That's My Story

PHOTO: Jill Roldan of Tailhunter International poses with the prize winning angler and captain of the 383-pound yellowfin tuna in Cabo San Lucas

GAME OVER!

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Nov. 18, 2009

We just spent the last week at the 11th Annual Western Outdoor Tuna Jackpot Tournament down here in Cabo San Lucas. We don’t get a chance to see WON down here, but I know that Rich Holland, Pat McDonell and Gary Graham all wrote extensively about the event and the historic 383-pound whopper tuna that was caught. If you haven’t seen it, check through the pages or go to the website, it’s a pretty incredible story. http://www.wonews.com

Now picture this. There’s 104 teams from around the world there. Rookies to pros from as far away as Brazil and England. They have each paid up to 20 grand to be there (if they entered all the side jackpots) not to mention airline tickets, hotel, food, parties, etc. There were a few pangas entered (God bless ‘em!) but most anglers were in big cruisers larger than a school bus. I think there were a few boats close to 100’ long.

The excitement, anxiety and anticipation was high as they charged out that first day. When the flare gun went off there at the Cabo arches, it’s like those old pictures of the sooner covered-wagons charging out for land grants! If you’ve never seen the start of a major tournament, give yourself a treat sometime. Get outta the way!

There’s fish and money to be taken and tequila and beer waiting back on shore, all extremely intoxicating enticements to the adrenaline and testosterone-fueled crews. Hold on, because the wakes created by a zillion horsepower and 104 boats suddenly going full throttle would capsize anything smaller than a cruise ship!

I felt badly for some sailboats and some of those Cabo glass-bottom boats that were just out for a leisurely morning and got caught in the maelstrom. Most of their passengers, little old ladies from Kansas and Joe Smith from Missouri probably had no idea what suddenly descended on them! But there’s nothing quite like the bow of a 75’ sportfisher suddenly coming full tilt at you!

So, there we are that first day dirty and sweaty. The boats are out and we’re still setting up the weigh-in station. Pat McDonell has Gary Graham dangling 30 feet up in the air tying banners on the weigh-in scaffold. Mike Packard is figuring out the ropes with the block and tackle to hoist the fish. I’m setting up the media tent. I think Kit McNear was trying to untangle extension cords that look like a bimini twist gone mad. The “glamorous” side of the bishing biz!

Fish aren’t due for hours.

And then the call comes in that one boat has a big fish. They aren’t going to wait. They want to weigh their tuna NOW!

Mike asks if it’s a big fish.

Yes! It’s a big fish.

Over 200?

Over 300, they say.

Ok, right, whatever…Mike passes the word. Ho-hum. EVERYONE always thinks their fish is the BIGGEST fish. Ask any 8-year-old. That’s what this is all about, right? None of us get too excited. Grumble. Grumble. Grin. It just means we have to work faster to get things set up in the hot sun.

And then the boat shows up. Mike takes a look in the cockpit and immediately the electricity shoots through the crowd. It’s HUGE! Oh, hell…it’s the biggest tuna anyone has ever seen. They can’t even lift it. The gaff holes are plugged with toilet paper to prevent it from bleeding. This COULD be historic. Someone on the docks yells, “First round knockout. Game over!”

The weigh station hasn’t been set up for a fish this big and Mike has to adjust the scales because the nose of the fish is still on the ground. The fish paparazzi elbow for space and snap photos as they descend with the growing crowd. The fish gets hoisted again. Anxious moments. The fish is slowly drying in the sun. Each drop of blood is another micro-ounce lost. Silence. Wait. Wait. Wait. The scale is checked…there’s a lot of money on the line!

“THREE HUNDRED EIGHT THREE POUNDS!”’

It’s just off the world record. It’s a new tournament record. It’s the largest yellowfin tuna ever weighed in Mexico.

The tournament is only a few hours old and already someone has brought in a near-world-record-fish. And I swear, I could hear a collective sigh out on the water as 103 other teams still out on the water realize it’s now going to be a race for 2nd and 3rd place or start frantically fishing for dorado and wahoo.

You just never know when you have a line in the water!

Jonathan Roldan is the Baja Editor and his column appears every other week. He can be reached in La Paz at: riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com