Earl McVicar Passed on His 84th Birthday. He Loved Fishing. He Loved Sharing It More.

We lost a good one today.

Earl McVicar, longtime friend and one of the best-known fishermen I have ever known, passed away on his 84th birthday. I don’t know if anybody ever loved fishing as much as Earl. He loved every part of it. Getting ready. The anticipation. Making a game plan. Watching that plan come together. Getting to know his fellow anglers. Sharing stories. And more than anything, that evangelical way he had of sharing his love of sportfishing with other people.

I started 976-TUNA in 1985, and we immediately wanted to get back to the communities. With Earl’s help, and the help of Don Ashley from Pierpoint Landing, and so many other volunteers and donors, we took more than 100,000 kids fishing — most of them inner-city kids, most of them for the very first time.

Some weeks in the winter we would have 80 kids on the boat in the morning and 80 kids on the boat in the afternoon, three days a week. Earl was there for every single trip. Helping kids. Tying knots. Taking their photos so they had a memory for a lifetime. Teaching them how to fish. Setting a great example. He never asked for a thing. He volunteered for every single trip.

Then there were the Catalina trips. We would take the Toronado over to Catalina Island, working with my dear friend John Talsky, who passed away earlier this year. With the help of Paxson Offield from the Catalina Island Company, Don Ashley, Earl, and many other volunteers, we took the service workers’ children fishing — about 150 kids every year. Those trips were magical. People would ask, “Why take kids who live on an island fishing? Surely they already get to fish.” Those kids still needed someone to put a rod in their hands and stand next to them. Earl did that.

So many great memories were made on those trips. Aaron Taylor, who played for Lou Holtz at Notre Dame and won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers, made one of those trips with us. Aaron was fantastic with the kids. Another guy who loves the outdoors and wants to give back. I still see him and Earl working side by side, making sure every kid had a great time.

We have lost another truly good person. An angler who not only enjoyed fishing, but enjoyed sharing that passion with others — especially children.

God bless Earl. May he see many more fish in the heavens above.

Check http://friedmanadventures.com for Captain’s audios, landing and boat counts, bait availability, Friedman Adventures AI, kids corner, and lots more.

Fish with Friedman Adventures this Friday, September 18, 2026 — Estella out of Hooks Landing, Oxnard. Morning half-day and evening twilight. Book: (805) 382-6233 or http://hookslanding.net.

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