That's My Story

SOLID DORADO AND TUNA FISHING KEEPS RODS BENT AT LAS ARENAS AND LA PAZ!

FISHING REPORT FOR OCTOBER 1, 2006

Wow! Just another fun week of fishing that simply rocked! There might have been a slow spot or two, but if you just kept your line in the water, soon enough, something was gonna gobble your worm…so to speak. Heavy ice chests were the rule of the week as happy anglers tried to figure out what to do with excess weight on their flights home!

PHOTO 1: Mitch Chavira, our good amigo, from Cardiff CA, hugsthis gorgeous roosterfish north of La Paz this late in the season. Mitch was initially handed a local scale and when he saw it said “64” he thought it meant “kilos” not “pounds.” Well, in pounds that would be about 130 pounds and would have shattered the current world record of 114 pounds! Turns out the scale was indeed set to pounds so it wasn’t a world record, but still a darned nice 64 pound pez gallo! The world record, by the way, just happened to have been set here in La Paz. Our average rooster the last two years has been 40 -100 pounds!

PHOTO 2 and 3: Cole Chavira seems to always do well here. (His dad hung the big rooster above). He’s only 8 years old, but has a quiver of big fish to his name. Here he stuck this huge 40 pound class dorado and did it all unassisted except in the photo you can see where dad tied some rope to the reel. Great team effort!

PHOTO 4: Mike Bacon of Indiana was on his first visit to us in La Paz and found himself sticking alot of dorado including this 45 pound beastie. He’s standing at Balandra Beach north of La Paz City.

PHOTO 5: Charlie “Stix” McGee is one of the most accomplished big game fishermen I know and also a famous high school music teacher from San Diego. Plus he’s a helluva nice guy! When he heard the big dorado were breaking, he played hookie on Friday and snuck across the border to Tijuana and jumped a plane for a quick weekend with us sticking this 30 pound class mahi off Espiritu Santo Island
PHOTO 6 : Al Lewis flew his own plane in from Indianapolis, Indiana for his first trip to La Paz and even wore his lucky orange boxer shorts to go fishing. Here he displays some of the fish he and his buddy caught along with the lucky underwear (which had fish printed on it!)

PHOTO 7: Jeff Sakuda and Marianne Sugawara come down about 3 times a year and always do well. They were here this week and had 3 days of tuna fishing to fill their coolers. They also brought me two In-N-Out double double burgers from Southern California too! That rocks!
PHOTO 8 : We put this baby on the scale and it topped my 50 pound mark! Eddie Leal is given a hand by his buddy Dave Roberts. Both are from Huntington Beach and caught several dorado just south of Muertos Bay in front of Cardonal. Eddie would have another similar fish the next day.
PHOTO 9: Scott Zimbler from Long Beach CA and his brother, Eric, finally made it down to us after trying all year, but getting wrapped up in the Aero Cal mess. They fished 3 days with us this week and got tuna from Las Arenas and dorado from La Paz.

AND NOW THE FISH REPORT!!!

Whether you fished Las Arenas or La Paz this week, you were gonna get fish! Some days one boat did better than another, but you couldn’t help but catch fish. With super weather (OK…it was HOT!) and warm water temps, the biggest problem for most anglers was what to do with the extra fish they had when trying to pack up to go home and trying to stay under the weight limits. Alot of guys were releasing fish or giving it away even BEFORE they put fish in the freezers and still had a problem when it came time to pack!

La Paz

How long can this go on? Other than that screwy Labor Day weekend when the hurricane hit, I cannot remember a dorado bite that has been so consistent; so good; with so many quality fish!

This is not “rocket science!” If you can hold a rod and keep from falling in the water, there’s fish to be caught. Mostly it entails going to get bait from the bait man at the islands north of town then coming right back towards La Paz and slow trolling or drifting live sardines or cut bonito strips just off Bonanza Beach on the SE corner of Espiritu Santo Island. I mean, often we’re so close to shore you can see the ripples of sand about 30 feet under the pangas!

After you get hit, we fight the fish to the boat and keep it in the water looking for trailers. Not surprisingly, often 2, 3, or more fish follow it in. Throw bait then hold on because double, triple or quadruple hookups are not uncommon. That’s when it gets wild with fish going ballistic and guys screaming and lines crossing not to mention there’s probably other boats real close to yours also dealing with fish and joining in the melee as you try to keep your fish from crossing other lines or fouling with other boats. Way too much fun!

Las Arenas

There was a little tiny lull of tuna mid-week but at both ends, the tuna bit nicely at Las Arenas again for the 4th straight week. These are fun 15-25 pound footballs with occasional 30 pounders in there too. We’re not talking a far run to the fish, either. How about 100 yards in front of the old Hotel Las Arenas! The ticket is to go get some giant squid early (up to 80 pounders) just 1/4 mile offshore then be among the first boats to get into the foamers of tuna before all the rest of the boats show up. The tuna aren’t eating the live sardines. They are chewing up the chunks of giant squid we are using for bait. That’s why it’s so important to go hang these squid early in the morning!

In addition to the tuna and squid, the dorado bite picked up just south of Las Arenas too. Some nice 30-50 pound bulls were taken this week around Cardonal and roosters are still in the surf with some fun baby roosters tearing up the bait schools in Muertos Bay.

SPECIAL THANKS!

After you have been down here for months on end and working like we do seven-days-a-week and often grabbing whatever food you can shovel down standing up or while trying to work, it’s so incredibly great to get treated. Don’t get me wrong, for a guy who loves Mexican food anytime and any place, I ended up in the right spot, but to all of you who have been bringing me goodies from the states these past two weeks, you ROCK!!!! Jeff and Marianne…for the In-N-Out Double Double (animal style) burgers and Asian food goodies…to Don Melucci for more In-N-Out Burgers (and my neat wall plaque) …Ron and Sheila for the box of Kentucky Fried chicken (extra crispy)…Joe Robinson for the See’s candy (it didn’t melt!) and Krispy Kreme donuts…and Jackie Yamada and family for the Portugese sausage from Hawaii…YEAH!!!!!

We have a full week of fishermen here so I”ll keep you posted!!!!
That’s my story!
Jonathan

Read Full Post »

TUNA AND DORADO CONTINUE TO BLOW UP FOR ANGLERS!

FISHING REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 24, 2006

PHOTO 1 : Dave Hansow of Grand Junction, Colorado is a westling coach and holds up a sweet 25 pound yellowfin tuna (we put it on the scale!) at Las Arenas beach that at a chunk of squid. After two days of fishing tuna and dorado Coach Hansow said he was “completely sore, tired and feeling old.”

PHOTO 2: Talk about a chunk of calamri! We used part of this for bait and we fried up the rest. Tony Betz of San Diego got this off Las Arenas lighthouse and Captain Jorge “Moscoron” gives him a hand. Many of the squid are even larger!

PHOTO 3: Don Melucci from San Diego always has a good trip. Here he shows off a nice rack of yellowfin tuna

PHOTO 4: Greg Perez and Brian Martin from Orange Co. CA got several ice chests full of dorado like this. Here’s they’re standing at Balandra Beach north of La Paz

PHOTO 5: Stewart Silva from Orange Co. CA had 3 days of this kind of dorado fishing this week!

PHOTO 6: Check out this 60 pound pargo (dog tooth snapper) ! This fat critter was caught by Greg Gomes from Northern CA. He’s assisted by Capt. Adolfo (“Yofo”) and Greg’s son, Dalondo. Greg actually hooked several of these before finally getting this monster out of the rocks near Las Arenas at a place we call “Castille.”

PHOTO 7 : Todd Brushwyler from Fontana CA got several fish like this 49 pound giant bull dorado. It was a good week for Todd who works for G & T guitars and says he’ll “hook me up!”

PHOTO 8: Isaac Cortez of Oxnard CA gets an assist from Capt. Eddie Carballo with this 47 pound dorado that was a personal best for Isaac. He fought the fish over an hour!

FISHING OFF THE CHARTS!!!!

Just another outstanding banner week of fishing! With air temperatures in the mid-90’s and water temps in the low 90’s, it was flat, sunny, warm and blue most of the week and again, the fish came to chew! It was almost one-stop shopping fishing and the kind of fall fishing La Paz is famous for.

LAS ARENAS

How easy is this? I was out on the water several times this week (check out all the photos!) and if you wanted tuna, this was surely tuna week, but this was sometimes silly. We’d push off the beach in the pangas and head about a half mile west of the Arenas lighthouse (that’s all of 10 minutes). We’d drop the big squid jigs and get our early morning wake up call pulling up these huge beasts from the deep! Some of these monsters are rolling at 50-70 pounds (see the photo of one of the “smaller guys!). It’s a workout pulling up one of these guys and that’s just to start the day.

It gets pretty funny because all the pangas are in tight and when the squid start coming up, all this stuff can be squirting all over with geysers of ink and water shooting all over the place and anglers grunting and laughing. You know how us guys are…give us a water balloon and a squirt gun and we’re easily entertained especially if you can soak your buddy! Tell ya what, if you’re not watching out, getting a jet full of squid water is like getting hosed with a jet spray and you just hope it’s not ink too! But some of these squid can hose 10 feet in the air! That’s some power!

Anyway…get some squid (pop some into the ice chest and bring it back to your hotel to fry some up!) and cut them into chunks. Then head right back to the beach. I mean…100 yards in front of the old Hotel Las Arenas!

Drop chunks into the water and stick your hook into another chunk and let it drift and WHAM!!! Tuna hook up! Earlier in the week the tuna were 35-40 pounds, but dropped to the 15-25 pound range later in the week. Also as the bite got more steady, more boats started showing up so the boats that showed up earlier in the week or even the boats that showed up earlier in the day before all the traffic showed up had an edge! Get there as early as possible!

Among the tuna, every now and then, dorado would also blow through as well. All in all a lot of fun and when all was said and done, the fishing spot is only 5 minutes and away from where we take off and only 100 yards or less from the beach!

Hot tip…if you can, bring a giant squid jig plus a 12 oz torpedo sinker if you can get your hands on one. A squid jig that is already weighted is a plus. My own personal ones weigh over a pound. Also, if you have 25 pound flurocarbon leader, after the tuna get shy with all the boats around, the fluro is a bonus. Just make sure you tell your skipper. Lastly, if your skipper hangs out even after it seems like the bite has shut off, it’s a trick we’ve been pulling. As the other boats move off to do other things, we’ve noticed that as the boats dwindle off…the tuna come back up! So, your skipper is being cagey and playing the numbers…just be patient!

LA PAZ

What can I say? It’s madness…sheer utter dorado madness every since the hurricane earlier this month! I don’t know what happened! Did the hurricane drop some mutant nuclear stuff in the water? All of a sudden, all those punk dorado we had turned into steroid mutant beasts! I kid you not…if you ever wanted a trophy dorado, the last few weeks have been nothing short of magnificent. A “small” dorado right now is about 20 pounds! The “larger” variety can be…well…most of our scales just don’t go that high, but some of my captains have estimated some fish up to 70 pounds!!! Think about that.

If you look at the photos above, the largest there is 49 pounds! Imagine what a 60 or 70 pound toad might look like and you get an idea.

Basically, we’ve been doing most of our damage at Espiritu Santo Island. There was one day (Saturday) when it was completely snotty and windblown but even then the mahi still big like dogs! The fish have been right about where the island splits in two on either the west or east side of the island. Using slow trolled sardines or small caballitos as well as strips of fresh bonito, you wait until you get ripped, then throw bait and wait until you see the “flashes” of green shoot through then you’d better have your guns ready and back up rods all lined up because it can go fast and furious in nano-seconds! I’m serious…if you can keep the school around, it’s slash and burn time and you’ve got no time to be tying on new hooks. If you hesitate a moment the school swims over to torment the next boat!!! And you have to start rolling again. But…if you’re ready to play…it can be incredible 1, 2, 3, or 4 rods going at the same time until your arms fall off. Some of these fights on the larger mahi are taking over an hour to get the fish to the boat and I cannot begin to tell you how many stories I’ve heard of “larger fish” that simply got away; got unbuttoned while jumping or even…BITING THROUGH the leader material!

Whatever you do or have in your hand…I highly recommend bringing at least 40 pound string or 40 pound leader material to splice to your main line! These fish will eat the 50 and 60 pound string as long as your bait is swimming naturally! One day we tied on a small bonito to 50 pound string and it got blasted, but the dorado merely took the bait and then swam around the boat like a sealion tossing the little bonito in the air and catching it the swimming and tossing it in the air again! Great entertainment but hard for me to keep my angler from jumping the gun and pulling the trigger on the fish…especially because it was about a 40 pounder. However, what happened was that the big fish dropped his “toy” and a smaller fish zoomed in like a kid stealing a french fry and running for the door and grabbed the bonito and took of with it! Way too much fun!

I’m exhausted and fired up just writing about this stuff! Today is Sunday and I’m not on the water for the first time in several days so I could get this report out to you plus I have to send folks to the airport and bring new ones in, but I’m back on the water again Monday with clients then most of this week so I’m totally amped! I hope this bite stays hot!

AIRLINE ALERT

Just for the fun of it to see if I could ruffle some feathers, I walked into the Aero Cal office here in La Paz with my handful of tickets. I put on my “game” face and acted angry. I went to the first girl at the counter and demanded a refund. She started laughing. “No refunds, Sorry!” In fact, all 4 girls at the counter (the place was empty) started grinning and gigling at me as if I had on the wrong colored socks or my fly was open. It was like listening to 4 parrots..”No refunds! Sorry!” ….”No refunds! Sorry!” one after the other. How could I not crack up too. I walked out smiling. I have already applied to have my tickets reversed by my credit card company anyway, but just wanted to see what Aero Cal would say…

One good piece of news…I’ve already told you that Alaska starts flying her to La Paz Oct 30th and quite a few of you have taken advantage of it to book trips in November. I just heard that Nov 15th, Alaska will probably start flying here from San Francisco as well so all you Bay people…head’s up!

That’s my story! (my fingers are tired!)
Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s Tailhunter International
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
Phone: (626) 333-3355
FAX: (626) 333-0115
E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico office: Carr. a Pichlingue KM5; Numero 205, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

Read Full Post »

PUBLISHED THE WEEK OF SEPT. 25 WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS

LIFE AND DEATH IN THE PUEBLO

Sun shimmered off the hot asphalt road and a never-ending coat of Baja dust gave the impression that everything had a fuzzy velour on it. Not many trees out here. More like overgrown bushes that rose maybe a mans-height taller than the concrete block homes in the little pueblito. They were enough to provide some shade and some definition and shape to the yards of the inhabitants who did their best in what most would call an impoverished environment.

But, if you never had it, you don’t know what your missing. Occasionally someone long ago had been able to paint a home here and there with a splash of color. Windows were often sans glass but colorful sun-bleached sheets fluttered in the apertures and children’s toys missing a wheel here and there and the smell of something always cooking were tell-tale signs of Mexican family life. Somewhere a radio was always playing the unmistakable rancho music with it’s polka-accordian beat and the bright fuchsia of bougainvillea exploded with sparks of color against otherwise drab backgrounds.

Normally, it was a vibrant little village of fishermen and farmers, housemoms and laborers. Children, dogs and chickens did what children, dog and chicken do. Any visitor could count on a “Que onda?” (What’s up?) greeting that often ended in a social visit. But not today. Eyes met eyes. Nods were met with nods and people went about whatever it is they did to keep busy. Even the chickens and dogs sensed it opting to lie in the shade of a bush or under rusty car chassis.

It was a sad week in the little pueblito.

There were two funerals this week out here in the Mexican outback far from the city lights. Both were sad. Both were tragic. Both deaths came a day apart and the sense of loss in the pueblo settled as thickly as the palpable Mexican dust.

They don’t have modern facilities out here so there’s no long period of grieving or viewing or waiting for all the relatives to show up. The furnace of the Mexican sun doesn’t take a break for the living or the dead. After a hurried Mass in the chapels, the deceased are quickly interred.

One of the deaths had been to a young man. The pride of the family, he had actually come back during the summer to spend it in his old colonia (neighborhood). He was on his way out of this. No long days in the pangas for him. No backbreaking work in the chili farms either. He had been attending a trade school for accounting and had already been working in an air-conditioned office in the city while living with relatives. He had a girlfriend. No dirt under his fingernails. He was living the dream. Up and out. Viva Mexico.

At 22-years-old doing what many of us did at 22, his car was speeding along a serpentine cliff road at 3 a.m. With a treasured Ipod blaring in his ears he was not able to avoid the big truck coming the other way and his car went over the cliff. Open cans of beer were found throughout the vehicle. He had many friends and everyone knew the young man. The funeral was large and well-attended with understandably much grief that a life so bright was snuffed out.

The other funeral was for “Abluelito” (little grandfather). I never knew his real name. Deaf in one year and blind in one eye, he spent most of his days sitting on the porch of his grey cinderblock home using his cane to rock himself back and forth. He loved watching kids with that one eye and he could still hear the kids laughing quite well with his one ear. And he could still smile and laugh.

His skin wasn’t tanned. It was sun-dyed permanently the color of chocolate. It was more like jerky with creases frozen on his features by hours in the Baja sun. Those lines tell you when a man has spent most of his life frowning or smiling. At one time he might have been rather tall for one of these folks but when I last saw him alive he was perhaps only to my shoulders. Tough old guy. In his day, I’m sure he could’ve outworked, outdrank and still kicked my butt. I was told he was quite the hellion as a young man. They said he was 106 years-old. He only laughed when asked about it.

As things go, the United States was pretty modern at the turn of the century. Rural Mexico in 1900 might as well have been another planet. Calloused gnarled hands attested that Abuelito had worked as a fisherman and had rowed to his fishing spots to drop nets or fishing lines with his father and brothers. He worked the fields barefooted, not to sell to market but so that they could eat. Going to town was a week-long excursion with the family burro. A brother and a cousin fought with Pancho Villa in the revolution. He was already in his 30’s the first time he talked to a gringo and thought they looked pretty funny. He never rode in a vehicle until he was in his 50’s. He never had electricity or running water until he was in his 90’s. He had never spoken on a telephone. He didn’t like TV, but loved his portable radio. He had one wife for 40 years and never took another. His kids were long gone to the big cities.

Abuelito died peacefully in his sleep and that history went with him. No big ceremony. All his friends were long gone. Immediate family bid goodbye. He was put in a simple box; loaded in the back of a rickety pickup truck with two friends sitting in the back to hold him in. I watched them bump down that seared asphalt to the cemetery somewhere out in the bush. One had to sit on top of the coffin like an ice-chest you’d toss in your own pickup. No disrespect meant. There was just no other place to sit. A dog missing a lot of it’s hair trotted after them barking for as long as it could keep up.

Two lives ended in the Baja countryside. One with a future that will never happen. One with a past that will never happen again. Two sad losses for different reasons.

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.

Read Full Post »

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED WEEK OF SEPT. 17, 2006 IN WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS

PICKING THROUGH THE TRASH!

So there I was this past week working the panga with clients hunting for dorado on the fishing grounds. After a storm, especially like the huge hurricane that ripped through the Baja two weeks ago, you’re crazy not to go out and chase the mahi.

I hate when we have storms. I mean, I love watching it and it’s nice to get some “change” instead of 100 degree sunshine day-in-and-day-out as long as folks are safe. However, from the perspective of fishing, it’s the pits. We have to cancel trips. We have to refund money and there’s nothing more surly than a group of anglers being told they CANNOT go fishing. The longer they sit around drinking beer too, the grumpier they get! Can’t say I blame ‘em.

However, once the sun comes blazing back out, it’s prime time dorado season as far as I’m concerned. Mainly, there’s so much junk in the water, it’s like putting cookies on the table in front of 2nd graders and seeing if they’ll eat ‘em!

When I say “junk” I use the term lightly. To me, it’s not necessarily trash. Indeed, in most cases it’s not. Generally it’s all the stuff that gets washed off the terra firma and into the water. Sure, it certainly can mean trash (aka garbage!) as well as parts of houses, buildings and other man-made items that got launched then laundered by the storm. However, moreso it’s all the grass, sticks, brush and even whole trees that get carried to sea by Mother Nature.

You folks in S. California chase fish under kelp paddies, right? You know how prolific the right paddy can be, right? Well, imagine a kelp paddy the size of a city block or a line of paddies several miles long snaking along a current line. Well, that’s the kind of debris I’m talking about and it can be dorado city if you hit it right! Not only that, but other fish also take up residence in these areas.

Very often, the lines of clutter will follow current breaks. Fish of all kinds, not just dorado, but also marlin, tuna and other species hang out in current breaks but now have the benefit of the cover provided by the debris. Additionally some fish such as flying fish, dorado and other species lay their eggs in these areas providing food for small and larger fish alike and soon a whole eco-system…a food chain if you will…suddenly materializes within days of the storms. A smart angler knows how to work the trash lines!

If you have a fish finder or temp guage, use your tools and learn to distinguish between a submerged log and a school of wahoo or dorado. Remember, logs and trash down swim and don’t move against the current. With your temp guage work the warmer sides of the current break. Also, for Pete’s sake, while you’re looking at all the toys on your instrument panel, don’t forget to look up once in awhile while you’re driving the boat. Don’t be a Gilligan! There’s nothing like hitting a submerged palm tree or a tangle of mesquite branches with your hull or props to screw up your warranty or ruin your fishing day! Definitely, don’t go blasting through the zone full throttle.

Slow troll the area with live or dead bait or slow swimming lures like Rapalas or skittering lures like your spreader bar, birds or flat headed lures that “pop” and jump like flying fish or other baitfish. One trick one of my captains uses is to catch bonito and strip them out. He then ties chunks to submerged logs in an area. He then comes back later and often there’s fish congregated in the area. Keep your eyes open for feeding fish or birds diving an area of trash. It can produce great results! If you get to a mass of brush, throw a handful of baits at it and see what pops up. I have seen dorado near the surface, tuna underneath and marlin on the perimeter of one of these fish hotels.

Also, sad to say, a lot of animals also get washed out to sea. Cows and other wild critters like seals get killed in the maelstrom. Floating carcasses can also hold a tremendous amount of fish as small bait feed off the body attracting the larger predators.

On a more important subject, I just got some information from our amigo, Eddie Dalmau, who reps the Van Wormer Resorts on the East Cape and wanted to share it with you:

EAST CAPE HURRICANE RELIEF I’m getting a lot of phone calls and e-mails from folks eager to lend a hand to those Baja residents who’s lives were devastated by Hurricane John on Sept. 1st. The category 3 storm ripped up areas of La Ribera, Buenavista, Los Barriles, Mulege, Santa Rosalia and pueblitos in between. Most of the hotels have recovered, but many in the community are not so fortunate to have the means to re-build as they live on or near the poverty level.

As most of you have already heard, Hurricane John made landfall in the East Cape area of Baja California on Friday, September 1, 2006. This category three hurricane, with winds clocked at more than 150 mph devastated the local communities of La Ribera, Buena Vista, Los Barriles, Mulege and Santa Rosalia. As the hotels in the area continue to rebuild, many in the community are not as fortunate. According to Eddie Dalmau who reps for the Van Wormer Resorts, Charlene Wenger of the East Cape Community Urgent Care Clinic, has informed him that they have set up several command centers in the area to help those in need. They are distributing food, water, clothes, building materials, and financial aid to those effected. Funds are limited and diminishing quickly. For those of you who would like to show your support for the residents of the East Cape, the clinic is asking for cash donations. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated. 100% of the money collected will go to the East Cape relief effort. Please send your donations to: Van Wormer Resorts, C/O: East Cape Community Urgent Care Clinic, 24007 Ventura Blvd, #265, Calabasas, CA 91302. Please make all checks payable to: East Cape Community Urgent Care Clinic, AC. By the way, I’m typing this up and we’re waiting for tropical storm Lane to turn into a hurricane this weekend. What a year! I better head to the store to load up on water and batteries again! I’m trying to send this to the California office before I lose power again!

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.

Read Full Post »

INCREDIBLE TROPHY DORADO AND TUNA FISHING RIPS LINES AND BREAKS RODS!

LA PAZ – LAS ARENAS FISHING REPORT FOR SEPT. 17, 2006

PHOTO 1 : Get Bent Sportfishing Group from the Santa Barbara/ Ventura CA area had several monster days of fishing with fish between 35-over 50 pounds (bottomed out the scales). Here L-R are Tood Brushwyler, Joe “Pineapple” Caricungan, Hank Gonzalez, Larry Brussard, Bill Sutton, Isaac “Icee” Cortez. You should have see the fish that were still in the box!

Photo 2: Mike “Flipper” Anderson of Ventura stuck this huge monster bull dorado off the East side of Espiritu Santo Island on live bait. We estimate it might have been a 60 pounder as it bottomed out the 50 pound scale we had. It was Flippers largest fish.

Photo 3: This is also the Get Bent Sportishing Group, but a different day than the one above! Left to right are Hank Gonzalez, Larry “Buzzard” Brussard, Todd Brushwyler, “Bajadave” Gutierrez, Mike “Flipper” Thompson, Fernando Garcia, Joe Caricungan and Duffy Shropshire are having trouble holding up their fish for the photo!

PHOTO 4: Dan Fedorka’s Group from California and Arizona are all from Fedorka Construction. Dan is holding the big dorado 2nd from the right. These guys had some much fish they had to get extra ice chests after 3 outstanding days of fish pulling.

LET THE PHOTOS DO THE TALKING!!! INCREDIBLE BIG TIME FISHING THIS WEEK!

Well, it seems like we dodged the full impact of Hurricane Lane, but are already watching something to the south that is a “tropical depression” that is only called “T-14.” It doesn’t have a name yet, but everyone is so sensitive to storms this season that watching weather has become something everyone does as a past time and trades information back and forth. Most conversations start out, “Have you heard the latest…?”

Although Lane didn’t hit us in the face, it did cause some problems. We did have some strong winds and some rain forcing us to cancel some of our boats as well as strips over the weekend to Las Arenas. We also had some pretty rough seas. For those of our clients who decided to cancel, I think you made the right decision. At the time you made the decision, there was every indication that Lane would take the same track as the deadly Hurricane John two weeks ago. At the very least, it looked like the airport was going to be closed as well as the ports and the roads for coming up from Cabo would have been closed. I’m glad you decided to forego the trip on the side of safety.

On to the fishing…!!!!

LA PAZ FISHING…

This was maybe one of the best weeks of fishing this entire season and we’ve had some great weeks. Just check out the photos. It was almost one-stop shopping and it seemed like the fish got bigger as the week went on. They got bigger and thicker! On the La Paz side, steady limits of dorado and most were huge bulls. Fishing both the east and west side of Espiritu Santo Island near the gap and working the current and debris lines, we had an incredible number of 40-60 pound fish (on the scales) and some days that was the ONLY side we got! There were so many stories of “the fish that I lost next to the boat” that I have to imagine there were even larger fish that got away. I have been stacking dorado fillets in the hotel freezers all week! Oh…also giant squid are in the area too and make some great fried calamari for dinner!

LAS ARENAS FISHING…

For Las Arenas, limits of tuna came up late in the week where anglers were pulling away from too many boiling fish. These were a better grade of fish with most in the 20-40 pound class size. I’ll have some photos next week. However, these were the kinds of fish we’ve been waiting for. The fish came to chew and tore the heck out’ve some of the anglers who had never had a tuna in their hands other than one that pressed between two slices of bread.

In addition to the tuna, dorado keep breezing through the area and it seems like the pargo continue to bite as well. Can’t get much better except telling you that big squid also showed up! Bring those big squid jigs and a heavy lead!

That’s my story!

Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s Tailhunter International

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745

Mexico office: Carr. a Pichlingue KM5; Numero 205, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

Read Full Post »

Published in Western Outdoor News week of Sept. 10, 2006

PHOTO: The “calm” just before the storm. Rain starts falling and skies grow ominous, but within hours 115 mile-an- hour-wind and the eye of Hurricane John will pass over…

HURRICANE DOUBLE WHAMMY!

Wow! OK…so in the last column I was a bit flip about hurricane watching and there’s a point where you do have to take it seriously especially if you live down here and you’re directly in harm’s way.

Well, it looks like most of us survived Hurricane John that rampaged and ravaged the Baja this past week. It was interesting in that once it passed Cabo, there seemed to be very little coverage about it. Many folks in the states, judging by my e-mails, think the chubasco simply breezed through (no pun intended). Funny how that is. If a storm isn’t battering Cabo or Acapulco or Miami or New Orleans, like the proverbial tree that fall in the woods and no one hears it, the storm never happened.

On the contrary, much of Baja took a Hulk Hogan body slam to the mat. Cabo got a bye this time in many respects. John was supposed to beat Cabo like many other previous storms in it’s nether regions then bounce outside west to the Pacific and away. Instead, it came right up the gut of the Sea of Cortez.

Folks who had left Cabo to find refuge in the East Cape and La Paz suddenly found themselves in a Category 3 chubasco with the eye rolling directly over head Saturday night. We’re talking winds in the 110-120 pound class and anything in that wind, wood, rocks, parts of houses, pieces of tin roof are also moving that fast!

Let me tell you what it’s like being in total darkness with no electricity and a howl that resembles being in a jet turbine. It’s deafening. I heard windows shattering and huge trees falling over. Rain came sideways. Door were torn off hinges and roofs ceased to exist. Electric transformers were blowing up. Then nothing…dead silence.

Some people came outside thinking it was over. Others shouted at them that it was only the “eye” passing over. Half an hour later, round two clobbered us again. I saw part of a tree go through a window and saw the wind peel paint off the side of our building.

Cabo got it to a degree. The East Cape and La Paz got pummeled so bad that even President Fox had to come by to visit. But, up the coast in Constitution, Mulege and Santa Rosalia, they are still looking for people who were swept away in the torrents of water and mud. I saw photos of municipal buses stood on their ends and holes punched in concrete walls by winds over 100 miles hurling objects like battering rams.

Funny thing about hurricanes though. Even though the winds eventually go tranquillo and the rain moves off, these storms continue to be sinister.

Washes (arroyos) can continue to roil often trapping unwary motorists who try to cross and either stall or get stuck in unsuspecting mud. Many post-hurricane deaths are attributed to this every season. As I write this there are reports of tourists in a camper who were washed out to sea and a local mom and children who tried to ford a seemingly shallow runoff.

As well, there’s a problem with disease and pollution. Mexico doesn’t get a lot of rain ,but it can get a lot of rain at one time. Drains, ditches, canals and sewers, which are often not exactly state-of-the-art to begin with, suddenly get sluiced out or overflow into homes, streets, marinas and other waterways. You can imagine what kind of a biologically toxic brew that is. You couldn’t pay me to swim in the ocean anywhere near a city or pueblo within a week or more after a storm. That “brown” water is not always because of mud flow.

Additionally, that same water turns to mud and dries. It turns to dust and now becomes airborne to be inhaled and also land on food. That’s why cities often close outdoor restaurants and taco stands for several days after storms. Right now, city workers wear face masks to avoid breathing the potentially hazardous dust.

The water that does not dry sits in puddles. It breeds mosquitoes in that same water that flowed out’ve the drains. Mosquitoes bite people and folks start coming down with things like Dengue Fever which is a really painful flu and can be deadly (like any flu) especially to the very old and young.

Should you cancel your upcoming trip down here? Nah. I wouldn’t. But forewarned is forearmed if you know what to avoid.

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.

Read Full Post »

DORADO MAKE BIG COMEBACK AFTER STORM!
La Paz Fishing Report for Sept. 10, 2006

PHOTO: Captain Kiki gives an assist to Jimmy Peters of Riverside CA who stayed extra days in La Paz with his dad so he’d have a chance to fish after being stuck indoors for almost 3 days during the storm!
PHOTO: Downtown La Paz floods during the hurricane. This is looking west from the Malecon near Carlos and Charlies’ Restaurant. The water is about 2 feet deep here.
PHOTO: La Concha Beach Resort’s swimming pool filled with mud. The hotel took it the worst with no power or running water for days and having to evacuate it’s guests. Windows were blown out and numerous trees fell as well as chunks of roof and walls. Working round-the-clock, the hotel cleaned up and got itself spruced up and repaired.
PHOTO: Howling hurricane winds up to 115 mph. did extensive damage to La Paz. Huge palm and coconut trees were uprooted and tossed like straws!

PHOTO: Within days of the storm, fish charged back. Here, Todd Brushwyler, a professional bass fisherman from Fontana CA and Fernando Garcia from Oxnard CA heft a 42 and 45 pound dorado respectively. Fernando’s fish was a blaster as it fried his Newell reel on it’s initial run and a second rod and reel had to be spliced on.
PHOTO: Chris Sutton and Tamara Eberhardt from Ojai CA had a great first day of fishing out of Las Arenas with tuna and dorado.
PHOTO: Tamara Emberhardt was on her first Mexico trip and missed the tuna, but got into the dorado.
PHOTO: Joe “Pineapple” Cariguncan from Oxnard CA said this 28 pound bull dorado dragged him around the boat 3 or 4 times before he got it to gaff.

FLAT SEAS AND HUNGRY DORADO GET LA PAZ BACK ON TRACK AFTER HURRICANE JOHN SPANKS THE CITY!

Well, we seemed to have bounced back since the hurricane bit time! Before the storm it was WFO on dorado and tuna and I was worried that the hurricane had ruined things but with each day it gets progressively better. The tuna really haven’t come back full turbo, but the dorado fishing ratchets up each day. On the La Paz side, there is so much debris in the water it seems like there are acres of tree trunks, grass, branches and other stuff that got washed in into the ocean. Of course underneath, dorado lurk and it’s been a lot of fun. Fish are hitting on both the east and west side of Espiritu Santo.

This is NOT complicated fishing. Live bait on a hook is about all it takes. Just hold onto the rod because we’ve had a lot of guys lose big fish all week! If you hit the right spot, it’s one-stop shopping and some boats have had to come back early with anglers that are just too tired to go on! Same with Las Arenas with some solid dorado fishing and big bulls in the 40-50 pound class not uncommon. Roosterfish and pargo are also still available ,but strangely we got some sierra which are a cold water fish and we don’t expect them until November or December.

We’re digging out from the storm! It’s been awhile since I’ve gone 4 days with no shower and even I couldn’t escape myself! Like alot of folks, I finally checked into a hotel for a night.

BTW…check it out. Aero Cal (the airline we love to hate) has fares as low as $133 right now from Tijuana to La Paz and back!

That’s my story!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s Tailhunter International
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115
E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico office: Carr. a Pichlingue KM5; Numero 205, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

Read Full Post »

DORADO AND TUNA AMP IT UP –THEN HURRICANE JOHN SHOWS UP!

La Paz Las Arenas Fishing Report for Sept. 4, 2006

Sorry this is late. I think I’ve been late only a handful of times in 10 years of doing this…but the hurricane cut me off from everything…

PHOTO: Shawn James of West Hills CA crammed alot of fishing into just two days and did about as well as anyone could do putting the hurt to alot of fishing including this sweet bull taken off Isla Espiritu Santo. Here’s his first person report…

“I fished in La Paz for the first time with Jonathan Roldan and Tailhunter International the 25th and 26th of Aug. and it was awesome. On Friday using a Calstar 970 and a new Shimano Torium 20 with 40lb leader I landed 7 beautiful Dorado, one estimated at 40lbs and the other 45lbs. The dorado bite was very good with fish boiling on the chum right at the boat. On Sat. we made the run to Las Arenas where I hooked up with my first ever tuna followed by two more with the largest around 25-30lbs. The tuna bite was trickier with the 20lb fluorocarbon and Captain Victor being the difference between getting tuna or not. Back to back solid fishing days in La Paz.

Jonathan, Thanks again for unbelievable fishing and a first rate operation”

BEFORE THE HURRICANE

IT ALMOST COULDN’T GET MUCH BETTER!

The week started on such a spectacular high note! Folks…the fishing this past week almost could not have gotten better for the most part. Tuna, dorado, marlin, sailfish, pargo…

Then nature stepped in and stepped ON the party as Hurricane John turned it all topsy-turvy. Read on…

La Paz Fishing

Ever have one of those fishing trips where you think you’re so good you should have your own TV show? For most of my anglers all week fishing on the La Paz side, it was “Dorado Slam.” There were a few slow boats here and there, but for the most part, it was as WFO as you could want it to be. Fish everywhere!

Boats were all over as well. From San Juan de La Costa to various parts of the island banks, the boats pushed, but they sure nailed fish. Big bulls up to the 40-50 pound class were not uncommon. Sardines, mackerel, slow trolled bonito slabs and lures all produced like gangbusters. It was THAT good.

Here’s the first person report from Dan Fedorka:

“What an unbelievable trip ! Great weather, great captains, and wide open fishing action !!
Thank YOU for putting it all together and making this trip as flawless as the previous years. Everything that could go right did ! Bait every morning, and Dorado till your arms fell off. Throw in a handful of Marlin and a dozen of Tuna ! What can I say? Does it get any better than what we experienced? I think not !
I highly recommend Aeromexico from LAX. A few extra dollars, but well worth it.
No problems at all ! As you know that doesn’t happen very often.
I will forward you pictures once everyone recovers from all the FUN !
Be safe with the up coming storm. See you next year. “

Las Arenas Fishing

For our Las Arenas anglers, the tuna continued to be hard chargers! For lots of anglers it was a first time pulling on the bullet train wec all the YFT…yellowfin tuna! If you hit the spot, the fish we on fire boiling all over the boat. From Pescadero to the south all the way up to the Punta Arena lighthouse, there were schools to be found. Fun-sized 15-30 pound fish were the norm, but the largest fish were actually the dorado that would come slicing through the tuna schools picking up the chum and hammering some poor guy that wasn’t expecting it and watching his “tuna” turn into an aerobatic dorado! (I really should have made more guys eat hearts this week since so many of them caught their first dorado or tuna!)

Hat’s off to:

1. All of Danny Fedorka’s Group from Arizona who caught more fish than they knew what to do with over 3 days. (Get your stories straight guys on who did what and where each night…one “consistent” story line is all you need!)

2. Noah and Lucas Love from the San Fernando Valley area of CA near Los Angeles. Fishing with their dad, Steve, this 10 and 7 year old were originally supposed to be here during spring break, but had to cancel due to Aero California and re-scheduled to come this past week. The first day…5 dorado plus lost 2 blue marlin and finally hooking a striper. Day 2, half-a-dozen yellowfin tuna (told you boys they were strong!), pargo, snapper and dorado. Day 3 – another striped marlin!

3. Tim Farrell – came with his wife Angie from Oceanside CA – finally got his rooster he’s been chasing. In fact, he got two!

4. Chris Cribbs and Mike from Naked Lures – each day was better than the last! Roosters and dorado all over.

5. Shawn James from Los Angeles – First timer. Busted his Baja cherry in grand style on just about everything that could swallow a hook. Thanks for all the great Disney songs too. Man knew ’em all!

6. Charlie Di Carlo and Ray Darius – For keeping the good smiles and attitude and staying upright most of the time and fishing despite not feeling so good!

THEN THE HURRICANE SHOWED UP!

FRIDAY

It got ugly by Friday. Rain and wind hit us as Hurricane John finally showed up. It wasn’t as strong as predicted (ast least that first day…we were all goofing and having fun) , but enough that we had to cancel boats. Felt bad for the anglers that were here especially Jarrod Groff’s group from the Temecula area. Many of his group were first timers and only had two days to be here and then the storm dropped a king-sized pelican poop on the whole trip. I know how disappointed they were. They kept great attitudes, however. Everyone did.

Parts of Cabo and the East Cape had to be evacuated and we got hit with wind and rain although not as bad as it could have been. Still, there were long lines at the grocery stores and gas stations and we did have to tape up our windows as everyone still remembered hurricane “Marty” that whacked us a few years ago and sunk over a hundred boats and killed a few folks.

FRIDAY NIGHT HOWL

So much for an “easy hurricane…”

Amid “hurricane parties” and people having fun in the rain and mild winds, everyone went to bed. The rain got stronger and stronger coming down in sheets. Warnings were posted not to leave our rooms.

About 2 a.m. we were shaken awake with a howl that sounded as if we were suddenly stuck in a jet engine. It was deafening. Wind and rain hammered us. I could hear glass exploding and doors ripped off hinges. Huge trees were broken in half. Rain hit sideways and to stick your head outside risked getting decapitated by flying debris, pieces of brick and wood and other flying objects. People pushed furniture against doors and mattresses against windows. All electricity flickered then died and in the din of wind it was total darkness.

Crazy amigo Jarrod Groff was out on his balcony with his camera ( I wanna see some of thos photos) and almost got blown off his second story terrace. He said at one point he let go of his big camera and it was standing straight out from his body. One group of gals from Dallas had their window explode on them while they were fighting to keep the wind from tearing off their front door!

Then, it all stopped. An eerie silence as I realized the eye was passing over. From the sound of a passing train to absolutely nothing. People started to come out’ve their rooms, but others walked the hallways telling people get to back inside. In the dark, transformers on power lines were exploding and big trees continued to fall.

And it started again from a different direction and everyone ran for cover as more rain and wind snarled and gusts estimated at over 115 mph tore through trees, buildings and roofs. Rainwater was pushed under doors and window…the ones that weren’t outright shattered and rooms began to flood as we started packing towels and rags under doors in an effort to stem the waters.

By morning, strong winds continued with sheets of rain, but it was clear that the worst had passed by Saturday and the devastation could be measured. Huge trees were uprooted. Power lines were down. Giant branches were thrown through windows. Cascades or water tumbled down crumbling walls. Roofs that existed the night before were simply no longer there. Ceiling tiles hung loosly. Mud was everywhere and rivers of water gushed. Wind had punched ragged holes in cement and drywall. And we began to dig out…

I ran shuttles in my mini-van back and forth across town all day in the rain so that folks could get to the store to buy food and water. It was like a war zone. I have been through 6 of these now and this was a doozy. I have never had the eye of a hurricane pass directly overheard. Town is a mess but cleaning up. We’ll be fine!

THE AFTERMATH

Only this evening, have I gotten internet to be able to post my report. We have been 3 days with no running water, cooked food, electric, phones, toilets or lights. In fact, I am the only one left here at La Concha Beach Resort. Everyone else has been evacuated to other hotels. It’s hot a humid and we’ve been digging out of mud for the last two days.

But…I did get four boats out today! We were the only fleet with boats out from what I could tell and everyone got dorado! It will only get better! There’s alot of green water out there and we had to go far for the fish. However, there’s an incredible amount of debris floating around. Give it a few days to gather up and I think we’re gonna have some spectacular dorado fishing again!

That’s my story!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s Tailhunter International
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
Phone: (626) 333-3355
FAX: (626) 333-0115E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico office: Carr. a Pichlingue KM5; Numero 205, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

Read Full Post »

PUBLISHED in WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS WEEK of SEPT. 3, 2006

WAITING TO BREAK WIND IN BAJA !

So, here I am tapping furiously on my computer trying to make deadline with WON while simultaneously watching my laptop computer screen; the ocean; the sky; and the beach hoping my boats get back before the winds come up. Hurricane John is bearing down on us and I’ve already lost computer power and internet several times today so I’m scrambling to get this written and e-mailed back to WON.

Looks like we’re not going to be able to dodge this one. We’ve been watching Hurricane John build to the south for two days now and all the forecasts and NOAA computer models have it coming right up to punch Baja in the gut.

This isn’t our first hurricane of the year. We’ve had several warnings here in La Paz where I am, but none have brought anything more than an hour of rain or so. I think John is one to take seriously.

All day long, local folks were taking things down. Plants and swingsets; barbecues and awnings; smaller boats were being pulled out’ve the water and put on trailers while larger ones were either being tied down or in some cases running for the horizon to get out’ve harm’s way.
Pangeros were putting their boats on the beach and putting in the drain plugs so the boats will fill up with water and will be too heavy to blow away. There’s been a steady stream of boat traffic back and forth across my window all day and you can tell by the speeds that these boats aren’t out for pleasure cruises or fishing trips. There’s a controlled sense of urgency.

I saw people boarding up and taping up windows. There were apparently thousands of folks lined up at the stores in Cabo this morning buying provisions and one amigo said “panic purchasing” has also hit here in La Paz where long lines were seen at gas stations as well as local grocery and variety stores.

I’ve been through perhaps half-a-dozen of these now and, although I don’t like them from the perspective of running a fishing business, it’s not like being in say, an earthquake or tornado. You can’t prepare for those. I have been watching the weather websites all day. I have my stuff stashed. It’s currently clear right now and a beautiful Baja day, but I know that in a few hours, we’ll probably see Mother Nature kick like the south end of a Mexican mule that ate a basketful of habanero chiles.

As long as everyone is safe, it’s not a bad thing to be around. I’m not talking about the poor folks who got hit by the likes of Katrina. In most cases, no one will be losing their homes in these garden-variety chubascos and most of us locals kind of accept that this stuff happens. Some roads will get washed out. There will be some flooding from drains that only get wet the rest of the year when someone empties an ice chest.

The biggest thing is convincing tourist that it’s OK. We’re gonna probably get a bit wet and it’s gonna get windy. Some things are gonna leak. You may not get to do that horsey-back riding thing at sunset you looked forward to and ex-nay on the scuba diving tomorrow. If you take precautions and listen to people in charge (Let’s not fire up the boat and see if you can troll around the eye of the storm!) it’s gonna be like a Disneyland ride with some eye-opening stuff and everyone comes out at the end with a big exhalation of breath and a great Baja story to tell. I’ve had some of the best hurricane parties ever during storms and storms parties throw together some of the neatest people.

In the grand scheme of things, for tourists, hurricanes aren’t an emergency. They are a big INCONVENIENCE. Planes aren’t on time. You can’t get your suntan. You might have to stay an extra night or two in your beachside room or condo instead of hustling back to work or commuting on the freeway. You might not get to fish. You may have an evening of candlelight because the electricity goes out. Is it so bad that no one can reach you on your cell phone for a few hours? Is the butter-dipped lobster at the restaurant really that bad? You’re not losing your home. Your kid might miss his football practice. You’ll miss that back-to-school sale at Wal Mart. There’s a big difference between an emergency and an inconvenience.

That being said, I sure hope this is a mild one and everyone stays safe. I’ve already had to cancel my boats so I’m going to play in the rain tomorrow; spend time inside with a big plate of nachos and have some laughs with my fishermen and their familes and take lots of photos! I have to end this and get it mailed out before we lose power!

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.

Read Full Post »