ADIOS SUMMER! YOU DIDN’T STAY LONG
I think many folks would agree that it’s been a strange year for weather. In many parts of the U.S., winter lingered stubbornly well into June and even July.
Correspondingly, down here in Baja, we experienced much of the same. Waters stayed cooler. Air temperatures seemed below normal. Cold-water species continued to bite well past their normal seasons. Warm-water fish seemed to take their time showing up.
It made for some crazy and unusual catches this season.
And then, about the time you stopped trying to figure it all out, someone opened a window and summer showed up. Late…but it showed up.
Here in La Paz where we live, that would be about the end of July or early August when things finally seemed to turn around .
Humidity rose. Air temps rose. Water cleared up and warmed up. Water-water fish like dorado finally started to bite with some measure of enthusiasm.
And all was right again.
Until Hurricane Lorena about 2 weeks ago. As far as tropical hurricanes in Mexico go, it wasn’t much. We’ve seen much worse and suffered the harsh after-affects.
Lorena didn’t hurt anyone. It didn’t knock down houses or destroy marinas. Except for some trees and power poles, it was one of the mildest hurricanes I can recall in my 25 years down here.
Although it did get pretty windy, I think most of us actually welcomed the much needed rain, although it did rain for about 12 hours!
What Lorena did, I think, is carried summer away with it. Like Dorothy’s house in the Wizard of Oz…summer went careening up, out and away.
In the hurricane aftermath, it feels like summer suddenly ended. Like a switch was thrown.
Air temperatures that had been in the high 90’s and low 100’s have been 10 degrees cooler overall. It has averaged only about 88 or so since the hurricane.
Similarly, humidity has dissipated as well. Before the hurricane we had steamy 80-85% humidity. The hot sauna air was that thick.
As one of my employees told me, “I think we are breathing water.”
Since then, we’ve hovered around a comfortable 50-55%.
Water temperatures have also dropped. In our area, it dipped 2-5 degrees in a week.
The change in fishing was gradual, but ultimately profound.
It took the fish awhile to figure out. Just like us.
Normally, after a storm, it takes awhile any for water to calm and clear up. And fishing seemed noticeably slower to get up to speed again.
Then, when it did start to break open, we still had the warm water species like dorado and marlin, but a whole host of entirely different an unusual species started bending rods.
Fish like pargo liso, sierra, amberjack, yellowtail, cabrilla and palometas showed up in the counts. These are all cold-water fish virtually unheard of at this time of year.
These are sure signs that something has changed below the surface.
If this trend continues, I think anglers should be prepared for this variety of species. Also, don’t be surprised if it’s cooler and windier with each progressive week and waters will be rougher.
I hear this week there’s blizzards and heavy snow in Montana, Utah and Idaho. It is supposed to snow this week in the Sierras. Summer is gone. Shortest summer ever.
In the mornings, I’m already wearing a sweatshirt. In Baja. In September. I better find my long pants around here somewhere.
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.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: jonathan@tailhunter.com
Or drop by the restaurant to say hi. It’s right on the La Paz waterfront!
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Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website:
www.tailhunter-international.com
Mexico Office: Tailhunter International, 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter International, 8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
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Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report: http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Video Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBLvdHL_p4-OAu3HfiVzW0g
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
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