he got to be there and we talked to him together the night before he coded for the last time.
At the funeral there was a bit of family trouble. I let it ride because I’m pretty sure that killing a relative in a church is bad karma or something but I always felt that my father didn't get the sendoff he deserved.
My father and all of the men in his line are fisherman, hobbyists but to the point of obsession (he left my brother and I a collection of equipment that appraised at $30k seven years ago). At the funeral we lined his casket with iron and had a heavy action roller guided Sabre with a Penn Senator and a spike jig attached leaning on it.
So after five years it’s time. My bro is coming down and on Feb 6th and we've hired a boat to take us out into the channel between the mainland and Catalina. The ashes will be placed in a bag, in a basket and covered with rose petals. My ex wife will lower the basket into the water, my brother and I will be at the port and starboard corners of the stern of the boat, as the basket sinks, leaving the rose petals floating on the surface, my brother and I will free spool iron for about 15 seconds, at which point I’ll give the captain the high sign and he'll light the engines. From there, we will troll a slow circle around the floating rose petals and my father can begin his last trip, floating with the current coming down the coast from Alaska, taking him from one of the first places I ever remember fishing with him (Long Beach) down past all of his favorite fishing grounds, Ensenada, Todo Santos, San Vicente etc.
While it’s hard to finally let go, I think it's the best sendoff I can give him, and to mark the occasion, I had a yellowfin inked on my right forearm the other night so I'll always have something that can't be taken away or lost.
Sorry for the length, but it's something we had to get out and I figured if anyone could appreciate a good sendoff….
Posted by baitchucker
A good sendoff indeed. I just lost my father about week ago; A passionate angler to the sudden end. After giving him my final fishing report, we said our goodbyes to each other and vowed to fish together from the piers in the afterlife. After about an hour, the toll from the massive stroke suppressed his breath, then his heartbeat. He left our world surrounded by his family and thoughts of mullet off the Newport pier. He will have an fisherman's sendoff as well; just not so elaborative. As a minimalist, he would want it no other way.
Posted by gordo grande
Our condolences, Baitchucker. I've lost both my parents, and I know how it feels. Our thoughts are with you. May thoughts of your dad keep you warm on those cold fishing mornings to come.
Posted by Salty Nick
Condolences to you and your family. A fitting sendoff for an avid fisherman. Salty.
Posted by tinle
Saying goodbye to a fisherman. Just remember everything you've learned from him and his memory will live on. Good sendoff! Hope all is well. My condolences.
Posted by canepole
My father loved the redwoods so I scattered his ashes in the redwood forest. That was my tribute to him as your going to pay tribute to your father, and remember him fishing his way thru eternity. Keep in mind life is a circle and soon you will be fishing with him again where the fish are huge and always biting
Posted by MikeA
Well, I'll say one thing, even though it'll be February, I'm holding my rod with both hands. I wouldn't put it past the old man to toss a little something our way as he heads out. For all of you fathers out there I'll say this. I don't remember ever begging to go with a friend's family on any trips to Disneyland or anything, but I always had friends asking to come along with me and my dad on our fishing trips. And when I hit my rebellious teens and we couldn’t even be in the same room together, he could still shake me awake at 2 in the morning and we'd watch the sun rise over another body of water as we plied our trade. I look forward to building the same bond with my little guy and I hope each of you has that opportunity.
Posted by OregonBoy
I am the other brother involved in this and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the kind words. I was telling my brother the other day how dad is going to be there every time I tie a clinch not or think about color selection from a jig. He taught me patience, persistence and how to strike up a conversation with anyone I meet on or near a body of water (or at the very least how to walk buy and figuring out what they are using). These are all things I can't wait to teach my yet unborn children. That seems like the only true way to honor what he did for me as human being just through the simple act of wetting a line. Tight lines to you all.
Posted by dompfa ben
Godspeed...perhaps the greatest satisfaction on the first day of the season is the knowledge in the evening that the whole of the rest of the season is to come. —Arthur Ransome, “The First Day at the River”—Rod and Line (1929)
Posted by corbinaman1
Very Touching and A Nice Sendoff...it is always hard losing a loved one, but the good memories will definitely sustain you.
_________________________________________________
November 18, 2018
From: KJ
To: PFIC
Subject: RIP Illcatchanything — Brian Linebarger
#1 — It’s with extreme sadness that I once again report the passing of one of PFIC’s good guys, Brian Linebarger. Brian was an active PFIC member for many years and eventually became an important member of UPSAC serving on its Board of Directors in several capacities over the years. He was always a gentleman and one I both enjoyed fishing with at many piers and working with at many UPSAC events. Brian died Friday night and I am awaiting further information but he will be dearly missed. I will write more later.
#2 — Brian's information sheet from our UPSAC Board of Director's Profile Page — Brian Linebarger, UPSAC Position(s) — Secretary 2014-Present; Board Member 2009 to Present; North San Francisco Bay Regional Coordinator (San Rafael-Sausalito); Co-Host of the Berkeley and Marin Rod and Gun Club Kids Fishing Tournament; Co-host of UPSAC’s Annual Mud Marlin Derby held at Berkeley Pier. Day Job — Real Estate Broker. Angling Background & Interests — A lifelong fisherman and resident of the San Francisco Bay Area. His passion for saltwater fishing includes all types and species from perch to sharks. No matter if it is from a pier, rocks, shore, beach, or boat, he is always ready to wet a line. Involvement in Fishery Issues —Brian is an avid conservationist, and works to conserve his cherished fishing areas and the fish that reside there. Other Interests —Brian also enjoys herpetology and has many pet reptiles.
Posted by Mahigeer
Such a shocking news. I had the pleasure of fishing with him on several occasions. He was such a gentleman. As the Turks would say... “may he rest in light.” Heaven is gaining some awesome anglers. Gdude, Pierhead and now Illcatchanything.
Posted by Red Fish
RIP Brian. Brian was as real a person as it gets. He was a real-estate agent and a pastor and helped me when I needed some help doing credit checks on tenants and adjusting contracts. Richard McIntosh and I visited his home many times in El Sobrante where he and his lovely wife Kris always welcomed us into their home and treated us like one of the family. I especially liked how Brian had a love for animals and had some nice dogs, cat, and snake. Brian was a family man and had two boys and a girl and I watched him do his best to raise them with love, spirituality, and discipline from the time the kids were 8, 10, and 12 to now where they are in their early 20’s. Brian always kept the faith, had a positive outlook, and even a sermon as in his recent years he was a pastor and had a podcast.
The pictures above bring back so many memories for me; good ones. Brian was a great asset to UPSAC and he proved it time and again. He led Rich and myself as he was the best talker and spokesperson. We were like the Three Amigos —you know, Chevy Chase. Brian was able to announce the events and conduct the raffles with expertise, and I thank him for that. He also was a good cook (as displayed at the many derbies), and an all around sportsman able to field-dress anything with great mastery. It was Brian’s idea to have a Xmas sturgeon derby (as his birthday and Rich’s were on the same day, December 14th). And we had one at various piers such as: Dumbarton, Eckley, Oyster Point, San Leandro, and Point Pinole. Even though a sturgeon was never caught at a single derby event, I will always honor this holiday season and remember Brian (and Rich) as I fish sturgeon in the winter (whether I catch or not). Amen brother.
Posted by Sofa King
Rest in Peace Brian and Kris. His Wife passed the same night. They left this world together and have joined God in the great fishing hole in the heavens above.
Posted by Ken Jones
I’ve been reading a book titled “Ordinary Grace” by Willliam Kent Krueger these past few days that finished with these simple thoughts: “The dead are never far from us. They’re in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from them is a single breath, one final puff of air.” I think he's right.
Posted by Red Fish
So, that’s why I keep talking out loud to Big Rich when I head out on a fishing trip? Makes a whole lot of sense way you put it. — Well, as Rich would say when we went fishing, “We caught a fish,” whether he caught it or I. So, I guess I’ll have to continue to say, “We caught a fish” when I catch one, as odd as that may sound.
Posted by Mahigeer
I occasionally, when I remember, thank my mentor relative who took me fishing the first time, I caught a trout from a river. I hope his spirit is with me on my fishing outings. I have become aware recently that due to my age, I will be loosing some friends and relatives. Last month I was told about two relatives, one young and one older. Then there was Pierhead and now Brian and his wife. May they all rest in light. While doing search I came across this.
Fisherman’s Prayer — “God, grant that I may live to fish until my dying day — and when it comes to my last cast, I then most humbly pray – when in the Lord’s safe landing net I’m peacefully asleep, that in His mercy I be judged big enough to keep.”
Posted by muttfishr — Oh man... For the guys who knew him personally, remember to bring him with you on your outings. You know he’s watching and participating in your joy! For those of us who only knew him by his posts He Will Be Sorely missed! I know cause I've got Bro’s I bring with me Everywhere I go! (just look at the wall) A couple of them probably are cussin’ me cause they never really liked to fish!!! So be it, they gotta hang with me now! He, He, He, mutt.
To: Pier Fishing In California Message Board
From: Ken Jones
Subject: RIP Board
After giving it some thought I think I am going to make a RIP Board for those in our community who have moved on. Just give me a little time to figure out the best format. Here’s a thread I ran across from many years ago. Ken
Date: January 19, 2006
To: PFIC Message Board
From: MikeA
Subject: Saying goodbye to a fisherman (long)
My brother and I are each posting this on favorite forums just to get it out. My father died five years ago. He called me one night to come over and take him to the hospital because he had chest pains and his left arm hurt but he couldn't leave because his wife was at the store and his adopted daughters were asleep. So my wife and I came by and she watched the girls while I took him to the hospital. They immediately took him in and transported him to another facility; he had two heart attacks in route but made it there. We flew my brother down from Oregon and he got to be there and we talked to him together the night before he coded for the last time.
At the funeral there was a bit of family trouble. I let it ride because I’m pretty sure that killing a relative in a church is bad karma or something but I always felt that my father didn't get the sendoff he deserved.
My father and all of the men in his line are fisherman, hobbyists but to the point of obsession (he left my brother and I a collection of equipment that appraised at $30k seven years ago). At the funeral we lined his casket with iron and had a heavy action roller guided Sabre with a Penn Senator and a spike jig attached leaning on it.
So after five years it’s time. My bro is coming down and on Feb 6th and we've hired a boat to take us out into the channel between the mainland and Catalina. The ashes will be placed in a bag, in a basket and covered with rose petals. My ex wife will lower the basket into the water, my brother and I will be at the port and starboard corners of the stern of the boat, as the basket sinks, leaving the rose petals floating on the surface, my brother and I will free spool iron for about 15 seconds, at which point I’ll give the captain the high sign and he'll light the engines. From there, we will troll a slow circle around the floating rose petals and my father can begin his last trip, floating with the current coming down the coast from Alaska, taking him from one of the first places I ever remember fishing with him (Long Beach) down past all of his favorite fishing grounds, Ensenada, Todo Santos, San Vicente etc.
While it’s hard to finally let go, I think it's the best sendoff I can give him, and to mark the occasion, I had a yellowfin inked on my right forearm the other night so I'll always have something that can't be taken away or lost.
Sorry for the length, but it's something we had to get out and I figured if anyone could appreciate a good sendoff….
Posted by baitchucker
A good sendoff indeed. I just lost my father about week ago; A passionate angler to the sudden end. After giving him my final fishing report, we said our goodbyes to each other and vowed to fish together from the piers in the afterlife. After about an hour, the toll from the massive stroke suppressed his breath, then his heartbeat. He left our world surrounded by his family and thoughts of mullet off the Newport pier. He will have an fisherman's sendoff as well; just not so elaborative. As a minimalist, he would want it no other way.
Posted by gordo grande
Our condolences, Baitchucker. I've lost both my parents, and I know how it feels. Our thoughts are with you. May thoughts of your dad keep you warm on those cold fishing mornings to come.
Posted by Salty Nick
Condolences to you and your family. A fitting sendoff for an avid fisherman. Salty.
Posted by tinle
Saying goodbye to a fisherman. Just remember everything you've learned from him and his memory will live on. Good sendoff! Hope all is well. My condolences.
Posted by canepole
My father loved the redwoods so I scattered his ashes in the redwood forest. That was my tribute to him as your going to pay tribute to your father, and remember him fishing his way thru eternity. Keep in mind life is a circle and soon you will be fishing with him again where the fish are huge and always biting
Posted by MikeA
Well, I'll say one thing, even though it'll be February, I'm holding my rod with both hands. I wouldn't put it past the old man to toss a little something our way as he heads out. For all of you fathers out there I'll say this. I don't remember ever begging to go with a friend's family on any trips to Disneyland or anything, but I always had friends asking to come along with me and my dad on our fishing trips. And when I hit my rebellious teens and we couldn’t even be in the same room together, he could still shake me awake at 2 in the morning and we'd watch the sun rise over another body of water as we plied our trade. I look forward to building the same bond with my little guy and I hope each of you has that opportunity.
Posted by OregonBoy
I am the other brother involved in this and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the kind words. I was telling my brother the other day how dad is going to be there every time I tie a clinch not or think about color selection from a jig. He taught me patience, persistence and how to strike up a conversation with anyone I meet on or near a body of water (or at the very least how to walk buy and figuring out what they are using). These are all things I can't wait to teach my yet unborn children. That seems like the only true way to honor what he did for me as human being just through the simple act of wetting a line. Tight lines to you all.
Posted by dompfa ben
Godspeed...perhaps the greatest satisfaction on the first day of the season is the knowledge in the evening that the whole of the rest of the season is to come. —Arthur Ransome, “The First Day at the River”—Rod and Line (1929)
Posted by corbinaman1
Very Touching and A Nice Sendoff...it is always hard losing a loved one, but the good memories will definitely sustain you.
_________________________________________________
November 18, 2018
From: KJ
To: PFIC
Subject: RIP Illcatchanything — Brian Linebarger
#1 — It’s with extreme sadness that I once again report the passing of one of PFIC’s good guys, Brian Linebarger. Brian was an active PFIC member for many years and eventually became an important member of UPSAC serving on its Board of Directors in several capacities over the years. He was always a gentleman and one I both enjoyed fishing with at many piers and working with at many UPSAC events. Brian died Friday night and I am awaiting further information but he will be dearly missed. I will write more later.
#2 — Brian's information sheet from our UPSAC Board of Director's Profile Page — Brian Linebarger, UPSAC Position(s) — Secretary 2014-Present; Board Member 2009 to Present; North San Francisco Bay Regional Coordinator (San Rafael-Sausalito); Co-Host of the Berkeley and Marin Rod and Gun Club Kids Fishing Tournament; Co-host of UPSAC’s Annual Mud Marlin Derby held at Berkeley Pier. Day Job — Real Estate Broker. Angling Background & Interests — A lifelong fisherman and resident of the San Francisco Bay Area. His passion for saltwater fishing includes all types and species from perch to sharks. No matter if it is from a pier, rocks, shore, beach, or boat, he is always ready to wet a line. Involvement in Fishery Issues —Brian is an avid conservationist, and works to conserve his cherished fishing areas and the fish that reside there. Other Interests —Brian also enjoys herpetology and has many pet reptiles.
Posted by Mahigeer
Such a shocking news. I had the pleasure of fishing with him on several occasions. He was such a gentleman. As the Turks would say... “may he rest in light.” Heaven is gaining some awesome anglers. Gdude, Pierhead and now Illcatchanything.
Posted by Red Fish
RIP Brian. Brian was as real a person as it gets. He was a real-estate agent and a pastor and helped me when I needed some help doing credit checks on tenants and adjusting contracts. Richard McIntosh and I visited his home many times in El Sobrante where he and his lovely wife Kris always welcomed us into their home and treated us like one of the family. I especially liked how Brian had a love for animals and had some nice dogs, cat, and snake. Brian was a family man and had two boys and a girl and I watched him do his best to raise them with love, spirituality, and discipline from the time the kids were 8, 10, and 12 to now where they are in their early 20’s. Brian always kept the faith, had a positive outlook, and even a sermon as in his recent years he was a pastor and had a podcast.
The pictures above bring back so many memories for me; good ones. Brian was a great asset to UPSAC and he proved it time and again. He led Rich and myself as he was the best talker and spokesperson. We were like the Three Amigos —you know, Chevy Chase. Brian was able to announce the events and conduct the raffles with expertise, and I thank him for that. He also was a good cook (as displayed at the many derbies), and an all around sportsman able to field-dress anything with great mastery. It was Brian’s idea to have a Xmas sturgeon derby (as his birthday and Rich’s were on the same day, December 14th). And we had one at various piers such as: Dumbarton, Eckley, Oyster Point, San Leandro, and Point Pinole. Even though a sturgeon was never caught at a single derby event, I will always honor this holiday season and remember Brian (and Rich) as I fish sturgeon in the winter (whether I catch or not). Amen brother.
Posted by Sofa King
Rest in Peace Brian and Kris. His Wife passed the same night. They left this world together and have joined God in the great fishing hole in the heavens above.
Posted by Ken Jones
I’ve been reading a book titled “Ordinary Grace” by Willliam Kent Krueger these past few days that finished with these simple thoughts: “The dead are never far from us. They’re in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from them is a single breath, one final puff of air.” I think he's right.
Posted by Red Fish
So, that’s why I keep talking out loud to Big Rich when I head out on a fishing trip? Makes a whole lot of sense way you put it. — Well, as Rich would say when we went fishing, “We caught a fish,” whether he caught it or I. So, I guess I’ll have to continue to say, “We caught a fish” when I catch one, as odd as that may sound.
Posted by Mahigeer
I occasionally, when I remember, thank my mentor relative who took me fishing the first time, I caught a trout from a river. I hope his spirit is with me on my fishing outings. I have become aware recently that due to my age, I will be loosing some friends and relatives. Last month I was told about two relatives, one young and one older. Then there was Pierhead and now Brian and his wife. May they all rest in light. While doing search I came across this.
Fisherman’s Prayer — “God, grant that I may live to fish until my dying day — and when it comes to my last cast, I then most humbly pray – when in the Lord’s safe landing net I’m peacefully asleep, that in His mercy I be judged big enough to keep.”
Posted by muttfishr — Oh man... For the guys who knew him personally, remember to bring him with you on your outings. You know he’s watching and participating in your joy! For those of us who only knew him by his posts He Will Be Sorely missed! I know cause I've got Bro’s I bring with me Everywhere I go! (just look at the wall) A couple of them probably are cussin’ me cause they never really liked to fish!!! So be it, they gotta hang with me now! He, He, He, mutt.