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“A Gathering of Tribes”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Cabo San Lucas, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, tagged baja, Cabo San Lucas, Jonathan Roldan, mexican, mexico, salt water fishing, sea of cortez, Tailhunter International, tournament, tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, western outdoor news, yellowfin tuna on November 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Nothing like being front-and-center in the middle of a huge Cabo San Lucas Tournament and the Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot is one of the funnest tournaments to be part of.

AND THE FINAL WINNING WEIGHT IS…..!!!!!!

A GATHERING OF TRIBES

Originally Published the Week of Nov. 7, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

This has got to be one of my favorite times of the year. By the time you’re reading this, we’ll be in the middle of the 2012 Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot Tournament in Cabo San Lucas. This is maybe the 10^th year that we’ve worked at the tournament.

The Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot Tournament has a special place for me. With more than 120 teams possibly this year, if it’s not the largest of the big Cabo San Lucas fishing tournaments, then it’s the “funnest” of the tournaments.

It’s hard to dislike a tournament with the motto of “ Fish Hard. Party Harder.”

It’s the “everyman’s tournament”. Everyone plays. You don’t have to mortage the house or be a millionaire. Everyone passes “GO!” Everyone participates.

You’re more likely to run into your neighbor down the street or Joe the Mechanic and his wife from Riverville, Oregon. Probably Rob and Chuck two carpenters from Moscow, Idaho or the retired couple from Riverside CA and their sons.

Basically, if it floats it fishes. Three men in a tub? Yea, they’re probably team number 63 from New Mexico. I’ve seen pangas do as well as mega-sportfishers. Folks with little or no experience and not much more than department-store-fishing gear have as much fun as professional teams.

Heck, last year, the tournament was won by a great guy from the mid-west who had NEVER fished in the ocean. In fact, he beat the field using a single-speed off-the-shelf-reel and a rental rod! You gotta love that.

It’s not that hard to win money in the various categories and, even if they don’t get a big check, they still go home with all kinds of gear, swag and giveways not to mention big smiles!

The really neat thing is that we see the same folks year-after-year. It’s much like a gathering of tribes! And everyone knows each other. There’s only about 10 of our Western Outdoor New staff members and then there’s the great group of regular sponsors that just jump right in and party and hang with everyone.

There are very few strangers and no one stays an outsider for long!

Everyone knows the “Redneck Hillbilly” fishing team and the “Borracho Lizards” and “Shut-Up-And-Fish” team.

I can always tell the cowboy team from Wyoming when they start yelling. The “San Diego Blasters” have their own set of cheers and there’s another team that will take any opportunity to start singing “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynrd Skynard at the top of their lungs. Even tho’ they’re from Arizona. Go figure.

In some ways, the actual fishing tournament seems to just be a vehicle by which we throw this huge 5-day party for 1000 people. It’s an excuse for a kick up their heels…or flip-flops! It’s like letting the “Gypsies in the Palace!” Yea, lock the liquor cabinet and don’t expect the lawn to get mowed.

I sometimes think the tuna fishing is “something to do in the daytime” and that more people look forward to the huge fiestas we throw each night for the tournament with live music; great food; gear giveaways; contests; and copious consumption of massive amounts of adult beverages…all under the fall skies of great Cabo San Lucas evenings.

But, yes, there’s still the matter of fishing!

Yea, we just happen to catch a “few” fish. Hehehehe…

This is the time of year when many of the “Big Mo’” cow tuna take up residence around Cabo San Lucas. We’re talking the 100-300 pound beasts that prowl the sea where the land ends and can bust up tackle and anglers in quick succession.

At last year’s tournament, I could not remember a year when we weighed so many fish over 100 pounds. And with each “oooh” and “ahhhh” and click of camera shutters, the excitement builds as each fish is hoisted and charted and each team poses with the Corona Girls. When you’re up at the scales, everyone is a winner.

And in the last few years, it often seems that the big fish isn’t locked up until the last hour of the last day. That makes for some good sport fishing drama as some battle-weary team pulls up in the dark and the buzz starts that “They have a big fish!”

And there’s is an electricity as the big fish is put into a cart and hauled to the weigh station. And there’s a hush and the anticipation grows heavy.

And the silence as the fish it pulled up. And…and…and…tension…the rope groans beneath the monster tuna. And the weight is announced.

Then a yell! Cheers erupt! Victorious fists pump the air! High-fives! Back slapping! Cameras flash!

The tribes go wild. It’s pandemonium on the docks. It’s pretty special. Wish you were here!

That’s our story

Jonathan

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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

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Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
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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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“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, yellowtail, tagged charters, fish, Fishing, holidays, Jonathan Roldan, kids, La Paz, mexican, mexico, outfitters, panga, sea of cortez, Tailhunter International, trips, vacations, western outdoor news, western outdoors on September 23, 2012| 2 Comments »

What do you think? It looks to me like Aiden’s self-esteem is just fine!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Sept. 25, 2012

Most of you reading this column are most likely outdoor folks. I mean, you most likely fish, hunt, camp and do other outdoors type stuff. Right?

This could be my easiest column ever.

I hear a lot of stuff over the 17 years I’ve been in Baja. Every now and then, something slams my ears that leaves me with my mouth open, not because I have nothing to say. It’s because I have too much to say and it all wants to come flying out of my piehole in a gush! Ever have one of those moments?

So much wants to be said that my brain goes into momentary lockdown freeze. And short of some profanity coming out, all I can say is, “Are you kidding me?”

I was talking to some parents about fishing and the parents were showing some interest in “trying fishing” but weren’t sure if it would be a good activity for their kids unless…

“. . .I could GUARANTEE fish because otherwise it might be bad for their kid’s ‘self-esteem’ if they didn’t catch fish.”

Open mouth.

Raised eyebrow.

Profane thought passing briefly through my grey brain matter

And all I could say was, “Are you kidding me?”

The scary part was they weren’t kidding. If their kids didn’t catch fish, the aspect of “failure” might somehow irreparably damage junior’s self esteem that he’d require serious couch time with the therapist.

I exaggerate a tad, but there was genuine concern for the young-uns self-worth. Can’t let the kids feel like a failure if he doesn’t catch a fish.

I probably did not do the right thing, but I didn’t feel like sitting down and having a lengthy philosophical discussion on child-rearing with them. Furthermore, I’m too smart to ever GUARANTEE that someone is going to catch a fish.

The wise-guy in me wanted to really tell them to put their kids in insulated bubbles.

Don’t let them walk down the street. They might trip. FAIL

Don’t let them play catch with a ball and drop it. FAIL.

Don’t let them tie their own shoes. Might come untied. FAIL

Oh, the things that flew threw my cockeyed brain. But, I bit my tongue.

So, I gave them some perfunctory response and let it go at that.

I mean, if they even have to ask, then the last thing I need is to find out now junior’s psyche is permanently scarred because he didn’t catch a fish! Oh the guilt. I might not be able to live with myself…or something.

But, at the beginning of this, I mentioned this might be my easiest column. I could end this by saying,
What would YOU say to them? And leave the rest blank…Let you fill in the rest.

How many of you have ever “failed” at fishing? How many of you are fishing BECAUSE a parent or older adult took the time to take you to wet a line. “Failure” per se really wasn’t part of the equation. It IS the equation! We lose fish. We get skunked. The fish win…most of the time!

I imagine if you’re reading this, you’ve probably come out on the short-end more often than not and still had a ball. You kept at it simply BECAUSE that darned fish kept fooling you. Failure motivated you to try it again…and again…and again. And you somehow managed to have fun!

And along the way, you accumulated a lifetime of memories. Life works like that. Funny how that happens. All that psycho-babble stuff about the “journey” being more important than the “destination.”

Personally, I think of my father. We don’t talk much anymore and I miss him. And I think of all those times he took me fishing. I didn’t know it then, but dad was a terrible fisherman. Great dad, but I never realized until I was older that we NEVER caught fish!

But, I was always eager to go and he was always eager to take me. A lot of our failure might have been my fault. I have zero patience and a narrow attention span.

It often wasn’t long before I was throwing rocks in the water (“Jon, you’re scaring the fish!) or eating all the Velveeta cheese (“You ate all the bait?” or “You fed all the anchovies to the seagulls?”) or doing something detrimental to our success (“Why didn’t you go to the bathroom BEFORE we rowed out here?”)

So, by self-esteem standards, I was a failure. And it was dad’s fault. He set me up for failure..and ultimately success. And I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Obviously, given my career path, the fact that we were big fat losers, didn’t deter my enthusiasm for the sport or the outdoors. Self-esteem? I usually couldn’t wait to swagger up to my school chums to tell ‘em, “My dad took me fishing this weekend!” Neener neener. Yea, I swaggered. Didn’t catch a fish, but I swaggered. And I was proud of having a dad who took me fishing too!

My wife, Jilly, tells me of similar circumstances as well. Although she comes from a long line of San Diego fishermen who really DID know now to fish!

The men in her family were insightful enough to take her fishing. Yup, take the little girl out in the woods; out on the pier; and out on the sportboats. And it took awhile for her to catch her first fish. But, she proudly still tells stories about being the little girl out there fishing with the boys and holding her own. Backing down from no one!

And when she finally caught that first fish…well, it went straight into the freezer. For six months. And became her show-and-tell story for anyone who would listen.

Proudly.

I’m grateful our parents weren’t so worried about our self-esteem. They let us fail. Proudly. With swagger! Neener neener.

That’s our story!