COSTA MESA – Growing up in Costa Mesa, Bob Vanian was always fishing, and after college at Westmont College in Santa Barbara and then law school at Cal Western on the bluffs of Point Loma, it was clear he would never stray far from the ocean.
Trips to Baja and fishing on his various boats he owned berthed in San Diego where he lived in Point Loma, he pursued swordfish, tuna, yellowtail and when the species showed up in local waters, dorado and wahoo.
Eventually his passion for fishing pulled him away from practicing law after 8 years and into the world of providing private boat saltwater anglers accurate fishing reports. He was one of the pioneers of phone call recordings, and when technology developed, began faxing reports to customers. Then came the Internet.
Quickly he transitioned into a website format with 976bite.com, basing his reports he charged anglers $99 a year on listening to the marine radio from his home and gathering reports from returning anglers, his loyal customers and friends who called even before they had put their boats on the trailer. It was all about the lat/long numbers, and Vanian often provided several hotspots to customers. He also provided weekly reports to Let’s Talk Hookup, and for more than a decade provided detailed weekly reports to Western Outdoor News for its Private Boater Spotlight.
A friend and longtime 976bite.com customer, Floyd Sparks, said, “With Bob, there was no BS. Just honesty, what he heard and knew. A great guy. He will be missed.”
Vanian’s only complaint about moving from the “law to fishing lowdown” was he was all too often tied to the marine radio and his website he religiously updated several times each day.
“I picked a profession that kept me off the water, “ said Vanian, “and it wasn’t great for my health sitting there all day, but no regrets. I loved being in the industry, talking to fishermen, going to shows and yes, I did get away to fish here and there. (One of favorite trips was to Mag Bay and wrote a beautifully written feature for WON.) And I enjoyed hearing all the fishing stories every day. So even though I wasn’t on the water fishing, I was in my own wheelhouse you might say, trying to figure out where to be.”
He added, “My philosophy about those numbers is this: that I’m not sure, guys, but this is what I know and it’s a good place for you to start looking.”
Ray Millman was typical of loyal SoCal customer base, trusting of Vanian’s information and credibility. “Bob was a great guy,” said Millman. “Years ago, he put us on a bluefin bite at the pens – everyone said the water was off-color and even the fleet was avoiding the pens. We got there to a wide-open bite of 30- to 40-pound bluefin. Had 20 (limit was 5 at the time) fish for 4 anglers in two hours – no sportboats in sight – a day we will never forget.”
Vanian ended his 25-year-long career when he contracted cancer, sold his home in Point Loma and moved to his mother’s home in Costa Mesa, electing to forgo treatments. Deeply religious, Vanian was hopeful for a miracle, but was at peace with his decision, he told many friends to who came to visit him in hospice. He passed away April 6, surrounded by family.
Doug Vanian said his older brother Bob was “loved by many, you could certainly see that in his final months” as a stream of friends visited and recounted their days of fishing and the shows, especially the Fred Hall events in Long Beach and Del Mar and also annually the Day At The Docks celebration in Point Loma where Vanian would man his 976bite.com booth.
Vanian’s life and love of fishing, family, friends and the Lord will be celebrated May 19 in Costa Mesa. He is survived by his mother, Mary, 97, brother Doug, 60, sister Linda, 70, and sister Tina, 58.
