That's My Story

ROOSTER HUNT – Published May 2005 – Western Outdoor News

“One…two…three…four…how much do I have to count?” said my anxious client?
“Count to 30 then start counting again until I tell you,” I replied firmly putting my hand on his shoulder as I could see he was getting ready to come out of his huarache sandals. . He looked at me incredulously out of the corner of his eye, but still keeping his other on the 40 pound test that was stripping rather quickly off his reel and out into the swimming-pool-clear-water that could not have been more than 10 feet deep. Somewhere, just beyond eye-sight…down where the sunrays shimmer the water like heat coming off a desert road, something big…really big was swimming off with his bait. There’s an old saying. “To catch a big fish, use a big bait.”

The sabalo (ladyfish) we had been slow trolling up and down the beach for an hour was itself about 18 inches long and about 3 pounds heavy. Anything that might even consider wrapping it’s maw around that piece of scaly salami had to either have attitude in spades or a big pie hole.

I knew that the fish slowly mouthing this big bait had both. “This is the big roosterfish you wanted, amigo. This is why you came down here,” I said from over his shoulder. “Just don’t pull the trigger until I tell you.” I could tell his anxiety level rose a notch or two or three.

“Twenty eight…twenty nine…thirty. Now?”

“Hold.”

More line…”Now?” I could hear the strain in his voice.

“Hold.” ( I was feeling a bit like the guy on guy in Bunker Hill telling the troops not to fire until they saw the whites-of-their-eyes.)

“Now? He’s taken so much line!

I didn’t say anything. I reached over and lightly touched the line and felt the strain. I leaned into him. “Now. Go. Pull the trigger!”

The brake was thrown and he expertly let the line go taught; pointed the stick; and leaned back into the hookset smoothly and in one motion. And the ocean 75 yards behind the boat exploded in a thrashing tail; huge head; and the signature dorsal of the 70 pound rooster. Even from this distance, as the reel screamed, I could see the black racing stripes down the silvery-black body as the fish tore left; then right; then charged the boat as the solid hookup put the rod in double bendo and my client locked into the biggest smile. He had come a long way to hook a big rooster and Baja is one of the premier places in the world to hammer down on one of the most exotic fish in the sportfishing world. Some argue that Southern Baja, especially from the areas south of Loreto to Cabo, are the most productive roosterfish area in the world.

Strange-looking to most, this member of the jack family shares genetics with other more popular and well-known species such as yellowtail, amberjack, jack crevalle, pompano and giant trevally, among others. Thick in body and shoulders, connected to a thick muscular body, these fish are built for power. They also share that same gut-busting attitude that makes all members such a popular fish on rod and reel.

Coming into the Baja shallows generally from about April to July, they sometimes show up as early as February and have been known to stay until December. I may be wrong, but from my experience being on the water, it seems like the smaller fish in the 5 to 20 pounds show up early in the season with the big bruiser bad-boys appearing in mid-summer and getting up to over 100 pounds. I know in our area of La Paz, we have had fish in the 50 to 90 pound class since April.

They can be caught in waters as shallow as literally a few inches as I have seen big roosters chasing bait schools right into the rocks or onto the sands, but normally, working the areas of white sand beaches with a mottling of rock and reef seem to hold the most fish. Being so close, surf fishing is a popular way to jump on these fish with one of the most popular ways being to either throw large chrome spoon-lures into the surf or casting large popper–style lures and reeling as fast-as-you-can and watching the big combs come out’ve the water charging the skipping lures. However, the optimal way is to use a small boat to work up and down large stretches of beach following the fish as they move in search of food source. You simply cover more water. Slow-trolling sardines is effective, but ideally lisa (mullet) are the prime candy bait for these fish. However, if you want to go hand-to-hand with the bigger bullies, slowly trolling a big ladyfish is the way to get bent.

The biggest problem with many anglers is patience. Like a big dog that runs away with a sock, the bigger roosters will often run with a bait and “mouth” it. It’s not eating it. It’s not swallowing it. It’s running away with it. Being too quick on the trigger will only yank the bait out of it’s mouth. Many times, I have seen anglers do the long wait; set the hook and come back with a big bait that is missing eyes, scales and chunks of it’s body, but still alive with an untouched hook. You may not get many chances so the secret is letting them eat. Mostly caught in shallower waters, you don’t have to worry about the fish running deep or pulling out miles of line. Mostly, their fights are characterized by long dashes up and down the beach and more than once we’ve jumped into shallow water to fight the fish knee deep in the surf or running up and down the beach to keep up with it.

Keep the gear simple. Straight-tie a hook to the line and pin a bait on it. Forty-pound string or larger works on the bigger boys, but the smaller fish are a hoot on light spinning, conventional or even fresh-water gear.

One last thing. If you do hook up with a big pez gallo, the meat is dark, tough and sinewy. I know some folks like to make fish soup out of it, but most folks don’t care for the taste so C.P.R…Catch…Photo…Release.

That’s my story…
Jonathan