AIN’T OVER ‘TIL IT’S OVER

Originally Published in Western Outdoors the Week of March 3, 2016

As write this, we’re tooling southbound down the highway through the Utah desert. Fueled on pumpkin seeds and ice tea, Jill is driving so that I can work from the passenger seat on my laptop.

 

We just finished the Sportsman’s Show in Yakima, Washington. We’re on our way now to the big Fred Hall Fishing Show at the Long Beach Convention Center for the show that goes March 2-6.

 

We’ve been on the road since before Christmas and have hauled our booth to shows in Billings, Montana; Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, CA; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR and last week in Yakima, WA.

 

The shows are always fun and a great opportunity to talk with folks about fishing in Baja. Hopefully, they’ll fish with us at Tailhunter in La Paz! But, it’s just fun to chat with other Baja fans or folks interested in fishing in Baja or Mexico in general.

 

One of the big questions that pops up a lot is about El Nino.

 

In case you’ve never heard of it, it’s the global weather phenomenon that pops up every decade or so whereby warm water currents push up against the western side of the U.S. instead of across the pond over there in Asia.

 

It has had a big effect on fishing this past year or so. In the rare case you’ve never heard if it, you’ve been affected by it, even if you don’t fish.

 

The unseasonably warm weather?   That’s El Nino. The above-average rain and snow? That’s El Nino. Drought-busting floods ? That’s El Nino. Non-stop winds? El Nino is the culprit.

 

As I’m writing this, huge ocean swells are hammering California and Hawaiian surfers are all over the 60-70 foot swells slamming the islands north shores.

 

When the current El Nino descended on us over a year ago, it was predicted to possibly be the largest El Nino since the 1997. Many predicted it to be the largest in recorded history. It still remains to be seen if the present El Nino lives up to predictions. Vamos a ver…we’ll see!

 

But the scientific community says El Nino is gonna hang with us until at least the middle of 2016 when it will slowly dissipate.

 

Maybe yes. Maybe no. It’s not like weather is an exact science, and even if it does ramp down, it’s not like it will be there one day and stop 24-hours-later.

 

Rain might do that. El Nino does not. It will be something gradual. Until the next “weather thing” comes up. Nothing is over until it’s over.

 

If you’re reading this, then you already probably have some idea of how it has affected ocean-fishing since it’s genesis.

 

With the unseasonably warm water, many warm water species moved into otherwise unusual areas from Mexican waters. Southern California for the past two seasons has seen a bonanza of fishing.

 

Yellowfin tuna less than a mile from shore.   Wahoo and billfish off the beaches of Los Angeles. Kayak fishermen catching dorado off San Diego kayaks. Anglers on ½-day charter boats limiting on big yellowtail.

 

Because of the shifts in warm water, some of these species were seen as far north as Washington. I had one fishing outfitter from British Columbia, who fishes a lot in Baja, tell me they caught some pompano (jacks) and he was the only person who knew what they were. He had caught them in Loreto in southern Baja.

 

Other friends and clients tell me about tuna and occasional dorado in Washington and northern Oregon!

 

In Baja, I would surmise that the effects have been mixed. Probably more negative than positive.

 

As mentioned previously, many species normally found in the tropical Baja waters migrated north of the border. That left Baja catches often wanting and below average in size and quantity.

 

With the warm waters, Baja didn’t get the colder water upwelling from the deep that brings nutrients necessary for bait stocks. Bait was few or non-existent. Sportfishing catches resulted in smaller fish (nothing to eat) or very few fish at all.  Baja still had good fishing. Just really different.

 

The same thing happened up north to salmon patterns. With a dearth of colder waters, the areas lacked nutrients for the baitfish, salmon and steelhead. The result is smaller fish or as one scientist put it, the fish are “starving to death” with long-term effects waiting to be seen.

 

Further, in terms of simple weather patterns, El Nino has produced a cornucopia of weather issues for us in Baja

 

Over the past year-and-a-half, the Pacific Coast of Mexico and Baja have been belted by numerous tropical storms and higher incidence of precipitation.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, there were times over the last two fishing seasons, when we were always on “hurricane watch” with attentions glued to chubascos that seemed to materialize every week. Most did not hit and blew out to sea. However, two of the largest ever, including Odile in 2014 were historic and did tremendous damage.

 

Even without the rainstorms, every time there was a weather system north of the border, it created heavy wind conditions south of the border. For example this past winter, with all the snow and rain dropped in the U.S. produced one of the windiest winters in memory.   This rendered fishing almost impossible many days.

 

I would venture to say that Odile was responsible for more rugged days of fishing these past two years than anyone could remember and resulted in more canceled fishing days as well.

 

So, what do I tell everyone who asks about El Nino?

 

I tell them it hasn’t been really great for us down south.   But, on the other hand, rain and snow are needed up north and the fishing has been great on the Pacific side in many areas.

 

It’s all part of the cycle. Everything comes and goes.

 

El Nino will come and go as it has been doing long before anyone cared about El Nino and it will continue long after. There’s not much to be done about it except accept it as part of earth doing what earth does.

 

With all the banner fishing that has taken place outside of Mexico, numerous anglers have rediscovered their enjoyment of fishing. Many first-timers have been brought into the sport as well.

 

It’s been great for the fishing industry. Great for the sport.

 

I feel eventually, these folks will expand their horizons and find their way to Mexican waters. And we’ll be ready for them. Personally, I’m looking forward to a great season!

 

 

That’s my story!

Jonathan

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Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, 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!

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Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

 

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