That's My Story

HIS NAME IS PANCHO!!

Originally published in Western Outdoor News the week of Sept. 24. 2007

Over the many years, I’ve had this conversation in one way, shape or form:

Angler: “We’re coming fishing this year and we want the same captain we had five years ago. He was really good!”

Me: “Great! What as his name?”

Angler: “Uh, I think it was “Pancho.” You know who I’m talking about. He’s the really good captain you have. We caught so many tuna with him five years ago!”

Me: (skeptically) Well, uh, I have several captains named “Pancho.” Can you tell me more?

Angler: “Oh c’mon. You know who he is! His panga is blue and white (like everyone else). He wore a t-shirt every day that had the Nike shoe logo on it (remember this is five years ago).”

Me: “Let me guess, he was short, brown, had a mustache and wore a baseball hat too, right and he liked to drink beer!”

Angler: “That’s the guy! I knew you’d remember! That’s the guy we want this year too!”

I throw up my hands and shake my head. Of course that description could fit any of hundreds of guys named “Pancho” that fish for a living here in Baja.

Still, I like it when clients ask for a captain by name. To me, it means that somewhere along the line, they connected.

For all the gear we buy and seem to need every time we go to the tackle store to get an “edge” in our fishing, there’s one item that sometimes goes overlooked. We want to catch more fish. We want to have a better time. We want to beat the other guys in that 10 dollar jackpot or win the beer pool money. We’ll do whatever it takes to do!

But what about your truly best weapon on your boat that day? A good boat is fine. Great gear is a bonus. But what about the guy driving the wagon?

I don’t care how good you are. There is nothing that replaces local knowledge and chances are the guy riding with you and driving the boat has forgotten more about this particular fishing hole than you will ever know.

Most were raised in the area and were cleaning dad’s fish or schlepping bait when they were still in gradeschool or working weekends and holidays to help feed the family.You’ve been to Baja 10 times in the last 10 years? Your captain was fishing 300 days a year in these waters before he know how to drive.

He learned from his dad and uncles and grandfather who learned from their dads, uncles and grandfathers. Look at their hands and you’ll see the callouses and line burns turned to scars from years of hand lines. Even the young ones have a permanent squint from staring into the sun for that “finner” on the surface or the birds diving the bait.

Give me a bad boat and a good skipper over a great boat and cruddy skipper any day of the week. I’ll give up my GPS satellites for the knowledge in the captain’s head and his ability to triangulate to a fishing hot spot by simply lining up points of reference…that hilltop…that tree…the old lighthouse. These veteran skippers don’t fish as a hobby. It’s a living and when they’re not fishing for you, many are still on the water fishing commercially. You get pretty good when feeding your family rides on your ability to find fish.

I see so many anglers overlook the most important asset on the boat. If you can build a rapport with your skipper that’s even better. Especially, if you fish more than one day with the same captain.

Fishing with your best buddy takes awhile to get used to how he or she fishes. Same thing down here with a captain. You fish with a captain and you have certain expectations, stereotypes, etc. you have to work around. Everyone is different. Captains are different as well.

Surprise, they feel the same about you. They really don’t know if you’ve never held a rod and reel in your hand or you’re the saltiest dog that ever trod the Baja. The captains tell me often they assume the clients knows very little and work up from there so that there’s fewer margins for error.

After the first day, you each know a bit more about each other’s skills, abilities and personalities. With each passing day, you’re a better team…a better human fishing machine! Hopefully, you’ll also be making new friends as well.

It’s not so easy when there are language barriers, but you’d be surprised how many captains know more English than they let on. Certainly, any captains worth his salt is able to communicate basic fishing language such as “reel,” “more line,” “pull harder,” “wait for the bite,” etc. Plus, there’s the universal language of smiles, “please,” “thank you,” “gracias,” that work wonders in any language.

Believe me, the captains do remember you! If you come down year after year, the captains will remember you and actually look forward to the return visit unless you were an absolute jerk. With each trip, a fishing relationship grows. The “team” gets better and hopefully, your trip will be enhanced by the fact that you’re not just fishing with a hired guide…you’re fishing with another fishing buddy!

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