A fisherman in rain gear stands on a dock holding a large orange rockfish with both hands, with a foggy harbor, wooden pilings, and weathered dock structures in the background.
Mendocino fisherman Brendan Walsh displays the canary rockfish that he caught off Albion, Calif., on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The fish weighs 10.25 pounds and may set a California state record for that species. (Brendan Walsh via Bay City News)

MENDOCINO CO., 12/18/25 — Brendan Walsh was already missing fishing, knowing trips out from Albion River Harbor on the Mendocino Coast would be unlikely once winter storms hit. A house painter by trade, the 26-year-old had asked his parents, Deirdre Lamb and Will Walsh, if he could have one of his Christmas presents early. He hoped he might get in one last angling adventure before January hit, and he knew his present would come in handy.

On Tuesday, he and his dad went to pull their boat, the Betty, up for the week. “We can only pull it when there’s a lot of water,” Walsh explained. “Our home port is Albion, and the Betty is my dad’s sports boat. We converted a lake boat into an ocean boat, but we can only go out when it’s flat, weather permitting.”

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Laytonville resident Lin Due edits and writes for the Mendocino Voice.