PHOTO 2: A big surprise to have pompano show up as well so early. Normally we get these guys in late spring or so along the reefs and sandy drop offs. Great eating members of the jack family and super fun on light tackle. What an excellent week of fishing down here. Again, because of the winds, we’re mostly fishing out of Muertos Bay, but our boats took such a great variety of fish all week. Still plenty of sierra around and you can spend all day catching just sierra. However, there’s plenty of cabrilla to 5 pounds plus it looks like both dog tooth and mullet snapper (pargo liso) have moved into the rocky area. We’re not getting the big ones just yet, but the ones we’ve been catching are the 10-15 pound class with some larger ones lost to the rocks.
A few yellowtail were picked up…smaller sized punks in the 10 pound class, but this is encouraging to have them so early… plus roosterfish (up to 15 pounds) , amberjack and even pompano along the beaches. The pompano were really a nice surprise as I don’t remember getting them this early. they are a great eating fish and will eat the live baits with a small sinker just on the edge of the drop offs. The first few days they showed up, we had clients tossing them back or giving them away not sure of what they were. Of course, my captains were more than happy to take them off the clients hands. The problem is that they are members of the jack family (yellowtail, amberjack, permit, roosterfish, jack crevalle) and look very very close to their hard-fighting cousins, the jack crevalle. Jack crevalle fight like demons, but taste like it too! So, lots of people throw the pompano back even when a captain might suggest they angler keep it. They are great fried or sauteed. I also happened to try some sashime this past year. If you like yellowtail sashime, pompano is even better. It’s a delicate translucent meat that just melts off your chopsticks!
As well… There must still be some warm water around as well because we had flurries of dorado, wahoo and tuna near the island when the winds allowed.
Live bait works best, but bring a sweatshirt for the cool mornings! Some days the winds really blow and others it lays down, but part of everyday can be breezy. It’s great to be in town. Air temps are 75 degrees in the daytime and at night it’s 65.
NOTICES
WHALE WATCHING – We’re booking solidly now for the upcoming whale watching season that starts in about 2 weeks (when the whales show up) and go through about mid-March. We do this over at Magdalena Bay and it’s an incredible experience to have grey whales and their calves come right up to the pangas in the calm shallow waters of the bay. Get in touch with us ASAP and we can set up the whole package.
CABIN FEVER CLASSIC – Our 7th Annual Cabin Fever Classic still has some spots available for the April 30 to May 4 dates. This is always a blast and a good get together for some sunshine, fishing, socializing and tall cold ones. It gets more popular every year and for $775 per person double occupancy, we cover your ocean-view room at La Concha Beach Resort, 3 days panga fishing, transfers, taxes, 2 dinners and a bunch of other stuff. Write to us to find out more or, if you’re one of our Cabin Fever alums, get in touch with us now!
ALASKA AIR – If you had not heard, Alaska Airlines is now flying FIVE days a week to La Paz from Los Angeles. This is a big improvement and gives us plenty of options now. If you can connect through Los Angeles, it’s just a two hour flight to La Paz where we’ll be waiting for you with a load of stuff in the ice chest waiting for you!
VOLARIS AIR – Out of Tijuana is great I just tried them. Brand new airlines and brand new air bus jets. This was fantastic. For 15 bucks they pick you up at the San Diego train station and shuttle you right to the terminal. From there it was just a few minutes to the plane. Because it was a domestic flight, there were fewer security checks. Super service. TV’s to watch. Full beverages. Leather seats. Great leg room and overhead room. AND HALF THE PRICE of U.S. carriers!
WE HIT THE ROAD FOR THE 2009 TAILHUNTER TOUR
Well, it’s that time again. We’re coming to a city near you! We start the first leg of our fishing and hunting trade shows! This week we’ll be at the San Mateo Expo near San Francisco for the ISE shows. Here’s the schedule:
January 8-11 – International Sportsman’s Expo (San Mateo Expo Center)
January 15-18 – International Sportsman’s Expo (State Fairgrounds Sacramento)
January 22-25 – International Sportsman’s Expo (Denver Convention Center)
More to come! Stop by the booth and say hi! We’ll look forward to it!
That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill
Jonathan Roldan’s
That's My Story 
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