Max's experience has fitted him with a keen eye for fly-fishing skill, a skill he quickly noticed in the anglers working the other end of the pools.

"Damn, that guy is amazing," he said, "I bet he has 70 feet of line out." The older Chinese man is small in stature, but he effortlessly works his heavy line back and forth until he lands its tip gracefully in a circular target floating in the water.

The man was a part of a larger group of around ten experienced-looking fishermen, several of whom congregated around a couple of picnic tables to the side of the pools. Some set up their fly rods; others drank their coffee and ate Danishes.

When we finished our casting for the day, we headed over to the picnic tables to pack up the gear. We soon discovered that the graying fishermen were members of the Oakland Casting Club, which calls the Leona Casting Pools its home.

The club’s members call John Soininen the historian of the club. Soininen, a retired electrical engineer, said that the club, which was founded in the early 40's, was one of the initial proponents for building the casting ponds in the mid 50's.

"We had to put up a portion of the money for it," remembered the bespectacled Soininen, a stout grandfatherly figure who has been a member of the casting club since 1952.

Today, the club is comprised of 110 men and women, several of whom have won national and international casting tournament titles. Every third Saturday between February and July, the group offers free casting lessons to anyone who shows up. Membership in the club is open to the public and costs $20 annually with a one-time $5 initiation fee.

"There's an annual picnic where you could invite anyone you want," said the cordial Soininen. "That's easily worth the 20 bucks."