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“THEY ARE LISTENING!”

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, 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, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications on May 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“THEY ARE LISTENING”

Originally Published the Week of May 18, 2011 in Western Outdoor News

I am a terrible eavesdropper.  I can’t help it.  Especially here in Mexico when I am usually immersed in Spanish around me, my radar cannot help but pick up on English when it drifts through my zone.

A word here…a word there…it’s not easy to tune it out.  But it’s interesting what you pick up.  Restaurants are good place.  Airplanes are another good spot. Usually confined spaces where it’s hard to miss certain conversations.  Even tho’ I try NOT to listen, Americans tend to speak loud and sometimes I think they want everyone to hear.

We can sound pretty ridiculous sometimes.  Embarrassing at other times.  Do we listen to ourselves and how we sound to others?

At a nice  restaurant several nights ago, three slightly enebriated guys wearing the de-rigueur Tommy Bahama shirts and designer sunglasses perched on their heads were escalating their conversation.

It was bad enough that they were all talking “money deals” and how they were going to do this and that and how one guy was the “CEO of this” and “everyone does what I tell ’em to do.” 

But, it wasn’t difficult to pick out that every other word was an “F” bomb.  “F-ing” this and “F-ing that.”  The universal adjective at it’s finest.  My “F-ing yacht”.  My “F-ing condo on the beach.”  What an “F-ing great fishing day!”

Whoa.  Most of the patrons, many of whom were locals,  in the restaurant were there for a nice quiet dinner at the marina and  knew what they were saying and it got uncomfortable. It was embarrassing for my wife and myself.  Many people migrated away.  The three gringos kept right on smoking the big cigars and downing the brews.

We moved to another table.

A gringo couple was close by.  Again, hard not to hear the conversation.  The woman was speaking quite loudly as she asked the water, ” We love the service here at this restaurant. So why do YOU people make such good waiters and house cleaners?” 

My wife and I stopped with our forks in mid-air. Choke.  Gaaack!

 She was serious and said it with a smile on her face, as she sipped her white wine with her manicured fingernails and gold wrist bling.  She was just trying to make conversation with the waiter who happens to be a good friend of ours.

We cringed.

The husband said non-sequitur and oblivious to his wife’s previous statement, “If YOU people would just get more education, you can really move up in the world like us.”

Double cringe.  The waiter just professionally gave a laugh and walked away as if he had to attend another table.  I mean…how do you answer that?

As he walked away he looked at us and rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow. 

On the other side of the restaurant, we could still her the “F bombs” by the three men.  It continued to be an uncomfortable dinner.

Then a group of two families with kids and nannys in tow entered.  Kids as loud as parents.  Running around the tables.  Saying what they wanted.  Called their parents by their first names.  Nannys doing their best. Restaurant staff trying to keep everyone happy.

Again…couldn’t help but eavesdrop…they were loud enough…

“We just LOVE La Paz because it’s just NOT like Cabo or Mazatlan where there’s so much noise and traffic and so “gringo-fied.'”

“Got 18 holes to play tomorrow.”

“Glad we finally got Wi-fi. But the signal is so bad here in Mexico. You would think…”   

“I can’t believe this place doesn’t have diet de-caf Pepsi, but I did find the best little coffee place that has double latte mocha!”

“When is your hair appointment? I have a pedicure at 9 a.m. then aromatherapy at 10.”

“This restaurant has the BEST chile rellenos stuffed with shrimp cooked by REAL Mexican cooks.  Look you can even see them back there in the kitchen!”

“Next time, let’s rent a Hummer so we can don’t feel all those bumps in the roads here.  Why don’t THESE people fix the roads?  You would think they would get tired of bumpy roads and broken cement.”

“Still can’t get an electricion to fix that light in the jacuzzi.  I hate this “manana” atittude here.  Must be someone like the Better Business Bureau we can complain to.”

Sometimes I wish there was someone we could complain to. I admit that even I probably sound like this as well at times. I try not to.   We keep reminding ourselves that we’re guests here in Mexico.  Whether we live here or are just visiting.  People are listening. We represent down here and our ears sometimes don’t hear what our mouths are saying.

_______________________________________

            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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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 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

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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Originally Published the Week of April 20, 2011 in Western Outdoor News

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, 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, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications on April 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Just a "sample" of some of the electronic clutter I realized I was carrying with me. This doesnt include the cables, chargers, waterproof bags and cases!

SEDUCED BY TECHNOLOGY!

Originally Published the Week of April 20, 2011 in Western Outdoor News

 

As many of us do, before a day of fishing we “tackle twitch.” 

My routine usually means emptying my tackle box and re-packing things.  Hooks here.  Lures there.  Feathers in the case.  Leader material in that section.  Line up all the blue lures there and the silver lures in that compartment.  Then, stand back.  Look.  Change them all around again.  My wife says it’s the man’s equivalent to a woman arranging her shoes in her closet.

Lately, however, I have a special section in my tackle bag.  For gadgets and gizmos.  Mexican cell phone.  Regular cell phone.  U.S. blackberry.  Digital camera. Mini-marine radio.  GPS.   Underwater mini-video cam. Ipod with earphones and mini-speaker system. (waterproof naturally).

 

Of course with all the proper cases and cords. Extra batteries. extra memory cards.  Plus the proper cases to keep them dry.  I even have a mini-solar panel to charge them all up if, heaven forbid, I get washed up on some Baja beach and there’s no hotel in walking distance!

 

This last week while “tackle twitching” I loaded up and hefted it on my shoulder. Holy caballito…that’s danged heavy!  Do I really need this stuff?

 

I set it down off my aching shoulder then remembered…”Hey, what about my new iPad? Can’t forget that either!

 

Hmmmm…that would be “chingon” to be out there on the panga and be able to check the weather; scan satellite water images from Terrafin and even…hehehehe…watch youtube; check who’s writing to me on Facebook; look at sports; read the new novel I just downloaded.  Maybe even work on my next column!  My brain nuerons tingled and toyed with the idea.  Wow.  Love it.

 

 But wait a minute…that means another set of plugs…waterproof bomb-proof case…blah blah blah…

 

I sighed.  Where was I going to put this?  Carry an extra backpack?  Oh duh…uh…this is a fishing trip.  When will I have time to use all this stuff?  When I’m working on the water, my hands are full.  Who am I kidding? So, I started unpacking. Don’t need the solar panel (what the heck was I thinking?)  Don’t need three cell phones.  That’s what voice-mail is for.  Leave the iPod and all it’s attachments.  I’d rather have some good conversation and there’s no sweeter music than a fishing reel that suddenly goes off humming to a big fish.

 

Ditch the iPad idea.  I can check the weather by simply looking up and seeing the sun. OK, got it.  It’s gonna be a sunny day!  I don’t need more information than that. I don’t need ten satellites and an HD screen to tell me that.   Simple. If it’s windy, put my windbreaker back on.  If it’s rainy…well…it doesn’t rain in Baja anyway.

 

GPS…I guess we can leave that too.  It’s not like we’re going 100 miles offshore.  The fish are in 30 feet of water about 1/2 a mile down the beach from where we park the car.  I don’t need way points to get back to the car! I can still see the car from the panga!

 

 After doing that…wow…it was ALMOST like fishing again!

 

I have to remember to leave more of the junk at home.  In it’s time and place, this is all useful and great to have.  But no matter how small the gadget it still comes with wires, cables, cases, chargers…all the accessories.  SO MUCH not needed to have a great day on the water!

 

 Look up.  Enjoy the sunshine.  Hear the rush of the water as the boat moves.  The hum of the motor.  The smell of the salt.  The taste of the cold beer and a bag of tortillas chips passed around. See some smiles.  Hear some jokes.  Tell some stories.  Feel the fiberglass and wood vibrating under your feet.  Listen for the clicker to go off!

 

 Back to basics.  It’s pretty simple. Low technology. 

 _______________________________________

 

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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“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.”

 _______________________________________

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!

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