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March 29, 2009 by riplipboy

PHOTO 1: Yellowtail season is on. Nice forkies like these held by Gary Palese and Bob Robbins from Arizona are eating sardines, mackerel and heavy iron fished on the yo-yo. There’s a number of hot spots. See below. Not all days, unfortunately, are as flat as what you see here. Winds keep being stubborn.

PHOTO 2: Angela Farrell hung this nice Cerralvo Island yellowtail on live bait. Angela has a knack for big fish whenever she comes to La Paz. She took this one on her mini Whopper Stopper rod and Penn 4/0 with 40 pound test.
YELLOWTAIL STILL SOLID EVEN AS WIND BLOW BUT INSHORE BITES PRODUCE BIG CABRILLA, SIERRA, PARGO and EVEN SOME DORADO!
La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for the Week of March 22-29, 2009
The bite has been pretty good. It would have been better if the winds didn’t kick in. It was pretty fierce a few days, but the guys who hung in even during the blustery days got into a nice jag of quality yellowtail in the 15-40 pound class. Mackerel and caballitos were best north of town around Espiritu Santo Island, north Cerralvo and El Bajo Seamount. For those who know how…yo yo heavy iron got the largest fish. Blue and white and scrambled egg patterns were hot tickets.

For our anglers on the Las Arenas/ Muertos side, a nice mix of yellowtail, pargo, sierra, bonito and two days when dorado showed up! Sardines were the best bet. Surprisingly large number or big cabrilla. Biggest problem were the number of pelicans and seagulls marauding the fly-lined baits. Some of the anglers went to trolling small crank baits and were able to avoid the birds and put good numbers of legal cabrilla aboard. But, overall, a good mix of fish for our Las Arenas boats whereas our La Paz boats concentrated largely on yellowtail and pargo/cabrilla.

There were some hints of big solo tuna at the north end of Cerralvo Island, but when we checked it out, there was nothing there. This is the 3rd or 4th time the fish came up briefly for a boat or two but then went deep again when the fleet went to check it out. Just never know. Have to be at the right place at the right time.
Also, some reports of early season (real early!) billfish cruising around already, but not biting. This bears keeping an eye out. To the south of us around Cabo San Lucas, they’ve had the best marlin bite in the last few decades and normally, that body of fish starts to move up into the Sea of Cortez and our waters as the ocean warms. Maybe they are early this year! Normally, our billfish don’t show up until late spring.
We’ll keep an eye out!
That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International
Phone: (626) 333-3355
FAX: (626) 333-0115Cell: (626) 278-1585
Mex. Cell: 044-612-114-17176
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico
Tailhunter YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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March 22, 2009 by riplipboy

PHOTO 1: These are the type of fish that made El Bajo famous! Bill Evans recently retired to La Paz to do just this…fish his brains out! The waters laid flat, the fish came to eat and Bill got into some nice grade yellowtail like this awesome fish!

PHOTO 2: This is just so classic. The bent rod on flat water with yellowtail under the boat. That’s northern Espiritu Santo Island in the distance just north of La Paz. The waters don’t always look like this during the spring, but when they do, time to get out. Bill Evans had a great day on the water.

PHOTO 3: We just came off 3 months on the road doing all the fishing and hunting shows. Every now and then as we criss-cross the states you come across some signs that are just too funny to pass up. We drove past this “motel” in Baker CA. It’s just WRONG on so many levels! Read all the signs! Look at the picture! No big rigs allowed except for deliveries! By the way…the motel didn’t have any windows. Only doors! Too funny! There’s probably a perfectly good story behind this… It’s on the way to Vegas. Lots of you have passed through. Interestingly, it’s right across from the famous “Mad Greek Restaurant.” Best strawberry shakes around!

PHOTO 4: Our last stop on the tour was Salt Lake City. Wow…great gas prices!
YELLOWTAIL BITE BUT NOT SO EASY TO PUT THEM INTO THE BOATS!!!
The La Paz / Las Arenas Fishing Report for the Week of March 22, 2009
More yellowtail this week, although not as many. That, however, might have been a function of the fact that there weren’t many anglers out this week, but also, some of the fish were thick, mean and strong and there were more fish lost than put in the boat! These fish are not only tough, but when you get into the 25-40 pound fish and surround them with rocks, reef and other structure, the fish has the edge. Put that up with the aspect that many anglers just don’t know what a strong fish can do and more-often-than-not, the fish wins! It’s one thing to hook a fish, it’s another to put that grumpy fish in the boat.
As one angler said this week, after losing two…”These ocean fish don’t nibble!” No, they don’t! They slam! What I see so often is an angler getting bit and then just hanging on as his or her elbows get slammed to the gunwale of the panga. They try to hold on instead of lifting and trying to turn the head of the fish. They fail to realize that the bottom isn’t that far away and that fish (this goes for pargo too) already has a head of steam when it hits and the first thing it’s gonna do is head down! Next thing is “zingpowie!” The line snaps…game over!

So, it’s deceiving when the fish counts are low. The truer tail is not how many were caught, but how many opportunities did you have that were lost? But all fun!

Like I alluded to…it’s the same with pargo. Big bruising fish, and like the yellowtail, they are structure oriented and probably even closer to the rocks. If you can’t turn them in that first run, well…they’ve got their momentum up already.

“Just got back from my 2 days fishing. I had a good time and some good success toward my multiple species goal. 8 new varieties including a good size Dogtooth Snapper on the last day, at the last hour, at the last minute. It was a wrap as soon as the Snapper was boated,” according to Nick Morenc who fished this week with us

Anyway…yes, pargo (snapper) in the shallower areas near drop offs and reefs. Yellowtail…from what we can tell…are in the deeper areas moving in the channels between the rocks. High spots too! Best areas are off Muertos Bay, the Las Arenas lighthouse, north Cerralvo Island and El Bajo Seamount.

Still lots of sierra in various spots. Cabrilla and yellow snapper were also in the mix. Several nice roosters were caught and released.

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Phone: (626) 333-3355
FAX: (626) 333-0115
Cell: (626) 278-1585
Mex. Cell: 044-612-114-17176
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico
Tailhunter YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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March 21, 2009 by riplipboy

PHOTO 1: The prized dog-tooth or cubera snapper get huge. This is a big fish, but they get alot bigger. They live in the rocks and are ferociously powerful fighters in their home turf and have everything on their side against you.

PHOTO 2: In the spring these big pargo liso aka mullet snapper come up in schools into the shallow areas which of course…are full of rocks and ledges. By the time you realize you’re bit, you’re already too late to stop these bad boys.

PHOTO 3: This is a slugger 40 pound yellowtail. Blistering short runs and tenacity make these highly prized but most often you find them near lots of structure where they hold all the advantages.
STOPPING THE BULLRUSH!
Originally published the week of March 24, 2009 in Western Outdoor News

Having just come off the fishing-show circuit and traveling most of the western U.S. with a lot of the other outfitters from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas, I know a lot of you are watching the fishing counts in Baja. This is the time of year when there’s a lot of anticipation for spring fishing.

Yellowtail, pargo and grouper season are here. It’s almost like a fever and when word gets out that these big boys are around, you can feel the energy, not just when we talk to folks face-to-face, but even in the calls and e-mails we get as folks book their trips or inquire about coming down.

Springtime is generally bad-boy season. For a lot of Baja anglers, marlin, tuna, dorado, etc. just don’t hold their interest like the “bad boys in the rocks.” Not just for eating, but because of the sheer tenacity of these species and the sport. “Bad attitude” is an understatement.

Whether you’re discussing yellowtail, pargo or grouper, you’re talking about fish with big heads, powerful shoulders and bullish personalities, not to mention finicky tastes. To that, add the fact that they are in their home turf…rocks, reefs, structure…and it’s often not a level playing field…uh water!

While these species might migrate to some degree, at this time of year, they become “homeguard.” They’re not venturing too far from their neighborhood of razor sharp rocks, caves and ledges. Yellowtail might make it out a bit but their first inclination is to head right back to cover Pargo and grouper are already either in shallow rocky water or coming out’ve caves and crevices to feed and pounce on meals.

Do the math.

With any of these species, you suddenly realize you’re bit. In the nano-seconds or so that it took your hands or your brain to compute that it’s not just your bait wiggling, about 10 yards…30 feet of line spun off your reel. Your rod bends 3 feet. You lift it another 3 feet to set the hook. That’s 6 feet. You’re now 36 feet behind and in the hole…so is the fish!

`He’s already back in his hole or travelling through the rocks! When you set the hook and it bites into the fish’ jaw, the fish puts on the jets and burrows deeper. Zingpowie! There goes the line. You lose. Less than the time it took me to type the last sentence, you’re toast and your panga captain is patting you on the back. Your buddies are laughing something about you being a “farmer.” Dejection. Shame…You try to shake it off. They’ll “get theirs” you mumble back.

It happened so fast. It’s hard to explain. Your imagination blasts Powerpoint programs of how big that fish might have been. Man, so THAT’s what it feels like!

All you can do is reload. Pin another bait on and drop down.

But that’s what makes this so fun and challenging. Guys talk all the time about popping tuna-after-tuna or dorado-after-dorado to the boat. In Cabo they’re racking a dozen or more marlin-a-day these past few months.

But how often do you hear a guy tell you he put “limits” of pargo, grouper or yellowtail on the boat? A good day is 1, 2, 3…maybe! If he does hit limits, he’s usually shell-shocked and sweat drenched. Yes, it happens. But it’s often the exception rather than the rule.

The biggest thing with these fish is you gotta turn their heads. You have to stop the bull-rush. Once they get up that head-of-steam, you’re already on the losing end. The fish has the edge.

So often I see anglers, even experienced ones, get bit and set the hook. Then, they get their elbows and knuckles slammed against the gunwales. They understandably hold on for dear life and wait for the fish to slow down so they can lift the rod and pull.

Well, unlike a tuna or dorado that may have hundreds of feet of water below it, you don’t have that luxury with these fish. The bottom is right there. They are already in the structure. The fact that you waited, put you behind the 8-ball. As soon as you get bit, you have to pull like a madman and fight the urge to lay the rod down.

Lift that stick and put as much pressure on the fish as possible. Turn the handle if you can. This is where all you guys who bought those expensive two-speeds with big drags and low gears will finally figure out why you spent the money!

Chances are you will probably still lose the fish. That’s just the way it is. But, it’s an awful lot of fun!

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

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March 15, 2009 by riplipboy

Photo 1: Dave Harper, all the way from the chilly cold of Wyoming came out for a few days and got into a surprising bite of early season dorado. Check out this nice bull but also notice how close he is to shore and how calm the waters are! Dave hooked this on live bait. (Details below!)

Photo 2: Again…dorado in March? We usually don’t see these warm water guys until May or so, but Hilda Sexauer holds the proof with this young bull. Captain Jorge lends the assist.

PHOTO 3: Here’s Dave Harper again, but this time holding up a big yellowtail taken off Punta Perico. If the fish looks funny, it’s because it was subject to a sealion attack. The dog grabbed the fish, but they were able to chase it down and get the fish back losing only some yellowtail guts!

PHOTO 4: I keep getting asked what “sierra” look like. We’ll here you go. Nice rack of fish caught by John Diciccio and Sue Nielsen. These are great light tackle sportfish and make excellent eating. Top-of-the-line for ceviche!

PHOTO 5: Here’s John Dicicco and Captain Victor holding a fat yellowtail. This is typical of the type of big ones coming along right now. John has more details below.

PHOTO 6: Salt Lake City International Sportsman’s Show…last stop on the 2009 tour. Thanks to all of you who came out to all the shows! Headed home now to La Paz!
BIG YELLOWTAIL AND SURPRISING DORADO MARK THE WEEK’S BITE!
La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of March 8-14, 2009

Interesting week of fishing. A bit windy as might be expected this time of year, but again just an interesting mix of fish as well! Yellowtail are definitely here. I don’t think we’ve seen the full brunt yet, but in between punky 10-15 pounders there’s definitely homeguard mossbacks around in the 30-40 pound class. Best areas have been off Muertos Bay, Punta Perico then north of La Paz around the El Bajo Seamount and north Cerralvo Island. The fish eat the sardine bait, but if you can find the larger caballitos or mackerel, it’s like french fries in front of a kid! In the deeper areas, heavy iron fished yo-yo is also working. Scrambled egg and blue/white patterns work best. Wind like a madman until your arms fall off is the best way to get chewed! If you don’t crank hard you won’t get bit!

The other part of the fishing report is the dorado bite that started last week. Normally, we don’t see dorado this early. Normally, we get numbers like this when the waters start to warm up in a month or two. Sure, we’ll get the stray bite or two but we’ve had limits or near limits several days! Our bite has been rather close to shore too! Only about 100-200 yards off Perico rocks, but there’s also some fish outside by the inner buoys.

All-in-all…some exciting stuff happening. We’ll keep you posted.

Here’s some first-hand reports:

This is from Dave Harper who has his photo above with the dorado and yellowtail:

“We had a great time fishing with Jorge, as you heard, the first day was wide open for Dorado. I was not expecting that and we were pretty darned happy to have boated 15 dorado before 11:00!!! All three days were calm (?).

The next day I caught my first yellowtail, but only after a 15 minute battle with the fish, followed by a 20 minute tug of war with a sea lion!! It was only through the persistence of Jorge chasing after the sea lion when it surfaced and tiring it out that I got it back, and it was pretty much intact somehow. Pretty funny stuff. We also hooked 5 big pargo Lisa and were schooled by every one of them. Humbling. I am ready to battle those buggers again!!!”

From John Dicicco who also has his photo above with the big yellowtai:

“For what we were told is off season fishing, we did pretty>well: 2 Yellow Fin, 22 Sierra, 1 Pargo and about 45 Pelicans. Too>bad we couldn’t eat the Pelicans. We also lost 2 Yellow Tail and 2>Sierra. Breakfasts and Lunch on the fishing days were very good.>>We had several very good dinners but two that stood out were, El Jibe>in town and the best was Pichilngue Restaurant. It was the>best meals I think I have had in Mexico and in the top ten ever.>And not a bad view either.>>This beats hell out of Cabo. I hope it doesn’t change.”

Thanks, guys!

COMING TO BASS PRO SHOPS THIS FRIDAY

This Friday March 20th, I’ll be giving a seminar at the Bass Pro Shops theater in Rancho Cucamonga CA on extreme light tackle fishing in La Paz. It’s at 7 p.m. and this is geared towards an extreme light tackle fishing trip to La Paz in August. Come check it out! Promise not to heckle!

TAILHUNTER ROAD TOUR 2009

Final thanks to everyone who came to see us the last 3 months. Jill and I have been on the road over pretty much most of the Western U.S. Seven states and a lot of miles as we hit the big fishing shows in Sacramento, Denver, Portland, San Mateo (San Francisco), Phoenix, Long Beach and Salt Lake City. We had a great time and it was great to see so many old amigos! Thanks to all who stopped by and have a great 2009 fishing year! Now back home to La Paz and let’s get fishing again!

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International
Phone: (626) 333-3355
FAX: (626) 333-0115
Cell: (626) 278-1585
Mex. Cell: 044-612-114-17176
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico
Tailhunter YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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March 7, 2009 by riplipboy

PHOTO 1: On so many levels, Mexican taxi drivers can be your best friends on a visit to Mexico whether you’re a first timer or returning vacationer.

PHOTO 2: Make a friend and most taxi drivers will hang with you to make sure you’re OK even getting you back to your hotel after a fun night on the town, even when you’ve run off with someone’s Mexican flag…

JOSE AND JESUS HAVE YOUR BACK

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of March 10, 2009

If you ever want to know anything in Mexico, talk to a taxi driver. Forget the concierge at your four-star resort. I think stereotypically, taxi drivers are the same around the world.

They are a great mix of a little bit of hustler; bit of shaman; bit of scheister; huxter; and general purveyors of knowledge big and small. They are like walking talking guide books and far better than a phone book!

They can be as paternally watchful over you and your family like a favorite uncle or cousin or happy to be a frat boy with you careening around town on an all-night bender.

If you’re new in town and a first-timer, a Mexican taxi driver can be your best friend. Forget for a moment the little electric fan attached to side window or the colorful yarn-dingle-balls stuck with Velcro to the inside of the windshield. Or the foam dice from the rear-view mirror. Forget the two massive speakers playing Creedence Clearwater Revival from the rear or the tuba and accordion sounds of rancho mariachi music…

OK…so maybe the motor pings a bit and you can feel the brake pads pushing metal to metal…

With Jose at the wheel (singing along to a cassette with “Proud Mary!”) and a plastic statue of Jesus on the dashboard you’re in good hands! (I know one guy that loves 70’s disco music and at night while driving flashes his ceiling lights like a strobe for the clients).

Actually, most of the drivers I know take much pride in their jobs and their vehicles. They’re like modern day cowboys and know that their ponies are their livelihoods.

Even if the motor rattles, they do their best to keep ‘em shiny! In between fares, they meticulously polish their cars to remove the Baja dust that settles on everything within minutes. When they get a call, they come running!

Any cab driver worth his weight in salsa knows who has the best fish tacos. He knows the best beaches. He knows where they make the strongest margaritas and where to get the best deal on souvenir t-shirts. Forget walking around with the Auto Club guide book looking like a tourist. Jose has your back.

Ok, so he’s also probably watching the backs of his family too. Usually, every place he takes you is owned or operated by an uncle or cousin. But, that’s OK too. Roll with it and he’ll probably get you a discount or at least some extra beans and rice and you can always count on a big smile.

You are very important to any driver. Fares don’t come easy. Competition is rough and there are 50 cabs for every tourist. I once heard that in Cabo San Lucas alone there are something like 30 different taxi cab companies, not to mention tour bus and shuttle bus operations.

You really do have a choice to ride with someone else and most will go out of their way to do extra things. Do you need some special service like running to the market to get you a case of beer or pick up a kilo of carne asada and tortillas for the beach? Send Jose.

Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Nothing is written in stone. Taxi drivers, like anyone else, are businessmen.

If you need him for several hours strike a deal. Need him to come back later? strike a deal. Most taxi drivers I know would much prefer knowing they will be busy, especially with the same customer, than waiting in line at the airport or hotel for a fare that may or may not show up.

Some of the best friendships I have seen develop over these many years with our clients and locals are with taxi drivers. Befriend a taxi driver and believe me, they’ll remember you when you come back.

Bring him a new CD or cassette for the radio and you’ll make a friend for life and won’t have to listen to “Proud Mary” twenty times either! “Beeg wheels kip on torning…”

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

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March 6, 2009 by riplipboy

PHOTO 1: Mitch Chavira and his 11-year-old son, Cole from the San Diego area never fail to do well when they fish La Paz. They say it’s better to be lucky and good but these two have both going for them and often put fish on board when everyone is just scratching around. Cole especially has often set the waters on fire. This past week when alot of other anglers were hiding from the winds, these two were out at El Bajo knocking out yellowtail on bait and iron. Check out some of these nice fat yellowtail.

PHOTO 2: Mitch Chavira with another fat forktail for the box. There’s more details below in our report, but Mitch said the wind was really kicking most days, but one day it just laid down flat and was epic.

PHOTO 3: Just one more day on the water. Cole and Mitch with another triple on yellowtail. They lost several others and also released other fish as well.

DID YOU SAY DORADO IN MARCH? BIG YELLOWTAIL TOO FOR LAS ARENAS AND LA PAZ BOATS IN BETWEEN WINDS

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for week of March 1-8, 2009

What a crazy week. I wouldn’t say it was fantastic fishing, but there were some fantastic bites here and there as things certainl warmed up on the waters!

Big yellowtail were in the counts again with 20-30 pound fish rolling around not too far out of Muertos Bay and Punta Perico. But we are supposed to be catching yellowtail right now. It’s that time of the year. We get yellowtail this time of year. But, here’s the surprise…in that same area schools of dorado showed up! That’s right. Dorado are normally warm water fish. However, schools of punky 8-15 pound fish came up to bite. That could only mean that there’s some fingers of warm water moving around. These fish were hungry and ready to bite! We normally do not see these fish until at least late April or May. We’ll keep you posted! There were also some reliable reports of dorado just outside at the buoys as well!! What’s up with that? No one is complaining!

Another nice surprise was that north of town, despite strong winds we’re finally seeing some activity as well. If you can brave the rough water and breezes, there are some good windows of opportunity finally opening up. San Diego residents, Mitch Chavira and his 11-year-old-son, Cole, who have successfully fished La Paz for many years got into some great yellowtail fishing especially at the El Bajo Seamount using bait and iron. According to Mitch:

“We had to work hard to get fish as the wind was blowing and had the bite pretty shut down. We did get fish every day and our last day at El Bajo was epic as the wind finally laid off. They really wanted the iron! One guy had to stay dedicated to the yo yo which got em going and allowed us to get em with surface iron and bait as well. We boated three, released a couple at the gaff and lost a few to the rocks. It was a hoot! Man they pull so much harder in the deeper water! We had our drags buttoned all the way down. Cole now 11 yrs old was really man handling these fish! Made the ol man proud.”

Just before posting this, we got more reports of a jag of big pargo that came up on the east side of the island! These were the nice dogtooth and mullet snapper with fish up to 40 pounds. They came. The ravaged. They went down! Wow….things are perking up!!!

PRINT MEXICAN FISHING LICENSES NOW ONLINE!

More big news…

YOU CAN NOW GET YOUR MEXICAN FISHING PERMITS ONLINE! It’s about time! You have no idea what a pain-in-the-keister it is getting your Mexican fishing licenses here in Mexico. Talk about bureaucratic B.S.! (I can’t say what I really think because Mexican officials read my postings!) But, it’s not like walking into your local Wal-Mart and paying your money. Five minutes later you walk out with your fishing license! In Mexico, it takes us 2-4 days to have a fishing license for one of our clients.

However, now, using your credit card you can actually do everything on the internet and be ready to get bent! Here’s the link to keep handy: Click these. http://www.bestbajafishing.org/ or http://www.discoverbajacaliforina.com/

I love technology!

LAST STOP ON 2009 TAILHUNTER TOUR!

We’ll after 3 months, we’re finally headed to our last round up on the Tailhunter Tour for 2009. It’s been awesome to see so many amigos….San Mateo, Sacramento, Denver, Portland, Phoenix, Long Beach and now…Salt Lake City. Going out with a bang at one of our favorite venues. The International Sportsmen’s Expo will be from Thursday to Sunday this week, March 12-15 at the Expo hall in Sandy. Great facility built for the Olympics. Hope to see you this week!

That’s our story
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

Phone: (626) 333-3355

FAX: (626) 333-0115Cell: (626) 278-1585

Mex. Cell: 044-612-114-17176

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

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

Tailhunter YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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March 1, 2009 by riplipboy

PHOTO 1: Roosterfish appear to have shown up a tad early this year, but Las Arenas isn’t called the roosterfish capital of the world for nothing. Captain Jorge hosts a nice pez gallos taken south of Muertos Bay on live bait. Notice how close to shore he is. The fish was released.

PHOTO 2: Hotel Perla, one of La Paz most historic hotels on the waterfront has been added to the Tailhunter list of lodgings for our fishing clients who prefer to stay downtown in La Paz.

PHOTO 3: Hotel Perla is now available for our La Paz clients who prefer to stay downtown on the waterfront area close to restaurants and shops now that Hotel Los Arcos has been closed.

PHOTO 4: The cavernous University of Phoenix Stadium where the NFL Cardinals play indoors. We just spent the week there for the International Sportsmen’s Show. Our booth was right at ground level and this photo shows the indoor stadium before we all set up. Had a great time in the town! Thanks to everyone who came by and said hi!

PHOTO 5: We got a chance to sneak out behind the scenes at the football stadium and came upon a secret locker room down a dark hallway where we probably should not have been!

MORE LARGE YELLOWTAIL MARK MIXED BAG OF FISH THIS PAST WEEK!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Feb. 22-28, 2009

The winds last week brought up some cold green waters that put off the fishing bite the early part of the week, but it seemed to improve as the week went by. Not many anglers out to get a really good read on the bite, but we did get some smaller yellowtail in the 10-15 pound class close to shore. As the week went on, we saw some of the larger models show up in the 25-35 pound class. Again, thoug, it’s really hard to get good feel on this to know if there’s a lot of fish in the area or they’re just breezing through and just the vanguard of the larger bite still coming. Still, it’s encouraging and everyone got fish this week. There just weren’t a lot of folks on the water, but this coming week, we’ll have more boats out with spring break here so we’ll hopefully have a better read on this for you.

Still… Pargo and roosterfish are still around and big big bonito have been great fun as well. Sierra schools keep coming in and out and when they hit…it can be bendo bendo bendo as they rip into the lines non-stop. Bait is fine. Hopefully, the winds will stay down so the water temps can get back to normal.

HOTEL PERLA NOW ON OUR ROSTER!

With the unfortunate closing of the historic Hotel Los Arcos earlier in the year, we needed to have another resort property for our clients who wanted to stay downtown on the waterfront. We’re happy to announce that we’re now able to lodge our fishing clients in the equally historic Hotel Perla. Built in 1940, the Hotel Perla has been a great destination right in the heart of the La Paz waterfront with walking distance to shops, restaurants and nightlife. Let us know if we can set you up. As usual, depending on our fishing, we’ll pick you up right there each day to get you on the water. We still have our other great hotels as well, La Concha Beach Resort and Hotel Marina.

FRED HALL FISHING AND BOAT SHOW THIS WEEK!

It’s that time again. The big circus is coming to town. The Fred Hall Fishing and Boating Show at the Long Beach Convention Center March 4-8 (Wednesday to Saturday) rolls in. Come see us! This is the big one so come early. We’ll be in our usual spot in the tackle section right next to Izorline. Look for the booth with the palapa roof overhead!

We’re just leaving our ISE show in Phoenix. What a great show. Great to see so many old amigos and clients and what an outsanding facility. We were actually on the football field at ground level in Cardinals Football stadium. We had never done the Phoenix show before and had a great time. Thanks to everyone who came by to say hi.

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International
Phone: (626) 333-3355
FAX: (626) 333-0115
Cell: (626) 278-1585
Mex. Cell: 044-612-114-17176

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

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

Tailhunter YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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February 22, 2009 by riplipboy

PHOTO 1: It’s calm now, but most of the week it was whipping and frothing pretty hard down here and had most folks hunkered down against the strong winds!

PHOTO 2: Fireworks over the waterfront and 2 miles of streetfair go off as Carnival time roared into town this past week.
STRONG WINDS SHUT DOWN PORT AND FEW ANGLERS MADE FOR SPOTTY FISHING!
La Paz / Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Feb. 14-21, 2009

It can’t be good all the time…especially in winter. I’d love to tell ya it was a great week of fishing. It really looked promising, but then the winds hit us. All those storms from up along the Pacific Coast of the U.S. that dropped rain and snow resulted in a face blast of winds down here.

In fact, it was so strong, they had to close the port of La Paz a few days. But that’s the way it is during winter fishing. It was still a warm and sunny time ashore with 80 degree weather, but on the water, it was rough if you planned to fish north of the city.

That’s why we put most of our boats out’ve Muertos Bay. Fishing was calmer and closer to shore. That would’ve been fine and good, but on the other side of the coin, we just didn’t have a lot of anglers this week either. Those that went out did run into sierra and some bigger pargo were lost. Some smaller yellowtail were caught…none of the bigger hogs this week. As well there were big bonito and roosterfish to be caught as well. At the time I’m writing this winds have flattened and things are looking pretty good out on the water from where I’m sitting looking at the bay. We’ll keep you posted.

CARNIVAL LA PAZ 2009

Carnival has been going on full blast most of the week and will continue on until FAT TUESDAY which is Feb. 24 (appropriately) it’s also the full moon! For sure, the town was howling. It was full scale party all week. I’ve never seen the waterfront so packed. Rides, game, food stands, and seemingly a concert stage every block or so, the carnival occupied a good 2 miles of waterfront area!

Town has been out in full force and you can hear the pounding music from a mile away. They even built two full-sized roller coasters in the area in front of the now-closed Los Arcos Hotel as well as the park across the street from the hotel which was turned into a huge midway of rides and games. There hasn’t been a hotel room available for over a week.

TAILHUNTER ROAD TOUR 2009 ONTO PHOENIX ARIZONA
We hit the road again this week. After doing shows in San Mateo and Sacramento, CA, we hit Denver and Portland. This coming week we’ll be at Cardinal Football Stadium in Glendale AZ which is the fishing/hunting show for the greater Phoenix AZ area. IT’s the International Sportsmen’s Expo.
It’s a 3 day show and starts Friday and goes to Sunday. Come check us out! It’s right down on the football field!

After that. we crank it up for the gigantic Fred Hall Fishing and Boating Show at the Long Beach Convention Center March 4-8 followed by the International Sportsmen’s Expo in Salt Lake City. Hope to see you!

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International
Phone: (626) 333-3355
FAX: (626) 333-0115
Cell: (626) 278-1585
Mex. Cell: 044-612-114-17176
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico
Tailhunter YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate
“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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February 22, 2009 by riplipboy

PHOTO: This is Old School. Keeping it simple…blue water…a panga boat…some beer…some sunshine and a fish on the end of the line.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS CHANGING


Originally published in Western Outdoor News the Week of February 24, 2009

Well, it finally happened. After many false starts, they opened a golf course here in La Paz. Well, they opened the driving range part but the rest of the big green park is supposed to be open in a few months.

They also broke ground on two other courses here in town. I have to admit to mixed emotions.

Let me say that I’m not a golfer. I learned long ago that I have no aptitude for it and given the fanaticism I see among my golfing buddies, that’s probably a good thing. I have enough vices and toys to fill my garage…fishing and fishing gear being among them. I’m just not into spending my day chasing a little white ball all over.

But, I do have a world of admiration for anyone who can do it. It’s a helluva skill. I can lay claim to once shooting a 68 and I’d have done even better if my ball hadn’t hit the windmill before bouncing through the castle and missing the clown’s mouth. But that’s as good as it gets.

But, a lot of folks like golf and so do a lot of my fishing friends and clients. Power to them, I’m glad we can now offer that service and another vacation activity…just like Loreto. Just like East Cape and just like Cabo!

Yes, just like Cabo. That’s where it kinda gets caught in my throat. Just like Cabo. Hmmmm…

I like Cabo San Lucas a lot. For a lot of reasons. But having a golf course just seems to smack of all the things that people came to Baja to escape and things that I hear on a daily basis about why folks are looking for other Baja destinations. Golf is an icon that changes the landscape geographically, socially, and culturally like no other. Think about that.

In and of itself, it’s not the problem. But play free-form-association with the word “golf” and you get related words like clubhouse, estates, tennis clubs, exclusive country clubs, traffic, restaurants, boutique mall, parking lot, blah blah blah. You get the point. Take it further and you come up with marinas, yachts, booze cruise, para-gliding, beach rentals, noise…sound familiar?

Man, wha’ happened? Que paso?
Tell ya what. We brought it with us and I’m as guilty as the next person. And I understand the phenomenon that strikes us all who find a piece of paradise and

(a) Don’t want it to ever change and/or
(b) Don’t want anyone else to move in after us

I’m being very selfish. And God bless progress and I can only hope it’s done right. I’m sure I’ll go give it another try!

Still, I had to cringe over a conversation I heard when I ducked into a local taco stand for a quick lunch. Four new “transplants” were having a conversation that pretty much centered on:

Not being able to find a decent gardner who would work for less than 10 dollars a day.
How slow the service was at the new Burger King and how locals did not understand the concept of “fast service.”

Where the ladies yacht club would hold it’s “high tea luncheon.”

How much gas their Humvee was using these days.

Exhale…Cringe…Shake my head…

In contrast it was so refreshing to get a call today from some guys who wanted to go fishing next month.

“We don’t need fancy. We’re jus’ some good old boys who want a room that has some hot water. We need some beer and a boat that goes forward and won’t sink and do some fishing. Simple as that!”

I’m gonna miss that old school. It’s a dwindling breed. But I’d better learn to play golf or at least get my ball past the windmill.

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

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February 14, 2009 by riplipboy

PHOTO 1: MIGHTY YELLOWTAIL HOGS! Yes…the yellowtail have finally started to show. Greg Keehr from Bothell WA made their first trip to see us in La Paz this past week and stuck some great roosters, cabrilla and these AWESOME yellowtail while fishing out’ve Muertos Bay.

PHOTO 2: Janet Keehr admittedly outfished her husband with this 35-pound yellowtail that she took on 25 pound test. That’s Captain Victor that many of you know, holding the gaff and sporting a DOUBLE CHIN! (Must’ve been hibernating in the off-season!). Janet took the fish on live bait. That’s a slugger of a fish!

PHOTO 3: You’ve probably neve seen one of these. One of our amigos, called it the “Boy George Fish” for the pink makeup on it’s lips and rouge on it’s cheeks. This is a rare louvar fish. Normally never seen in the Sea of Cortez, but correctly identified by our friend, Gene Kira from Mexfish.com http://www.mexfish.com/fish/louvar/louvar.htm. The photo was sent by Ed Hoffman and the fish was found in Loreto.

PHOTO 4: The louvar is not only rare. It’s also usually only about 30 pounds or so. This was estimated at 200 pounds. No idea how it tasted! More details on the way.

PHOTO 5: Yes, it finally happened. La Paz has it’s first golf course at Mogote Peninsula just across from the city. This is the driving range.

PHOTO 6: That’s our amigo, Dan Shore from the La Concha Pearl condos with the purple polo shirt being told that his ball went down a rattlesnake hole and he’d have to get it himself plus suffer 3 penalty strokes.

PHOTO 7: Bilingual warning sign on the Colorado River telling us not to fish for trout! We’ve just finished our 5th week traveling the U.S. visiting all our amigos and clients at the fishing and hunting shows. We just finished Portland, Oregon and will be going to Phoenix AZ next at Cardinal Football Stadium the last week of February. Come say hi!

YELLOWTAIL FINALLY CHEW!

La Paz / Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Feb. 8-14, 2009

Well! Sunshine…low wind…and YELLOWTAIL! Finally some lunker toad forktails! Check out the photos above. That’s the style we like…20-40 pound fish! We got fish for both our La Paz and Las Arenas fleet. Fishing the high spots and reefs, it would appear that the fish are in our waters although because of the winds, most of our fishing remains fishing out’ve Muertos Bay where the waters are calmer.

The fish are in shallow and eating live bait. But, in those same areas, we got some really nice pargo (and lost some HUGE fish too in the rocks!) as well as cabrilla. Sierra are still around, but we got another shot of roosterfish as well as some of those big gigantus bonito that kick our butts! All good signs! Weather has been great for the most part. We had wind earlier in the week but temps have been in the hight 70’s to lower 80’s.

This is CARNIVAL WEEK this week too so the town will be in party zone along the malecon waterfront all week! Gonna be rowdy!

Oh…and the whales are in full turbo as well at Mag Bay. We’re running trips daily now and seeing lots of whales in the shallow waters of the bay. We’re still booking trips so let us know.

LITTLE WHITE BALLS…

Lastly…you saw the golf course photos above…Yes…La Paz has it’s first golf course. It’s over at the Mogote Peninsula…that big sand spit across the way from La Paz. If you’ve been to La Paz and stood there on the malecon looking out at the ocean, it’s directly across. It’s still a 45 minute car ride over, but they have a quick 5 minute shuttle on a pontoon boat that will take you over. I guess I better learn to play golf. I’ve never been real good. I always had a fishing rod in my hand. I did shoot a 63 once, and would have done better, but my ball hit the windmill and missed the clown’s mouth by the castle…

According to our friend, Rory King, he says, ” The course is not ‘Open’ until March. The grand opening will be a round of golf played by the developer, and Arthur Hills, and Brian Yoder, the golf course architect and designer. At this time, the people living there, can play the course, but most of the markers are not up now, details have to be done, so it is not open to the public, except for the driving range.Driving range is open 10 to 4 every day. $12.00 for one hour or the whole day if you wish. Anyone can go. The little electric boats leave from the dock that goes down to El Patron restaurant. Short ride to the other side, then they pick you up in a golf cart and take you to the driving range. They have a rudimentary food stand, water, hot dogs, stuff like that, and it is beautiful. Anyone can play at this time. The price is right for a couple of hours of hitting balls.”

That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International
Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115Cell: (626) 278-1585Mex.
Cell: 044-612-114-17176E-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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