EVERYONE’S CATCHING FISH EXCEPT ME!

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EVERYONE’S CATCHING FISH EXCEPT ME!

July 9, 2011 by riplipboy

EVERYONE’S CATCHING FISH EXCEPT ME!

Originally Published the Week of July 14, 2011 in Western Outdoor News

Being here in La Paz, I can’t tell you how often during the
week a boater comes into our offices or restaurant and says…

“We have our own
boat and have been trolling around for days and haven’t caught a thing!”

“We see all your
boats come in with fish and can’t get a bite even though we fish in the same
areas as all the pangas!

Or something to that effect.

Listen, the oceans surrounding the Baja Peninsula are a
target-rich environment for sportfshermen.
Among the best in the world. But
so often I encounter anglers who figure…

1. I have my own boat

2. I have rods and
reels

So therefore…

3. I MUST
AUTOMATICALLY catch fish! (BOAT + GEAR = FISH)

That’s a bit like me saying, since I have checks in my
checkbook, I must have money in the account!

Believe it or not, most of the ocean is pretty empty. Nothing but blue and wet. And sometimes not even blue.

Assuming the first part of the equation is good (You have a
decent boat and decent gear) …Knowing WHERE and HOW to fish sure helps. There’s a reason.

The locals know their spots and just because, for example,
you know how to fish in Loreto doesn’t mean the same methods will work in Cabo
San Lucas. There is NOTHING like local
knowledge. Don’t just pull away from the
docks. There’s a big difference between
fishing and driving around the ocean.
Some research is in order.

It will help avoid looking dumb when you find out:

1. The locals use
live bait/ dead bait/ stink bait/ Velveeta cheese

2. Green lures work
better than blue lures/ polka-dot lures/ lures shaped like small farm animals

3. There’s secret
spots in the middle of the ocean where the locals all know there’s a big reef/
ledge/ sunken boat.

You get the idea…

I’m not saying your local “expert” in Wyoming who
just sold you all that gear isn’t a good fishermen, but I’d be more inclined to
ask him about flyfishing for brown trout than chunking for yellowfin tuna. I’ve lived her in La Paz almost 16 years and
I would never profess to know about fishing in Cabo which is only 100 miles
away!

The private boaters I know that have fished a few times with
the locals always seem to do better.
Therefore, if you can, go out
with a local on THEIR boat a few times.

Short of that, do a little investigating. Rather than run around willy-nilly all over
the ocean burning fuel and vacation time, at least check in with some of the
locals. Walk down to the docks and the
beaches when the boats come in and ask questions. There’s an old saying that goes something
like…

“Bragging may not bring happiness, but no man having caught a large fish goes
home through an alley.”

Fishermen talk.
Fishermen brag. We can’t help
ourselves. It’s the hunter-gatherer
mentality of our single-brow
cave-dwelling ancestors. They sat around
the campfire and pounded their chests about the big sabre-tooth cat they killed
by bravely poking it with a sharp stick!
(Even when in reality the cat was chasing them and it fell over a cliff
and killed itself).

If you truly must…hang out in a fisherman’s bar. OH MY!
When the cerveza flows so do the stories. All the free advice you need and all the
stuff you probably don’t need!

Beyond that, use some common sense out on the water. Living things have two main needs…food and
pro-creation out on the water.
Everything eats. Everything
breeds.

Look for diving or hovering birds. If you’re fishing inshore, look for rocks
covered with seagull or pelican crap.
Those are areas the birds hang out because there’s bait. Where there’s
bait, that means other fish will be there feeding as well. Look for floating
structure like weeds or trash where baitfish might be hiding or laying
eggs.

Again, larger fish look for smaller fish to eat. Look for current lines or temperature
breaks. Often, even without
sophisticated electronics, you can actually see temperature breaks and
currents. They look like little rivers.
Often, the fish will be on one side, but not the other. If you do have
electronics…USE THEM!

It all adds up to a better day on the water whether you’re
fishing Baja or your own waters!

_______________________________________________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western
Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his
wife, Jill, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La
Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar
on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront.
If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

________________________________________________________

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip
Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on
Trip Advisor

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Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

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

Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico

Phones:

from USA : 626-638-3383

from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863