That's My Story

This is not an unusual conversation at the airport as I often greet the guys coming in: “Hey Mr. Jones! Welcome to Baja. Hope you had a good flight! The vans to the hotel are outside at the curb. Is this all your uh…stuff? “

“Great to be here finally, Jonathan! Yup, this is just MY stuff! “(shaking my hand and huffing as he puts down the camera bag, small duffel, snorkel bag and followed by a porter, looking like a Himalayan sherpa with a six foot stack of tubes chests and luggage!) The other nine guys are right behind me and are ready for anything…blue marlin…sailfish…giant tuna…dorado…yellowtail…You name it! For the next TWO days of fishin’ , it’s gonna be beer and bendo!” says Mr. Jones with a grin as he leads the posada to the vans.

TWO DAYS?????

I shake hands and high five ‘em all and watch the parade of amigos and porters akin to a 3 month African safari conga line to the waiting vans and drivers who sigh knowing there’s some serious loading to be done! I can only smile and shake my head. God bless ‘em all for bringing all the toys because it wasn’t too long ago that I just about needed my own personal entourage to haul my gear to Baja. By golly, if the ladies can bring a change of clothes and accessories for any vacation event, then I think I need 15 rods and reels; 20 jigs; every manner of hook; 5 each of every type of sinker; 30 assorted feathers…blah, blah blah…I MUST have them!

For you Baja veterans, tell me it isn’t true! You will spend 2 hours packing your clothes consisting of 3 “lucky” t-shirts; one pair of fishing shorts ( you swear you’ll rinse ‘em out each night!) and (maybe) few pairs of underwear! Yet, you will take 3 weeks to pack and re-pack your fishing gear “just so” and you’ll do it several times a week. You are soooo busted!

Well, after working in Baja now for almost a decade and, being on the water sometimes hundreds of times yearly , I can tell you now that we’ve both been busting our collective humps for nothing!

Sure, bring it if you need it and always remember that if you lose it, there’s often no place to get another of those freaky-awesome-propeller-lures with the polka dots and aluminum tinsel skirt. However, one of the joys of fishing the Baja is the mere simplicity of it all! Think about it. When all was said and done, how much did you really use on most trips? Some hooks? A few leads? Maybe a heavy iron to the rocks? (That Leatherman you left in the cantina does not count!). There’s a lot to be said for keeping it simple! Just remember the local kid with the sparkplug and old mono wrapped around a beer can that outfished you on the last trip!

First things first, do a little research. Talk to the fishing fleet operator or person who booked your trip. Read the online boards and keep track of the fishing trends or the regular fishing reports submitted on these pages you’re holding.

What type of fishing are you going to be doing? Live bait? Trolling? Deep jigging? Surf? Bring what you need.

Who are you fishing with? Amigo, if your buddy is bringing 10 rods and you’re bringing 10 rods and each of you has 10 of the same-colored feathers and jigs, you’re only doubling yourself and your boat is gonna look like a porcupine out there and maybe hampering your ablity to move around the boat or fight fish.

More importantly, what type of fish will most LIKELY be biting in the place you’re going to fish and at the time you’re going to be there? I’ve actually had anglers ask me things like, when is the best time of year to catch blue marlin in San Felipe or how many dorado can they expect to catch in Loreto in DECEMBER! In the Baja, I guess anything could happen, but the likelihood of it happening is about like my chances of someday being able to grow more hair on my head! Pack your gear accordingly and I’ll keep my bandana on!

For the most part and under normal circumstances, the following would be my essential Baja quiver if I was going to be fishing on a boat. If you’ve never been down, hopefully, this will give you some ideas. For you Baja vets, you’ve got your own style, but maybe this will give you some ideas to save your back, not to mention the back of the bellman, porter, or skipper who has to help you schlep it all.

OUTFITS:
1 Thirty-pound live-bait outfit
1 Forty –pound live-bait outfit
1 Fifty or Sixty pound meat stick that could be used for trolling or deep jigging
Make sure the line is new and drags are smooth. Shorter beefy rods with quick tapers are probably better than long rods, not only for packing purposes, but more importantly casting distance is not that important (just move the boat!) Further, the shorter stick will give you that backbone you need when that bonito bite turns into a bull dorado; sailfish or yellowtail!

TERMINAL TACKLE:
Again, it depends on what you’re fishing for. I would bring one dark and one light-colored feather (pick your favorite) in sizes to match what you’re fishing for. I would bring 3 casting irons (one medium and two heavies). I’d pack a few crank-type baits like Rapalas, Yo-Zuris or other reputable brand matching the targeted species. Bring an assortment of hooks. I guarantee that you will NOT need 100 of every size for a typical 3 day Baja fishing trip! Same with lead. Be picky. If you’re not doing bottom fishing, there’s no need to bring those 12 oz. torpedo sinkers. Pack a few swivels and a few odds and ends and yes…bring that funky lure that always catches fish no matter what.

ESSENTIALS:

To this, add camera, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, windbreaker, duct tape and plastic bags as well as your travel documents (two copies for safety). You would be surprised how many anglers forget some or all of these things. If you take medications take a few extra days supply.

NOW STOP BEFORE YOU HURT YOURSELF!

Of course none of this is meant to cover all conditions, odd situations, seasons and species of fish. But, it’s a basic beginning and an END! Remember, these are just the basics, but in most situations, you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck. You’ll tweak it to fit your own style. By all mean, however, don’t forget the freaky-awesome-propeller lure with the polka dots. It might just be the hot jig for the trip. OK, bring two in case you lose one! I gotta go re-arrange my tackle box again. The red lures go here. The chrome ones go there…