Archive for the ‘Baja Rockfish’ Category

“WINTER OBSERVATIONS FROM BAJA”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, kids, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexico, Mexico Christmas, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged baja, baja fishing, Baja Mexico, billfish, Cerralvo Island, charter, dorado, Espiritu Santo Island, expatriates in mexico, Fishing, fishing charters, gringos in mexico, holidays in Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, Light Tackle Fishing, living in Mexico, mexican, mexican culture, mexican life, mexican retirement, mexican vacations, Mexico Christmas, panga, Panga Fishing, roldan, sea of cortez, sea of cortez fishing, tailhunter, Tailhunter International, tuna, vacations, western outdoor news on December 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »

A quiet winter evening on the La Paz waterfront

La Paz' busiest intersection on the watefront...no parking issues!

A quiet winter game of the Mexican verson of "BINGO" in the town square downtown.

WINTER OBSERVATIONS FROM BAJA

Originally published the week of December 29, 2011

I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt a little more snuggly against my neck as the cool ocean breeze was starting to send a few chilly evening fingers down my back. As I walked down the old boulevard, I smiled at others also out for an evening stroll. Long pants. Hands stuffed in down jackets for warmth. Girls wearing furry boots. Guys covering their heads with watch-style pull down stretch hats to cover ears against the blustery night.

Everyone you pass has a nod and a smile all somewhat grinning about being so bundled up. It’s an inside local joke. In addition to my hoodie, I’m wearing thermals, my Levis and my hiking boots with actual socks! Quite a divergence from the flip-flops that adorn my feet the majority of the year.

Despite all the sunny palm-tree travel posters and brochures, yes, Baja does get winter. And yes, it does get “cold.” For us in La Paz, that means down to about the mid-50’s at night.

Relatively speaking, that translates to about a “3-dog-night” up in Alaska where the frigid evenings are judged by how many dogs one must sleep with to keep warm.

The few tourists, mostly snow-birds escaping places that really ARE cold like Canada, New York and Montana, continue to stroll in shorts and loud Hawaiian shirts and laugh to hear us talk about using drinking hot cocoa and “electric blankets” and staying in-doors at night because it’s too cold to go out!

For the visitors that normally come down to enjoy the warmer months, it’s sometimes a shock that the sun isn’t always out or that everyone isn’t down at the beach or out drinking margaritas on the terraza or fishing or how windy it can be!

I remember a few years back a guy wanted to build his dream boutique hotel on one of our beaches. He had been a visitor for many years enjoying the sun, sand, fishing and diving for many years of summers. He finally had all his papers in order. He purchased the beach-front land and got the work crew to break ground…in December!

Revelation! The winds howled. Scaffolds blew over. Sand and concrete scattered. Half-the-days, the work crew couldn’t work. The owner had never spent any winters in Baja! He thought it was 90 degrees and sunny year-round. But in winter…No fishing. Very few tourists. After two months of futility, he packed it up.

But, it’s a nice time to be in Baja. It’s a time, many of our anglers and regulars don’t get to normally see since most fishermen visit the Baja from March to November.

Yes, it can be windy and (for us) chilly too! But, generally, the sun is out and there’s a certain tranquility that descends on each place from the desert to the beaches and from the smallest pueblo to even the larger tourist cities. There’s even a word for it “tranquilo.” (calm or quiet). And it’s a good way to describe it.

The sun light is different. It’s more subdued and the days are shorter although the days can be brilliant as a winter day. Beaches are relatively empty. So are the streets.

Don’t be surprised to find you have a store or restaurant all to yourself to enjoy the full attention of the staff. There just aren’t that many tourists around!

If you thought Mexican “manana” was a leisurely pace, try “manana” in the winter! There’s no urgency. There’s no “prisa” (hurry). Lo que sea! (Whatever!).

No one’s rushing around for office parties; setting up the electric Santa on the roof; cookie bakes; midnight sales; Christmas cards; parking lot crushes…”Calmate” (Take it easy) is the attitude. No stress. No underwear-bunching is allowed! You will never be late and there’s no such thing as a cocktail dress or an ugly Christmas sweater. Imagine that!

It can take some getting used to for folks that move down here.

Gringos get frustrated because we’re used to the frantic pace of Christmas and the holidays. Here, the “holidays” start about mid-November and go until after the feast of the Three Kings in January. So, no sense in getting frustrated. No one is real motivated to get much done so you just roll with it!

People sometimes don’t leave their homes. People don’t go to their offices. For about a month, government and municipal employees barely work or are on hiatus with diminished staffs (sounds like a lot of government offices, doesn’t it!). So, if you need anything “official” done, forget it.

If you need to rush or get something done RIGHT NOW…wait until February!

It’s not a bad way to look at things no matter where you’re spending your holidays.

Take it down a notch. Park your sled and give the elves and reindeer the day off. Whether you’re eating menudo or Aunt Mary’s cheese log with crackers, take the time to enjoy the moments. Savor your family and friends. Tomorrow can wait. Put it off until February like we do in Mexico!

Best to you and yours for many blessings now and in the coming year! And thanks too for reading my two-cents columns all year long too! Cheers!

That’s our story…

Jonathan

__________________________

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

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

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

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“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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“STAY HOME NO MORE!”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, women fishing, tagged baja, baja fishing, Baja Mexico, billfish, Cerralvo Island, charter, dorado, Espiritu Santo Island, expatriates in mexico, Fishing, fishing charters, Fishing Techniques, fishing tricks, gringos in mexico, holidays in Mexico, international, jonathan, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, Light Tackle Fishing, living in Mexico, marilin, mexican business, mexican culture, mexican vacations, mexico, mexico life, panga, Panga Fishing, roldan, sailfish, sea of cortez, tailhunter, Tailhunter International, tuna, western outdoor news, Women fishing on December 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Look out! These gals can fish!

STAY HOME NO MORE!

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

“Steve used to leave me at home, but if he knows what’s good for him, he better bring me along!” laughed one of the ladies.

“I know what you mean,” said another gal at the beachside table. “My husband can still take a ‘man-cation’ with the buddies, but he knows he has to make time to take me on a separate trip also!”

“I used to think it would be boring but after my first trip, I couldn’t wait to get back,” grinned another of the women.

Back in the day, fishing trips to “the Baja” or “Old Mexico” used to be a manly-man affair. Jim, Joe, Jack, Harry and the rest of the guys piled into a van with the sleeping bags and an old Coleman canvas tent for the dusty drive or climbed into an airplane full of other guys doing the same thing and landing at some one-desk airport…if there was even an airport.

Ice chests, rods and fishing gear were all tied together. A pair of shorts or two; some flip-flops for the feet; a straw fishing hat; some t-shirts were all the clothes you needed stuffed into an old salt-stained gym bag.

If you couldn’t swim in it or rinse it out in the sink, you didn’t need it! As long as the beer was cold and you could put sand between your toes, it was pretty simple.

You camped anywhere. Or you stuffed as many guys into an economical room near the beach. Maybe it had running waiter. Maybe not. Maybe it had a toilet. Maybe not. So what?

There was always a bar somewhere and the drinks were frosty. The fishing was always good. There was always an old hammock somewhere. The jokes were always funny. You ate what they cooked or you ate what you caught. There’s nothing you can’t eat wrapped in a tortilla.

If it tasted good, you made it taste better with more salsa. If it tasted bad, you added extra salsa and drank more beer. Nothing that couldn’t be cured with more salsa or beer. What happened in Mexico stayed in Mexico. You and the guys!

Oh how times have changed!

These days, with more frequency, the complexion of Mexico fishing trips is changing. If you ever watch folks de-plane at the airport or even watch the cruisers and pangas go out in the morning, you’ll notice a few things…

A few more pieces of pink luggage on the tarmac…

A few more “anglers” wearing sundresses and halter-tops…

A few more high-pitched laughs in the mornings on the dock and beach…

Jim and Joe and Harry have brought along Sarah, Joanie and Kathleen, and it’s happening more and more.

And don’t be fooled by the dangly -earrings, manicured nails or floral sandals. These ladies come to fish! No longer content to just “ride along” or “just coming to watch,” these gals have no qualms about going hand-to-hand with the world-class fish in Mexican waters or shoulder-to-shoulder with their husbands, brothers, dads, and buddies!

“I don’t need any help when I’m on a fish! If I’m hooked, up, everyone else better get outta my way!” is how one lady angler put it.

“I can hang with the guys and I especially like being able to spend time doing something that used to be an all-guys sport,” is what another told me. “I started fishing with my boyfriend who took the time to show me how to fish and now he’s my husband!” she beamed with a smile.

It’s a great way for families or couples to have quality time together.

The captain of one charter boat in Cabo San Lucas once told me, “I like having the ladies aboard. They tend to listen better and you can coach them. They are not afraid to ask questions. They have more patience sometimes than the guys and beat the fish with technique rather than brute strength which is what some guys often do. I’m never surprised when one of the women or girls outfishes the guys although it often surprises the guys!”

Some can handle it. Some can’t!

“Some guys get their shorts all bunched up if a woman does better than them,” said another captain. “But, if you put all the macho-stuff aside, everyone has fun although some of the women are as fiercely competitive as the men and get as fired-up as the men when it comes to who-fishes-better-than who! Some of the women can really talk smack!” he laughingly added.

“I love to outfish my boyfriend,” grinned one young lady who talked about her fishing trip as she watched the crew fillet their catch of dorado. “It seems whenever we come to Mexico, I catch the biggest fish or the most fish,” she said proudly.

“I let her win!” retorted the boyfriend with a wink and a laugh who got a playful elbow in the ribs as he raised a bottle of beer in a toast.

In some ways, it’s a two-edged sword. For many guys who used to do the all-boys trip, the days are long gone or numbered. On the other hand, getting a wife, girlfriend or daughter interested in fishing with you is a pretty nice trade-off.

That’s our story…

Jonathan

______________________________________________________________

Jonathan Roldan’s Tailhunter International

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

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

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

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

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report: http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“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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“SOMEDAY IS ALREADY HERE!”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged baja, baja fishing, Baja Mexico, billfish, Cabo San Lucas, Cerralvo Island, charter, dorado, Espiritu Santo Island, expatriates in mexico, fishing charters, Fishing Techniques, fishing tricks, gringos in mexico, holidays in Mexico, inspiration, jonathan, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, Light Tackle Fishing, living in Mexico, marlin, mexican, mexican business, mexican culture, mexican life, mexican retirement, mexican vacations, mexico, mexico life, panga, Panga Fishing, roldan, sea of cortez, sea of cortez fishing, tailhunter, Tailhunter International, tuna, tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, vacations, western outdoor news on November 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Five hours...214 pounds on 60 pound test line...one leg...alot of heart!

Big check aside, there was a larger story behind the win at the Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot Tournament in Cabo San Lucas

SOMEDAY IS ALREADY HERE

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Nov. 17, 2011

If you’re in the travel / fishing business like we are, you get alot of ” We’ll get out your way someday!” or “One of these days, we have to try doing something like that!”

You smile. You nod. That’s great. Sure thing.

This past week, my wife, Jill and I spent a great time working with the wacky crazy fun crew of Western Outdoor News at the 13th Annual Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot. Imagine throwing a five -day party for about 600 of your best friends.

It’s alot of work, but far outweighed by the smiles and fun. With over 100 teams from around world participating, how can you go wrong with a tournament that has the motto, “FISH HARD! PARTY HARDER!”

Ringmaster and WON Editor Pat McDonell pulls out all the stops as tournament director to make sure everyone has a good time. The best thing is that you see so many of the same faces every year. Many participants tell us this is sometimes the ONLY fishing they do all year and look forward to ONLY fishing in this event…because it’s such a kick.

This year, Jill worked the papers and stats helping to keep the tournament central booth manned and everyone straight. I thought I had the “easy” job of working the weigh scale with Pat.

Not so. There were alot of fish to weigh! It was pretty crazy. Drama right to the end. As it turned out, it was historic! More fish were weighed than ever. There were so many fish over 100 pounds, let alone the bigger slugs. (23 fish over 100 pounds and 3 over 200 pounds). I was pretty much covered with fish goo by the end of the day.

And there was the winner…214 pounds of tuna muscle. And it was worth almost 37 grand in prize money. Yay!

It’s quite a story.

Oroville Henseler fought this thug fish for almost FIVE hours. He was a FIRST TIME angler. When we saw his rod and reel, it almost looked like a rental rod. No fancy upgrades. No two-speed gears. No aircraft precision. It was a simple out-of-the-box Penn 6/0 reel. His rod…I dunno…a no-name-brand from what I can tell. Better suited for 20-pound dorado than 200- pound gorilla tuna. Granted, he had 150-pound Seagaur leader, but his mainline… only 60 -pound mono!

He refused to pass off the rod for all five hours. He wouldn’t hear of it. Imagine dangling a 200-pound refrigerator over the side of a building on a string and hanging onto it…for five grueling hours in the Baja sun on a rolling boat. That’s manning-up on a fish!

But that’s not the story…the real story. The winning story.

See, Oroville Henseler came all the way out from Springtown, Pennsylvania. Yes, THAT hotbed of ocean-fishing. Oroville had never fished in a big-time tournament. Heck, he hadn’t even been ocean fishing before.

Six months ago, he never imagined himself standing on the winner stage with a big fat check in one hand and his wife, Cindy, holding his other hand and holding back tears of her own.

You see, about 6 months ago, Oroville Henseler from Springtown was more concerned with staying alive and maybe walking again. He had lost his leg in an industrial accident when his shoelace got entangled in a machine. Surgery was unable to save his leg.

Fitted with a prosthetic leg, he had one of those life-changing experiences you hear about.

As the story is told, just two weeks before the tournament, he decided to go. A big -time tournament was on his new “bucket list” and he said no more “what if…” moments in his life. He plopped down the credit card and stepped up.

As he stood up there in the lights accepting the roaring congratulations and applause from more than 600 people, politicians and dignitaries at the awards banquet at the Cabo marina, he was choked up. I could see his eyes tearing up. His metal bionic leg sticking out from a pair of jeans shorts. A Kodak moment of moments.

Winning. It’s not about the money. It’s about saying “No more somedays.” There might not be time for “someday.” Someday is already here.

That’s our story!

Jonathan

______________________________________________________

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

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

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“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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“A Bit of History and Mexican Spirits!”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged baja, baja fishing, Baja Mexico, Cerralvo Island, charter, dorado, Espiritu Santo Island, expatriates in mexico, Fishing, fishing charters, Fishing Techniques, fishing tricks, gringos in mexico, international, jonathan, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, Light Tackle Fishing, mexican business, mexican culture, mexican life, mexican vacations, panga, Panga Fishing, roldan, sea of cortez fishing, Tailhunter International, vacations on October 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The hidden back stairway in the Tailhunter building. A stairway for wandering spirits?

After taking over this 100-year-old building in 2006, we found it had a colorful history as an office, apartment, many restaurants, a museum, and home to many former La Paz residents...some of whom may still "reside" there!

A BIT OF HISTORY & MEXICAN SPIRITS!

Originally Published in Western Outdoors the Week of Nov. 4, 2011

History isn’t necessarily about events and dates. It’s about the people who made those things happen. People who mostly aren’t with us any longer. Or are they?

As I’m writing this it’s a few days before Dia de Los Muertos…the Day of the Dead. A big celebration here in Mexico. Not in the morbid sense, but rather a time to remember and celebrate the lives of loved ones who have gone before us. It’s getting more commercialized, but for the most part, it’s version of Halloween.

So, let me tell you a story of historical building. In fact, it’s the very building where my wife and I run our Tailhunter Restaurant & Bar on the La Paz waterfront.

We have refurbished an old 3 story building next to the beach. It’s over 100-years-old.

Over the years, we have found that it has been a home many times, an offices, a museum, a warehouse, restaurants; and an apartment to name a few. There’s a dark interior stairwell that goes from the 1st floor offices to the restaurant kitchen on the 2nd floor. Covered in old ceramic tiles and graced with a metal rail that has seen too many coats of paint, it allows staff to move between the floors without having to walk through the actual restaurant and bar.

Jill and I were working at our desks one afternoon.

Jill saw or sensed the lady in black first.

“Did you see that?” she said a bit startled? “Who was that lady that just went up the stairway? That wasn’t one of the staff.”

“Who honey? I didn’t see anyone, I replied. I had been looking at my computer screen.

“There was a lady in black that just went by our office door.”

She went on to say that youngish woman dressed in black, wearing a big ruffled dress like you would see on an old Mexican hacienda just walked by the office door and up the stairs!

We both got up and looked out the door up the dark stairwell to the kitchen. Nothing. I shrugged.

Jill insisted. “She made no sound! It was like a whisp.”

We checked upstairs and no one in the busy kitchen just above us had seen anyone come up through the stairwell.

Jill and I just looked at each other. Hmmmm…another shrug between us.

Over the next 3 years, the “lady in black” has walked up the stairs several times According to Jill, she’s not scary. In fact, Jill says she seems to be lost or like a mom looking for someone or something. I saw her once and agree.

We kept it between us until one day we happened to mention it to several of our staff members who were talking about noises they sometimes hear in the old building. All eyes went wide.

They had seen her too! But no one had said anything. “You’ve seen her too?”

She is always in a full hacienda black dress. Imagine Zorro’s wife. There is never a sound. She is never scary, but seems anxious or looking for something.

And although she was usually seen near our interior stairway, she was also seen near our restrooms and on the terrace briefly looking out towards the bay. Looking for what?

The answer came from our landlord only recently. He had heard a story about a wealthy woman who had lost one of the children to illness and the child had died in the nursery…on the 2nd floor at the spot where our restrooms were now located!

Hmmm… our staff has reported that after we’re closed at night during clean-up, they sometimes hear children laughing in that area or a woman crying! Toilet paper is sometimes strewn about and raised toilet seats will sometimes fall back down loudly…all at the same time! Water in the sinks sometimes turns on and off by itself.

The family of our lady in black?

Several years ago at the restaurant, I met another woman who said that she had lived in the building back in the 40’s. She said her father had been the director of customs for the City of La Paz and described wonderful childhood in the house when the highway in front had been packed dirt and burro-drawn carts still shared the “road” with the few cars in town.

She mentioned how easy it was to walk out front and dig all the clams she wanted and how commercial fishermen would sell fish right on that same beach including tuna and dorado they had caught literally yards in front of our restaurant that had once been her home. A bygone time!

I gladly accompanied her as she asked to look around. She said our offices had been her parents’ bedroom and told stories about how our downstairs cantina and store had been the living room and garage. She said she had great memories of living there.

Upstairs, she said the 2nd and 3rd floor had been patios and more bedrooms and how she and her sisters would play overlooking the ocean.

When we entered the kitchen, she looked quietly around.

“This was my grandfather’s bedroom,” she said. ” He was a wonderful playful good man to be around.”

She went on.

“He passed away in this room.” Pause.

“Do you ever notice anything strange around your bar?’ She said with a raised eyebrow and smile.

I raised an eyebrow of my own. Little prickly hairs perked up on my arms.

“Why do you ask?” I replied with a guarded smile.

“He always says he wanted a bar and if he had one, he would LIVE there, ” she replied.

Well, as a matter of fact, I told her, things move around in the kitchen from one day to the next. Glasses move. Sugar seems to find new places to hide. Packets of spices move from one side of the room to another with no explanation. Bottles of tequila will be found taken out…even after they have been put away for the evening.

“Mi abuelo (grandfather)!” she seemed to say happily. ” He loved playing pranks and he loved tequila!” I think you have my grandfather’s ghost enjoying your bar!

And indeed, I think we do! As I found out later from staff members, sometimes they also hear old rancho music and what sounds like someone in scuffed shoes dancing!

Our “grandfather ghost?” Maybe. I hope he’s enjoying himself. I I like to think he’s keeping an eye on us. I’m not sure what to think of our lady in black! Maybe the two know each other. Maybe they dance when the band plays!

But, if they are indeed spirits from the past, they don’t seem to bother us. “Haunted” doesn’t mean scary. I think we’re kind of blessed to have a bit of “living history” still with us.

To be fascinated by history is to know about real flesh-and-blood ordinary folks like you and me who were just going about their daily lives and have passed on before us. Like our resident ghosts!

As someday, I will also. Mavbe my own spirit will be found laughing at the bar or cutting fish in our fish room! If I have to wander for a bit of eternity, it might as well be in a place of laughter and camaraderie. What better place than a bar!

I hope I am having a good time with my wife as our place has been a good space for friends, family, fishermen to meet and enjoy each other! Maybe they will tell stories about me the funny-looking short guy and the laughing redhead who once owned the place. Our daily life today will be someone else’s “history story” of tomorrow.

Cheers to life…and the afterlife! Happy Dia de Los Muertos!

______________________________________

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

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

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“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.”

Read Full Post »

“Don’t Laugh If It Works!”

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, tagged bait, baja, Cerralvo Island, dorado, Espiritu Santo Island, fishing charters, Fishing Techniques, fishing tricks, international, jonathan, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz, Light Tackle Fishing, marilin, mexican vacations, mexico, Panga Fishing, roldan, sailfish, sea of cortez, tailhunter, Tailhunter International, tuna on September 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

When it comes to bait or any fishing techniques, if it results in a bent rod, it's hard to dismiss it! Try it. You never know!

IF IT WORKS DON’T LAUGH!

Originally Published the Week of Sept. 6, 2o11 in Western Outdoor News

I am often amazed at what catches fish down here. Of course, us gringos are always looking for “live bait” like caballitos, mackerel, sardines and the like. Plus we have all the “latest and greatest” technology has to offer in the way of lures, plugs and feathers.

But, over the years, having worked with so many captains in so many areas of Baja, I’ve come across some pretty incredible things that have been used for bait…and they work!

BELLIES & STRIPS – Long ago when I lived in Los Frailes, the owner of the hotel turned me onto taking the oily juicy strips of belly meat from dorado and bonito and pinning them on the hooks of my feathers and jigs, especially my marlin lures. Strips of squid also work. They add scent and flavor to your lures. I also think gamefish tend to hold onto them more when there’s some “taste” to the lure.

Actually, even without the feather or jig, one of the most effective methods of attracting game fish is to simply pin a nice long strip of these species to a hook and leader (make sure you have a swivel) and drag it slowly behind your boat. Bigger fish can’t seem to resist it. Even large dorado will jump on dorado strips!

If you happen to get into a bite of the giant squid, give some thought to taking the whole head and sending it down deep. I’ve gotten some monster tuna on 5-pound chunks of head. Smaller giant squid worked when trolled and long-rangers will tell you that a big squid bounced on the waves from a kite are deadly.

It’s also productive to chop the squid legs (arms?) into chunks and just tossing handfuls into the ocean as chum then taking another big chunk and hook it, letting it all drift down to the game fish. Often, even when the fish won’t take live bait, they WILL eat the chummed bait.

WHOLE FISH – As much as we tend to hate needlefish down here as the scourge of fishermen, a smaller needlefish slow-trolled in the rocky areas will sometimes really get nailed by a big pargo, snapper or cabrilla.

Sent down deep, this can be deadly for a big grouper around the islands…or even using a small bonito! Cut off a fin and score a few knife cuts into the flesh to get it bleeding then send it down with a heavy weight and see what happens! If it’s live, you better hold into your socks!

One of the strangest baits I have ever used was small puffer fish. I often noticed that when we cleaned dorado we would find whole puffer fish in the stomachs of bull dorado. (Maybe I can see eating one, but the thought of passing one of the spikey guys out the backside raises some eyebrows).

Anyway, I asked one of my captains and he said he often saw dorado eat floating puffer fish and that the smaller ones make good bait. So we caught some floaters and put them in the bait tank. When we got into a dorado bite we tossed some into the fray…like surface poppers and sure enough…WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Puffers were hit faster than sardines! It worked! Small barracuda work also or larger ballyhood.

INORGANIC BAITS

OK…here’s some of the crazier stuff I have seen work…

1. Strips of tortilla cut like a “pig-and-jig” fork-tail and thrown into feeding dorado and bonito.

2. Strips of white rubber liner like the kind you put on the bottom of your kitchen sink so that your dishes have a cushion. Slow trolled or cut like the back end of a small bait fish…twitched along the reefs, you’d be surprised what comes out to chase it! It’s a cheap swim bait!

3. A mop head! Old Mexican fishermen will tell you that they used to troll old mop heads without a hook. The abrasive bill of sailfish and marlin are like a rasp. They would hit the trolled mop head and it would wrap around their bills like velcro! Hook up! I’ve seen it used one time and it blew me away!

4. Orange Crush bottle – I once saw commercial fishermen leave some orange soda in a bottle; put crushed tinfoil in it and re-cap it. They tied it behind a panga and trolled it in the wake like a teaser! I saw it raise several sailfish like this!

If it works, don’t laugh!

__________________________

_________________________

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

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“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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CAN’T GO WRONG BAJA PRIMER

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, tagged baja, gringos in mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz, living in Mexico, mexican culture, mexican life, mexico, mexico life, sea of cortez, Tailhunter International on August 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Look past stereotypes. A smile is a smile in any language!

CAN’T GO WRONG BAJA PRIMER

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Aug. 10, 2011

Been down here long enough and had several thousand folks pass through our care either directly or indirectly here in Baja. Over the years, I’ve compiled a list of things that you can do that will always work no matter what. What got me started many years ago was listening to two gringos talking on the beach.

“I’m really disappointed in Mexico. The golf course here is not even close to being as good as Pebble Beach!” (how many are THAT good?)

“We were fishing and the boat didn’t even have an electronic fish finder on it. We caught fish, but it’s like fishing in the stone ages down here.”

Y’know, sometimes expectations are just a little too high. Folks forget. This is still the Baja. Until a few years ago, things we take for granted like electricity, running water, phones and ice were non-existent in many places, let alone complaining because you can’t find a McDonald’s for the kids.

Anyway, here’s my two-cents primer on things that are 100 percent guaranteed if you plan to visit us:

Never forget you’re a guest here. Act accordingly as if you were visiting a friend or neighbor and you will never go wrong.
Stereotypes work both ways. You are consciously or sub-consciously judging your hosts as Mexicans. It’s inevitable. You are also being judged as a guest American. Americans are also stereotyped. Remember, you’re being watched and judged. Be an ambassador of goodwill.
No one will every laugh at you for trying to speak the language. It’s appreciated. By the same token, don’t get impatient if a local doesn’t speak or understand English as fast as you would like.
“Please” and “Thank you” in any language is always understood.
An unspoken smile or a laugh is a powerful communicator
A dollar left on a dresser of your hotel room or pressed into a palm for a small favor goes further than any dollar you ever spent
You will never go wrong eating at a place that has a crowd or a line around it. It’s worth the wait.
Make a friend forever by complimenting someone’s child or asking about their family. Ask to see a photo.
Shopping is always better the further you get away from the tourist areas.
Never be afraid to negotiate. It’s expected. It’s fun. It never hurts to ask if there is a lower price for anything…from taxi cabs to day tours and from margarita glassware to blankets. If they say “no” smile. If they say “yes” smile even bigger!
Ask a taxi driver to “show you HIS favorite places.” Or take you to HIS favorite restaurant or where the locals go or eat. Often you will discover things you would never find in the travel brochures.
Even if you get a bargain, tip nicely. You’ll be remembered.
Take a photo of someone and, if there’s any way, give them a copy. They will treasure it and you always. We take photos for granted. We have thousands of photos of ourselves. Many folks down here have their photo i.d. and sometimes not even that.
Tell your captain you just want to catch fish. He really wants to. Let him do his job. Try tipping AHEAD OF time or showing him his tip ahead of time. See what magic that works!
Our throw-aways are someone’s treasure. A used t-shirt. Old fishing line. Some hooks. A worn baseball hat. A out-of-fashion pair of shoes or slippers. Hand them off with a smile. Get a smile in return.
Don’t be afraid or too lazy to walk through a park, beach or shopping area where families are gathered.
Visit a local bookstore or listen to some local music.
No matter how much of a hurry you think you are in, stop and sit. Watch and listen. Absorb. Revel in the slower pace, even for just a moment. You’ll be amazed. Don’t forget that you might not be passing this way again, even if you’re rushing to catch the glass-bottom boat tour or the mariachi dinner show. Those will always be there. That magnificent sunset over the Sea of Cortez might not.

That’s my story!

Jonathan

________________________________________

___________________________________________

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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EVERYONE’S CATCHING FISH EXCEPT ME!

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications on July 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

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

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“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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One Man’s Cat Food…Is Not a Bad Dinner!

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sun stroke, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications on April 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »

: Often it ends up in the garden under the rose bushes or turned into cat food, but the bonito can actually be good eating if you know what to look for! (note the belly has no markings to distinguish it from the lesser tasting skipjack).

“One Man’s Cat Food…Is Not A Bad Dinner”

Originally published in Western Outdoor News the Week of May 4, 2011

You say Po-TAY-toe. I say poe-TAH-toe. Semantics can screw with you.

One man’s bonito is another man’s skipjack and is another man’s catfood and another man’s gourmet dinner!

It was a number of years ago that I was sitting with a group of fishermen in a little palm-frond palapa bar/restaurant just north…or south of Loreto. Details are fuzzy. I remember the beer was chilly. The sandy floor between my toes felt good and we were all a little wind and sunburned from a good day on the water. A little fishing. A little diving. Some stupid pull-my-finger horseplay between fellow goofballs.

We sat in those scuffed -white -plastic chairs with the beer logo that every Mexican beer company gives to every restaurant with the equally scuffed-up white plastic table. No matter. We were hungry and ordered up some fish tacos and a plate of “filete al mojo de ajo” (grilled fish with garlic.)

It arrived on mis-matched plastic plates and served with bent forks but the tortillas were warm; the salsa spicy and the beer so cold that “smoke” came out the mouth when popped open. And the fish could not have tasted better! RIQUISIMO!

We wolfed down taco after taco and plate after plate. Shoveled it in like chipmunks stuffing our cheeks! Lime juice squirted all over.

Then someone asked the waiter… “Que clase de pescado es? Tan sabrosa!” (What kind of fish is this? It’s delicious!”

The waiter said with a smile…”BONITO!”

AAACK!!!!

Six guys nearly hurled and choked in unison! Everyone stopped eating to look up and at each other. Salsa dripping from fingers and corners of mouths. More than one eye-brow arched.

Bonito? You gotta be kidding me! We’re eating junk fish? Isn’t that the stuff we throw away? Give to the cats? Put in the garden for fertilizer? Man…if it is…that’s danged good!

Just another chapter in my enlightenment of Mexican fish! Another fish “epiphany” as it were.

Just as I had come to enjoy eating such fish like triggerfish and sierra mackerel over the years after thinking they were also “junk fish,” I got schooled about bonito.

Highly-prized as a sport fish, but much maligned as table fare, it’s easy to get confused. Many of us who grew up or did any fishing on the Pacific Coast came to stereotype bonito as a throw-away species. Catch a ton, but throw them back or give them away!

But, in Mexico the lines get blurred. Everyone runs into species confusion. Everyone calls the tuna-look-alike-fish that has trips on it a “bonito.” But, in reality, they’re usually talking about two kinds of fish…black skipjack and real bonito!

They look very identical. Both are hard-charging members of the tuna family and if you didn’t know better, you’d think they were tuna. They grow to about 8-12 pounds but fight like 20 pounders.

Easily caught on live bait, lures, trolled feathers…they’re not real fussy. Fun at first but after-awhile, if you’re really trying to catch something else like dorado or real tuna, they’re pests!

But that’s the rub.

Most captains will say “bonito” and immediately the stigma is attached. They make no distinction between bonito and skipjack. So, the gringo anglers just toss the fish back and get increasingly frustrated.

However, a good captain knows the distinction.

Skipjack have dots or stripes on their silver/white bellies. Meat is dark red and frankly terrible eating.

On the other hand, bonito have no marks on their bellies. They have white/silver bellies. Meat is not only light color, but if bled quickly and all dark meat and blood lines are removed, will fool many into thinking they are eating tuna!

So next time, take a closer look before tossing your “bonito” back ! Or convince your buddy that you really do want those bonito he planned to throw away! Remember, yesterdays “junk fish” is often today’s dinner.

Just remember the prices at your local seafood restaurant for such “junk fish” as …catfish…whitefish…shark…mackerel (yes mackerel!)…tilapia (in Hawaii, they used to bring in tilapia to eat the sewage and mosquitos in the irrigation canals for the sugar cane fields!) Now they call them “African Perch” at 2o bucks a plate. Believe it or not…even albacore was considered a “throwaway” fish at the turn of the century!

As for us eating that day on the beach…we were just hungry! Dos mas platos por favor! (two more plates please!) And more tortillas!

_______________________________________

Jonathan

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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.
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http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

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“ADDICTION” Originally published the Week of March 9, 2011 in Western Outdoor News

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications on March 7, 2011| 1 Comment »

Tim Farrell holds of the "right kind"...a big pargo taken close to shore!

Richard Sawaske holds up a trophy-sized pargo liso (mullet snapper)

This is what big dog-tooth (cubera snapper/ pargo perro) look like!

ADDICTION!

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of March 9, 2011

I’m not a gambler at heart. Not that I haven’t gone through life taking risks, but I just hate losing. I understand the compulsion to win.

I guess like a gambler it’s…one more horse. One more hand of cards. One more spin. One more quarter in the machine. The “next one” is “guaranteed!” I got it figured out. I got a “system.”

Sound familiar?

How often have I heard those phrases like that over my almost two-decades here in Baja when it comes to fishing for pargo…the red ugly beasts of the Baja!

Rookies have no idea. They ask how long it will take to catch a “limit” of pargo.

Veterans return each season with a new “angle” or “rig” or other “sure-fire” plan or “foolproof” method. Or they have the newest piece of angling technology that will surely show these wiley fish their proper place in the food chain and the fish box. Surely, they MUST SUBMIT!

More often than not, it is us who are put/kept in our places. Sitting or standing in disbelief amid broken lines; straightened hooks; frayed leaders and shattered dreams of finally getting our photo in WON!

You say you don’t even know what a pargo is? Never seen a photo of a pargo? That’s because compared to all the tuna, marlin, dorad, wahoo, roosterfish and other “glamour” species, there aren’t that many photos out there! It’s pretty hard to take a photo of a fish that doesn’t allow itself to be caught very often.

However, in Mexico, the “pargo” term is generally applied to three main types of fish.

First, there is the Pargo Liso, a.k.a “mullet snapper”.

Second, there is the “Pargo Mulato, a.k.a “barred pargo.”

Finally the Pargo Rojo, a.k.a “dog-tooth snapper” or “cubera snapper” or “pargo colorado.”

All look a bit different, but share some common characteristics. They all have big nasty teeth, sharp gillplates and scales. They tend to range in color from copper to red to rust with highlights of orange and sometimes green. They range from smaller 5 pounders to 70 pounders or more.

They inhabit reefs, rocks, caves and generally any structure like sunken pilings, ships or anything else offering great cover for them to ambush their prey and optimum opportunity to shred your line and lose your tackle. And, they are all tremendously powerful with bullish freight-train attitudes when hooked.

They can be aggressive or cagey and cautious. Blessed with great eyesight, they’ll shun a bait or lure that isn’t presented “just right.”

Sometimes they are found as solitary fish. But during the spring, the “fever sets in” and schools of them come into the shallow rocky areas around reefs, high spots and islands, especially in the southern Baja regions.

Seen from the surface as moving undulating dark spots of red, I’ve often described it to others as imagining “a giant Japanese koi pond on steroids.” Throwing chum or a hooked bait into the middle of it sometimes, it’s like watching giant piranha go “on the feed” as huge backs and wide tails with flashes of red and copper explode at the surface.

As a writer, perhaps it’s one of my favorite species to write about. As a fisherman, it’s one of my most frustrating fish to stalk. As a guide and outfitter here in La Paz, it’s clearly, the most amusing.

I have often told a skeptical client, “If you hook 10 and bring 1 to the boat, consider yourself lucky.”

But, I have seen grown men throw their rods in the water or snap them against the gunwale of a panga in frustration. I have heard the curses to the fish gods and seen the “rending of cloth” so to speak.

And each season at this time of year, I hear the “plans” as if no-one had ever thought of it before. Everyone has their new “system” or “plan of attack.” that will surely correct missed opportunities of the past.

“This time, I’m using a shorter rod, but a bigger reel.”

“80 pound test is the ticket this time”

“Lighter line, but I’m using new super-duper drags and a circle hook”

“Wire leader is the ticket”

“Slow trolled small needlefish on flurocarbon leader can’t miss.”

“Wait until all the rest of the boats leave, then be the only boat out there and only use half-a-sardine so they won’t bite the tail off this year”

“A double trap hook set up is guaranteed!”

And off they march and launch to their appointed dates with destiny.

On the water losing fish-after-fish. And, like gamblers…”Just one more try! This next one will be the one!” They cast again. They bait again. Often, only to return beaten and defeated.

By a big fish with a brain the size of a pea.

“Just wait ’til next year. I’ve got some new ideas for next year!” they say.

Optimism is eternal. Everyone has a “system.”

_______________________________________

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Jonathan has written for:

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Fish Taco Chronicles
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That's My Story

Tailhunter International, La Paz, Baja Sur

Archive for the ‘Baja Rockfish’ Category

“WINTER OBSERVATIONS FROM BAJA”

WINTER OBSERVATIONS FROM BAJA

Originally published the week of December 29, 2011

“STAY HOME NO MORE!”

STAY HOME NO MORE!

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

“SOMEDAY IS ALREADY HERE!”

SOMEDAY IS ALREADY HERE

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Nov. 17, 2011

“A Bit of History and Mexican Spirits!”

A BIT OF HISTORY & MEXICAN SPIRITS!

Originally Published in Western Outdoors the Week of Nov. 4, 2011

“Don’t Laugh If It Works!”

IF IT WORKS DON’T LAUGH!

Originally Published the Week of Sept. 6, 2o11 in Western Outdoor News

CAN’T GO WRONG BAJA PRIMER

CAN’T GO WRONG BAJA PRIMER

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Aug. 10, 2011

EVERYONE’S CATCHING FISH EXCEPT ME!

EVERYONE’S CATCHING FISH EXCEPT ME!

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

One Man’s Cat Food…Is Not a Bad Dinner!

“One Man’s Cat Food…Is Not A Bad Dinner”

“ADDICTION” Originally published the Week of March 9, 2011 in Western Outdoor News

ADDICTION!

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of March 9, 2011

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