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“Si Se Puede…You can do it!”

Posted in bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charters, dorado, east cape, espirito santo, fish, Fishing, fishing blogs, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico Christmas, Mexico life, outfitters, packages, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, pompano, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, Sea of Cortez, sierra, spearfishing, squid fishing, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Tuna jackpot, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Yea…this could be YOU up there! Or not…but it’s all about the fun!

“SI SE PUEDE…YOU CAN DO IT!”

Originally Published the Week of Oct. 30, 2013 in Western Outdoor News

Do you remember the days as a little kid when the Sears Christmas catalog arrived in the mail?

If you were like me, I squirreled it away.  I spent hours staring at it.  Page-after-page.  Dreaming. Longing. I would take it under the covers with my flashlight and make notes on it.  Santa, puh-LEEZE bring this… and this… and this!

Then, I got older.  And fishing magazines took over. I would save my allowance to buy “Field & Stream” and “Sports Afield” and among others.  Later, it was magazines like Western Outdoors.

Here were all the things I wanted.  And here were all the places I would visit and the fishing I was gonna do when I grew up.  Yea…that was me up there on a flying bridge with a jaunty sailor cap and some bikini gals aboard.  Being young,  I wasn’t quite sure what the bikini girls had to do with it.  But all the photos had bikini girls so I figured that it was important to have them if I was gonna do it right.

And I was surely gonna fish a “big game tournament.”  I wanted to be a fishing rock star.  I wanted to be under the lights and, of course, there’s those bikini girls that get to help you with the big check.  Yup…that was me.

And here I am…many decades later.  And yes, I’ve had the opportunity to fish and work many of these tournaments. I have caught some great fish.  I’ve enjoyed grand times with friends.  I have exceeded curfew more times than I will admit.

I never did get to be the fishing rock star.   I never got to stand under the lights and no one ever interviewed me about my big winnings let alone getting to pose with the bikini girls.

But, oh well.  I never got everything in the Sears catalog either!

But, I have always had a blast.   No regrets!

We’ve got our annual Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot coming up again.  And it always lives up to it’s slogan, “Fish Hard.  Party Harder.”

It’s in Cabo San Lucas and both Jill and I get to work the tournament every year and what an event it is with almost 140 teams from all over the world revved up to play.

We’re there for the whole week although the actual tournament is only a few days.  But the event brings out the whole town of Cabo San Lucas for the circus.  And, it draws so many lookie-loo tourists as well just out enjoying the day and walking the marina.

As we work the crowds, it’s hard not to easvesdrop and hear some of the conversations that take place among the bystanders as they watch the festivities…the big boats…the fish coming in to be weighed at the scales or the huge evening parties.   It’s an electric atmosphere when it’s “tournament week!”

“Someday, I gotta do that.”

“I can’t believe they catch big fish like that!”

“That fish is worth how much money?  Wow!”

“Man, that sure looks like fun.  We should try that sometime.”

There’s a lot of ooo-ing and ahhh-ing going through the crowds.

Y’know, it’s not that far outta reach to play with the big boys. It’s about dreams.   Lots of folks want to do it, but there’s a lot of hesitancy as well.

You’re worried that you don’t have much experience. Or the boat  Or the gear. And a dozen other reasons.   Or, logically, there’s the issue of money.  Especially as you watch guys in Tommy Bahama shirts and thousand-dollar sunglasses cruise by in multi-million dollar fishing-machines yachts.

Your logical mind tells you that you have no business even thinking about it!

Well, tell your logical mind to take a hike.

Most of the folks who fish these things are just ordinary Joes and Janes.  There’s tournaments to fit all budgets and tournaments to fit pretty much whatever gamefish you want to target…from billfish to tuna and yellowtail to sharks.  Heck, some of the biggest tournaments I’ve seen put together are for inshore fish like sierra and barracuda!

Sure, there’s pros and semi-pros in the lineup, but from what I’ve seen many of the folks have little or no experience at all.  They’re out there for the fun and honestly, they have as much chance of winning as anyone else.

And none of this has to break your mortgage payment either.  Entry fees for a team or individual can be just a few hundred bucks.  Get a cheap clean hotel and eat tacos and enjoy all the free banquets and you’ve got your ticket punched for a grand time.

And don’t let the size of the boats deter you either.  The big cruisers might be a bit more comfortable (understatement), but I’ve seen plenty of pangas and smaller cruisers do just fine and run circles around the larger mega yachts.

Some of the largest tournaments have been won by a couple of guys who had enough money to charter a panga for a few days.  They threw in a cooler full of beer and some sunscreen and just tore it up out there.

More important than the boat is a good skipper and/or crew.  If they know the waters, they’ll give you your best shot at doing well. I’ll take a great skipper and a so-so boat over a Gilligan and his mega-yacht.

And, that’s really what it’s about. Come play.  You can’t win and you can’t play if you’re on the outside looking in.  If you don’t wet a line, for sure you will never win.  Playing in a big game tournament is a lot like running away and joining the circus for a few days!  The most important thing to join in is just a desire to try it for once!

Hope to see you on the docks in Cabo for the tournament!  I’ll be working the scales so stop by and say hello.  Or better yet, I hope you bring me a winning fish to hoist up on the scales so the bikini girls can help you with that fat check!

Si se puede!  You can do it!

That’s our story…

Jonathan

_______________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.com.  They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront.  If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

______________

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: Box 1149, Alpine CA  91903-1149

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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“Through the Looking Glass”

Posted in bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charters, dorado, driving, east cape, espirito santo, fish, Fishing, fishing blogs, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, highway, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, outfitters, packages, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, pompano, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, Sea of Cortez, sierra, spearfishing, sportfishing, squid fishing, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, vacations, wahoo, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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The famous arch on the public pier in La Paz welcoming visitors to the “Port of Magic.”

“THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS”

Originally Published the Week of Oct. 15, 2013 in Western Outdoor News

Here in La Paz, we call the waterfront area, the Malecon.  It’s the Mexican equivalent of “fisherman’s wharf” in so many ocean-front areas in the U.S.  And, like it’s counterparts north of the border, the malecon is a hub of commercial and social activity.

Restaurants, stores, cantinas and tourist shops dot the area and cater to the numerous locals and tourists enjoying the mile-long stretch of beach and concrete boardwalk.

Smack dab in the middle is the city pier.  At the entrance to that pier is an arch proclaiming “Bienvenidos al Puerto de Illusion” (Welcome to the Port of Magic).

I never really gave it much thought.  Just another chamber-of-commerce slogan to welome tourists.  Yawn.  Lo que sea (whatever).   A bit like U.S. towns annointing themselves the “Cucumber Capital of the World” or “The Place Where Teddy Roosevelt Went to Middle School.”

And I live and work in the “Port of Magic.”  Right.  OK.

And for about 10 months of the year, we are myopically focused on running our fishing business and restaurant 24/7.  Boats in and out.  Clients and amigos coming and going.  Flights to catch and meet.  Luggage and fishing gear hauled and carried.  Fish to be packed and frozen.

We’re out’ve salsa.  The  pork ribs didn’t arrive. There’s a busted toilet.  The beer truck only brought half our order.  The drummer in the band is sick.  Two TV’s are don’t work and we have a full house for football games.

Did I just hear a bunch of glasses shatter? What do you mean we have no tortillas tonite?  Which panga just broke down?  Your buddy just heatstroked and needs a doctor?  No, I don’t know where you put your passport!  I don’t know why the bait is so small this year.   Yes, it’s OK to drink the water.

It’s crazy.  It’s hectic.  We’re little gerbils on a treadmill.  We love our lives and are immeasurably blessed.  But, after months with zero days off, we’re human.

We bump into walls.  We growl at each other.  Patience is thin. Sometimes our smiles aren’t as ready or as genuine as we would like.    How many times can I answer, “Where are the tuna?”  or “So, how come the captains don’t speak English?”

But every now and then the cosmos send down a message that gives us pause to remember where we are and what we really do.

It happened just this week.   Rick was on his 2nd trip in two years with us here at Tailhunters.  He’s a fireman.  He pulled me aside one evening at the restaurant.  He grabbed my hand in his big paw, shook it and gave me a big brotherly-bear hug.

“Hey man, I just want to thank you for having me here, “ he said sincerely.

“Oh sure, glad you’re having a good time!” I replied somewhat generically.  I was kind of in a hurry and didn’t really have a long time to chat.  The restaurant was filling up and I was expecting a big load of arrivals from the airport.  My anxiety was a little piqued.

“No, Jonathan, I really appreciate being here with you and Jill, “ he replied a bit quietly.  He wouldn’t let go of my hand.  “This place stitches my soul.”

Pause.  He looked at me eye-to-eye.  It slowed me down.  “Stitches my soul?”

“I’m a fireman.  I see a lot of things.  For a few days a year, being here in Baja helps put my soul back together.  For a few days on a boat and with my friends, it helps me make sense of things again.  When, I’m fishing my reality is simplified down to a bit of nylon string and a bit of bait.   Things start to make sense again.  It’s my happy place.  It helps me do what I do the rest of the year.  Thanks, man.”

With that, he gave me another bear hug  and let go of my hand.  He grinned and went upstairs to join the rest of his amigos already into their beers.

I stood there in my own moment.

Stiches my soul.  A place where things make sense again.  His happy space.

It’s good to remember that this isn’t just about how many fish you catch.  It’s not about “just a vacation.”

There’s often a bigger picture here.  I have to remind myself that we’re especially blessed to be part of it.   It’s indeed a magic place and a magic space through which we pass.  Vamos al Puerto de Illusion!  Find your happy place, amigos.

That’s my story

Jonathan

_______________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.com.  They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront.  If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

______________

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: Box 1149, Alpine CA  91903-1149

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.”

Read Full Post »

“That’s How We Rolled”

Posted in bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charters, dorado, driving, east cape, espirito santo, fish, Fishing, fishing blogs, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, Heat stroke, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, outfitters, packages, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, pompano, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, Sea of Cortez, sierra, spearfishing, sportfishing, squid fishing, Sun stroke, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, transpeninsular highway, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Uncategorized, vacations, wahoo, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 30, 2013| 1 Comment »

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“That’s How We Rolled”      

Originally Published the Week of October 2, 2013 in Western Outdoor News

You can always tell when people think you’re a knucklehead.  Their voice goes up at the end of their sentence.   Try it.

“You’re going… SKYDIVING?”

“You ate …SUSHI?”

“You’re going to school in…THAT ?

“You went to Vegas and did… WHAT?”

And my favorite:

“You’re going to drive to…MEXICO?”

Followed by the leave-no-doubt-affirmation:

“Are you a knucklehead, or what?”

Love the, “Or what” part.

To true Baja rats, “driving the  Baja” evokes some great sensorial memories. Having taken the wheel several dozen times from border-to-tip and back, to me, the drives were truly an adventure back in the day.

Once you passed the border checkpoint, you could just feel that you had left everything unimportant behind.  Back there…back with freeways and office buildings…crowds and social vampires sucking out your essence.

Now you were in “the Baja.”

Cassettes or 8-track cartridges littered the  inside of the  truck.  Jackson Brown or the Eagles eased me down the highway and my dog cocked an eyebrow every time I hit a s sloppy high note.  Generally, he was more interested in the bag of Doritos on my lap while I sipped out of a real Coke bottle picked up at a roadside Mexican mercadito.  “I’ve got 7 women on my mind…”

Stashed among my fishing, diving and camping gear were cans of motor oil, rope, duct tape, gas can, flashlights, ice chest, tarp, flares, two extra tires, a shovel, extra hoses and, the most important thing…toilet paper!  “Well, I’m standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, I’m such a fine site to see…”

You prepared for the worst.  You hoped for the best.  Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

And everything including me, powdered with a good layer of Baja dust.  On the dashboard.  On the seats.  On my lips.  On the dog.  The grit of La Frontera   “It’s a girl my Lord in a flatbed Ford…”

You got there when you got there.  If your head was right, you realized that you’re south of the border so you’re already there.  No stress, Dude.  Already there.

You stopped when you stopped.  Slept in the truck, pitched a tent or paid a few bucks for a room with a single lightbulb and a great taco stand out front with plastic seats and a smiling senora searing chunks of beef and spooning up salsa to die for.

You had a general idea of where you needed to be but often a side road beckoned to a deserted beach or spectacular vista.  Sometimes the side road was a necessity.  You had no choice as parts of the highway simply weren’t there.  Washed out or under construction.  Potholes the size of your car.  Rocks and goats.  Cows and arroyos.  You got used to the word, “Desviacion” (Detour) posted on a makeshift sign.

Time was measured by the sun coming up and the sun going down and the growl in your tummy or the thirst in your mouth.  The sun gave no quarter.

Gas was sold by a guy with a hand pump and a 55-gallon drum.  You strained it through a t-shirt and were grateful it was available.  You didn’t argue about the price.  No, he didn’t offer to wash your window or check under the hood.

You drove as fast or as slow as you dared.  There were no shoulders.  Wrecks could be seen at the bottom or deep canyons where other intrepid vehicle before you didn’t make the turn.  Trucks coming the opposite way came close enough to see the color of the other drive’s eyes.  Your fingers always tightened on the steering wheel reflexively.  And eased as you continued past.  You also stopped holding your breath.

And that’s how we rolled back in the day.   The trip WAS the destination. It was the whole point…being on the road.  Whether you reached your destination was almost secondary.  You KNEW you’d be seeing gorgeous beaches and incredible mountains.  You were going to eat some great street food and make new friends along the way.  Every day was going to be it’s own “Kodak moment!”

But now…fast forward in the time machine.

There’s now pretty much a super highway from border to tip.  Mostly four-lanes of good highway.   And there’s mini-super markets along the way.  And actual gas stations with real pumps.  The Mexican government has “green angels” driving up and down the peninsula checking for and offering mechanical aid to tourist cards that might have problems along the way.  In the major towns, you’ll find the golden arches and the colonel from Kentucky smiles down from his red and white bucket .

Chain hotels dot the landscape and if that’s not your style actual developed campgrounds beckon your stay.  Police along the way greet you with smiles and are instructed in “tourism sensitivity.”  “Tenga un buen viaje senor.  Bienvenidos a Baja.” (Have a great trip and welcome to Baja, Sir!”)

Car parts?  If you need them, Walmart and Auto Zone are here now.

It’s just the way it is now …for better or worse.

But, in between all of that, there’s still adventure.  There are still deserted white beaches and aqua waters.  Somewhere along the way is a palm tree next to a palapa with a hammock waiting.  Just for you.  And you know it as you tool down the road.  You have no doubt.

And, the only snow you see will be in your ice chest or in a margarita glass.  Shoes not optional.  Shoes are discouraged!

“You’re going to…MEXICO?”

“Yea, I’m going to Mexico.  And I’m driving.  Don’t be a knucklehead.  Come with me!”

And the DVD player kicks in…”Take it Easy…”

Let’s roll.

That’s my story!

Jonathan

_______________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico  www.tailhunter-international.com.  They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront.  If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com  or drop by the restaurant to say hi!

______________

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: Box 1149, Alpine CA  91903-1149

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.”

Read Full Post »

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