That's My Story

PHOTO 1: It wasn’t a great week of fishing but there was some great fish to be caught here and there like this most excellent yellowtail held up by Jarrett Pfost on one those rare occasions when the El Bajo Seamount north of La Paz actually kicked out some fish! The yellowtail ate a big mackeral about 100 feet down. Jarrett is from Alpine CA.

PHOTO 2: One stop shopping to fill the cooler. On their first of 4 days fishing, Mike Stevens and Jarrett Pfost from Alpine CA had a stellar day working the El Bajo Seamount on one of the few days this week when the waters flattened out. They took 4 nice yellowtail; 8 pargo; a big cabrilla and numerous other fish that they released while fishing with mackerel, sardines and dropping heavy yo-yo iron (“until our arms ached!”) down to the top of the mount. They say they lost almost as many fish as they took as there were fish “we just couldn’t stop before they rocked us!” It helps that both guys have tons of experience and are also both deckhands on the San Diego sportboats, “Daily Double” and the “Mission Belle.” (Oh…and Mike is my nephew and Jarrett is my son…wish I could say I taught ’em everything they know…but I can’t!)

PHOTO 3: One of the best fishermen and certainly one of the most photogenic amigos we have, Mitch Chavira from San Diego got in a few good days of fishing and always hits trophies like this fat yellowtail, but said he had 50 pounders on that were unstoppable. Still…even he will tell you that fishing conditions were rough and the fish were picky.

PHOTO 4 – Whooo-hoooooo!!! Kyle Yates on his first La Paz trip from Carlsbad CA shows up a good sized cabrila he picked up fishing with that iron in his right hand. Either he’s excited or he got a hook in his finger while taking the photo.

PHOTO 5: FAT FAT barred pargo (Pargo Mulatto) across the beach in a great photo with Kyle and Cole Yates from Carlsbad CA and Cole Chavirra and his dad, Mitch. The fish are great eating and I can’t remember ever seeing so many barred pargo at one time on an excellent catch of that size.

PHOTO 6: Yes…we still have sierra around here. I’ve watched Emily grow up over the years on each of her visits here to La Paz since she was about 5 years old and now she outfishes everyone. Besides the sierra held up by Captain Victor next to Cerralvo Island, Emily also got 7 others and two roosterfish. No one else caught any on her boat except pelicans and seagulls.

PHOTO 7: Mike Stevens of Alpine CA hooked his first pargo on his last trip here a year ago and got “pargo fever” and this week took several others like this big yellow, but will tell you about all the ones he missed; broke off or he simply could not stop! That’s the nature of these incredible fish which are often some of the most frustrating. Mike got this one on a sardine and a sliding sinker rig.

PHOTO 8: Sometimes they even let ME fish! Actually, I was on the water several times this week and I wish I could tell ya that I outfished everyone, but I didn’t. Still…at least I was respectable. I got this hefty cabrilla (Mexican seabass) in about 80 feet of water jigging a blue/white Tady lure on a fast retrieve when the fish came up from the bottom and inhaled it about half way up the water column!

PHOTO 9: Just to show you some of the wacky variety out right now, Mitch Chavirra holds up an African pompano taken while jig fishing off Espiritu Santo Island. Good stuff for the table. Incredible fried up!

VIDEO 1: There’s some shaky footage at the end as I had trouble with the camera, but you get the idea of some of the great yellowtail action on El Bajo during a double hookup!

FISHING NOT SO GREAT AS STRONG WINDS RIP THE AREA, BUT SOME GREAT FISH STILL CAUGHT JUST NOT MANY OF THEM!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for the Week of April 4-11, 2010

Although all the great photos might fool you…

It wasn’t really a great week of fishing down here. Some folks got some nice fish, but it started out OK, but then the weather conditions really deteriorated as winds got stronger and stronger and by mid-week the waters around here looked like an episode of “Victory at Sea.”

It was sunny and warm and a great time to be in La Paz, but not such a great time to be on the water as unusually strong winds up to 25 knots at times gusted and not only made it uncomfortable…it made getting bait really difficult to get most times…especially the sardines which are up tight against the rocks or inshore and depends on captains being able to throw their nets.

So, it was scratch fishing for the most part. Even if you got the bait, it was so bumpy that it was almost ridiculous. We still got some fish, but you either really needed to have your “A Game,” be really lucky, or have some skill and experience because the better fish that hit were mean, big and if you didn’t have one of those three things going for you, then even chances are you had a good chance of not doing very well.

That being said, we did hook a few marlin, a few yellowtail, some wahoo, a few tuna and dorado (lots of dinks around that are about 5 pounds), some roosterfish, sierra, cabrilla, pargo and amberjack. Many of these were incredibly nice fish, but I would be pulling your leader if I told you it was stellar fishing…it wasn’t even close.

Some boats did well, but most really didn’t. It was one of those rare weeks when I felt really badly for many of our fishermen because they got beat up AND didn’t catch alot of fish. As the week came to a close, however, things got better.

Winds calmed tremendously and the fish were more ready to go on the chew.

For sure…big schools of bonito started crashing. Even some squid showed up and smart anglers would catch a fish…find squid in the mouths of the bonito and rockfish and pin one of the dead squid to a hook and send it back down to an almost instant bite. Interestingly, there’s ALOT of dorado around…but many of them are really small, but still fun. Good to see most are getting released. Great on light tackle if nothing else. We spent the good part of one day fishing them with fairly ultralight salt water gear and having a great time.

Personally, I spent several days on the water this week and it really helped to have some experience to get the larger fish or you’d lose way more than you landed. But, if you wanted to just have a good time and didn’t care too much for quality eating fish or big fish, there were fish to be taken.

I would suggest several things if you come down that are hard to get down here.

1. Flurocarbon leader made a difference…20, 30 and 40 pound test. Get 80 pound if you’re going to chase the big yellowtail or pargo.

2. I’m normally not a big proponent of sinkers since we rarely use them but some of these fish were relatively deep and it helped to put some weight on to get the baits below the bonito and needlefish FAST. I would suggest torpedo, rubbercore or sliding egg sinkers of 2-4 oz size.

3. If you know how to use them and have a high speed reel, then yo-yo/ candybar type lures of the type made by Tady, Salas, Sumo, Fire, etc. in blue/ white; yellow /green ; and

white/brown/yellow would be handy to have.

4. Some small trolling feathers.

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

Website: http://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://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

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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DOUBLE TEAM TEASERS

Originally Published Week of April 14, 2010 in Western Outdoor News

Ever have one of those days when the fish are there, but are just “this close” to biting. You can see them. They’ll boil. You see the swirls. You throw a lure or a bait. You have followers.

At first they go after it like a kitty chases a ball of string, but just as they are ready to bite and your adrenaline and pulse are escalating…closer…closer…closer…they swim away like they had just smelled stinky week-old socks!

The worst is when you’re working a lure and the fish follows it all the way back to the boat or panga…whether conventional, spinning or flyfishing…and at the last moment, BOOM…it swims away because you just had no more room to crank. The lure was at the boat already. If you only had another 5 more feet of reeling or stripping room.

But no matter what, the fish won’t go. Won’t chew. Won’t bite. Lockjaw. Dangit.
Hate a tease. Especially when it’s a fish and it’s tiny pea- brain is frustrating me as the master hunter-gatherer with my armament of fishing weaponry!

Tease back.

I learned this from a bass fishing buddy of mine who had fished all over the world, and was an incredible angler whether fishing for dorado to bat rays or salmon to surf perch. He had caught so many bass in his time that he had made a hobby of catching the bass…not hooking them…but just getting them to bite!

He figured he was going to release the fish anyway and the biggest jolt of fun was enticing their crafty little demonic minds to bite something that sometime didn’t look like anything they would want to eat. So, he’d take the hooks off his lures or file off almost the whole hook shaft when he couldn’t.

And he’d go play. And he’d go around all over just trying to make fish bite.

Years ago when I fished with him and the fish were playing games, he said, “let’s tag team.”

Using a spinning rod, I would cast out poppers and spinner baits…pretty much anything noisy and splashy. Nothing had hooks. He’d do the same. Cast and reel as fast as we could. Make lots of commotion.

He’d have our panga skipper toss a few baits. At first, the fish (at the time uncooperative roosters) would do their chase-and-sniff thing. But the more we kicked up the water racket, the more aggressive the roosters got.

Closer and closer. Faster and faster. Either out of hunger or frustration, the roosters couldn’t help themselves and would start knocking the lures and eating the baits.

That’s when the hooks came back out (albeit no barbs and no triples) and the fish literally fought to grab either a bait or lure. All the time, one person continued to spank the water with a hookless lure and cause commotion.

Over the years, he proved it to me with other Baja species as well including dorado, tuna, cabrilla, snapper and pargo. He claims he’s tried it on salmon, trout, bass, perch and it has worked for me as well over the years.

“It’s the willingness for one guy to play the ‘teaser’ while the other guys fishes,” he told me. “Take one for the team, so to speak.” Then switch places. “It’s about making the fish think that there’s a feed going on and they better get in on it. All that splashing. If they don’t get the meal, some other fish will get it and it’s a competitive feeding world below the surface,” he theorized.

Big game anglers who troll alot of used the philosophy for years. They’ll troll teasers that flash, dance and skip through the waters in the wake of the boat or pull numerous dancing “birds” or “squid” lures behind the boat in various patterns. When the big boy shows up whacking at the teasers, an angler drops back a live hooked bait and the fish can’t help but charge the “real” meal.

It’s sportfishing’s version of bait and switch. Or switch and bait!

Jonathan Roldan is the Baja Editor for Western Outdoor News and can be reached directly at riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com

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PHOTO 1: Pargo liso (mullet snapper) like those being held up here by Jon Luker from Arroyo Grande CA are up in the shallows right now spawning. Roving schools look like a moving carpet of copper and red and are fierce fighters as we try to stop them from getting into the rocks. These are some of the “smaller” guys. Larger ones usually win the battle!

PHOTO 2: No yellowtail to speak of this week as tougher winds made it difficult to get to some of the spots. However, their larger cousins, the amberjack, were in the area. These great eating fish do get up over 100 pounds and are found near rocks, reefs and high spots.

PHOTO 3: Joe Fong holds up a nice pargo that hit the barbecue for sure, knowing Joe. Spring is prime time for these fish that move into shallow areas such as Punta Perrico; S. Cerralvo Island, Pilis (east side of the island) and some other high spots. This is “rock” fishing as we know it…but not deep! These fish are literally in 5-20 feet of water!

TOUGHER CONDITIONS LIMIT YELLOWTAIL BITE BUT INSHORE FISHING TURNS TO OTHER SPECIES

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of March 29 to April 4

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PHOTO 1: Even Captain Victor is smiling. “Lucky” Lenny Bishop of La Paz holds up the RIGHT KIND.” This is a trophy-type yellowtail and Lenny now says it’s his new favorite fish. Despite fish taking him to the rocks he managed to stop this nice hog. The yellowtail are big, mean and definitely here! Lenny was kind enough to also rub it in by sending photos of how he prepared the fish when he got home! (see below)

PHOTO 2: I let Lenny describe it…this is classic. He’s great… “Ok. its THE BEST FISH man we had a Blackened y`tail burger with avocado, sprouts, wasabi mayo coleslaw on a big mexican torta bun, the first meal then crunchy tempura fried strips, dipped in spicy sweet chili japanese dipping sauce…..holy #&@$!!! It was sooooo crunchy…and the sauce! oh…the .sauce…and the baked “tin foil fish” was UNBELIEVABLE too!”

PHOTO 2: Kelly May from Alberta Canada made his first trip down and was all smiles with this nice yellowtail. Note how close to shore they are and the flat waters. The big yellows are in several places around Cerralvo Island, Muertos Bay and Espirito Santo Island the last few weeks.

PHOTO 3: Again, our amigo Lenny (“Don’t call me Leo” ) Bishop with a fresh phat yellowtail he got on live bait fishing with our Tailhunter Las Arenas Fleet this past week. The fish have been running 20-40 pounds…when you can stop them. If you’re not ready, these fish will yank you out’ve your flip-flops!

YELLOWTAIL and INSHORE SPECIES AGAIN TAKE CENTER STAGE WITH GOOD CONDITIONS THIS PAST WEEK

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of March 21-28, 2010

A good solid week of fishing this past week. Winds were relatively calm most days compared to previous weeks and the yellowtail remained firmly entrenched. They’re biting and they’re big, but putting these hard-charger 25-40 pound fish in the boat aren’t easy when their first instinct is to dive right back to whatever structure is close by.

Guys are busting off alot of fish to the rocks when the fish duck back. You really have to high-stick these fish and put alot of pressure on them to turn them before they rock you. But boy…such great looking fish!

These are solid forktail yellows. These trophy-sized fish will hopefully hold around as long as the waters stay cool from now until May or early June. The guys are hooking the fish with live bait, sardines, mackerel and caballitos or else yo-yo jigging blue/white or yellow/tan/white (scrambled egg) patterns for the deeper fish.

However, most of these fish aren’t deep. Literally 10-40 feet down so that doesn’t give you much room for error. By the time most anglers realize they are bit and react, the fish is already turning and making a freight train back into the rocks.

If you’re fishing the iron and cranking, when the iron suddenly stops and freezes, THAT’S a FISH! Many anglers make the mistake of swinging and trying to set the hook. The secret is to just keep on grinding and winding. Don’t stop! You have to set the hook and bury it into the fish’s mouth or you’ll lose ’em.

Once that hook is buried, believe me, your rod will bend and there’s no doubt the fish is on! Even then, swing on the rod and bury the hook deeper all the while grinding the reel to keep the fish headed up and not down back to the rocks!

As for the pargo. The big red fish are 10-30 pounders and they don’t give you much slack either. Again. big powerful fish that can truck right back into the reef and rocks before you know what’s going on. We’re landing maybe 1 out of every 5 or 6 bites. And then again, only the smaller fish are getting stopped. Captains tell me much larger fish don’t even slow down!

We’ve got some other species as well. Guys are having a blast on the sierra, roosterfish, cabrilla (seabass) and pargo in the shallow spots. Light tackle is the best trick!

FLASH…just as I was writing this…breaking news….it’s winter (that’s not the news)…our boats got dorado and marlin!!! WHOA!!!! More details coming up!

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website: http://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://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

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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PHOTO 1: So…uh…if I go to fish with you, will I catch any fish? Do you really have fish there?

So, there I was in my booth at the hunting and fishing expo in Salt Lake City. We do shows like this every winter around the country. At these shows we’re one of maybe several hundred other like-minded booths and displays all promoting hunting and fishing operations from South Africa to Alaska and from Mexico to Egypt.

Picture this. My booth, like others is covered with huge full-color glossy images of smiling folks holding big fish. I have three giant flat screen TV’s playing rod-bending fishing action. Marlin are leaping. Reels are screaming. Anglers are yelling and laughing on the soundtrack.

And someone walks up. Looks around at all the displays and staring directly at a big picture of a tuna says, “So..uh…is fishing any good where you’re at? “

I’m not sure how to answer that.

Is this a trick question? Are there hidden cameras?

Is this guy joking?

Of course, my wise-guy answer on the tip-of-my-tongue wants to say, “No, fishing sucks. I”m just standing here in this booth selling fishing trips for the helluva it!”

Or, “No, fishing isn’t very good, but it will get better soon!”

Or, “No, fishing stinks, but that’s why our fishing trips are so economical. You get what you pay for!”

But, I bite my tongue. A grit my teeth and grin. It’s an honest question.

Of course, no outfitter, fishing guide or charter operator in his right mind is going to tell you that fishing stinks. We all have good products and services and are here to sell trips!

But, “good fishing” is relative. Fishing success is subject to a zillion variables. It is dependent on seasons; winds; currents; and water temperatures. Bait stocks; water levels; and even lunar and meteorological events can have an effect on “good fishing.”

The honest answer is that fishing just can’t be good every single day. Even in the fish-rich waters of Baja, I’m probably being blasphemous by saying that there are indeed days when it would have been better to stay on the beach drinking a frosty one.

But the other part of that honest answer is that, it’s rare to have a bunch of bad days fishing in Baja. There’s a reason people keep coming back year-after-year to these legendary fishing grounds. There’s a reason for all the big fish pictures in my fishing booth. Lastly, like anywhere else, you surely won’t have a good fishing day if you don’t put a rod in the water.

What’s worse is the angler who walks up; leans on my counter and says, “I went to Baja and fishing is way over-rated. Weather was terrible and we didn’t catch a danged thing!” (And he tells everyone else within earshot as well…like he had just bellied up to the bar!)

So, I ask him to be specific. “What time of year did you go fishing in Baja, Sir?

“I came down in January.”

“And how many days did you fish?”

“Just one. It sucked.”

“So, did you catch anything at all?”

“Well, we caught three of those fish they call Do-RAH-doe…you know…green and gold things and we also got ’bout 6 yeller-fin tuna.”

“Sounds like a pretty nice day to me!”

“Well, we didn’t catch no marlin and it was rough too! I’ll never go back”.

So, based on exactly a single day of fishing in winter and simply because no marlin bit, this guy has come to the conclusion that fishing was terrible.

Listen, take all the advertising and pretty pictures with a grain of salt. But… Just a grain! Fishing isn’t always going to be stellar. No outfitter or charter operator is going to show you pictures of a bad day of fishing! No one takes photos on bad fishing days!

But understand that even in Baja, not every day is world-class. Not every fish is a record beater. The sun does not always shine and the water is not always flat. The fish you hunt may not be the fish you catch.

But, don’t forget as well. This is Baja. It’s never bad for long. Each day you head out on the water towards the dawn, there’s the possibility that all the dots will connect. All the lucky stars will line up. Each day fishing in the Baja just might be the best fishing day of your life. And that’s why the rest of us keep coming back!

That’s our story!
Jonathan

_________

Jonathan Roldan is the Baja Columnist for Western Outdoor News. If you ever need to reach him directly, he lives in La Paz, Baja Mexico. and can be reached at riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com. His website is http://www.tailhunter-international.com/

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PHOTO 1: Tim Fitzpatrick of Redondo Beach spent a few days with us going north of town with Captains Chito and Raul and hit some rough weather but still got into some great grades of yellowtail like this big slugger.

PHOTO 2: Two of our old amigos, Chris Fitzpatrick and Mark Martis come down several times a year and always seem to do well. The two of them show off some big-time yellowtail they caught this week fishing live bait north of La Paz. The two of them have fished with us since the earliest days of our Tailhunter Fleet.

PHOTO 3: Yes…the amberjack are in! Mark Martis from Redondo Beach CA holds up an amberjack…these are generally the larger and tastier cousins to the yellowtail and grow over 100 pounds. However, these “smaller” guys are better tasting but surely fights just as hard.
All members of the “jack” family have “attitude”…yellowtail, amberjack, jack crevalle, pompano, roosterfish are all part of the tribe.

PHOTO 4: Headed for the grill, Mark holds up this nice pargo mulatto (barred pargo) one of the best eating fish in the Sea of Cortez.

INSHORE SPECIES CONTINUE TO COME ON STRONG BUT WARM WATER FISH MOVING INTO THE AREA

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of March 14-17, 2010

It was largely a cloudy grey week with sometimes intermittently strong winds, but we had some undoubtedly encouraging fishing. Big yellowtail continued to be the highlight with some nice grades of fish being taken at the usual spots like north and south ends of Cerralvo (aka Jacques Cousteau ) Island and around Punta Perrico. As well, some of the coves around the east side of Espirito Santo Island, the Salvatierra wreck, and also around Punta Coyoto produced some fish in the 25-35 pound class that gave anglers all they could handle.

In those same areas, if the yellowtail were taking a powder, large jack crevalle, amberjack up to 25 pounds and pargo up to 20 pounds were also taken although our captains tell us that larger fish were lost to the rocks and reefs.

Additional varieties of fish this week included cabrilla (seabass), sierra, and surprising schools of roosterfish that seemed to pop up…several days of nothing then one day, large schools of 15-20 pound fish move in chasing the baits. Reports as well of numerous marlin and sailfish sunning themselves in various spots make us wonder about El Nino since it’s pretty early to be seeing billfish in the area, but they seem to be lethargically sunning themselves.

Usually when we see this, it just takes a few degrees of warming in the waters and they suddenly go off and get hungry so we’ll have to keep an eye. To the south of us, they’re getting giant humboldt squid which is also unusual as they huge animals are often a vanguard for tuna coming up out of the trenches.

Some of the private boats are seeing schools of dolphin 30-50 miles offshore travelling with tuna, but the fish are moving so fast, it’s hard to get on them. Still seeing the occasional dorado caught as well so things are definitely brewing for us to see so many signs of warm water fish this early.

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website: http://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://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

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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PHOTO 1: Now THAT’s what we call a yellowtail! Rob Maclean comes down several times a year whenever he can sneak on down and teams up with Capt. Jorge for some great catches every time. He fished several days with us and ripped up some of the big boy yellowtail we’ve been waiting for. This fish was caught while fishing out’ve Muertos Bay with the Tailhunter Las Arenas Fleet.

PHOTO 2: Rob did some nice damage to the yellowtail schools. Here, he holds another big forktail. That’s the southern end of Cerralvo Island in the distance across the way.

PHOTO 3: Check out the flat seas and big fish! This is Rob Maclean admiring one of the big yellowtail. The guys said that they got cabrilla, but broke off alot of nice fish in the rocks. Fish were holding in several places as deep as 100 feet but also feeding on the surface.

PHOTO 4: Miguelito helps Tom and Rob Maclean with a load of their yellowtail standing in the sand at Muertos Bay.

PHOTO 5: Ramon holds up a nice brace of “dinner.” On the left is a nice-sized cabrilla (seabass) and also a small yellowtail which is actually tastier than the larger grade fish. The fish are holding in the same areas up along the rocky shorelines and over the reefs and high spots.

YELLOWTAIL ROLL INTO ANGLERS AND LEAVE ALOT OF BROKEN LINES AND FRUSTRATED TIMES BUT SIGNS OF WARM WATER FISH STILL AROUND!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of March 7-14, 2010

Not the best weather this past week so it was fortunate we didn’t have alot of anglers. It wasn’t really bad but just perhaps more windy than we’d like it to be , which is often common this time of year and why it’s off-season. But characteristic of this part of the season, you get 3 gorgeous days and then you get a day or two of wind. Fortunately, with most of our anglers, we schedule them so that there’s flexibility in the schedule plus with our two fleets, we can accommodate them so that they fish on only the better days. Fish are here, but it’s always more fun when the sun is shining and the seas are flat, right?

Anyway, like I said, the fish are here. Not in full turbo yet, but definitely I’ll have to say yellowtail season has started and there’s some sluggers out there! Fish have been close into the rocky areas as is their habit and been in the 20-40 pound class. We’re losing more than half the fish, but that’s part of the game!

When you see these fish, you know it’s worth it. Take a look at the photos! Areas include north and south ends of Cerralvo Island. Punta Coyote, Pilot Cove, Punta Perrico and a few others including one little hot spot that if I tell ya…I know a bunch of guys will take their private boats into it and boom…no more fish! You gotta come fish with us to find out!

The bite is not wide open…just yet, but we’ll keep you posted! I tell ya…it’s bubbling up. The fish are definitely here and some guys have really tangled with some slugger fish! These are quality fish and some real trophies. They are eating a variety of baits including sardines, mackerel, jigs and caballitos as well as slow trolled Rapalas or Yo-Zuri hydros as long as you don’t let the lures dive too deep and hang you up in the rocks in the shallows.

In addition to the yellowtail, they’re almost in the same areas where the big dog-tooth pargo and pargo liso have come into spawn. As one of our first-timer anglers described, “I looked down into the water and it was like a red copper colored mist was moving over the bottom and then I realized it was 30 pound fish undulating like giant Japanese koi under the panga! My first bait didn’t stand a chance and neither did I. My first 4 fish ripped me right into the rocks. I’ve never had my rod bend like that or been so frustrated trying to stop a fish!”

I’d say about 1 in 10 fish are getting put into the boat and then again, the average size of the fish are only the “smaller” 10 pounders. We haven’t had anyone been able to put one of the horse 30 or 40 pounders into the boat yet this season!

Roosterfish and sierra are still up in the shallows if you know where to look. There are all you could handle if you hit the right spots with light tackle being the most preferred way to have some fun.

One angler got tired of getting sawed off by the sierra teeth and lost several small crank baits. Being out, he pulled out a little hoochie (plastic skirt) with some wire on it and said he dropped it no more than 10 feet behind the gurgle of the slow prop wash of the motor and took 10 quick sierra up to 7 pounds. “Best ceviche I ever had and cooked with butter and garlic, was incredible at the Tailhunter Restaurant that night.”

Small flash: We ran into some tuna and marlin this week! Yes…that’s right. Have to keep the lid on it, but a strange strange hookup! We’ll keep you posted. Not supposed to be fish like that this early in the season! We’ll do some exploring and let you know!

Update on the Fiesta Inn that closed last week. They are apparently now going for a re-model and looking for a new big-name hotel tenant and plan to re-open as soon as that can be accomplished.

HEADING TO SALT LAKE CITY!

The Tailhunter 2010 tour is just leaving Redmond, Oregon and now we’re on the road headed to Salt Lake City for the final show on our 3-months road trip. We’ll be at the Expo Center in Sandy, Utah from Thursday to Sunday. Come by and check out the booth and say hi.

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website: http://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://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

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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PHOTO: Before you come down and hit the beach, it might help to know where you’re going!

BAJA PRIMER 101

Originally Published the Week of March 18, 2010 in Western Outdoor News

For the last 3 months we’ve been criss-crossing the western United States attending and exhibiting at some of the largest fishing and hunting expos in the country. From Denver to Portland and Puyallup (Washington) to Long Beach and Phoenix to Sacramento, we’ve literally spoken to thousands of folks who’ve come to our booth with questions about visiting Baja, Mexico.

I suppose when you’ve run a fishing operation as long as we have it’s easy to just assume many folks know about Baja or have some rudimentary knowledge about the place. Of course, everyone knows it’s got great fishing, right? We just assume EVERYONE MUST know that, right? We assume everyone knows about the people, the food, the culture…at least on a basic level, right?

Well, not so fast, Pancho!

When we get questions from folks asking things like, “How come everyone speaks Spanish in Mexico?” or “What does a marlin look like?” or “Is it true that sharks in Mexico jump out of the water and eat tourists?” or ask “What’s a ‘taco’? (and pronounce it TAY-co!)…we have to step back a bit.

I promise you, these are real questions I have been asked at fishing shows! Even from folks in California and Arizona who we often just assume know something about their southern neighbors beyond a Taco Bel menu. So…

Back to Baja 101. These are good questions and it’s simply not-fair that we assume everyone knows what many of us simply take for granted. So…one salsa step forward and two tango steps back…These respond to some of the most frequently asked questions.

GEOGRAPHY – If you look at a map of the western U.S. It’s that long peninsula sticking out below California. No, it’s not part of California despite being called Baja California. It’s part of Mexico.

Actually, California (Our California) was actually part of Mexico at one time but we “persuaded” Mexico to give it to us…but that’s another story. It’s about 1000 miles long bordered on one side by the Pacific Ocean and on the other by the Sea of Cortez. Needless to say, it has alot of beaches and coastline. Tijuana is at the very north. Cabo San Lucas is at the very south.

CLIMATE – Being 1000 miles long, the climate from north to south can vary tremendously. Generally, however, it’s a few degrees hotter than say, Southern California.

It tends to be arid desert with some tropical tendencies the further south you get. Although some places get torrential rain at times (like all in one day) and you’ll even find snow on some of the highest mountains, there’s not alot of water (huge problem) so don’t expect to trout fish, snow board or, as I have been asked more than once, “When do the salmon run?” No lakes, rivers or streams for the most part. Sorry, Binky. Bring shorts and flip flops.

THE PEOPLE -Given that the Spanish conquered the country… Strangely, yes…as a matter of fact, they DO speak Spanish! SURPRISE! However, more and more speak English especially in the larger cities. Many speak “Spanglish.”

You will find most of them very welcoming and hard-working and very family-oriented generally speaking. There’s a growing middle-class and more upwardly mobile youngsters although sadly, many folks continue to live in poverty by U.S. standards especially along the borders and in rural areas. Most locals like Americans and (like everyone else) loves the stable U.S. dollars even more. General rule, remember you’re a guest!

AS A VACATION DESTINATION – Your dollar goes far. As of this writing, you get about 13 pesos for 1 dollar. Mexico is the #1 vacation destination for Americans. It’s close. It’s relatively inexpensive. The further you get away from tourist areas, even moreso.

Despite glaring headlines to the contrary, with the exception of certain areas in certain cities, it’s as safe or safer than many U.S. cities. Many Baja residents still don’t lock their houses and cars. Several hundred thousand people weekly cross the border in cars and (hold your breath)…absolutely nothing exciting happened! For flying travelers, the most exciting thing that happened to them were the in-flight pretzels and beer.

As far as getting sick in Baja, you probably have a greater chance of catching H1N1 flu in your home town as in Baja. You should worry more about the hangover from the tequila and the” trots” from all those habaneros you insisted you could “handle.”

CULINARY DELIGHTS – Yes, it’s OK to drink the water! Everyone drinks bottled water which is available everywhere. In most gringo-ized hotels, you can drink tap water too. The only reason I wouldn’t drink it is for the same reason I don’t drink tap water in L.A. It tastes bad!

Food-wise, you can never go wrong if you eat places where you see everyone else eating. That works in the tourist zones as well as off-the-beaten path. It applies whether they have white tablecloth and crystal or plastic knives and forks. If you see a little taco cart on a dirt street with a line around it, get in line! Just try not to order a “TAY-co” or you might get a grin and a puzzled look!

FISHING – Oh, and that’s not too bad either!

That’s my story
Jonathan

Jonathan Rolda is the Baja Editor for Western Outdoor News
If you’d ever like to reach him directly, click riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com

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YELLOWTAIL FINALLY SHOW TO KICK OFF MARCH!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Feb. 28-March 7, 2010

We had another interesting week with quite a bit of variety at such diverse ends that it makes us wonder about the El Nino everyone says is upon us.

The best part is that yellowtail finally showed up in the counts. It’s about time! Fish ran 20-40 pounds and there weren’t alot caught compared to the number hooked, but that’s because most of the anglers were simply outgunned by the slugger fish or simply weren’t up to it! About 3 out of every 4 fish broke off!

The fish hit a variety of baits including mackerel and sardines as well as some of the caballitos that were found. Defintely, the larger baits were the preferred “candy” for the bigger fish. As well, yo-yo iron dropped off and jigged quickly back got some tremendous strikes. The secret is to not try to set the hook on a pick up but rather to keep grinding and turning that reel handle to make sure the fish is securely stuck in the jaw. Prefferred colors of lures includes blue and white as well as “scrambeled egg” (white, yellow, brown). Best spots included the north and south sides of Cerralvo Island, Punta Perrico off of Bahia de los Muertos and off Coyote Point where fish up to 30 pounds were seen in as shallow as just a few feet of water! We’ll keep you posted!

Inshore also, roosterfish and cabrilla as well as sierra were almost slam-dunk easy to hook most days. Wish we could say the same thing about the pargo. Easier to hook than put into the boat and the ones we got were the 5-15 pounders. The larger toad pargo kept taking guys into the rocks. The best news about the inshore fishing is that it looks like the yellowtail bite finally seems to have kicked in. Fish were in the 15-25 pound class, but about half the fish were breaking off. Still, it’s encouraging to finally get into some of the forktails.

On the other end of the spectrum, warm water fish like dorado are still hanging out. Not big fish but even seeing 5-15 pound fish in March is pretty remarkable. The fish are readily hitting sardines or any small feathers in dragged behind the pangas. As well, we’re seeing more and more marlin. We didn’t get any to bite this week, but again, having marlin in our waters this early in the season is worth keeping an eye on.

FIESTA INN IN LA PAZ CLOSES IT’S DOORS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Just as an aside, the new Fiesta Inn Hotel in La Paz closed it’s doors this week. Word has it that they plan to re-open at some undisclosed time in the future, but for now, the hotel is closed.

VOLARIS AIR ANNOUNCES SURPRISE DISCOUNT SALE UNTIL MARCH 9!

Volaris Airlines, the ever-growing popular airlines flying out of Tijuana to La Paz (and several other destinations) announced a pretty incredible fare to come to La Paz. Basically, for about 118 dollars one way and ONE PESO to come back, they’ll sell you a ticket! The restrictions are that you MUST purchase the ticket before March 9 and you MUST use the ticket to travel between May 1st and June 30th! Jump on it. Here’s the website:

http://www.volaris.com.mx/Inicio.aspx?culture=en-US

Check it out. Don’t wait. Seats are limited. Then c’mon down to see us!

TAILHUNTER ROAD TOUR CONTINUES BACK TO OREGON THIS WEEK!

Our 2010 road tour of the best fishing and hunting shows in the west continues this week as we head to Bend, Oregon in the beautiful central Oregon area. The show runs from Thursday to Sunday and we’ll be there with the full booth and all the new brochures and DVDs to set up your next trip to come fishing in La Paz.

We just left the Fred Hall Fishing and Boating Show in Long Beach after 5 days and it was a monster! Wow! In more than 2 decades of doing this massive show, I’ve never had a show like this one. We were swamped from the get-go and folks were making their reservations about as fast as we could take them! Thanks to all of you who came by to say hi; to let me know you enjoyed yourselves fishing with us; to share your photos; to let me know you’re reading my reports and Baja columns and to make your reservations for 2010. A special shout-out to everyone who brought us goodies to the booth also!

I’m surprised we could even walk out of there after all the home-made cookies, Chinese food, jerky, cakes, Mexican food, pastries, sandwiches, and cheese, sausage, sushi and other goodies. Also, thanks to everyone who came by to wish me a happy birthday and brought cards and gifts. You’re the best! It was the best place to spend my day…in the middle of a fishing show with all my fishing amigos!

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website: http://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://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

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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PHOTO 1: Not bad for a beginner. Anglers come for years to try to land one of these beauties, but Vanessa Cannon from Utah got this nice roosterfish, but it was her first fish on her first day fishing…ever! Captain Jorge mugs with Vanessa. Note the calmness of the water just a few yards off the beach at Muertos Bay.

PHOTO 2: Next stop…the BIG SHOW! Long Beach Convention Center for the Fred Hall Fishing and Boating Show. We are leaving a great show in Phoenix, our 6th show of the Tailhunter Tour and now headed to Long Beach where we’ll be in our regular booth spot on tackle row next to Calstar rods, Izorline and our pal, Ed Robison at Whopper Stopper Rods. The show goes Wednesday to Sunday at the Long Beach Convention Center.

LONG BEACH SHOW COMING UP MARCH 3-7 LONG BEACH CONVENTION CENTER

Well, we’ve put 5 shows under our belts on the 2010 tour…Denver, San Mateo, Sacramento, Puyallup (Washington), Portland and now we’re just finished Phoenix where we had an outstanding show at the University of Phoenix Football Stadium where the NFL Cardinals play. So, now…here we come…the Fred Hall Fishing and Boating Show at the Long Beach Convention Center. This is the big crazy one! Our booth will be in it’s usual spot on tackle row smack in the middle of the main hall next to Izorline and Calstar rods. Come see us and say hi and lock in your La Paz fishing trip for 2010.

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website: http://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://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

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 »