That's My Story

A WEE BIT OF CHEST POUNDING

Originally published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Nov. 16, 2009

This isn’t really about Baja or fishing, but is about living and being in Baja. Actually, perhaps it has more to do with being in America and being an American.

Having been in the newspaper, radio and TV business as a reporter and even as an average Joe in the U.S. your perceptions are understandably shaped by the views and reporting of what the media feeds you. I’m not suggesting anything sinister (that’s a whole different article for a different newspaper!), but you are what you hear, read and see.

I have the unique perspective of living outside the United States 80 percent of the time. Specifically, I’m down here in Baja. I get to watch Mexican TV and read local and national Mexican newspapers. Even my TV gets CNN, but it’s CNN from Hong Kong so it’s really British-slanted news.

But, more-to-the-point, I get to see and hear and talk to friends and associates at street level about their perceptions of what’s going on in the world and specifically the United States.

I was in Mexico with several dozen of my fishing clients when the World Trade Centers came down in 2001. What an odd sensation to watch tragic world events hit your country and to be an outsider looking in. It’s a pretty helpless feeling. And there was no way to leave Mexico and get home. All the flights had been canceled as the U.S. went into lockdown.

And now there’s 2008 and the elections. Given the state of the U.S. economy and the world economy in general that has been directly affected, I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much chatter and discussion about the elections among local Mexicans. If I only had a peso for everytime a conversation started with, “What do you think about the elections?” or “Who do you think will win…?”

In some respects, it was a little awkward. Many of my Mexican friends were actually better informed about the issues and politics than myself! Certainly, issues about the economy were primary, but many of my amigos also know enough about the war in Iraq, race, education, immigration and crime. It sometimes sent me scurrying to the internet to verify what I had heard.

Interestingly, just like Americans are affected by what they read and hear, not surprisingly, so were my Mexican friends subjected to the views of their own media regarding rumors, mud-slinging and hearsay between the candidates. I was often asked to verify what was truth and fiction as if I were somehow in-the know. (Frankly, I’m not. I love news, but I’m not a big fan of politicians or politics).

So, the election came and went with great anticipation. Yes, I voted absentee. I guess I’m a little disappointed. I don’t think I have yet to vote for a winning candidate. That’s my curse. If I vote for you, you will lose.

But from what I could see from the outside-looking-in and from what my Mexican friends tell me, we Americans should be awfully proud. Even ex-pats like myself.

As one of my friend said, “In Mexico, we don’t have many choices. You Americans should be proud that you get choices. So many of Mexicans think that it’s a gringo world north of the border, but it gives hope that ANYONE can rise above their status in America to be anything they want to be. A doctor, a businessman and even a president. You even had a woman running as well. That is something fantastic for you Americans.”

“I don’t think you Americans voted for a black man or a white man,” he added. “I think you vote for the best person you thought would help your country. It was above politics. I wish Mexico was more like that.”

Another told me, “We watched your candidates all the time. I think you use the word, “classy” in English. Unlike Mexico, no one threatened violence. There were no riots or demonstrations. The candidates acted like gentlemen and statesmen.” (Wow. He was talking about OUR politicians?)

Even after the elections, I had one of my business associates tell me how many Mexicans saw that America had “good losers.” He said, “After our last election, the loser threatens a revolution and people took to the streets. Your Mr. McCain congratulated Mr. Obama and shook his hand. I was impressed. Do you know how lucky you are to be an American?”

Yes, I do. That sound you hear is me puffing out my chest a bit. Everyone is watching. God bless us all.

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.

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PHOTO 1: Al Tesoro and Richard Onishi make several trips a year to La Paz and got a variety of fish this past week typical of fishing right now including some tuna, dorado, rockfish and these nice pargo liso (red ones) and a nice cabrilla. While most anglers come to La Paz during the springtime to fish the coveted pargo, the fall is also a good time to get into these tough fish.

WAHOO AND DORADO GO OFF DESPITE WINDS AND NOT MANY ANGLERS THESE DAYS!

La Paz / Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Nov. 2-9. 2008

PHOTO 2: Better quality dorado came up early this week again. This is our amigo, Al Tesoro with some nice fish headed to the filet boards. These late season dorado are a real treat. Water temperatures are dropping and winds are becoming more prevailant so we don’t know how much longer they’ll be in our area.

PHOTO 3: Spent a good portion of the week working in Cabo San Lucas at the Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot Tourament. What a great time! Check this out: http://www.wonews.com/t-BajaReport-cabojackpot.aspx There were 98 teams this year from all over the country. Above is the team from the boat “Bottom Line” after the first of two days fishing. They did not have the largest fish of the tournament, but because of all side pot jackpots they entered, they went home with more than 270 thousand dollars. Largest fish was caught on the boat “Redrum” which was a 244 pound yellowfin tuna. However, they were not entered into all the jackpots they won “only” about 70 thosand dollars. A 40 pound dorado won that particular category and was worth a nice 64 thousand dollars.

PHOTO 5: On hand at the tuna tournament in Cabo San Lucas, Corona Beer sent the Corona girls to work at the weigh station to lend some color and smiles to the event. I never got her name, but she was a good sport about this photo. I”m 5′ 4″ tall. She’s 6’3″ tall and it made for a funny photo!

THE FISHING REPORT

Wow! Talk about late season surprises. Here I am thinking that things have pretty much turned the corner and calmed down for the season and that our blue water bite has played itself out. All of a sudden, wahoo don’t just show up…they BLOW UP!

In perhaps one of the best remembered wahoo bites, areas around Cerralvo Island and especially at the north point were boiling with wahoo. Bite of a lifetime!!!! Fish from 30-70 pounds were not uncommon and eating trolled Rapalas and Yo-Zuri’s in the darker colors but were also schooling up enough to throw the wahoo bombs as well. Some boats took 2, 3 or more fish.

The biggest problem was knowing when to go. You had to leave early whether you fished out of La Paz or Las Arenas because you’re looking at more than 90 minutes of running time across the channel and (here’s the rub)…that’s if it was calm! The winds are blowing more consistently these days and it made for either a rough ride or you simply could not make it and had to turn around. Wasted day! But that’s the chance you took. The payout was well worth it if you hit it on the right day!

In addition to the wahoo, yellowfun tuna in the 10-30 pound class were in the same northern areas of Cerralvo and both fleets also produced a good smattering of dorado. In fact, some really nice quality fish up to 40 pounds were not uncommon, but you could find yourself in a full-on dorado ripper with fish all around the boat. Or…you could spend the day hitting one or two fish here and there and realize at the end of the day that you had a full fish box.

Inshore fishing seems to be getting better. Surprisingly, there’s still roosterfish around and in the rocks, cabrilla and pargo are becoming more active…or maybe more anglers are just fishing for them. However, this time of year always seems a good bet to fish inshore. If the winds are blowing it’s a great alternative for action.

That’s our story!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

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

Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745

Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico

“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: After an absence of a few seasons, our buddy John Tessman from Fallbrook CA came down for an extended stay which was rewarded by possibly some of the larger dorado we’ve seen in a few weeks. This 35 pound class bull ate a slow trolled strip of dead bonito just east of Espiritu Santo Island east of La Paz.

WATERS IN TRANSITION ARE A BIT STINGY WITH FISH EARLY IN THE WEEK BUT GET MORE GENEROUS LATER IN THE WEEK!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for the week of Nov. 2, 2008

PHOTO 2: Early in the week, it was rough going, but some of the boats made it to the northern end of Cerralvo Island where an elusive tuna school with 25-pound class fish have been holding. Shown here (L-R) Tony Bretz, Captain Panchito, Bryant Bushman hold up a nice trio of yellowfin.

PHOTO 3: Jill Stevens now living most of the year in La Paz, was dragging a big sardine behind the panga and noticed a flash of color right off the transom and realized a nice dorado was lazily swimming behind the boat. It turned suddenly and whacked her sardine. Fish on!

PHOTO 4: Tony Bretz holds up one of the larger dorado taken out of Las Arenas/ Muertos early in the week. There weren’t many fish of this size and fishing seemed to be inconsistently biting. One day, they’d readily chew and the next day, you really had to work at it.

PHOTO 5: Hard to believe, but there’s still roosterfish along the beaches. Monique Wicks all the way from Alaska got this silver pez gallo just out of Muertos Bay and released it. The fish are in small schools along the beaches. Larger fish are roaming right on the edge of the drop offs.

PHOTO 6: Check out this nice yellowfin tuna. Our amiga, Cheryl Atkinson, does the honors. The fish was taken on bait at Punta Norte of Cerralvo Island. It’s almost a 2 hour ride up the channel from where we launch our boats at Muertos Bay…well worth it if the fish are there and the winds are down. If not, it’s a long rough and wet ride.

WEEKLY VIDEO

Some great on-the-water-shots this week of dorado fishing off the east side of Espiritu Santo Island just north of La Paz. Turn up the sound and click this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrviCK5meFw

THE FISHING REPORT

The week started off full of questions as seasonal northern winds started up and roughed up the waters a bit. Bait got tough as well. Fish weren’t exactly very cooperative. Howver, as the week went on, things got more promising. Seas flattened a tad. Some tuna showed up at the north end of Cerralvo Island again. Larger dorado got more lively in the channel between the islands where even some of the smaller fish this week were twice as big as some of the largest fish we had the last few weeks. Cabrilla and even pargo and roosterfish got more active as well around our Las Arenas beaches as well. The season is definitely changing, but there’s still a lot of fish to catch.

You can feel things changing. We’re definitely in the transition right now. This is normal and it came a bit early this year. Sure is a lot of variety in terms of fish. Pretty much a little of everything is around. dorado are still the predominant species, but if you’re flexible, there’s quite a range.

WE MADE THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Well, one of our good amigos, Stacy Amos from Harbor City made the L.A. Times webpage. Click this and check it out: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2008/10/monstrous-squid.html Pete Thomas writes up a nice piece about the giant squid.

BOOKINGS FOR 2009

We’re already getting quite a few bookings for the 2009 season. Prime dates and our captains are still available, but some are already getting closed out. Give it some thought and get in touch with us as soon as you can. We want to make sure we take care of you and give you the first shot at your preferred dates!

That’s our story!

Jonathan
Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

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

Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745

Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico

“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: Yes! That’s right…YELLOWFIN TUNA! The north end of Cerralvo Island gave up a few teasing days of great tuna fishing early in the week with 20-25 pound fish crashing around the boats. Popular Captain Jorge holds up some fish with our good friends, Len and Cheryl Atkinson.

CHANGING NORTH WINDS AND UNSTABLE WATERS DAMPEN A SOLID BITE AND APPEARANCE OF TUNA!

La Paz Fishing Report for the Week of Oct. 19-25, 2008

PHOTO 2: Len Atkinson and Captain Jorge at North Point Cerralvo Island holding one of the yellowfin tuna that romped on the panga fleets early in the week. Our bait and flyfishers alike all got into the fish. Down below, deeper water amberjack also bit for anglers fishing further down the water column.

PHOTO 3: Stacy Amos from S.California poses with Captain Armando and one of the nicer grade bull dorado that are still roaming the waters outside of Punta Perico.

PHOTO 4: She likes NASCAR and fishing and now loves La Paz too! Becky Amos holds up a nice bull dorado taken close to shore on strips of fresh giant squid. This was Becky’s first trip down with us here.

PHOTO 5: Beast from the deep. The giant squid are still here although some days they seem to be deeper and deeper. This 50-pounder is about to be gaffed. We’re using chunks of these guys to slow troll for thd dorado outside of Muertos Bay.

PHOTO 6: Our amigos from the heartland, Leroy Freeman and Al Burgess from Kansas had a pretty good week with over 10 species of fish caught including dorado like these.

PHOTO 7: Sure is a pretty fish. Tasty too. It’s a golden jack and also known as a palometa amarilla. Byron Tanaka from the Sacramento area does the honors. He and his guys spent the week flyfishing with us and got an assortment of fish including tuna, jacks, bonito, dorado and sierra on the flyrods fishing with Captains Loreto and Moncho.

PHOTO 8: From Utah, here’s the Gustafson family: Morgan, Debbie, Broc and Bill with a few handfuls of Las Arenas dorado.

THE FISHING REPORT

Well…we were kinda hoping we’d go out at the end of the season with a roar. It sure looked like it. However, mother nature is cruel and she had other ideas. Instead of a roar. We got a whimper as the week went on. Fish kinda went on strike!

Simply put, by the end of the week, we were struggling for fish as seasonal northern winds appeared to have started earlier this year. When they start blowing with regularity, things change. And I have a feeling that our blue water season may be coming to an end. We’ll have to see.

However, the week sure started nicely. Dorado, although not big, continued to bite pretty steadily for both our Las Arenas (Muertos Bay) and La Paz fleets. Most of the fish were 10-15 pounders. Hardly the big bulls we’re used to this time of year, but lots of fun, especially on the lighter tackle. Jacks and roosterfish were in the shallows as well. Some boats did better than others, but if you fished a few days, everyone got fish at some point. Not banner, but steady.

Then, we got the real bonus…tuna showed up at the north end of Cerralvo Island! Whoa…what a surprise. These were a nice grade of fish too…25 pound class sluggers! Light tackle and even our flyfishers got into the fish and had a blast getting beat up. In the same spot, some of those nice amberjack also came up too! We had those kinds of days when everyone literally came back to the beach looking trashed and bloody, but all with big grins. So we got pretty jazzed and figured we were finally on it…

Well, then the winds started up. They blew hard enough that it was almost impossible to get up to the spot again bucking against the north winds…unless you wanted to get soaking wet and/or get your teeth rattled out of your head!

And that was the bite…after that…with the winds blowing…even the dorado seemed to go ground and became about as scarce as chicken’s teeth. Really had to work for the fish the latter part of the week. Even the bonito seemed like they weren’t interested. I won’t kid ya. The last part of the week had lots of sunshine and that was almost about it.

I sure hope the winds don’t hang around. We’ll hope for the best this coming week. I’d like to run up for some of that tuna again.

That’s our story!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

Phone: (626) 333-3355

FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745

Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico

“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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NOT MUCH BETTER THAN THIS! AND NEVER VERY FAR AWAY! THAT’s BAJA!

JUST FIVE MINUTES!

Originally published the week of Oct. 21, 2008, in Western Outdoor News

“I can’t believe all the changes I’m seeing.” How often that starts a conversation when I run into a fisherman who hasn’t been down here in a long time. “I remember back in the day…” Is where the conversation heads down the road of reminiscing with squinted eyes towards a vision of a long gone Baja of the past.

You can fill in the blank to whatever memory you happen to hold closest. Whether it was the day you and dad saw a mile of yellowtail breaking the surface with schools of bait leaping for their lives around Santa Rosalia or perhaps you remember Cabo San Lucas before the marina (Yes, there really was a time before Squid Roe!)

Perhaps you remember your first trip when Tony Reyes was in his prime and the grouper were huge at the Midriff Islands. You might remember when the Van Wormers had a pet lion on the premises at Palmas de Cortez. Or you remember flying into the old Serenidad Hotel in Mulege with the Johnsons for long days of fishing and that great barbecue they had at night.

Or how about the Old Mill in San Quintin when Jimmy got up on the table with the mariachis playing into the night and giant clams and fresh fish piled on the table? And the senoritas from town with their dark eyes and dancing hips. Ahhhh…the old days when schools of roosterfish could be seen in the shallows off the old Hotel Las Arenas, but you were already too tired to do more than lift a cigar and a tequila after a full day of fishing.

Dirt roads and skiffs. Busted axles and warm beer. Dust and fresh grilled tortillas. Panga captains with rolled up dungarees and fish that had never seen a hook and line.

And now the face of Coronel Sanders smiles down at you. Walmart greeters in blue vests welcome you through their doors.

Drive through even the seemingly smallest pueblito and there’s a crowd. There’s a little real estate office. There’s another house going up. The little marcado is adding a new wing with a a coffee bar serving expresso! They are paving the main road. More fenced-off lots saying, “Private Property.” Are those new street lights going in? Little dots on the landscape are no longer drive-by blinks.

Can’t say I really like it, but I’m speaking hypocritically. I’m craving some KFC extra-crispy and I’ll be the first one through the door at Walmart too when they build one in my town looking for that blue light special (or is that the other chain?)

But it gets discouraging. Until I remember my “Five Minute Rule” and remember where I am.

Five minutes from any beach, I am once again in the best fishing waters on the planet. I’m on the same waters that captured the imaginations of Ray Cannon, JohnSteinbeck and even Gene Kira. I am not surrounded by tourists off a cruise ship. I am surrounded by a school of dolphin or swarming dorado.

Five minutes from any strip mall, I’m in the desert of Hernan Cortes and Juan Cabrillo. Desert flower and boojum trees grow thick. Some of the same cactus in front of me may have witnessed the passing of a mule train of conquistadores, padres and other settlers hundreds of years ago. That old dirt road we take for granted up the arroyo follows the same path used ages ago by the indigenous natives who lived in the mountains and whose descendants still scratch out a living up in those crags.

Five minutes from the latest trendy coffee house, I am on a hill watching a Baja sunrise tear away the darkness turning grey and purple into a blaze of orange as it percolates up like a giant bubble from the eastern horizon. Schools of baitfish can already been seen in the ripples of “nervous” water near the beaches below as the sea creatures wake to a new day of survival.

Within 5 minutes of any new “fast food” joint, I can walk up a little side street and still find the best carne asada or shrimp tacos on earth. It’s easy. There’s a line around the place and the aroma of salsa, onions and sizzling meat on the grill grabs you by the nose like an aromatic gaff and seduces you to try one! Locals only! No tourists would ever find this place. Don’t go looking for any “board of health” paper tacked to the walls. There are no walls! Don’t expect napkins either or a menu. Use your sleeve. Pay as you go. Point at what you want!

Old Baja isn’t gone. It’s just a few minutes off the beaten path. Hopefully never more than 5 minutes away.

That’s my story.
If you ever need to reach me, I’m at riplipboy@aol.com

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PHOTO 1: Famlies that fish together. From the left…the first four are the Barker family (Matt, Al, Big Al and Diane). Next four…the Gustafson family (Bill, Morgan, Debbie and Broc). All are from the Salt Lake City UT area and were on their first trip down to visit us. As you can see, not a bad day of dorado fishing out of Muertos Bay. The fish they’re holding are fairly representative of the type of dorado we got all week.

RESIDUE FROM THE STORM – A HUGE FULL MOON – CHANGING WINDS PUT A TRIPLE WHAMMY ON THE FISHING BUT DORADO AND BIG SQUID FILL IN THE BLANKS!

La Paz / Las Arenas Report for the Week of Oct. 12-18, 2008

PHOTO 2: YEOW! Talk about first time outta the block! Justin Wick from Alaskas holds onto the big 250 pound black marlin he nailed out of La Paz on his first day of fishing. Captain Eddy Carballo (left) was driving the panga and holds up one of his lucky orange Crocs. Seems whenever Eddy scores big he is wearing his lucky Crocs! The funny thing is that this fish was caught on a little purple and black tuna feather while trolling for bonito to use for dorado bait. Justin fought the fist for over an hour. They were going to release it, but the fish died at the end.

PHOTO 3: Here’s out amigo, Al Barker again and his son Matt from Sandy, UT. Biggest dorado of the week he got on a chunk of slow trolled squid just outside of Muertos Bay.

PHOTO 4: More long-distance amigos all the way from Kansas. In front is Al Burgess and behind him is Leroy Freeman. Both have been down numerous times and show off some of their first-day dorado. Leroy also got a marlin that day.

PHOTO 5: Rich Grigas from Northern California holds up a pair of dorado he got on bait that are fairly typical of some of the fish we were getting early in the week.

PHOTO 6: Diane and Al Barker get an assist from Captain Armando on the beach at Muertos with a couple of their dorado they got on their first day of fishing.

VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK

Check it out. Turn up the sound and click thelink!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrirRU5hPsA

THE FISHING REPORT

Kind of a quiet week around here. Quite a few folks for all the fleets canceled after so many flights canceled over the previous weekend from the hurricane (that turned out to be a woosie of a hurricane…lots of wind, but not much else). Anyway, not much traffic on the water.

I kinda think we got triple whammied this past week. I don’t put much stock in any of these things that happened if taken alone, but all three of them stacked up and I think it made a big difference in the fishing. First, as mentioned, we have the hurricane (which wasn’t much of one). Then, we had the biggest and longest full moon of the season. Then, the winds shifted from the north and started blowing and made things kinda rough. Put all those together and the fish were just outta synch!

What the hurricane did was turn up the waters around La Paz. It got rough AFTER the hurricane. In fact, the waters out of La Paz AFTER the hurricane were rougher than during the hurricane! Bright sunshine and warm conditions, but there were 4 foot waves in the bay! We did put out some the day after the hurricane but fishing was off as the waters remained brown and green.

So…

We had everyone fish out of Las Arenas instead most of the week. That’s the beneifit of Tailhunter having two fleets. We fished out of Las Arenas…well, Muertos Bay to be exact (we moved the boats back there to the cove)…and surprise! We got fish!

In fact, the area barely got touched by the storm! The big squid remained there right where we left them. There were dorado scattered around the mouth of the bay including a few nice bulls there then towards Punta Perico and the lighthouse which also kicked out more cabrilla and yellowtail. It wasn’t great gonzo fishing by any stretch, but everyone got fish. We had several families and first timers so by fishing them out of Las Arenas instead of La Paz, we were able to have a good time for all.

Some other surprises as well…yellowtail popped up off Punta Perrico! There’s been some strange happenings there this pas season. Yellowtail were there in the spring…big ones!!! But usually yellowtail are around when the waters are cold. However, there’s a bunch of bait stacked up there like squid, mackeral, caballitos and sardines. Commercial guys got some 20-30 pound yellowtail early in the week then some of our anglers got some 10 and 15 pounders. We’ll have to keep an eye on that.

Additonally, some tuna popped up briefly around the south side of Cerralvo. The elusive tuna came up and went down. We’ll keep track of that as well. Who knows! It’s been a weird season for species.

By the time you’re reading this, hopefully, the La Paz side fishing will have settled and the fish come back. Tune in for the next report!

That’s our story!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico

“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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THE NEW AGE ANGLER

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News Magazine Fall 2009

There are many things in life I want to try before I push up the daisies. There are many things I now realize I will never get to do. And there are a ton of things I wish I could be good at and I know I will never be. I have a great respect for those who can do those things. I have an even greater admiration for those who can master it.

Certain things in life I have given up on. I will never be a professional football player. I guess I will never climb Everest or play lead guitar in a rock band in front of thousands of screaming fans. I can’t even grow back my hair. Cross those off the list.

I don’t’ look good in white shorts and I will never master tennis or come close. Golf is another. I used to tell folks I once shot a 65…but that was only because my ball went through the windmill over the bridge and into the clown’s mouth!

Another of those is flyfishing.

I am a flyfishing hack. I have tried it. I have diligently taken lessons from professionals. I have put in my time trying to put little puffs of fuzz in Montana riffles. I have dutifully given it my best shot in the Sierras and float- tubed Wyoming. Yea, I’ve caught a couple of fish…the stupid ones and the hungry ones.

Where I have fished in those pristine waters, those fish have seen the best of the best. They know a fraud when they hear me tripping in my waders and tumbling into the current or hear my curse (in two languages!) as I spend my time untangling my flyline from overhead branches or wrapped around my ankles! I’ve hooked myself in my fancy-pants flyfishing vest more than I’ve hooked a fish.

Give me a live worm or a salmon egg and I’m deadly. With a flyrod, fish need have no fear!

So there I am in Baja, watching from my boat. Thirty yards away, I can hear it. The reel isn’t screaming. It’s more like a loud hissing whirr…the sound well-lubricated gears make when they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing inside a well-made machine.

And the rod. Long and whippy in the classic “high stick” position is fully loaded and almost parabolically bent in half. The butt is straight up, but the tip is almost touching the water straight down and nano-seconds from snapping.

There are times in an angler’s fishing career when no amount of technology, experience, guile or strength will make one iota of a difference. And all you can do is hang on…and grin.

This angler, standing tall in the bow with legs braced and elbows pulled close is definitely holding on. The strain in evident in the arms. It is evident in the dark “V” sweat -stain on the back of his khaki outfitters shirts and in the underarm circles enhanced by the smelter-heat of the mid-day Baja sunshine.

But he takes one moment to breathe and look over his shoulder. He shakes off the strain in a free hand and hangs onto the rod with the other.

I’m caught watching and he raises his fist to pump the air triumphantly and gives me a thumbs up. And a grin. As the white glare reflects off the water illuminating the shade under his wide-brimmed hat. It’s definitely a grin.

I’ve already caught and released 7 fish on the day and kept one. I’ve seen this guy make scores of casts all morning and this is his first hookup of the day. Whether it’s a big jack, a needlefish or a hefty roosterfish, I wanna see what he has.

Whatever it is, this Joe deserves it. He worked hard for it on a typical blast-furnace Baja day where anglers pray for a breeze or purposely tell their captain to troll to get the heavy heated air moving.

I see more and more of these flyfishers on the water. And I think it’s a sign of the times and a changing attitude as well as a changing visitor now coming to the Baja.

Originally pioneered by folks such as WON’s own Gary Graham on the East Cape, Grant Hartman in Cabo San Lucas and Pam Bolles in Loreto, what looked like a passing aberration or subset to conventional fishing more than a decade ago, has built a growing following that’s not so easily dismissed despite an arguably shaky start.

To some, it was almost as if the sheepherders had moved in among the cattlemen. Cocked eyebrows and shrugged shoulders greeted many flyfishers at first. Sometimes, it was open animosity from local crews and visiting sportfishermen alike.

Baja is not, “A River Runs Through It!” There’s no gentle creeks and towering John Muir Trail-type pine trees around. This ain’t Walden Pond, amigo.

I mean, this was the land of Ray Cannon, Charlie Davis, Neil Kelly, Fred Hoctor and old Johnny Steinbeck for criminy-sakes! Salty, beer-drinking, tequila swilling boys who wore big staw life-guard hats, t-shirts emblazoned with , “Fillet and Release!” and wore shorts with sewn-in beer holders were the norm. That’s my daddy’s Baja and they went to battle with big artillery. Big fish. Big rods.

These aren’t rainbow trout or even silver salmon swimming just beyond the beach breakers. Flyfishing was for foo-foo fishermen, wasn’ it? It was the sport for fussy rich guys or guys who had accents and smoked pipes, wasn’it? Flyfishermen read the Wall Street Journal and quoted Chaucer. Baja guys quoted Jimmy Buffett and lines from Saturday Night Live and Schwartzenegger movies.

Flyfishers even looked funny and had funny equipment. Those little rods and reels cost as much as a mortgage payment..each! Because of the long-billed baseball-style hats, some Mexican captains called them, “cabezas de pato” (Duck heads). They wore color-coordinated expensive catalog clothes from L.L. Bean and pants from Bass Pro Shops.! (Eyes roll) They want to hook tuna and dorado and (smirks) marlin and sailfish? Bring it on. Have at it. This’ll be good fun!

And indeed it has been fun. And these new anglers are enjoying the heck out of their Baja experiences. Good on them. I grudgingly give them and their guides their props. They work hard at it and earn every biter they get! And I’m seeing more and more reasons why this has become such an attractive way to go.

Granted, they are still some of the fussiest anglers I see. I don’t mean that in a bad way. But, it’s a particular sport. It’s a precision sport. It’s a demanding sport. And many of the flyfishers tend to be affluent…retirees professionals, doctors, lawyers, CEO’s, whose desire to master the sport is an extension of the type of drive often reflected in their careers. Sure, it can be an expensive sport, but as I have personally found out, you don’t just walk out to the water and become a “flyfisher” any more than you become a heart surgeon, CEO or a golfer just because you have the right tools.

But with each passing season, I see it becoming more of a sport of the masses too. And that’s good to see..and maybe good for Baja too on so many levels.

Pragmatically, take a look at the gear. In an age when airlines are getting awfully sticky with weight restrictions and charging for every extra little pound, rods can it in little tubes the size of map-cases in your overhead bin. No need to haul around giant PVC pipes stuffed with sticks anymore.

That heavy tackle box stuffed with throwing iron, lead, weighted trolling feathers and what-not? Leave it home. This is called FLYfishing! By definition, (sorry for the oversimplification) but you’re tossing bits of fluff through the air. You won’t need to hire Sherpas to schlepp your stuff.

And that goes for the days of the huge ice chest as well. Most of the flyfishers release their fish. In fact, I had one flyfishing client sheepishly ask me if it was OK to keep one small dorado for dinner! He was so used to releasing all his fish he felt it necessary to ask permission to keep one. Not to take home. It was to eat in the hotel that night.

Admittedly, that was really refreshing. In a time when I’m usually asked how many POUNDS of fish can be taken home and see guys almost jumping on their ice chests to cram in one more filet, I have no problem with putting fish back in the water.

And that’s perhaps the bigger picture with the flyfishers. And maybe a lesson to all of us too. In an age when our fisheries, our waters, our resources in Mexico and everywhere else are sorely taxed, I like that fact that flyfishers also like to “put fish back.” C.P.R…”catch..photo..release.” It a nice creedo.

I like taking fish as much as the next guy. Don’t get me wrong. I grew up like many of my contemporaries dreaming of bloody decks and tails sticking out of fish boxes and ice chests too small for the catch. A successful day was measured in numbers of carcasses in the bag or box. I won’t deny that it still is a measure of a good day.

But I acknowledge that it doesn’t have to be.

Like the angler earlier in this piece, I’ve seen them whip the waters with those long rods hour-after-hour. I have neither the patience nor stamina for that. I WANNA GET BIT! But, in the same way I can view a golfer or doctor, I gotta give kudos to someone who puts in that kind of time.

I encounter angler after angler who come off their boats and tell me they got 5…6…7 fish and it was a “so-so” or “ho-hum” day. You’d have thought someone stole their bicycles judging by their faces.

Maybe the caught all the fish in 15 minutes and the rest of the day was dull. Maybe they caught all the fish on lures instead of bait or they just dinked and scratched all day for 2 hours of boredom punctuated by 5 minutes of hookup time, then back to boredom.

On the other hand, the flyfisher is pumping his fist victoriously in the air after spending an hour methodically casting to a breezing roosterfish time after time after time. He’s giving high-fives to the fish gods when finally, the rooster turns…and charges…and inhales. FISH ON!!!

It makes the victory of the hookup all that much sweeter!

I may have to give this flyfishing thing another go.

That’s my story. If you ever need to reach me, I’m at riplipboy@aol.com

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PHOTO 1 : Dog tooth pargo trophy! Chip Wickline was fishing with 30 pound test just off the Las Arenas lighthouse with Captain Archangel and looky what he caught! This massive dog-tooth snapper (pargo) also called a cubera snapper or pargo perro. Estimated at 50-70 pounds this huge guy tore into a chunk of bait. Most folks think that the spring is a good time for the pargo, but although it’s true we get the most fish during that time, we got the biggest ones in the fall.

HURRICANE NORBERT HALTS FISHING LATE IN THE WEEK BUT DOES LITTLE DAMAGE BUT BEFORE THAT BIG SQUID AND DORADO SCHOOLS KEEP ANGLERS HAPPY!

La Paz / Las Arenas Fishing Report for the Week of Oct. 5-11, 2009

PHOTO 2: Wade Gomes and Bill Moore from northern California area hold up two of the dorado they got fishing a day out of Las Arenas sch

PHOTO 3: One of the larger bulls that day, first timer Keith Kleppe hooked this guy working the dorado schools that have taken up residence between the Las Arenas lighthouse and Boca de Alamo.

PHOTO 4: Now appearing on “air dorado” playing “Rock You Like A Hurricane”, Joe Burkhart holds up an ice bull dorado taken south of Muertos Bay.

PHOTO 5: Dave Wakaybayshi’s guys from Southern California all hold up a nice quiver of dorado after a day of fishing at Las Arenas.

PHOTO 6: I teased Paul Dubow that he was holding his big roosterfish like a “loaf of bread” with an assist from Captain Gerardo, but he said, “When you’re 75-years-old you can’t be blamed for holding a big fish like that! Great catch from Paul. It was his first and he released it. The big roosters are still around this late in the season!

PHOTO 7: Captain Moncho (Raymond) poses with Ed “Sunny” De La Torre who spent 3 days flyfishing with us on his first trip down. He admitted he was a rookie on the flyrod but got numerous pompano, his first rooster and well as dorado on the flyrod and had a great time.

PHOTO 8: Willy Domingo from San Jose CA was trolling a plastic hoochie on the surface with 30 pound test line. No wire. When this wahoo bit, not 50 feet from the shore! As it was being fought, another wahoo twice the size swam around the boat eating chunked squid, but nothing with a hook. The wahoo was a great surprise. Sed Roldan of Hacienda Heights CA, cradles his prized barred pargo he caught on a piece of squid off the Las Arenas lighthouse.

PHOTO 9: Kevin Lang and George Nichols show off two of their dorado caught flylining baits south or Muertos Bay SE of La Paz.

PHOTO 10: Here’s the fish that made Las Arenas famous being held by Chris Blair and one of the best rooster captains in our fleet and in the area, Captain Archangel. This beauty was released to grow larger, but fish like this are still prowling the sandy shallows near the lighthouse!

PHOTO 11: Another solid beauty of a roosterfish! Rod Brown from Alaska visits us each year and loves fishing with Captain Jorge, for obvious reasons. Check out the rooster. Las Arenas is considered the “roosterfish capital of the world.” This fish was released.

PHOTO 12: Look carefully. I’ve never seen it photographed before and it’s a shame I can’t make the photo larger, but there’s about a dozen dorado in the water boiling on bait in a feeding frenzy! Get them going like this and it could be non-stop high-flying action for hours!

PHOTO 13: On the left Paul Scheuring from Mill Valley. Middle is Mike Ting from Redwood Shores. On the right is Fernando Sucre also from Redwood City. Showing of a brace of dorado headed to the hotel kitchen for a cook out. The guys caught these dorado north of La Paz

PHOTO 14: Don’t go in the water! This is the beak of one of these aggressive hungry giant squid. Easily snap off a finger or when groups get together tear apart fish and yes…even people! These hunters are canibalistic and even eat each other! This beak is what is in the middle of all those tentacles!

VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

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PHOTO 1: THE BEASTS ARE BACK! I”m referring to the squid, not our two angler buddies from Boston…Mike “Moogie” Alperin and Joe Abrams. For two weeks not the big uglies have been off the Las Arenas area and range up to 60 pounds!

THEY’RE NOT BIG BUT THERE’S ALOT OF THEM! DORADO AGAIN CENTER STAGE WITH BIG SQUID GARNERING LOT OF INTEREST TOO!

La Paz / Las Arenas Fishing Report for the week of Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2008

PHOTO 2: From Denver, Dave Van Steenkiste came down for his first La Paz foray and did some great fishing including this excellent bull dorado, one of the largest this week. He was fishing just south of Muertos Bay.

PHOTO 3: Our amigo, Nathan Chow, has been down numerous times with us and always does well. He got this nice female dorado while fishing north of La Paz. Nathan is from Fremont CA

PHOTO 4: A happy bunch after their first day of fishing, Steve Meyers, George Nichols, Kevin Lang (hiding behind the dorado) and Steve Delot hold some of their catch including the giant squid held by George.

PHOTO 5: Yes, the big roosters are still around. Mike Alperin was our rooster king of the week with several big guys caught and released this week including this big guy taken not far from Las Arenas beach. Captain Adolfo helps out. Mike released all fish and specializes in light tackle. He’s from the Boston area and this was his second trip out to see us this year.

PHOTO 6: Also down for their 2nd trip of the season are Craig and Cathy Corda from the San Diego area. Note Cathy’s new pink rod!

PHOTO 7: This seemed to be a week for returning amigos! Roger Van Steenkiste on the far left from Arizona comes to visit us twice a year. He was just here in August. Here’s he’s back again terrorizing the fish schools. Next to him are: Mike Reber, Greg Van Steenkiste, Jay Dawe, David Van Steenkiste and Olin Martin. Over 4 days, the group caught and released scores of dorado.

PHOTO 8: On is first trip with us, Joe “Flash” Abrams holds up one of the many schoolie roosterfish still holding along the beaches around La Paz. Great fun on light tackle. Joe and his amigos released a majority of their fish including all roosters.

PHOTO 9: La Paz in the house! Two of our La Paz amigos, Aurelio and Carlos know exactly what’s going on the barbecue tonite. They got an easy limit of dorado not 200 yards from the beach and stopped fishing after only 2 hours.

PHOTO 10: Don’t go in the water. This is what a 50 pound squid looks like going through it’s color changes before being brought aboard after coming up from the deep. These are not “cute.” These things can and will hurt you.

PHOTO 11: I told Dave Van Steenkiste to bring his flyrod out on the panga. Right off the bat, his first two fish on the flyrod are dorado! That’s Cerralvo Island in the background.

PHOTO 12: Left to right, Randy Nakayama (Fullerton CA), Derrick Tagawa (Whittier CA), Mark Kojima (Hacienda Hts CA) with some of their dorado catch as well as one of the big squid they took just south of Punta Arenas lighthouse SE of La Paz

PHOTO 13: This is Chuck and Jennifer Applegarth from San Luis Obispo CA showing their first-day catch standing on the sand at Las Arenas. Flurries of breezing dorado can quickly turn into a feeding frenzy of colorful fish.

VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK

Turn up the sound and click the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXAPrTAzMVY

THE FISH REPORT

Well, if you wanted to catch a dorado or a big squid (big enough to eat you!), this was certainly the week. Probably 90 percent of the catch this week was dorado. To get the dorado, you often had to catch the big squid. What a way to start the day…pulling a 40, 50, 60 pound squid up from several hundred feet down in the hot sun! It’s a workout!

But, let’s start with the dorado bite. OK…there are a lot of dorado around here right now. There’s not a lot of big ones. Normally, this time of the year, our average dorado STARTS at 20 pounds and goes up to 60. The AVERAGE size dorado is a 30 pounder. Not so the last few weeks. A 20 pound mahi is pretty big for now. Most of the fish are in the 10-15 pound class. However, lacking in quality, the schools have been making up for it in QUANTITY. Although it doesn’t happen every day and you can miss the school or have a slow day, don’t be surprised if you run into a school where you can hook and release 20 or 30 fish at a time! Bottom line, everyone who wants a dorado is getting dorado.

The dorado areas are scattered. Basically, if you have a bait in the water, you never know if a dorado will bite. The competition for the food is fierce and they’re willing to bite the big squid in chunks, live sardines, lures and strips of bonito as well.

For the squid, the guys fishing Las Arenas are getting big huge! Check out the photos. There have been squid even larger! Catching them right out of the chute in the morning is the way to go then using chunks for the dorado to get them going. Also, save some of that squid meat! Guys are taking huge slabs home in their ice chests for calamari.

For other species…sorry…no tuna this past week. I can’t imagine where they are, but this is normally a good time for the yellowfin. Maybe by the time you’re reading this, the tuna bite could crank up!

As you can see, we’ve still got some chunky roosterfish around! Fish the beaches. Most of these fishe are getting released and we’ve gotten some solid 50 pounders this past week.

Marlin and sails still around, but all four billfish…black marlin, blue marlin, striped marlin and sailfish are all in the waters feeding on all the small dorado and bonito.

That’s our story!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

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

Phone: (626) 333-3355

FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico

“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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