June 21, 2015 by riplipboy

TRIPPING ON TRAVEL INSURANCE?
Originally Published the Week of June 23, 2015 in Western Outdoor News
A lot of you are like me. You run through the airport from Point A to Point B. Run…run…run!
You got your boarding pass in hand. Your suitcase, tackle and rod tubes are in the “gentle hands” of baggage handlers. Depending on the time of day, you get to the gate and your most critical concern is getting to either Starbucks for your morning latte or to the nearest airport sportsbar to wrap your hands around something icy. Let vacation begin!
You pass all the usual airport hot spots.
Nope, don’t need See’s candy. Don’t need a magazine or novel. You don’t need a souvenier t-shirt either.
And you run by the booth that says “Travel Insurance.” You give it a glance but not a second thought.
That was me for years. I didn’t even know what it was. I didn’t really care either. What could possibly go wrong? It’s vacation for criminy-sakes!
But, after a zillion miles of travel…after working here in Baja for 2 decades and over 1000 fishing clients-a-year…regretfully, stuff does happen.
Honest, it’s rare! Don’t panic. You probably have a greater chance of getting in an accident on the way to the airport than something critical happening on vacation.
But, for the same reason, we all have car insurance and home insurance, you’re playing those slim odds. It’s better to have it and not need it…than to need it and not have it!
And, the longer I’m in this business, the more I see the value in it. Because stuff happens. Life happens.
I’ve seen medical emergencies like busted legs and fingers; Appendicitis; allergic reactions; heart problems; diabetic problems; heatstroke, hooks-in-fingers; inspect bites; slip-and-fall; etc.
Some are just accidents. No one’s fault. Some could have been prevented by the person or perhaps with just a little less alcohol consumption.
There are others like lost luggage; lost medications (or forgotten medications!) and then there’s canceled flights; missed flights: fender-benders and hotel problems (one hotel decided to go on strike several years ago and simply locked clients out of their rooms!).
And then there are the weather-related situations (“acts of God”) that simply happen. There are hurricanes or smaller weather-related situations that can cause part or entire vacation cancelations.
Last week there were two days when the Port Captain simply did not let any boats out of the marina because it was too rough. You just never know.
Last year, when devastating hurricane Odile that slammed into Baja with historic impact, many of the items in the list above were quite evident.
There are still folks waiting for refunds and credits and having to deal with that nightmare. Some inexpensive travel insurance can help alleviate much of that.
Living here in Baja, where facilities might not always be the best, I’ll tell you…we have medical insurance that covers us. Jill also purchased a policy whereby in the event of a serious catastrophy like storm or civil unrest, etc. and we’re sitting on our rooftop, they will basically send in the Seal Team 6 to evacuate us out.
While that might be a bit extreme for the majority, regular trip insurance is pretty economical. And it saves a lot of headaches.
Because, let me tell you…getting refunds from many operators in Mexico is non-existent or very difficult.
Many simply don’t offer any refunds. Some may take months. (Do you really want to spend all that frustrating time on long-distance calls and e-mails? How good is your conversational Spanish? ).
In extreme situations, it will probably cost you more to bring legal action even if your booking agent is American based, let alone trying to sue an operator in Mexico. Litigation in Mexico is a maze you don’t want to get into. Danger. Danger!
Airlines are big and handle things like this all the time, but you still may have to jump through hoops.
A major hotel chain like the Marriot or other international chains may give you some relief. They can be really great…or not.
Or they’ll tell you that you have to deal directly with the local hotel franchise in which case you better get ready for some anxiety time. You can pretty much forget it if you booked at Jose’s Cantina and Palapa Hotel. Good luck reaching Jose!
If you google “Trip Insurance” you’ll be surprised.
You can actually insure against all of these crisis pretty easily and even “doctor” the policy to cover only the things you need. You can individualize medical, luggage, transporation, activities, etc.
Or, you can simply get a comprehensive policy that covers everything!
Just for example, I found one online plan to cover a hypothetical trip to Mexico for one week from the U.S. I estimated the cost of the trip at $2000 ($400 for airlines and the rest for hotel, fishing, diving, etc.).
For $72, the policy included things like:
$2000 in trip cancelation / $2000 in trip interruption
Terrorism coverage
$500 baggage lost
$200 baggage delay
$150 for more than 6 hours travel delay up to $300
$10,000 medical ($50 deductible)
$500 dental (never know when that flare up happens or you crack a tooth on ice)
$50,000 medical evacuation
And, I could adjust any of those areas for paying a bit more or a bit less!
For $500, I almost hoped they lose my bag with Walmart brand underwear, socks and my toothbrush and toothpaste!
And there are many other plans as well from a myriad of insurance carriers. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of pain. Something to think about next time!
That’s my story!

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
______________
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor
Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
Posted in airlines, aquaculture, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, car, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charity, charters, chubasco, circle hooks, Dehydration, donations, dorado, driving, east cape, ecotourism, el nino, el sargento, espirito santo, family, farm-raised, fish, fish farming, fish pens, Fishing, fishing blogs, fishing hooks, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, green, Heat stroke, highway, history, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, hurricane, hurricanes, ice chests, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, los barriles, luggage, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico Christmas, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, missions, outfitters, pack for a purpose, packages, packing, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, passport, planning, pompano, rental car, rentals, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, San Jose del Cabo, saving money, Sea of Cortez, seafood, sierra, spearfishing, sportfishing, squid fishing, storm, storms, suitcases, Sun stroke, sustainable, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, transpeninsular highway, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, vacations, vehicle, wahoo, waterspouts, weather, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail | Tagged accommodations, activities, amberjack, bahia, baja, baja editor, baja sur, bars, bay, beach, billfish, blogs, blue water, bonito, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, catch and release, Central Washington Sportsmans show, cerralvo, certified scale, charter, children, chubasco, costa baja, day tour, deep sea, del mar fairgrounds, discount, dog tooth, dorado, east cape, eco tour, el sargento, espirito santo, extreme fishing, family, fish, fishing and boating shows, fishing and hunting shows, fishing sportfishing, flyfishing, fred hall, free dive, get-away, girls, grey whales, grouper, guide, guide service, holiday, hotel, hotel marina, hotel perla, hotel seven crown, hunting, hurricanes, idaho sportsman’s show, igfa, images, inshore, International Game Fish Association, international sportsmans expo, ise, isla, island, jack crevalle, jillene roldan, jilly roldan, Jonathan Roldan, kids, la ventana, las arenas, light tackle, live bait, lodging, los barriles, mahi mahi, marlin, mexican, mexico, muertos, northwest sportsmans show, offshore, outfitter, pack for a purpose, package, panga, panga slam, pargo, photos, pompano, portland expo center, Puyallup Fairgrounds, reef fish, reports, restaurants, rockfish, rooster fish, rooster fish foundation, sailfish, saltwater, san jose del cabo, scuba, sea bass, sea of cortez, sealions, shuttle, sierra, snapper, snorkel, spearfish, storms, suenos, swim, tackle, Tailhunter International, tailhunter restaurant bar, techniques, tips, tour, tourism, travel, travel insurance, trolling, tuna, tuna jackpot tournament, updates, vacation, video, wahoo, Washington Sportsmans Show, weather, western outdoor news, whale watching, whales, whaleshark, wife, women, yellowtail | Leave a Comment »
June 7, 2015 by riplipboy

Looking ominous!
STAY OR GO?
Originally Published the Week of June 9, 2015 in Western Outdoor News
You’ve been looking forward to this Baja fishing vacation for ages. You’re all set. Baja is calling you. You can taste that frosty margarita and you’ve packed and re-packed your fishing gear a zillion times.
Checklist. Passport? Got it. Toothbrush? Check. Hat and camera? Roger. Extra socks. Are you kidding? Extra underwear? Hmmmm…nah…you’ll just rinse your shorts in the sink. Unnecessary clothes add weight that could be used for packing fish on the way home!
Even moreso, you’ve promised your boss, co-workers and your mother-in-law you’d bring them all some fish. However, the minute you walk out that door, you’re turning off your cell phone and e-mails.
You’re already humming Jimmy Buffet tunes.
And then, you hear the news. What? Oh no. A storm? A hurricane? Rain on MY vacation? No! No! No! Please oh please no!
It starts with a little blurb on CNN or the little rolling banner at the bottom of the TV screen. But, it’s a slow news day and now your evening news picks it up too. A dozen words of dread. You would swear they did it just to jab you.
“In other news, for you vacationers, there could be a big storm brewing a thousand miles south of Cabo San Lucas. And now back to Joe on the scene with his story about talking monkeys…”
And pretty soon, everyone on your Facebook page is telling you about it because, of course, they all know you’re headed to Baja! They start sending you graphic images of the weather map showing the tell-tale whirling cloud clusters. As if you didn’t know.
Your e-mail box is getting pinged as well. Well-meaning or envious friends are writing.
“Hey, duuuude, I think you’re screwed. Did you know that there’s this big storm…” Man, that’s not cool.”
Whoa…underwear is really bunching up. This can’t be happening. You’re trying to get some answers and the folks who booked you may or may not be responding. Your buddies are getting into panic mode as well. Rumors are flying.
“Man, I heard from a friend of a friend who was reading online that…”
“The word around town is that…”
This is snowballing. Badly. How do you calm your beating heart and reduce the pucker factor?
Well, keep trying to get in touch with your charter or hotel or booking agent, or whoever booked you. This is where it helps to have someone who actually lives where you are going. An agent who lives in Seattle might not be much help.
Remember that they have a vested interest in you coming down. No one likes handing back refunds. So, take their opinion with a grain of salt and accept it for what it is. The good ones will give you an honest assessment of the pros and cons so YOU can make an informed decision.
Get online and look up the weather forecast yourself! It seems like the most logical thing, but many folks don’t take that first step. There are websites a-plenty including the National Weather Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and many others.
Even for those of us who live here, believe me. We don’t have mystic powers. We look at those services as well. That’s how we get our weather information. So go straight to the source. If you ask us, we’re often going to give you the same information you can see for yourself.
That doesn’t mean you should discount what your outfitter, captain or charter guy says. Sometimes, there’s a lot of value to having someone simply stick their head out the window and tell you if they see storm clouds or bright sunshine!
Your nightly news might have grabbed the story, but a storm 1000 miles away can do many things before it hits landfall. It could easily peter out. It could veer off. It could turn into a drizzle.
Don’t get worked up for no reason or without all the facts. Or for something that isn’t even a certainty.
Call your airlines. If they are flying in, chances are, it’s OK. But it’s just one more bit of fact to weigh-in.
Here in La Paz, we had something like 18 storm warnings last year in an El Nino season. Only a handful ever dropped rain on us although one of them was a doozy and became the historic hurricane named “Odile.”
As I write this, there’s a storm warning. “Blanca”is heading our way. Everyone is jumpy. The weather forecast changes by the hour. Angst runs high. The memory of what Odile did to us is still fresh.
It’s the 2nd such storm in about that many weeks. The last one, “Andrea” got everyone worked up too.
When it “hit” us…there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Not a drop of rain. In 4 days, it went “poof!” Adios. Andrea did rain on someone’s parade way out in the Pacific, but not on Baja. We fished as usual.
With lower Baja so close to the equator, storms can just be part of life. It’s tropical. Storms blow through. With this current El Nino weather pattern, more storms than normal will be around.
Storms come up sometimes with zero notice and unleash for 15 minutes then disappear. It can be raining in one area, but 100 yards away no rain falls at all.
The weather forcast can show “rain”, but it rains in the mountains 20 miles away which are technically part of the city. In the city folks ar eating ice-cream cones with not a cloud in the sky.
That’s when simply asking someone to look out the window can be worth it’s weight in pesos.
Get all the facts. Make a good decision before you cancel your plans and have to tell your boss you’re not bringing him any fish.
That’s my story!

Jonathan
_______________
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
______________
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor
Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
Posted in airlines, aquaculture, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, car, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charity, charters, chubasco, circle hooks, Dehydration, donations, dorado, driving, east cape, ecotourism, el nino, el sargento, espirito santo, family, farm-raised, fish, fish farming, fish pens, Fishing, fishing blogs, fishing hooks, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, green, Heat stroke, highway, history, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, hurricanes, ice chests, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, los barriles, luggage, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico Christmas, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, missions, outfitters, pack for a purpose, packages, packing, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, passport, planning, pompano, rental car, rentals, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, San Jose del Cabo, saving money, Sea of Cortez, seafood, sierra, spearfishing, sportfishing, squid fishing, storms, suitcases, Sun stroke, sustainable, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, transpeninsular highway, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, vacations, vehicle, wahoo, waterspouts, weather, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail | Tagged amberjack, bahia, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, baja, baja fishing, bay, billfish, blogs, bonito, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, catch and release, cerralvo, Cerralvo Island, charter, charters, children, chubascos, discount, dog tooth, dorado, east cape, el sargento, espirito santo, Espiritu Santo Island, expatriates in mexico, family, fish, Fishing, fishing charters, fishing reports, Fishing Techniques, flyfishing, freediving, gringos in mexico, guide, holiday, holidays, hurricanes, igfa, images, inshore, international, ise, isla, island, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, light tackle, Light Tackle Fishing, live bait, living in Mexico, los barriles, mahi mahi, marlin, mexican, mexican culture, mexican life, mexico, muertos, outfitter, outfitters, packages, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, pompano, reports, roosterfish, sailfish, san jose del cabo, scuba, sea of cortez, sierra, snapper, snorkel, spearfishing, sportfishing, suenos, tackle, tailhunter, Tailhunter International, techniques, tips, tours, travel, tuna, vacation, vacations, video, wahoo, western outdoor news, wife, women, yellowtail | Leave a Comment »
May 23, 2015 by riplipboy

DREAMS SO CLOSE
Originally Published the Week of May 26, 2015 in Western Outdoor News
Everyone has story. One of the joys of living here in Baja is finding out how other folks ended up here cast upon these frontier shores. I get asked all the time.
As interesting as some folks might think my own exodus is, I think other people have a far more compelling tale.
We’ve all heard the stories of undocumented folks who braved the fences, the coyotes, the elements, law enforcement and more to come to the U.S. I don’t want to get into the ugly politics of all that. It’s a big issue no doubt.
Jaime is a young man, I often see down at the fishing docks. We often chat. He picks up odd jobs cleaning boats and doing light maintenance around the docks. At night, he works part-time as a bartender.
“I make about $20/day when there’s work. Sometimes, there’s no work.”
Jaime grew up in Loreto. Dad took off. Mom passed away early. He had a younger brother and they moved in with a kindly tia…auntie…who had her own hard-scrabble life, but took them in.
As a kid he loved working on the fishing boats and pangas and often got invited to be an ayudante (deckhand) as he got older. He got pretty good. The extra money from the gringos helped a lot.
An older gringo with a small cruiser took a shine to the smart youngster and his fishing talents. With each passing season, Jaime fished more and more with the gringo.
From ayudante, he found himself running the boat and charters for the gringo. The bond became quite paternal. It was hard not to like this skinny good-natured-hard-working kid with the big smile.
Just after his 18th birthday, the gringo bought him a ticket to visit him in Las Vegas. Jaime had never really gone to far beyond the rusticity of Loreto so you can imagine the impression Las Vegas had on the young man.
The Gringo had a flourishing air-conditioning business there in the desert of high-rises and neon. A widower for many years, he had a big house and a big heart.
He asked Jaime to stay. Over the next few years, he taught Jaime to repair air-conditioners. He enrolled him in night courses to get his high school GED. The bright Jaime was a quick-study. He also proudly got his citizenship.
“I was so happy. It was like a dream come true to come from living in an old block and wood house in Loreto to having a job and education and being part of the a great country.” He looked wistfully away. “I was making sixty-dollars-an-hour and it was like being a king.”
He always had an interest in marine biology and planned to enroll at the UNLV.
He applied for loans and grants, but while waiting to enroll he was so motivated, “I would go to the university and just sit in on math and science classes and take a desk in the back so I could listen. It was so interesting and exciting. I couldn’t wait.”
Then, he got a collect call from his brother who was still back in Loreto.
After all those years, dad had shown up again. Kid brother was living with dad. Kid brother had gotten into some trouble and had called from jail. Dad had a heart attack and died.
Please come home to help. You’re needed.
Dutifully, Jaime packed up for a short trip back to Loreto.
In the ensuing weeks, he spent all his money taking care of his father’s funeral and affairs. He lent money to other family and friends. Everyone had a hand out. His brother’s legal woes drained the rest.
Eventually, he ended up here in La Paz at one of the larger hotels. Trying to earn enough money to go “home” to the U.S. while working as a maintenance worker wasn’t going to be easy.
And then, he got a phone call from Las Vegas.
The gringo had suddenly passed away from a stroke. There was no place to go home to now.
Jaime worked two years struggling and trying to make ends meet on Mexican minimum wage which was about $8 a day.
“I think of how lucky I had been to live in the United States and how much I missed my friend and the work. It seemed my dreams had come true.”
And then the hotel went on strike. And the doors closed. The hotel held all his funds and benefits in their accounts. And he was out of work.
It has been 7 years now. The hotel has never re-opened. He still holds hope that someone will buy the hotel and his funds will be released. Interest has been accruing and he says, “It’s enough to go back to the United States.”
But, it doesn’t look promising.
So, he bounces from odd jobs to odd jobs. His work ethic hasn’t changed and he’s creative and industrious…and hopeful.
“To me, I had it all. I’m stuck here but I still have the American dream of being better. I still want to go to school and be a marine biologist. With God’s help…
His voice trails off. He sighs.
“I have to go clean some boats,” he says. And walks off.
The news is packed with stories of those who arrive illegally and stay. Some try to do it the right way. And still the dream eludes. So close…
That’s my story!

_______________
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
______________
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor
Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
24.141593
-110.338559
Posted in Baja, fishing blogs, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz, Mexico | Tagged amberjack, bahia, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, baja, baja fishing, billfish, blogs, bonito, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, catch and release, Cerralvo Island, charter, charters, children, discount, dog tooth, dorado, east cape, el sargento, espirito santo, Espiritu Santo Island, expatriates in mexico, family, fish, Fishing, fishing charters, fishing reports, Fishing Techniques, flyfishing, gringos in mexico, guide, holiday, holidays, igfa, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz, Light Tackle Fishing, live bait, living in Mexico, los barriles, marlin, mexico, Tailhunter International, video, western outdoor news | Leave a Comment »
May 10, 2015 by riplipboy

On any given day in the Sea of Cortez, anything can happen!
PREPARE FOR THE WORST?
Originally Published the Week of May 14, 2015 in Western Outdoor News
I’m often asked about what kind of gear to bring or for suggestions about gear for coming to fish here in Baja. Depending on the time of year, location, or species sought, that response can get pretty lengthy.
Given what airlines charge for travelling with your gear and just all the hassle of hauling it around, there’s a thin line between bringing too much stuff and not enough. Of course, we want to bring ALL our toys to play with, right?
There’s that old saying about “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” When that’s applied to Baja fishing that doesn’t have to be so cryptically sinister or mean anything bad.
To me, that means if you’re going to put a bait or lure in Baja waters, you never know what’s going to happen. Be prepared for the “worst” …to get your backside kicked and handed to you at any time or any place!
I’m reminded of a time when I was out on the panga perhaps almost 20-years-ago. I was personally guiding an amigo who wanted to go out and fish light tackle.
Being from Washington, the guy brought a lengthy salmon rod…small…thin…whippy and about 8’ long. It was rigged with 20-pound test.
With my captain on the tiller, we motored out’ve the small bay. We had just passed over the drop-off where the turquoise waters gradually turned to the deep cobalt of the Sea of Cortez. We were still within a few hundred yards of the shore.
Anything can happen.
A few tossed handfuls of sardines and we got swarmed by a school of small dorado. My guy pinned on a bait. Fish on! Instant bendo.
On the light rod, it was a kick. I kept the fish around with chum. He caught and released 1…2…3 fish and had the biggest grin. This was exactly what he came for. “This is better than salmon fishing for sure!” he grunted between lifting and cranking.
Fish number four took a deep dive under the panga and my guy leaned hard into the thin rod as it strained in a near-parabolic arc. The drag sang.
And then it stopped. And the strain on the rod diminished although the line remained taught. Strangely the line was coming up. At a weird angle.
Suddenly, my captains started yelling, “Marlina grande! Marlina grande.”
There off the starboard side a big marlin came up through the blue. Like a big greyish-blue submarine surfacing through the depths, the marlin was laconically swimming aside us.
And it had a small dorado in crosswise in it’s mouth! And my guy’s hook was in the in the mouth of the dorado! And the drag started to squeal again…Oh-oh…
“What do I do?” he yelled.
I instructed him to keep a high stick and told the captain to start the motor! It’s not like this kind of thing happens to me all the time.
And there we were, now attached to a dorado… that was attached to a marlin seemingly happily making it’s way. It was like a big aquatic dog that has a big bone in it’s mouth. Not a care in the world.
My guy couldn’t set the hook. The hook was in the dorado. All he would do was hang on! And that’s what we did as the big marlin leisurely bulled through the small waves oblivious to us.
No one was gonna believe this. What could we do? Watch and grin. It wasn’t exactly under our control at this point.
After about 50 yards, the big fish started submerging on a gentle decline. In no particular hurry it was headed deeper.
The rod and reel took on the full weight of the fish.
“I can still feel the dorado shaking his head!” said my fisherman incredulously.
Wow. I figured this wasn’t going to last long. Something was going to give. I mean, 20-pound-test-line and a salmon rod is like hunting elephants with a b.b. gun.
Down went the big fish. Out spun the line. The rod strained, arched and doubled and looked like it was going to break as we stopped the panga. The entire front end of the rod was now in the water. I had no doubts who would win this tug-of-war!
Then…SPROING! The rod suddenly went slack. Oh no! The inevitable happened. Story-book fish gone!
All three of us momentarily exhaled in a communal shrug. Limp rod. Limp line. Happy but limp spirits to go with it.
And then the rod suddenly arched again and the line zinged tight…And we were on again!
And, in the time it took to type this sentence…a wahoo goes ballistic out’ve the water snagged on the hook and line!
WHOA!!! And before the words could barely leave our mouths. SNAP! The line cut.
And the waters went silent. And the rod went straight…again. And we looked at each other…again. And broke out laughing.
No one would ever believe this. A sardine bait became a dorado…became a marlin…became a wahoo. Became an incredible story.
You just never know what’s gonna happen when you fish Baja waters. Prepare for the “worst!” But really. Nothing could have prepared us for what happened that day.
That’s my story!

Jonathan
_______________
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
______________
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor
Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged amberjack, bahia, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, baja, baja fishing, bay, billfish, blogs, bonito, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, catch and release, cerralvo, Cerralvo Island, charter, charters, children, discount, dog tooth, dorado, east cape, el sargento, espirito santo, Espiritu Santo Island, expatriates in mexico, family, fish, Fishing, fishing charters, fishing reports, Fishing Techniques, flyfishing, freediving, gringos in mexico, guide, holiday, holidays, igfa, images, inshore, international, ise, isla, island, jack crevalle, jillene roldan, Jonathan Roldan, kids, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, light tackle, Light Tackle Fishing, live bait, living in Mexico, los barriles, mahi mahi, marlin, mexican, mexican culture, mexican life, mexico, muertos, outfitter, outfitters, packages, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, pompano, reports, roldan, roosterfish, sailfish, san jose del cabo, scuba, sea of cortez, sierra, snapper, snorkel, spearfishing, sportfishing, suenos, tackle, tailhunter, Tailhunter International, techniques, tips, tours, travel, tuna, vacation, vacations, video, wahoo, western outdoor news, wife, women, yellowtail | Leave a Comment »
April 26, 2015 by riplipboy
AFTER HOURS
Originally Published the Week of April 29, 2015 in Western Outdoor News
I’m sure it’s happened to all of us. Just when you think you know someone, your entire perception of them gets flipped topsy-turvy. Perception is not always reality.
Many people visit their favorite places in Baja over and over. They come to know certain people…their favorite taxi driver…bartender…waiter…fishing captain. It’s like visting an old friend.
But, beyond the context of being on the water; or chatting at the bar or being driven from the hotel to the beach, we often don’t think about lives beyond the workplace when the salty fishing clothes come off. When the bar glasses are put away or after the apron and order pads are in the drawer after a long day.
Captain Hector had worked for me for a decade. Great guy. Great fisherman. Solid panga captain.
The clients always asked for him.
Every day, he came to the beach in his half-rusted mini-truck. Faded baseball hat. Khaki work pants. The fabric thin and clean, but stained from use. Pantlegs rolled up to his calves over barefeet. The standard panga captain “uniform,” if you will.
I thought I knew him pretty well. Ten years, of course!
Until one day I had to go to his house to bring him some things from one of the clients. My first time. I had called and told him I was coming to drop some things off.
Living in an outlying area an hour away from La Paz City, it’s pretty rustic. We had to dodge a few cows as we snaked and bounced through the Baja desert scrub along a road that couldn’t decide if it was gravel, arroyo or a bin of fine powdery dust.
As I pulled up the dirt driveway, some yardwalker chickens ran through the dust. A dog, presumably Captain Hectors, came up to happily check out the visitor.
The yard was hard-packed dirt surrounded partially by a thorny perimeter of cactus. The rest was a make-shift barbed-wire fence staked to the ground by an assortment of boards, tree branches and metal.
A few gnarled hearty desert trees seemed to have scratched out a living here and there providing some manner of shade.
A faded soccer ball, old tires, a half-rusted boat trailer with one axle on blocks, and plastic 5-gallon buckets held court around the casa. The battered mini-truck was parked next to the fence. Hood up. Laundry hung motionless from a 3-wire clothesline in the hot breezeless afternoon. A tired nylon cast net also lay draped over the wires to dry.
The house was grey concrete block seemingly perched on an equally gray plain concrete slab. A palm-fronned palapa roof shaded the porch. A TV with a soccer game could been seen through the open-front door.
And beautiful splashes of color added Monet-like dashes of vibrancy…
Several full vines of bougainvillea spread an umbrella of electric fuschia up one wall and then cascaded down a sloping roofline. Potted plants with cactus flowers lined the porches and walkway. Colorful bedsheets hanging in the windows caught the occasional whisp of cross-breeeze. They would have made a minimalist designer proud.
But, none more surprisingly colorful than the man I found hanging suspended in a homemade hammock between two porch columns. One leg dangling over the side. One hand wrapped around a cerveza bottle.
The man who peeked over the rim bore no resemblance to the weathered saltero who had fished for us for 10 years.
“Que onda, hermano!” said Captin Hector as he pulled slowly upright clearly doing the Mexican equivalent of “Miller time” now that the workday was done. “Wassup?”
“Hay cervezas en la hielera,” he indicated with a nod towards a battered Igloo on the porch. “There’s beer in the ice chest.”
Hector had on a pink polo shirt. A pair of nice board shorts and some styling flip flops. A clean blue Yankees baseball hat topped off the designer sunglasses on his grinning face.
Who IS this guy?
I grabbed a cold one and dragged a bleached plastic Corona chair over to the hammock. I flicked a pesky fly buzzing my head.
I plopped down. We tapped long-necks with an audible clink. ..the universal salute of the “brotherhood of brewdom.” The first chilly pour burned the back of my throat. Ahhhh… I put my feet up.
Over the next hour, I learned more about Captain Hector than I had in several hundred days on the water with him. Captain. Husband. Dad. Baseball pitcher. King of the barbecue! Not much unlike guys all over the world.
Raised on the waters around Cerralvo Island, he had been fishing since age 6 with his dads, uncles and older cousins in the same way they had fished with their fathers. First commercially. Then, he learned how to fish with the gringos.
He told me, “You get very good when food on the table depends on catching fish!” He grinned and took another swig.
He had never fished any other waters for 47 years. His “area” was defined by how far his outboard motor and liters of gas could take him. In fact, he only visited La Paz, an hour away, only a few times a year.
He had been to Cabo San Lucas or other “big cities” only a handful of times.
“Why? Everything is here. We live very simply!”
He had no desire to every fly in an airplane. He thinks the United States is a good friend, but says he doesn’t need to visit although he would like to see a real baseball game someday especially if it were “Los Yahn-kees or Los Doy-yers” Yankees or Dodgers.
“I have a satellite dish and I can now see the world while sitting in my underwear, “ he laughed.
Fishing has been good to him, but had no wish for his kids to take up the hard and unpredictable life and the whims of nature.
He is proudest of having raised three kids and put them all through college on what he earned on the water.
“Our home used to have dirt floors and that is how the kids were raised, but my wife kept everyone clean. But now one kid is a teacher. One is an accountant. One is a dentist.”
He beams but there is some sadness since all of them have moved to big cities for work and he sees them rarely. His youngest helps him at fishing, but wants to be an artist.
But his passion? Not fishing.
It’s Baseball and he says he is the best pitcher in his pueblo. All of them are fishermen. Years of throwing bait as chum has honed his arm. He is the star pitcher of the village. “Somos los campiones” We are the champions. His team of neighbor fishermen play “los rancheros” (farmers) in the neighboring pueblos.
“Ellos no tienen una chanza!” he claimed with typical macho braggodacio after another swig of beer and and did an exaggerated flex of his right bicep…his pitching arm. “They have no chance.” Another good laugh. Me too.
Some delicious spicy-sweet aromas were wafting from the kitchen. My stomach rumbled. A light afternoon breeze had started moving the bougainvillea.
“Vas a quedar por cena, amigo. Rosa esta cocinando mole de pollo muy rico Su especialidad.” Said Hector proudly. “You’re staying for dinner. Rosa is making her delicious specialty chicken mole.”
How could I refuse? I reached for another beer. No hurry. No worries. Just killing time after hours. But getting to know a friend.
That’s my story!

Jonathan
_______________
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
______________
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor
Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
Posted in airlines, aquaculture, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, car, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charity, charters, chubasco, circle hooks, Dehydration, donations, dorado, driving, east cape, ecotourism, el nino, el sargento, espirito santo, family, farm-raised, fish, fish farming, fish pens, Fishing, fishing blogs, fishing hooks, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, green, Heat stroke, highway, history, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, hurricanes, ice chests, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, los barriles, luggage, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico Christmas, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, missions, outfitters, pack for a purpose, packages, packing, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, passport, planning, pompano, rental car, rentals, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, San Jose del Cabo, saving money, Sea of Cortez, seafood, sierra, spearfishing, sportfishing, squid fishing, storms, suitcases, Sun stroke, sustainable, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, transpeninsular highway, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, vacations, vehicle, wahoo, waterspouts, weather, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail | Tagged accommodations, activities, amberjack, bahia, baja, baja editor, baja sur, bars, bay, beach, billfish, blogs, blue water, bonito, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, catch and release, Central Washington Sportsmans show, cerralvo, certified scale, charter, children, chubasco, costa baja, day tour, deep sea, del mar fairgrounds, discount, dog tooth, dorado, east cape, eco tour, el sargento, espirito santo, extreme fishing, family, fish, fishing and boating shows, fishing and hunting shows, fishing sportfishing, flyfishing, fred hall, free dive, get-away, girls, grey whales, grouper, guide, guide service, holiday, hotel, hotel marina, hotel perla, hotel seven crown, hunting, idaho sportsman’s show, igfa, images, inshore, International Game Fish Association, international sportsmans expo, ise, isla, island, jack crevalle, jillene roldan, jilly roldan, Jonathan Roldan, kids, la ventana, las arenas, light tackle, live bait, lodging, los barriles, mahi mahi, marlin, mexican, mexico, muertos, northwest sportsmans show, offshore, outfitter, package, panga, panga slam, pargo, photos, pompano, portland expo center, Puyallup Fairgrounds, reef fish, reports, restaurants, rockfish, rooster fish, rooster fish foundation, sailfish, saltwater, san jose del cabo, scuba, sea bass, sea of cortez, sealions, shuttle, sierra, snapper, snorkel, spearfish, suenos, swim, tackle, Tailhunter International, tailhunter restaurant bar, techniques, tips, tour, tourism, travel, trolling, tuna, tuna jackpot tournament, updates, vacation, video, wahoo, Washington Sportsmans Show, weather, western outdoor news, whale watching, whales, whaleshark, wife, women, yellowtail | Leave a Comment »
April 12, 2015 by riplipboy

My esteemed predecessors who authored books and penned columns and articles for many magazines, and newspapers including Western Outdoor News where I’ve written their Baja column since 2006.

Hard to believe? This is what Cabo looked like back in 1961!

Two pioneers, Ray Cannon with Lou Federico who put built the famous Punta Chivato Hotel out’ve dirt and sand “back in the day.”

A different time and place. A different kind of Baja traveller. No such thing as a bad question! I am your humble conduit of information. Carrying on the tradition…the best way I know how. All questions met with a smile!
WHAT WOULD RAY, FRED AND GENE SAY?
Originally Published the Week of April 14 in Western Outdoor News
So, there I was standing at the counter in our booth at the recent Fred Hall Fishing and Boating Show in San Diego at the old fairgrounds about 2 weeks ago. Doing the usual thing.
Yakking with old fishing friends and clients. Answering questions for prospective new folks interested in fishing with us here in La Paz.
After three months of shows and almost 20 years at this, you kinda think you’ve heard a lot of different questions. I was having a casual chat with a couple of “Baja rat” guys…old timers who had great stories to trade. Flip flops…faded favorite fishing t-shirt…ballcap with salt stains on it…you know the type!
Guys like that don’t need our services. They’ve seen and done it all already. Guys like THAT start services like mine!
So, up walks a young couple. Very nice. They wanted to do some fishing but were seemed more intent on whether there were nice spas to have massages.
The Baja guys moved politely aside so they could let me do my spiel. They smiled and listened as I did my best to respond. I gave the couple some of our brochures…a DVD…and told them we’d love to see them.
Then, a young family walks up. Again, good questions…if you had a family.
“Did all the hotels we work with have air-conditioning?”
“Will there be a kiddie pool?”
“Is the water safe to drink?”
My Baja guys suppressed some grins. Again they listened.
Two new guys then walked up.
“How dusty is Baja?” (compared to what?)
“What’s the hottest months?” (One of them didn’t like heat. Might be better to go to Alaska.)
Again, I did my best. I could tell the Baja guys really really really wanted to chime in, but they let me struggle. I could see them rolling their eyes. I think they were enjoying the entertainment.
Over the next half-hour or so, they heard me field questions like:
“Is it possible to get a mani-pedi (manicure-pedicure)?”
“We’re coming for 4 days, will there be laundry service?”
“How good is the room service?”
“How hot is Mexican salsa?”
“Do you think I should use a lot of sunscreen if I come to Baja?”
“Do they have nude or topless beaches in La Paz?” (True question!)
“We heard Mexican toilet paper is rough, should we bring our own?”
“Are the Mexican police tough on tourists who bring their own pot to smoke?” (Not kidding!)
“What if I don’t want to catch big fish, can I just catch small fish?”
“I hear Mexican ice is bad. How can I drink my blended margaritas?”
After awhile there was a break in the action. I just looked at the two Baja guys and shrugged. The busted a laugh.
“Dude…THAT’s the kind of questions you have to answer?” guffawed one of them.
“All day and every day, my friends, “ I sighed with a shrug and grin of resignation.
“Back in the day, all you needed was beer, gas and be pointed towards the ocean to fish! And if you had two-out-of-three, you were grateful!” With that they high-fived me, laughed and moved down the aisle.
Yes, that’s the kind of questions we answer…all the time!
But, it got me thinking about my predecessors here at Western Outdoor News who wrote this column before me. Going back decades.
Ray Cannon. Fred Hoctor. Gene Kira. And can’t forget Tom Miller either. If you don’t know them, Google their names. Lots of Baja history there.
Grizzly…crusty…brilliant award-winning writers and authors. And all of them amazing story-tellers and wordsmiths.
They didn’t just write about Baja. Heck, these guys put Baja on the map. Before there were “Baja Rats,” there were guys like these who frontiered the whole idea of undiscovered beaches; acres of breaking fish; incredible landscapes and wonderful people.
They didn’t just go rumbling down some Mexican road. These guys ran around Baja when there were only burro trails and they hewed their own paths out’ve the unforgiving Baja rock, sand and sun.
No ice. No gas stations. Minimal water. No such thing as air-conditioning.
Busted axles, blown radiators and punctured tires gave their lives in the course of seeing one more undiscovered cove…one more stretch of fish-filled water…the view over the next rise…and yes, even a virgin palapa-roofed cantina or two. They fired our imaginations with their literary articulation.
Some of their books and stories are still used as Baja Bible’s by the rest of us who followed.
I’ve been fortunate to have had a leg on each side of the transition. I saw the remants of the old Baja. And, I’m obviously part of the new Baja as well.
And, I wonder what those guys would have thought and what they would have written about.
How would those guys have handled subjects like deep tissue aromatherapy massages…booze cruises…swimming with dolphins…day care for tourist kids…sushi bars…internet cafes and time-share sales offices.
I never got to meet Ray or Tom. In my rookie years of outdoor writing, before he passed away, Fred Hoctor would call me and comment about something I wrote. He was what you might call an “old cuss.”
The phone call would usually start with, “Hey dumbass. I read your column…” Not even a hello. But, I always knew it was him. Good to hear from ya, Fred…
I like to think that all these great guys would spit, smirk, chuckle and toss a few invectives around hearing and seeing how much Baja has changed. They’d probably have a thing or two to say about my writing as well.
But, I hope I could still get a high-five from them. They left big footprints in the sand. Even if that beach now has condos on it.
That’s our story!

Jonathan
_______________
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
______________
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor
Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
Posted in airlines, aquaculture, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, car, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charity, charters, chubasco, circle hooks, donations, dorado, driving, east cape, ecotourism, el nino, el sargento, espirito santo, family, fish, fish farming, fish pens, Fishing, fishing blogs, fishing hooks, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, green, Heat stroke, highway, history, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, hurricanes, ice chests, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, los barriles, luggage, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico Christmas, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, missions, outfitters, pack for a purpose, packages, packing, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, passport, planning, pompano, rental car, rentals, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, San Jose del Cabo, saving money, Sea of Cortez, seafood, sierra, spearfishing, sportfishing, squid fishing, storms, suitcases, Sun stroke, sustainable, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, transpeninsular highway, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, vacations, vehicle, wahoo, waterspouts, weather, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail | Tagged accommodations, activities, amberjack, bahia, baja, baja editor, baja sur, bay, beach, billfish, blogs, blue water, bonito, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, catch and release, Central Washington Sportsmans show, cerralvo, certified scale, charter, children, chubasco, costa baja, day tour, deep sea, del mar fairgrounds, discount, dog tooth, dorado, east cape, eco tour, el sargento, espirito santo, extreme fishing, family, fish, fishing and boating shows, fishing and hunting shows, fishing sportfishing, flyfishing, fred hall, fred hoctor, free dive, gene kira, get-away, girls, grey whales, grouper, guide, holiday, hotel, hotel marina, hotel perla, hotel seven crown, hunting, idaho sportsman’s show, igfa, images, inshore, International Game Fish Association, international sportsmans expo, ise, isla, island, jack crevalle, jillene roldan, jilly roldan, Jonathan Roldan, kids, la ventana, las arenas, light tackle, live bait, lodging, los barriles, mahi mahi, marlin, mexican, mexico, muertos, northwest sportsmans show, offshore, outfitter, package, panga, panga slam, pargo, pompano, portland expo center, Puyallup Fairgrounds, ray cannon, reef fish, reports, rockfish, rooster fish, rooster fish foundation, sailfish, saltwater, san jose del cabo, scuba, sea bass, sea of cortez, sealions, sierra, snapper, snorkel, spearfish, suenos, swim, tackle, Tailhunter International, tailhunter restaurant bar, techniques, tips, tom miller, tour, tourism, travel, trolling, tuna, tuna jackpot tournament, updates, vacation, video, wahoo, Washington Sportsmans Show, weather, western outdoor news, whale watching, whales, whaleshark, wife, women, yellowtail | Leave a Comment »
March 30, 2015 by riplipboy
THE CYCLES COME AROUND
Originally Published the Week of April 2, 2015 in Western Outdoor News
At the time of writing this, we’re just about to wrap up three months of attending the fishing/ hunting shows across the Western United States. We’re here at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego for the Fred Hall Fishing and Boat Show.
Back where we started in December.
From here, we drove to shows in Sacramento, Denver then Seattle. From there we did the big Portland show then Phoenix and Yakima. From there the drive west to the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach, then Salt Lake. And well, here we are back in San Diego!
If attendance, bookings and retail sales are any indication, the economy is looking up. It’s been an exciting three months.
Many of these shows were “off the hook” as it were. Attendance records were broken. Crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder in the aisles.
Vendors were selling everything they had and running out of inventory. I saw them scrambling to find fishing rods, t-shirts, lures…you name it!
“In all my years doing shows, I’ve never run out’ve fishing rods to sell,” said one of my amigos who specializes in custom rods. “ And people weren’t even bargaining this year. They paid the price on the sticker.”
“We had to have extra equipment drop-shipped from the manufacturer, “ admitted another amigo. “ I ran out’ve some things by the 2nd day of a five-day-show!”
Lodges, outfitters and guides also seemed to be having a banner season on bookings.
“Our lodge is completely booked up with a waiting list for the year. At the shows we’re actually booking for 2016 and 2017! “ said an Alaskan outfitter.
A couple who run a a guide service in a remote part of northern Canada were wide-eyed, when they confided, “Our bookings are triple what they normally are. That’s a good thing. The bad thing is that I think we’re gonna have to hire more staff.”
One of our other friends who owns a South African big game hunting operation. Hunters pay up to $30,000 for a hunt. They wrapped things up after 3 shows and went home.
“We canceled all the rest of our shows. We don’t have any more room for more hunters this season and most of next season too, “ he told me proudly. “We’re going home early to get ready.”
The general feeling was that either the economy has gotten better or folks are just frustrated of “tightening-the-belt” and the pendulum has swung the other way. People are spending on vacations again.
For awhile, a few years back times were slim. If people are losing work or fearing foreclosures or other events, then fishing and hunting trips aren’t very high on the list of necessities. Understandable.
A lot of outfitters never made it through the bumpy times. We lost a lot of friends along the way. I guess it mirrored what was going on for everyone.
But, a lot survived. Hung in there. They learned to run leaner and work just a little bit harder to hang onto their passions and livihoods and thereby keep alive vacation dreams for so many others.
It’s good to see. It’s about time. The cycle always comes around if you can ride out the tough times.
It was like that for the fishing fleets of the West Coast, especially Southern California that just had a banner fishing year.
El Nino currents brought exotic and incredible fishing for tuna, wahoo, dorado and marlin to folks who normally never get to see that kind of action.
The frenzy of plentiful fish brought out the crowds. And many a landing owner, captain and boat operator let out a sigh of relief. They struggled during the years of tough fishing and slow economy too.
One San Diego captain told me, “We saw and continue to see crowds we never saw before. Guys who hadn’t fished in years re-discovered the fun of being on a boat again. They came out once, twice or more.”
“They brought their families and kids too! And maybe that’s the most important. We were losing the kids to Xbox and Facebook. Fishing got them off the couch and onto the ocean. New fans for fishing!”
For those of us running operations south of the border, a string of setbacks put many in a spin. This included a slack economy; nervousness over swine flu; high airline rates and crime issues. The stellar fishing to the north meant there was no need to travel south for exotic fish.
But, an owner of one Baja resort put it in perspective. “As long as people are fishing that is good. Some years it is fantastic in Mexico and other times it is better in the U.S. “
“Like this year. Good fishing is good fishing. Think of all the people who started fishing again and all the new people who started fishing. At some point, they will think of coming to fish in Baja!”
It’s all a matter or perspective.
As it turns out, many of the Baja outfitters, hotels and fleets are also seeing an increase in bookings this year. We’ve been waiting.
Coupled with the heightened interest in fishing. Mexico is still a bargain place to visit. In fact, it’s the #1 destination for Americans to visit and has the highest tourism growth of any country. Additionally, lowered oil prices have resulted in cheaper airfare across the board.
It’s going to be a good season! We’ve been waiting!
That’s my story

Jonathan
_______________
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
______________
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor
Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
Posted in airlines, aquaculture, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, car, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charity, charters, chubasco, circle hooks, donations, dorado, driving, east cape, ecotourism, el nino, el sargento, espirito santo, family, farm-raised, fish, fish farming, Fishing, fishing hooks, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, Heat stroke, highway, history, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, hurricanes, ice chests, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, los barriles, luggage, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico Christmas, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, missions, outfitters, pack for a purpose, packages, packing, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, passport, planning, pompano, rental car, rentals, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, San Jose del Cabo, saving money, Sea of Cortez, seafood, sierra, spearfishing, sportfishing, squid fishing, storms, suitcases, Sun stroke, sustainable, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, transpeninsular highway, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, vacations, vehicle, wahoo, waterspouts, weather, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail | Tagged accommodations, activities, amberjack, bahia, baja, baja editor, baja sur, bay, beach, billfish, blogs, blue water, bonito, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, catch and release, Central Washington Sportsmans show, cerralvo, certified scale, charter, children, chubasco, costa baja, day tour, deep sea, del mar fairgrounds, discount, dog tooth, dorado, east cape, eco tour, el sargento, espirito santo, extreme fishing, family, fish, fishing and boating shows, fishing and hunting shows, fishing sportfishing, flyfishing, fred hall, free dive, get-away, girls, grey whales, grouper, guide, holiday, hotel, hotel marina, hotel perla, hotel seven crown, hunting, idaho sportsman’s show, igfa, images, inshore, International Game Fish Association, international sportsmans expo, ise, isla, island, jack crevalle, jillene roldan, jilly roldan, Jonathan Roldan, kids, la ventana, las arenas, light tackle, live bait, lodging, los barriles, mahi mahi, marlin, mexican, mexico, muertos, northwest sportsmans show, offshore, outfitter, package, panga, panga slam, pargo, pompano, portland expo center, Puyallup Fairgrounds, reef fish, reports, rockfish, rooster fish, rooster fish foundation, sailfish, saltwater, san jose del cabo, scuba, sea bass, sea of cortez, sealions, sierra, snapper, snorkel, spearfish, suenos, swim, tackle, Tailhunter International, tailhunter restaurant bar, techniques, tips, tour, travel, trolling, tuna, tuna jackpot tournament, updates, vacation, video, wahoo, Washington Sportsmans Show, weather, western outdoor news, whale watching, whales, whaleshark, wife, women, yellowtail | Leave a Comment »
March 16, 2015 by riplipboy

Over hundreds of years, how many sandal-clad feet have entered these walls? What stories these weather-worn stones could tell.
A MUSEUM IS WHERE YOU FIND IT
Originally Published the Week of March 18, 2015 in Western Outdoor News
Every now and them someone comes up to me and says, “I looked all over for a good museum, and didn’t find anything that I couldn’t walk through in 5 minutes.”
I agree.
Especially, in Baja, and even moreso in the smaller areas, it’s hard to come across a “real museum” like the kind the average tourist might be looking for. There just aren’t that many.
But, I have found in my travels that if you really want a glimpse into the history, culture and soul of any place or people, there’s usually a museum in even the smallest towns or pueblos. They’re just not labeled as such.
Just find the church.
Remember when we were kids and many of us had to build a “California Mission” in 4th grade? It threw our families and fathers into a frenzy!
Our older sisters had to do it. Our younger brothers had to do it. The school chum next door had to do it. There was no escape from the cardboard, sugar cubes, construction paper and macaroni rooftops!
But, for many of us, our delving into the missions pretty much stopped when the mission got dumped into the trash.
But, the California missions were just a long line that extended all the way down to the tip by Cabo San Lucas. Those missionaries from Spain accompanied by their conquistadores were a busy lot. Claiming land and native souls for the Spanish crown…and the Church.
In that endeavor, they blazed a crazy trail up and down the western coast setting up churches big and small.
Many of us have visited the Califorinia missions regularly and they are huge tourism destinations…San Juan Capistrano…Santa Barbara…San Luis Rey. Pretty much many California cities can trace their genesis to an adobe house of worship around which grew a plaza…then a pueblo…then a village…San Diego…Los Angeles…Monterey to name a few.
The same thing happened in Baja but with less notoriety. But, the Fransiscan, Jesuit and other Catholic padres toiled in perhaps greater hardship in more arduous situations to eck out there footholds in Loreto, La Paz, San Jose del Cabo and numerous other little dots in the Baja desert. Some are still there. Others have disappeared into the deserts.
The history of each location is written in the church. As the center of culture, religion, and the life of the pueblo, history is recorded.
In my travels, I have found this to be unfailingly true….Buddhist temples…Jewish Synagogues…Christian cathedrals…Greek Orthodox churches…even the littlest chapel in the middle of nowhere, there is history to be found.
Where we live in La Paz, one discovers that the city church took numerous tries to be established. The Spanish kept getting rousted by the local natives who didn’t take well to being overlorded by a new king or religion.
Check out the church in San Jose del Cabo and find out about the padres who were martyred in their efforts. They died horrendous deaths attempting conversions.
Take a day trip up the winding goat-trail-road to the mountains above Loreto to San Javier. The candle soot on the walls has been there for eons. Who in the world carried these giant beams up this mountain to build this church? How many native “converts” were convinced to haul this massive Spanish altar here using only ropes, burros and sunburned backs?
In any church, look at the woodwork; the pews; the statues; the art. It had to come from someplace or someone’s backbreaking work.
Even moreso, take a reverent walk through the cemetery. Check out the last names. Spanish? Indian? Anglo? Italians? Asian? A surprising number of Asian and Italians were part of the Baja frontier. So were the Portugese who joined along as pirates, adventurers, convicts and merchants either voluntarily or involuntarily hoping for a better life in the New World. Remember also, that the Spanish came with slaves.
Check the dates. Life was short and brutal.
If you made it to 30 years, you were pretty much dubbed an elder! Many babies and children are buried as well. Disease and a hard life took many early. Women and girls married early. Many died in childbirth. Men married again. Had more kids. More kids died.
If you see an abundance of deaths close to each other consider an epidemic of smallpox? Measles? An attack by natives? All of that is there to ponder and discover.
Inside many of the churches themselves, are the tombs or relics from the old padres themselves or, in some cases artifacts from the actual saints for which the church is named.
Someone, from thousands of miles away in Europe carefully brought it over. Imagine that journey. Months on a leaky pestilent wooden ship. Overland on foot or animal in the heat in sandals or boots. Mountains. Deserts. Rocks. Insects. Hostile locals. No water.
That’s how they rolled. All for a piece of bone. A bit of vestment from the old country or the old monastery that belonged to the venerated saint.
Yes, those are right there under the brick and cement by the altar. If you can still make out the chiseled lettering…You’re standing on the 300-year-old tomb of the old padre who made that insane journey on a wooden ship from Spain and never made it home again.
If you’re looking for history, look no further than the local house of worship. Just remember that these are still churches and should be treated as such. The ghosts of the past are always willing to speak to you, but don’t forget that the living are still holding Mass…getting married…getting baptized. Church remains the center of life for many as it did centuries ago.
Doff your hat. Keep your voice down. Take it easy with the photography. Drop a few dollars in the poor box. Listen carefully and history will tell you it’s own story.
That’s my story!

Jonathan
_______________
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
______________
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor
Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
Posted in airlines, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charity, charters, chubasco, circle hooks, donations, dorado, driving, east cape, ecotourism, el nino, el sargento, espirito santo, family, farm-raised, fish, fish farming, fish pens, Fishing, fishing blogs, fishing hooks, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, green, Heat stroke, highway, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, hurricanes, ice chests, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, los barriles, luggage, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico Christmas, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, missions, outfitters, pack for a purpose, packages, packing, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, passport, planning, pompano, rental car, rentals, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, San Jose del Cabo, saving money, Sea of Cortez, seafood, sierra, spearfishing, sportfishing, squid fishing, storms, suitcases, Sun stroke, sustainable, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, transpeninsular highway, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, vacations, vehicle, wahoo, waterspouts, weather, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail | Tagged accommodations, amberjack, bahia, baja, baja editor, baja sur, bay, beach, billfish, blogs, blue water, bonito, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, catch and release, catholic, Central Washington Sportsmans show, cerralvo, certified scale, charter, children, churches, costa baja, day tour, deep sea, del mar fairgrounds, discount, dog tooth, dorado, east cape, eco tour, el sargento, espirito santo, extreme fishing, fish, fishing and boating shows, fishing and hunting shows, fishing sportfishing, flyfishing, fred hall, free dive, girls, grey whales, grouper, guide, history, holiday, hotel, hotel marina, hotel perla, hotel seven crown, hunting, idaho sportsman’s show, igfa, images, inshore, International Game Fish Association, international sportsmans expo, ise, isla, island, jack crevalle, jillene roldan, jilly roldan, Jonathan Roldan, kids, la ventana, las arenas, light tackle, live bait, lodging, los barriles, mahi mahi, marlin, mexican, mexico, missions, muertos, museums, northwest sportsmans show, offshore, outfitter, package, padres, panga, panga slam, pargo, pompano, portland expo center, Puyallup Fairgrounds, reef fish, reports, rockfish, rooster fish, rooster fish foundation, sailfish, saltwater, san jose del cabo, scuba, sea bass, sea of cortez, sealions, sierra, snapper, snorkel, spearfish, suenos, swim, tackle, Tailhunter International, tailhunter restaurant bar, techniques, tips, tour, trolling, tuna, tuna jackpot tournament, vacation, video, wahoo, Washington Sportsmans Show, western outdoor news, whale watching, whales, whaleshark, wife, women, yellowtail | Leave a Comment »
March 2, 2015 by riplipboy

LIVING THE DREAM? IT IS POSSIBLE!
YES YOU CAN…MAYBE!
Originally Published the Week of March 3, 2015 in Western Outdoor News
Admit it. At least once…probably more than once…maybe even several times today, you said to yourself, “I’m gonna blow this place and just move to Mexico!”
Or, you’ve entertained thoughts of simply leaving no trail and vanishing into the Baja to put your toes in the sand; a cold one in your hand and create your own Corona Beer commercial. C’mon. You know you have!
The grass is always greener on the other side. Heck, I’ve lived in Baja almost 20 years and there’s times when even I get fed up and say, “I’m done with this. I want In-N-Out burgers; push-button convenience; and roads that don’t puncture my tires and wreck my suspension.”
But seriously, Baja is high on the “leave-it-all-behind” list. In fact as a whole, Mexico is the #1 vacation and retirement destination for Americans. Some have a plan. Some don’t. Some just wing it.
I once met a guy. He was in construction and got crushed in the latest economic fubar a few years back. Frustrated with trying to stay ahead of the game. Decided he’d had it and was going to make his own game.
Sold what was left of his business. Bought a big RV and tied his boat to the back of it. Strapped his surfboards on the roof and came south. No forwarding address.
Last I heard, he was living on the beach south of La Paz on the Pacific side. I won’t tell you where. He actually had a girlfriend come looking for him once who looked me up hoping to locate him. It wasn’t like I had an address or he had a phone.
He had built a little palapa over his RV. He was teaching surfing lessons. He had built a little public shower out’ve old pallets and bamboo and PVC tubes. Fifty cents for 10 minutes of hot water. Discounts on shower time if brought him a 6 pack of beer!
There was another guy many years ago. His family came down looking for him. His wife had passed. His kids were grown and off doing their own thing. He hadn’t had much contact with them. His exit was a little more dramatic.
All he said was, “I’m driving to Baja.” His family didn’t think much of it. He was retired and was a travelling kind of guy. But, as a former executive, he at least kept in touch with folks.
After five weeks, no one had heard from him.
They came into La Paz putting up “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?” posters everywhere. It had a fuzzy black and white photo of a smiling guy on an ATV named “Bradley” from Phoenix.
They had been up and down the Baja hanging posters searching for him. As I watched them put one up in front of our offices, I could see the angst, frustration and fatigue. They told me the story. All I could say was that I’d keep my eye out.
Several days later, I happened to be out on the sidewalk and saw a tall scruffy bearded guy in cargo shorts and sandals looking intently at the photo. He saw me looking. He looked back and smiled. I raised an eyebrow at him. You?
He raised a knowing-eyebrow back. Looked back at the faded flyer. Smiled a crooked smile and kept on walking. Hmmm….
Similarly, I’ve run into others who only go “by first name only please!” Or have openly told me they don’t want their photos taken or “I haven’t used my real name in years, and I like it that way.”
Usually said with a laugh. But, they are serious. They have disappeared into the “frontera” (frontier) of the Baja.
Some folks just don’t want to be found. They have their reasons. Some are being chased…family, wife, kids, the IRS. Or not. Others come to chase something else. A vision. A dream. Themselves. Everyone has demons and angels.
I haven’t quite figured out my own motivations for 20 years in Baja myself. I’m still working on it!
The stories can continue. Yes, it can be done. And many do it.
But, most aren’t quite so dramatic or abrupt.
But, before you put out the “closed” sign on your business; bid adios to the U.S.A. and just sail, drive or surf into the Baja sunset, think first.
Don’t crack that beer just yet without some due diligence and a well-thought out exit strategy.
I guess the most important thing. Figure out how you’re gonna eat. As good as beans, tortillas and cerveza were on your vacation, it gets old after awhile. And dorado fillets don’t just jump into your refrigerator.
If you’re not bringing a coffee can full of cash, then it would be a good idea to figure out a source of income.
That means Mexican bank accounts and well, perhaps all the things you were trying to get away from in the first place. Because, you need documents, documents, documents…starting with a passport…immigration forms…and that’s just to start.
If you hated bureaucracy (bureau-CRAZY) in the states, just wait until you get a taste of the Mexican version which is even doubly-mind-boggling, if you’re a gringo.
So, much for disappearing because now you’re back “in the system. “ And then there might be taxes to pay. So, you hate the IRS? You may have to now pay taxes in TWO countries.
And don’t forget if you start buying things, like land; a home; a car (with driver’s license of course!) and other things. You’re leaving a trail.
So many have the impression that it’s “looser” in Mexico, but like anywhere else, there’s criminal laws, labor laws, civil laws; property laws, immigration laws etc. And like anywhere else you respect the law.
Compliance isn’t optional. And the last thing you ever want to do is run afoul of Mexican law.
If none of that matters to you and nothing I’ve written has discouraged you, then come ahead! There’s a sandy beach, blue water, the friendliest folks and a lifestyle unlike anything imaginable waiting for you! I’ll buy the first beer. See you down here!
That’s our story!

Jonathan
_______________
Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004. Along with his wife and fishing buddy, Jilly, they own and run the Tailhunter International Fishing Fleet in La Paz, Baja, Mexico www.tailhunter-international.com. They also run their Tailhunter Restaurant Bar on the famous La Paz malecon waterfront. If you’d like to contact him directly, his e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com or drop by the restaurant to say hi!
______________
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor
Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/
Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”
Posted in airlines, bahia de los muertos, bahia de los suenos, Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja fishing lures, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, camping, car, cerralvo, cerralvo island, charity, charters, chubasco, circle hooks, dorado, driving, east cape, ecotourism, el nino, el sargento, espirito santo, family, farm-raised, fish, fish farming, fish pens, Fishing, fishing blogs, fishing hooks, Fishing lures, fishing packages, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tips, fishing tournaments, fishing trips, fishing videos, flyfishing, freediving, giant squid, Heat stroke, highway, holidays in mexico, humboldt squid, hurricanes, ice chests, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, jack crevalle, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, Living in Mexico, los barriles, luggage, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico Christmas, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Mexico neighborhood, outfitters, pack for a purpose, packages, packing, packing fish, panga, Panga Fishing, pargo, passport, planning, pompano, rental car, rentals, road trip, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Salt water lures, San Jose del Cabo, saving money, Sea of Cortez, seafood, sierra, spearfishing, sportfishing, squid fishing, storms, suitcases, Sun stroke, sustainable, Tailhunter International, techniques, tourism, tours, transpeninsular highway, Travel, trolling tips, tuna, Tuna jackpot, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, vacations, vehicle, wahoo, weather, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail | Tagged amberjack, bahia, baja, bay, beaches, blog, boise, bonito, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, catch and release, central washington, cerralvo, charter, children, column, costa baja resort, day tour, discount, dog tooth, dorado, east cape, eco tour, el sargento, espirito santo, fairgrounds, family, fish, Fishing, flyfishing, fred hall, freediving, girl, grey whales, guide, holiday, hotel, hotel perla, igfa, inshore, ise, isla, island, jack crevalle, jillene roldan, jilly roldan, Jonathan Roldan, kayaks, kids, La Paz, la ventana, las arenas, Leisure, light tackle, live bait, livestyle, living, lodging, long beach convention center, los barriles, mahi mahi, mexican, mexico, moving, muertos, northwest, offshore, oregon washington, outfitter, pacakges, panga, pargo, pompano, reports, retirement, roosterfish, roosterfish foundation, san jose del cabo, scuba, sea of cortez, sealion, sierra, snapper, snorkel, spearfishing, sportfishing, sportsmans expo, suenos, swimming, tackle, Tailhunter International, techniques, tips, tour, tournament, travel, tuna, vacation, wahoo, weather, western outdoor news, whale, whalesharks, whalewatching, wife, world record, yellowtail | Leave a Comment »
February 16, 2015 by riplipboy

It’s all about having fun! But how you do it is as important as what you do! Smile for the selfie!
AVOID LOOKING LIKE A TOURIST IN MEXICO!
Originally Published the Week of Feb. 17th, 2015 in WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS
Well, we’ve been at this almost 20 years now running our fishing ops here in La Paz and we see almost 1000 fisher-persons a year. I love to people watch. It occurred to me that there’s some tips and observations to pass on about avoiding looking and acting like a tourist.
- Don’t be afraid to speak Spanish. No matter how limited. Do your best! It’s appreciated and encouraged.
- Don’t be an idiot and speak “Spanish” by simply adding an “El” to the front of every word or adding “O” to the end of every word. For example, “I want-O el plate-O of el chips-O ” will only get eyes rolling. Don’t laugh. I hear this more often than you think.
- If someone doesn’t understand what you’re saying in English or Spanish saying it 10 times or saying it LOUDER is not going to help!
- Don’t be the ugly American and complain out loud and try to make everyone understand YOUR English. Saying, “How come you don’t understand English?” isn’t going to make you any amigos.
- Lose the sandals or tennis shoes with black socks. Or the leather Thom McAnn shoes with black socks…especially if you’re wearing shorts. Come to think of it, lose the white socks with sandals too!
- Don’t be a cheapskate. Tip for service! Minimum wage in Mexico is about 8 bucks A DAY! So, even a dollar or two is much appreciated. Ten percent is nice. Fifteen percent rocks!
- Try to restrain yourself. Starting sentences with “Well, back in America we do it differently” or “Mexico does everything backwards…” is bad form. Don’t be insulting. You’re a guest!
- Americans love to walk around with shirtless. It took me years to realize, it’s bad manners. Sorta of like coming to dinner wearing your jockey shorts.
- No one is impressed when you pull out rolls of cash. Be discreet.
- Smile dangit! It’s universal. Works in all countries. You’re on vacation.
- Never call someone over with your palm facing up and beckon with your fingers, “Come over here.” That’s how you clean parts of your anatomy. Better with your palm down and beckon with your fingers like you’re pawing.
- Make a friend for life. Ask to take their photo! Mexicans, especially the ladies, LOVE to have their photos taken and are very photogenic. It’s considered quite a compliment.
- The universal “bro-handshake” with every cool guy is the casual side-to-side hand slap (low five) followed by the knuckle bump. Try it! Deckhands…captains…waiters…taxi drivers…Now you’re one of the guys!
- Eat where locals eat. Eat at carts or little hole-in-the-wall places. If there’s others eating there, eat there too! It’s a sure sign that it’s better than the place next door where no one is eating.
- Try something new on the menu or, if you’re in the company of locals, ask if they’d suggest something. Don’t scrunch up your face when they tell you what it is. Just because it has a strange name, doesn’t mean it tastes bad.
- For sure, order what they serve. Don’t go to a seafood place and then order the steak that’s way down on the menu. If you want a steak, go to a steak place.
- There’s no such thing as a “typical Mexican restaurant.” There’s places where locals eat and there’s places where tourists eat. Taxi drivers tell me all the time, that gringos ask for a “typical Mexican restaurant.” The taxi driver doesn’t know what to say. Tell him specifically what kind of food you’re looking for!
- Lose the camera. Or at least be courteous. Respect privacy and use common sense. Folks love to have their photo taken, but no one likes having a video camera or your big zoom lens zero on them.
- Share what you have. Bag of chips. Candy. Fishing gear. Fish.
- Be remembered forever. Leave or bring a gift. A t-shirt with a logo or a baseball hat are highly prized and expensive in Mexico. Especially if it might be something that reminds them of you. Everyone loves souveniers. That shirt from the company picnic will be treasured a long time.
- Pull up your pants. You might be “gangsta” back home, but locals think you look ridiculous. They’re laughing behind your back. Come to think of it, they’re doing it back home too.
- “Please” and “Thank you” in Spanish or English is always understood and appreciated. At the very least!
That’s our story!

Jonathan
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor
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Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 8030 La Mesa, Suite #178, La Mesa CA 91942
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
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