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Posts Tagged ‘mexico life’

“FINALLY READING BETWEEN THE LINES”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, cabrilla, dorado, Fishing, fishing reports, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, flyfishing, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, kids, kids fishing, La Paz, La Paz Fishing, Leisure, Living in Mexico, marlin, Mexican, Mexican business, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico economy, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, pargo, roosterfish, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, tourism, Travel, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 18, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Despite what many think, Mexico actually has one of the fastest growing tourism economies in the world as more folks are discovering Mexico as a great destination with Americans still comprising the majority of tourists with more than 24 million visitors expected this year.

“FINALLY READING BETWEEN THE LINES”

Originally Published the Week of March 20, 2013 in Western Outdoor News

It’s been an uphill battle.

Turn back the time machine about 2-3 seasons ago and it seemed that every other persons was asking me about the “violence in Mexico” or telling me they’d “Never go there again” or “I’d be in fear of my life!”

It seemed everyone had seen the news clips.  Everyone had read the headlines.  Everyone had a friend-of-neighbor-of-an-uncle-of-a-classmate who knew someone else who had been beaten, robbed, killed or eaten a bad taco.

Speaking at seminars and appearing at countless trade, travel, hunting and fishing shows over the years, it seemed the negativity was endless.  Protest as I might…how could any of us who enjoy living and working in Mexico ever overcome the omnipotent power of the broadcast and print media?

We’re just little old us…mom and pop operations in Mexico…

How does one prove a negative? How do you prove something is NOT happening?  How do we go up against CNN and FOX and the others and say, “Hey, thousands of tourists are NOT getting murdered!”  “Hey, 200,000 Americans crossed the border today and NOTHING happened to them!”

Sigh…wring hands…shrug shoulders. Exhale.   And hope.

But maybe things are changing.  Lately, people specifically ask me if Baja is safe.  Or is La Paz (where we live) or Cabo San Lucas safe.  Things like that.

I tell them yes.  Maybe show them some statistics and they’re fine with that.  “I thought so,” they’ll usually say.  Then, they move onto the good stuff like, “So, when’s the best time to come fishing?”

A few years ago, people would argue with me.  Not so now.

Or, in the alternative, they affirm what we’ve been telling everyone.

They come out and pointedly tell me, that they’ve visited Cancun and Cozumel and Puerta Vallarta and Loreto and other tourist destinations and found them to be safer or at least as safe as being home.  And enjoy travelling to Mexico.  It’s a great value.  The people are great.  Love the food.  Blah…blah…blah!  Stuff we’ve always known, right?

Now, no one is saying Mexico doesn’t have a problem.  Far from it.  Mexico has some serious crime problems.  But folks have been quick to point out that, “Hey, it’s not directed at tourists.”

“It’s in places we shouldn’t go anyway…like back alleys of Ciudad de Juarez!”

“Don’t do things you shouldn’t be doing and going to places you shouldn’t be going and you’ll be fine…like American cities.  Every place has it’s bad areas.  Don’t be an idiot.  Stay out of bad areas!”

“I go to Mexico all the time.  I feel safer there on the beach in San Carlos or Los Barriles than I do where I live in Phoenix and my car gets busted into all the time and several of my neighbors have been burglarized.”

“I’m tired of all the negativity.  It’s in the news every time an American or tourist gets his wallet stolen in Mexico.  How often does that happen in downtown New York and it never makes the news.”

It’s kind of refreshing in a strange way to have people trying to convince ME that it’s OK to be in Mexico.  People are figuring it out on their own.

Unlike many tourist destinations, Mexico took 3 big strikes to it’s travel sector.  First, was the economic downturn that seems to have hit the whole planet.

Second, of course, is the nervousness over violent crime.

Third, was the swine-flu scare.  (Don’t get me started on that fiasco!  Again… everyone knew a friend-of-a-friend-of-friend who had been stricken…sheesh).

But, Mexico’s on the rebound.

I’m not completely convinced yet that it’s due to an overall economic recovery for everyone.  There’s still alot of bad stuff going on and we’re far from over.  But, maybe folks are just adjusting to it all.  Maybe they still know Mexico’s a good value and it’s close and yea…they’ve adjusted to the fact that it’s a pretty safe place to hang out with the bro’s and the family.

Indeed, statistics show that Mexico has one of the fastest growing tourist economies in the world.  In excess of 24 million visitors take to Mexico yearly now.  Americans make up the majority of Mexico’s tourism base as something like 4-8 million Americans visit annually.  And suffer nothing more serious than a self-induced margarita hangover or a bad sunburn.

As a matter of fact, the fastest growing segment of Mexico’s tourism is coming from places like China, Russia, Columbia, Brazil and the Ukraine.  And for years, having lived in Baja, the Italians, French and Japanese have been constant visitors as well.

This is all good news for Mexico and should be an assurance to those contemplating a trip south of the border where the most violent thing you encounter might be in the salsa you spoon into your tacos! Andale!

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: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745

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

Phones:

from USA : 626-638-3383

from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:

http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

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

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“KIDS UNPLUGGED”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, holidays in mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico life, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Getting a kid out on the water can be a life-changing event!

“KIDS UNPLUGGED”

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Aug. 3, 2012

What’s up with these kids?  Am I the only one who’s noticed this?

Summer is on and we’ve got a lot of families arriving now for their summer vacations.  All well and good.  My wife and I  always make a point of doing the meet-and-greet when they arrive from the airport and make sure we put faces with names and make sure they’re checked into their hotel rooms get a quick summary of things. 

Big handshakes and hugs all around.  It’s great to have families.  And I know how important these vacations are.  Not just to the families, but to mom and dad as well. 

But, so many of the kids…when you reach out to shake a hand, act like they have never shaken a hand.  They recoil to human touch.  Smile and say hello and welcome and it’s like you’re the boogie-man.    

I’ve had the parents say things to 12-year-olds like, “Say hi to Jonathan and Jill.  Go on now!”  And nudge them toward us like they were 4-year-olds hiding behind mom’s skirts.  Heaven help them if they should smile. Never look you in the eye.   And the handshakes are about as firm as quivering noodles.

After the “pleasantries” they quickly retreat into the protective shadow.  Eyes downcast.  What’s up with that?

And  they  “assume the position.”  You know what I mean.

Hands close together…thumbs ready to go.  You know…ready to TEXT!  Tap-tap-tap…tap…tap…tap.  Like little “thumb claws” on their smart phones.  Socially adept at anonymous networking, but face-to-face can’t communicate with other people.

At our restaurant here in La Paz  last week, I watched  a family of 4 eating dinner.  No one was talking to each other. But they were “communicating” to each other via text and e-mail even though they were all sitting next to each other! 

TOTAL silence except for tap…tap…tap…to each other! “Howz yr tacos?”  “Grt mom.”  “Do U wnt mre salsa?” “I jst snt u a pic of me etng my brgr!”

Sitting right next to each other.  I watched 90 minutes of this.

Pretty sad commentary about the new family of the 21st century.

But, there’s another side to this. 

Sometimes, it’s amazing what a few days in Baja can do!  A couple of days of fishing and some beach time and some pool and snorkel time.  Being in a place where wi-fi isn’t automatic.  And kids come out of that shell. 

They run up to you…no, almost skip up to you…and can’t wait to tell you about how they caught a bigger fish than dad.  And they are gushing about the whaleshark and dolphins they saw and how they tried fish tacos for the first time. 

And, they’ve got a little color on their faces and their eyes are glowing again and there’s no sign of headsets  wrapped around their necks and attached to iPods and smart phones.  What?  There’s no wi-fi on a panga?

 Kids who no longer had a story to tell now have “adventures” they can’t wait to talk about. There’s almost a cool little “swagger” about them.  Like each day they just survived the e-ticket rides!

Like you and I used to do.  Things that you and I did commonplace is an “adventure” to these kids. 

You and I walked to school.  We rode our bikes through fields; down train tracks; and to the local beach, lake or public pool. Heaven forbid…some of us even rode on the handlebars…AND NO HELMETS!

Some of us even hitchhiked.  We spent the night at friend’s houses.  We stayed out late playing ball in the street under the street lamp.  It was perfectly OK to eat cookies made by a neighbor or  retrieve the ball from the neighbors yard.  Our mom’s and dads knew the names and faces of the parents of our friends. 

Camping out in the yard or going on a fishing trip wasn’t an exercise in logistics, insurance and security for a family.  We didn’t sign release forms or have to check in our our personal GPS units.  Mom’s two-fingered whistle from the front door meant “Get home now!”

I don’t think kids have adventures anymore. Whereas you and I got our jollies playing on a tire-swing and running through the sprinkler system, their “adrenaline rush” comes in how many zombies they killed on Play Station sitting in the living room. 

A few days ago, I heard a 14-year-old boy (from Southern California)  pleading to his dad to take his photo, “Look dad!  Look dad, I’m sticking my feet in the ocean!”  It was the same excitement you and I got riding our bikes with no hands or jumping off the big rock into the swimming hole. This was a southern California kid excited about simply putting his feet into the ocean!

I’m not saying that a trip to Baja is a cure-all. 

But what old Baja Rats like you and I might take for granted like eating a fish taco, pulling on a fish; seeing some dolphin or (Lord help me) putting our toes into the ocean, could be the show-and-tell-adventure of a lifetime for some kid in your life.

As “civilized” as many of us have come to see Baja with air-conditioning; paved roads; McDonald’s and room service, it’s still the frontier.  It’s still an exotic place for the unusual and the out-of-ordinary that can make a lifelong impression on some youngster who rarely looks up from their keyboard or lets go of the remote control.

Give ‘em a story to tell!  Get them to look up and see the sunshine!

________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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!

__________________

That’s our story!

Jonathan

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: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

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


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

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A LONG AND DUSTY LINE

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The cathedral in La Paz. In the days before cranes and hydraulic lifts and electric screw drivers, someone had to be around to lift the massive stones and drag the enormous beams into place.

A LONG AND DUSTY LINE

Originally Published the Week of May 4, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

Having lived down here for quite sometime now, it always gives me pause to see how much of the country is reliant on manual labor.  There’s nothing wrong with it.

I come from a long line of manual laborers who came over to Hawaii to work the pineapple and sugarcane fields or to Central Caliornia to pick tomatoes.  Dad used to take me out to the fields to show me what it was like and tell me, “Stay in school so you don’t have to make your living hunched over in the sun.”  As I grew up, I learned to even despise pulling weeds in the yard, let alone chopping sugar cane stock or packing tomato crates.

Here, in Mexico, unskilled labor is inexpensive and folks need the work. And there’s a lot of folks here.

For instance, after a rain storm, the “broom army” materializes.  Using nothing more high-tech than garden-variety-kitchen brooms provided by the government, scores of folks  hand sweeping the streets.  No machines.  Basic sweat-of-brow technology.

Along the highways, you may have seen them.  Long lonely stretches of desert road.  Sometimes there’s a line of them. Sometimes there’s one solitary guy that makes me wonder “Did you apply for this job?”  “Are you being punished for this?”  Are you low-man on the seniority list?”

But there he is. With a shovel.  Dirty pants.  Usually a soiled t-shirt sometimes pulled up and tucked under the chest so that their tummys are exposed. A kerchief wrapped around his faces to ward off the dust.  Tennis shoes or old torn up work-boots that look like Hernando Cortez himself brought them over from Spain.  A baseball hat of some type worn “Foreign Legion” style with a t-shirt tucked and hanging down the back.

No gloves.  No supervisor.  No support truck with an orange Igloo of water. No “roach-coach” catering truck nearby.  No handy porta-potty close either.  No warning cones or vests.  Cars come dangerously close since Mexican roads have little or no shoulders.  Cows might watch from the scrub.  Probably wondering the same thing…”What the heck are you doing out here?”

But there they are, one shovel of dirt at a time.  It’s hard to tell what the project is.  Move dirt from here to there?   Shovel the dust off the highway?  Each car or breeze that passes only blows the dust right back.  Can’t you just phone it in and say you did the job?  Collect some pesos and go home?  Who would know the difference?

Often you see “gangs” of these worker standing like sardines in a stakebed truck.  Shoulder-to-shoulder.  No sitting.  Obviously, not union.

Day-after-day…same guys or just one guy. Same stretch of road.  Heat numbing.  Mind numbing.

Sometimes, I do see them nap under whatever shade a cactus or other scrub can give them.  Nothing special.  Lie down. Tilt hat over eyes.  Siesta.  Who keeps track of time?

What got me writing about this subject is a recent visit to the old mission here in La Paz.  Visiting the historic sites that dot the California, Baja and Mexican landscape is one of my favorite things.

Whether it’s Mission San Gabriel or San Diego or Santa Barbara or the Baja missions in Loreto or San Ignacio or, as I said here in La Paz, I never tire of walking into them and spending a few moments.  Or touching the old adobe or walking the paths and tiles.

There’s something about touching a bit of history.  It’s not a re-creation like going to Universal Studios or Disneyland.  This is the same water trough where the Spanish soldiers watered their horses.  Here’s the breezeway between the rectory and the church where some padre’s sandaled feet used to walk 300 years ago. And here’s the cemetery that holds so many stories.

If you get a chance to visit or ever have.  Be quite for a moment and sit still and the history will honestly talk to you!

But, the last time I was in, I was doing just that and it occurred to me.  There’s A LOT of wood in here.  Huge thick wooden beams criss-cross and support the massive ceilings.  Massive wooden doors.  Solid hard wood benches and the ornate altar and crucifix and so many other items.

Y’know, Mexico doesn’t exactly have a lot of trees.

And the huge bells and ornaments.  The  masterpiece stained glass windows and tile work.

They didn’t just hop down to Home Depot to get these in the 1600 and 1700’s.

I’m sure the Jesuit padres and the Spanish conquistadores did hard work, but I don’t envision, Sargeant Garcia and Friar Antonio making bricks or dragging huge chunks of lumber over the mountains.  They didn’t dig those irrigation aquaducts for the fields or paint the mission ceilings either.

Nope…they were built by some every-day Joe and Mary.  Born with a native name that was probably taken from them at their Christian baptismal and given  names like Jose and Maria.

And these are the folks who did the work. Who busted their backs often in the name of the spirit of Christianity and the promise of eternal salvation.  Only IF they learned to wear a pair of pants and help build the church.  Toil the fields. Build a wagon road.   Sweep up after the soldiers and padres.

They built quite an empire.  Same folks are still working. Still toiling in that hot Baja sun. Willing to work.  Needing to work.  I look at the guys on the side of the road as we speed by and wonder if they come from that long dusty line of laboral history. One shovel at a time.

_____________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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!

______________

That’s our story

Jonathan

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: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

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


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

Read Full Post »

“T.M.I” (Too Much Information)

Posted in Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Opening one screen leads to another and another. In the quest for information on the "information super highway" one is often subjected to frequent sig-alert traffic jams!

“T.M.I”  (Too Much Information!)

Originally Published the Week of April 18, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

 

In the current lingo of the internet and texting, most teenagers can tell you what “TMI” means. “ Too much information.”  More than I need. 

 

When I got married a few years ago to Jilly, I wanted to surprise her for our honeymoon (no wise cracks, guys!).  So I told her I was sagely going to handle the honeymoon arrangements especially after all the work she had done for the massive wedding.  She rolled her eyes a bit and laughed.  She had her hands full anyway and she gamely expressed confidence in my  stellar organizational abilities.  In all fairness, I could’ve set up a camping trip or a Motel 6 and she’s still would have gone along cheerfully.

 

What she didn’t know was that I was secretly going to extend our honeymoon for extra days.  Some things she didn’t expect. Some things NOT in the budget…  Some ritzy hotel!  Spa!  Restaurants!  Only doing this once so might as well shoot for the moon.  The credit card was empty at the time. (ha!)

 

So, I hit the internet.  Now, this was only 3 years ago.  The last time I booked a really big deal was back in the day when I reached into dad’s car and grabbed the Auto Club Catalog.  Remember those?  Dog-eared and coffee stained.  It was the” bible” when you went on a family trip.

 

But because this was so special, I needed to know everything about everything.  Bad move!

 

Before long, I had two laptops opened plus my desktop computer.  I had multiple screens opened on each one…Trip Advisor….Yelp…Facebook…My Space…Yahoo…Google…

 

I had review after review. Link upon link.  Photo libraries.  Experts reviews.  Some agreed. Many conflicted.  Who had the best hotel?  Ocean view? Spa?  Restaurants nearby?  Brunch?  Room service? 

 

Wait, that one looks good, but two other reviews said the place had bad service.  But another 10 reviews say it’s great.  This other hotel has ocean-views, but their restaurant has bad reviews and they say it’s noisy.  This other one looks good, but it’s not walking distance to anything and they charge an extra 40 bucks to park which could have fooled me. 

 

OK…this resort has a spa discount package but only on weekdays.  That won’t work.  This one has great rates…darnit…only during off-season.  This one looks great!  Call them now…”What?  You’re already sold out???”  (gnashing of teeth).  Delete delete delete!

 

And the restaurants…OK…that one has 500 good reviews but 60 bad ones.  This one has live music and great seafood, but it says don’t go on weekend because it has too many tourists in them.  This other one is famous and has been there for years, but the last few reviews are terrible! 

 

I was doing this all in the middle of the night too so that I could hide this from Jill.  Before long, I was going crazy!   Eyes were going buggy looking at so many websites and reviews and photos.  INFORMATION OVERLOAD!  TILT! TILT!

 

But, you know…it’s your honeymoon.  You want everything “just right.”  As it turned out, after 4 fretful nights, I finally just pulled the trigger and made my best-informed-decisions and all turned out well.  My lovely bride was all smiles and I saved the fledgling marriage! She didn’t cut-and-run.  Whew…

 

It used to be so easy for Baja as well. 

 

In fact, the least amount of planning seemed to be the typical modus operendi.  You called the guys.  You got the station wagon or van.  In went some clothes.  In went the surfboards and fishing rods.  A cooler.  A copious amount of junk food procured from the first 7-11 on the road…Doritos…check…Jerky…check…Oreos…check…oops…run back in and get beer and Cokes.  A box of cassettes or 8 tracks. 

 

You had destination in mind.  You headed sort of in THAT direction.  Again…the Auto Club Map and book in the glove box.  Maybe a copy of Gene Kira’s the “Baja Catch” on the dashboard and some faxed copies of the surf report.

 

You’d figure out the rest “on the fly.”  Maybe you’d camp.  Maybe all sleep in the car.  Maybe all of you piled into some little Mexican beach motel. 

 

It was THAT easy. You knew it would work itself out.  The important thing was that you were GOING!  Not where you were going so much as the thrill of knowing you were on a road trip together to the BAJA!  You all piled out’ve work on Friday and picked all the buddies up along the way.

 

Nowadays, the information super-highway has, in many ways complicated things as much as made it easier.

 

There is so much out there, that it’s impossible to filter!  Our own website must be 40 pages large, but that’s because it has to be large to compete with everyone else out there. It’s a necessary evil.

 

And it’s hard to de-code everything.  It’s easy to hide that a certain hotel is 30 miles away from town or that another is actually built next to a cement plant.  The photos always look GREAT on the internet. 

 

Likewise, what does the word “rustic” mean when used to describe a hotel?  That could mean charming Mexican artisan décor or it could mean the air-conditioning system is powered by two gerbils running in a wheel. Or “close to the beach?”  How close is” close?”  Walking distance.  For who? 

 

After all that, sometimes it’s just easier to ask someone who has been there.  Assuming you truest their opinion.  But often…  Word-of –mouth sometimes trumps technology.

 

But, I miss the old days.  Pass the Doritos and pop some Rolling Stones in the 8-track…

We’ll get there when we get there.

_____________________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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!

_______________________

That’s our story

Jonathan and Jilly

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: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

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


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

Read Full Post »

“CHANGES IN ATTITUDES REVISITED”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, kids, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican culture, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, tuna tournament, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Me and Jilly in our booth at the International Sportsman's Expo Salt Lake City UT. Just tryin' to sell smiles one fish at a time.

CHANGES IN ATTITUDES (“ARE YOU TALKING TO…ME?” REVISTED)

Originally Published the Week of March 23, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

So, here it is.  As I’m writing this, we’ve been on the road 78 straight days now hitting all the major fishing/hunting shows…Denver, Sacramento, Portland, Vegas, Seattle, Long Beach…just to name a few.  New show every week.  13,000 miles of driving and, by the time you’re reading this, we’ll be at our 11th show at the Fred Hall Show in Del Mar near San Diego.

So, we see thousands of you all at these shows and many of you have asked about the experiences we had last year on our promotional tour. If you remember, last year, several times at every show we were actually accosted…mostly verbally…sometimes physically by knuckleheads telling us to:

“Go back to your country!”

“How did people like US get into the show?”

“Everyone of you effing people from Mexico should be killed…”

Y’know…lovely pleasantries like that.  Every city.  Every show.  Not just the cities like Boise, Idaho or Billings, Montana either.

The worst were at the shows in Sacramento and Long Beach, California.  Yup…you’d have thought folks in these hubs might be a bit more enlightened. So did we!

It’s a bit unsettling when a guy in an Izod polo shirt with a Tag Heuer watch and a wife looking like she just came from the spa grits his teeth, reaches across the counter at my booth and pokes his finger in my chest and hisses at me, “They oughta just nuke the whole stupid country.”

Well, we got hundreds of e-mails and letters about our experiences.  Outrage. Embarrassment.  Support.  Most agreed that there’s some folks out there that just have their underwear on a little too tight.  We didn’t take it too personally.

But after decades of doing shows and meeting the public, it seemed like the rage and frustration towards Mexico directly and us indirectly came out’ve left field.

So, what about 2012?

I don’t know what everyone was drinking or smoking in 2011, but it’s almost like someone someone threw the light switch the other way. Thankfully, we’ve had very few incidents this year.

In fact, just today while here at the Salt Lake City ISE show, someone did tell me, “I’m not going there to Mexico where they cut off everyone’s head!”  He didn’t stop at our booth to say more or have a discussion.  He said it loud enough for others to hear and his buddies to laugh.  But that was it

.

We’ve had maybe only half-a-dozen actual heated exchanges.  And they were quickly dissipated.  Either we got the person to walk away. (No loss…anyone that tight will never visit Mexico anyway so why waste the energy!)

Or, in two or three situations, the angry person unknowingly walked up while our booth was surrounded by friends and clients who quickly bristled and got their own dander up.

The guy opens his mouth and gives us a piece of his mind.  Party foul!  Don’t call out the host in front of the host’s friends!  The bad guy gets chased away really really fast by friends who give him a bit of his own vitriol.

“Buddy, you need to take a hike!”  “You’re a jerk, keep walking.” “Back off, amigo, you’re full of…”   Well, you get the idea.   It’s hard to suppress a grin still thinking about it.  Thanks guys!

But honestly, I don’t know what’s changed.  Maybe people are coming around and are untangling fact from sensationalism and realizing that, while Mexico has a lot of problems, much of what the media feeds us isn’t the whole story and is not reflective of ALL of the country.  It’s a big place.

The bad guys are not targeting tourists.  Like pretty much anywhere else, there’s places in every city you shouldn’t visit places and things you shouldn’t be doing no matter where you are.  I mean…why would anyone need to go into a dark alley in Ciudad de Juarez? Or, one in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco or New Orleans, etc?  Common sense!

In fact, statistics show that American tourism to Mexico has been on the rise the past year.  Last year alone,  something like 15 million Americans visited Mexico and you know what happened…NOTHING!

What we’ve found instead this year is people walking up to us and asking,

“What do you think about the violence?”

“What’s the real story down there?”

“Is it really that dangerous?”

They really want to know.  They want someone to give another side. And they listen.  Really listen.  And instead of a confrontation, it becomes an exchange of ideas.  They may never come down to visit, but most times, I hear them say, “Wow, I didn’t know that.  That’s really interesting.” They shake our hands and thank us. Hopefully with a little better understanding.

Now, I do hear people say that the ONLY reason we’re pimping this is that we have a vested interest in getting folks down to Mexico.  Of course we do.  We have a fishing business and a restaurant.  To me, what’s good for us is good for everyone.  A little understanding goes a long way.  But, no matter what I say, people will still call it a sales job.

Well, just this week, none other than the  U.S. State Department officially recognized and declared that “no advisory” is “in effect for La Paz and the entire South Baja region.” (that includes Cabo and Loreto!). According to the State Department the report was compiled at the behest of American business groups worried about employee safety and NOT to appease various boosters of Mexican tourism, e.g. self-serving “salesmen” like me!

So, there you have it.  The U.S. Government finally telling folks something most of us in Baja already knew.  Come enjoy!

_______

HOLD THE PRESS…just after I wrote this and it went to publication to the editor, we had two people walk up to us at the booth in Salt Lake City Sportsman’s Expo..  Just as we were thinking we had made it through with a kinder, gentler, season.  Just after I wrote the above column the night before…two folks walked up to us and hissed…”WE HATE MEXICANS!”  And walked on. Didn’t even stick around long enough for get a response from me or my wife.  Both the woman and the man said the same thing and made a point of walking right up to our booth. “ I HATE MEXICANS.”  Dangit…I guess there’s still knuckleheads out there.  Sad.

_________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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!

That’s our story…

Jonathan

 

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

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


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

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“DIFFERENTLY THE SAME”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, kids, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, yellowtail, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Only two guys who've fished together for awhile like Captain Jorge and Steve would mug like this. Just two guys fishing together!

DIFFERENTLY THE SAME!

Originally Published the Week of March 8, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

I’m just saying.   I think the world might just be a better place if we all just did a little more fishing.  It might solve a few problems, or at least not have so many. 

 Nations and,  even neighbors,  are pulled-apart by such complicated issues as religion, culture, politics and language or such silly stuff as, “I hate the music that jerk plays! ” 

 

There are simply countless reasons NOT to like each other.  So many reasons to polarize us all. I’m as guilty as the next person.  I probably let a person’s differences jump out at me more often than they should.

 But put two knuckleheaded guys as dissimilar as night and day in a boat… keep some fishing rods handy… and give them the mutally-advantageous goal of trying to fool an animal with a brain the size of a pea…

And it’s amazing to watch what develops. I see it happen all the time. 

One guy speaks Spanish.  One English.

One knows how to run a fishing boat.  One knows how to run a million-dollar company.

One has 3 kids and lives in a cinderblock home with a tin roof and a chicken or two in the yard.  The other has 1 ex-wife, two mortgages and rents a roof-top condo on the west side.

One has spent 30 years learning the waters that provide his livelihood and survival.

One has two advanced university degrees.

One can fix a Mercury outboard or Chevy engine with duct tape and a butter knife.

One can do Power Point presentations before a Board of Directors.

One makes the best goat-meat barbecue in his neighborhood. 

One makes a mean happy hour martini. 

In any other context, there’s hardly a single reason for these two guys to care a wit about the other.  But, put them in a fishing boat…

And they get along just fine!

All the disparate petty things that pull drive us apart or keep us from getting to know each seem to take 2nd chair to the overall goal of putting a dumb fish in the boat!

Language barriers are overcome with the simple universal communication of a smile or a laugh. 

Often, both guys try extra hard to actually LISTEN more carefully and WATCH more closely.  They SPEAK more carefully and simply to each other…even in their own languages, because they really WANT to be understood! 

We have smart phones, Facebook, Twitter, Google and Skype…all the technology in the world, but we’ve forgotten the skills of LISTENING, WATCHING and SPEAKING SIMPLY! Two guys in a boat wanting to catch a fish will resort to animated and creative hand gestures to make themselves understood!

At the end of the day…smiles…and maybe a photo or two…and a handshake. Both understand “Gracias” and “Thank you.”

 

“Tomorrow” says one.

“Manana!” says the other.

By the next day, more grins on the beach as they meet to go out.  The captain pulls out a little foil packet of grilled fish burritos that his wife made for the client and wants to share. 

“Delicious! exclaims the client surprisedly. 

“Delcio-SO!” confirms the captain proudly with a grin. 

“Hey, Spanish and English are almost the same!” says the client through another mouthful of burrito.

“Si!…Yes!” replies the smiling Captain

“Good…uh…BIEN” laughs the client.

“Correc-TO!” confirms  the Captain as he revs the motor.

The client rummages through his bag and pulls out a box of juice to share with the captain. Gratefully accepted.  Smiles and nods.

And they head out for another day of fishing. 

…and the language barriers start to diminish.  And with each passing hour, the other barriers don’t matter.  They never really did.

At the end of the day, the client “thinks” he understands that the Captain has a younger son who likes baseball. Both have daughters about the same age.  The Captain now knows the client likes the N.Y. Yankees (Captain likes the Red Sox) and the client lives in San Diego.  They both think politicians in both countries are the same…idiots!  Laughs.

And so it goes.  At the end of the day, more handshakes and photos.  More smiles.  The client gives the captain some lures as a gift.  His eyes light-up gratefully!

“Mil Gracias!…Mucho thank you’s” says the captain grasping the precious lures.

“Thank YOU very much” answers the client pointing at the captain  “…Gracias gracias, mi amigo!”

 And then the next year, the client comes back. 

 Hands clasp.  And there are big grins and smiles and anticipation of another great time on the water. 

The fisherman shows photos of his kids on his cell phone and photos from the last trip!  The captains smiles proudly looking at the photos.  Using hand gestures and simple words he demonstrates that his kids have grown “this much…”  He uses another hand gesture to happily say his wife has another baby coming! 

 

And every year it grows…3, 4, …7…10 years of fishing together. And it’s no longer captains and client.   A friendship grows. And not a hint of politics…or religion…or cultural differences. And they learn from each other.

He’s become a better fisherman and learned to love barbecued goat and fish jerky and how to catch his own bait.  

The captain has picked up quite a bit of English and has enjoyed bagels and cream cheese.  His son has a new baseball glove and a N.Y. Yankees ballcap.  The captain proudly uses a new reel from a place called “Cabelas.”

Oh…and over the years, they just happen to catch a few fish too.  But it never seemed to be as important or as fun as just two guys hanging out. 

Yup…the world might be a bit better if everyone just went fishing. We’re so differently the same.

 

That’s my story!

Jonathan

__________________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

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


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

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“YELLOW FEVER REVISED”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Cabo San Lucas, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, kids, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, yellowtail, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Amigo, Rick Hosmer has the right idea after a big day of yellowtail fishing!

YELLOW FEVER REVISED

Originally Published the Week of Feb. 20, 2012 in Western Outdoor News

I’ve been writing columns and stories for various publications now for about 25 years and for Western Outdoors now for about 8 years.  Usually, I pop them out in the middle of the night, press “send” …sigh that I got another one in the can and forget about it.  I go to bed.  Morning comes early.

We don’t get the publications down in Mexico so I never see them again and, unless someone mentions something about it, I don’t think about it again.  Another deadline pops up soon enough!

But every now and then, I’ll go back and check out the backlog of stories.  A phone call this past week  from prolific San Francisco Chronicle outdoor writer (and WON columnist) Tom Stienstra got me to look back at some of the many columns from the past.

I noticed that as much as Baja has changed.  So has my writing.  The more fishing I’ve done, the more I’ve thought differently about fishing as well. Techniques change.  Gear has changed.  Technology has changed and even in some cases, the fish themselves have changed.

Yellowtail for instance.  I found I had last written about yellowtail in this column back in 2008.  Other than tuna, I don’t think any other fish generates more interest or even frenzy among veteran Baja fishermen than yellowtail. And…co-incidentally, it’s yellowtail season in Baja!

The big jacks are not only real sluggers on rod and reel but can attain trophy-size proportions not to mention being great eating.

But, after you fish for a certain species a certain way, you can get set in your ways.  I mean, if one technique works, then if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.  I see a lot of Mexican captains like that.  Grandfather, dad, brothers and cousins all used a certain technique so why change?  They roll their eyes and grin when the gringo client shows some new-fangled lure or reel “guaranteed” to produce fish!  Lo que sea…”whatever!”

For example with yellowtail, I was convinced that the tried-and-true colors for casting lures (throwing iron) would be blue and white.  With some variation at times for green and yellow or scrambled egg (white, red, orange, yellow).  It seemed that everyone was always catching yellowtail on those colors.  Well, it might also have been a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Everyone was ONLY using those colors because everyone, like me, had bought into the same mantra!  Ergo, yellowtail were ONLY getting caught on those colors because that’s the only colors anyone was using.

However, like with many lures, I’ve found it’s not so much the color.  It’s how you fish it.  A variation on the saying, “It’s not worm, it’s how you wiggle it!”

Generally speaking, fish any lure color at the right speed, depth and action and if the yellowtail are there, their predatory instincts kick in and they’ll bite!  Like a cat.  They don’t care about the yarn ball.  If it rolls past their noses, they’ll pounce!

Some of my BEST yellowtail action came when I had LOST my preferred colors and had to dig in my tackle box and fished with pink (lost that)…went to lime green (lost that) then found my “jewel”…an un-painted ugly  lead-colored jig that slammed fish-after-fish.  Next time out, everyone else was using the “colored” lures and my ugly jig outfished most everyone!  I used that lure for years until it was so scarred from teeth and until it too was finally lost!

Another “revision” to my yellowtail hunting.  Structure.  My amigos fishing Cedros, Benitos, Mulege, Loreto and Santa Rosalia might agree or disagree with me as they fish yellowtail a lot more than we do in La Paz where I am, but yellowtail move around a lot!

I used to always think to fish them deep or at least around structure.  Off southern Cal waters we’d search for them under kelp paddies.  In Baja, we look for them around reefs and high spots on  submerged mounts or generally deep areas over structure.

I’ve now come to believe that, like most fish, find the food source and, like most fish, you’ve got a half-way decent chance of finding the big yellow forktails.  They love mackerel.  But they also love sardines, caballitos, smaller jacks, and squid.  You don’t see it as often as in the Baja glory days, but yellowtail will boil on the surface and I’ve caught yellowtail over sandy bottoms where the there was absolutely no structure and only a few feet deep.  They key was finding the food source.  Just common sense.

Finally, when nothing else works…troll!  Ewww…that ugly word.  But yea…you’ll cover more water and hopefully roll up on some fish by dragging something behind the boat.  If slow trolling a big slab greenie mackerel or caballito isn’t available then those big-lipped deep-diving Rapala, Yo-Zuri, Braid,  or similar lure in the magnum size will often work when nothing else will!  Bigger the lip, the deeper the dive, but just don’t get hung up on any rocks!

That’s my story!

Jonathan

___________________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

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


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

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“JUST ONE MORE TRIP!”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, women fishing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 6, 2012| 2 Comments »

The curious statue of the old man in the paperboat staring out to see on the La Paz malecon waterfront.

“JUST ONE MORE TRIP…”

Originally Published In Western Outdoor News the Week of Feb. 8, 2012

To any of us who work in the sportfishing industry where our livelihood is dependent on the seasonal whims of nature, there are  often some pretty rough times.  Especially these days when things are complicated even moreso by economics, politics, plus changing social and ecological interests, there’s many a night when folks in our industry bang ourselves on the head.  Why do we do it?  There’s gotta be an easier way to make a living. 

          Well, a few months ago, I got a thought-provoking e-mail from Peter, a long-time WON reader.  Here’s what he wrote:

 

 

          “I’m 75 years old now. I started fishing when I was 11 years old. Fishing with a drop line from the old Santa Monica Pier.  Fishing for perch, smelt and mackerel with the old drop line was the beginning. For my 12th birthday I got a 7’ rod and a Penn reel.”

“I lived about 12 miles from the ocean and soon found me and my 7- foot rod were not welcome on the street car that ran along Venice Blvd to Santa Monica. So I made the trip on my bicycle riding 12 miles each way with my 7-foot rod etc. I soon graduated from the pier to fishing from a Fishing Barge in the bay and then to 1/2 day boats fishing for Halibut, Bass and Barracuda.”

“I dreamed of the day when I would be 16-years-old and able to drive south to San Diego and get on the San Diego Boats to fish for Tuna and Yellowtail. “

“In the late 70’s, I started fishing on the Long Range Boats. My first trip was a 4- day on the Royal Polaris. I was hooked on long range.  Over the next 25 years I fished most of the long range boats from San Diego.”

“Things were different for me then. I was working and earning a decent wage.  Fuel and boat fares were much cheaper. I could afford to take 2, 3 or 4 trips a year.”

 “ Now,  I am 75-years-old, living on my modest social security income. Fuel and boat fares are pretty much beyond my means. My last long range trip was 5 years ago. My tackle is, by today’s standards,  pretty much obsolete. I still read the fishing reports in WON and on the internet and dream of going out for the tuna and yellowtail again. “

Maybe sometime…  One more trip…  The others will look at the old guy with the old gear and chuckle….  But I don’t think the fish will know the difference…  anyway, I hope not.”

“Oh yes…  I have also fished the East Cape and La Paz (long before Tailhunter was there)  All great memories.. and lots of fish stories..

“One more trip…”

 

 

There’s a most intriguing statute out on the waterfront of La Paz in front of the now-closed Hotel Los Arcos.

          It’s weathered and the copper patina is showing through after many years of sun, salt and sand.  It’s on a pedestal on the busy malecon thoroughfare.  It’s a bit larger than life-size depicting a curious old man staring out to sea. 

He’s in shorts. Like little school-boy shorts.    But around his waist is a giant paperboat…the kind you made as a kid.  Perched on his head is a duplicate paper hat.  Even in the worn statuary, there appears a glimmer in his eye and a clear grin on his weathered face.  With one hand, he is shading his eyes against the sun.

          What’s he looking for?  What’s he waiting for?   

          I’ve never been good at interpreting art.  I either get it or I don’t.  Just me.  I never got this statue either. 

          But, then I got Peter’s e-mail.

          As someone who’s been fishing a long long time, I’ve been blessed with more time on the water than I could have ever hoped for.  But, as with all anglers, I think I might be at the point where I have more fishing behind me than ahead of me.  It’s life.  It’s just the way it is.  A time is coming when I won’t be able to go out anymore.

          But what memories!  Like what Peter wrote.  There were so many good days that you remember with a smile.  And, despite the advance in years on our bodies, spirits and souls, who of us wouldn’t like to have back some of those carefree days of paper boats and school-boy shorts? 

          At least for me, when I get some of those insane days when things are crazy and we wonder why we do what we do, I’m gonna pull out Peter’s e-mail and remind myself.  

What we do, if we work in this industry, is create smiles and memories. One of our “just-another-day-on-the-job” is someone else’s lifetime memory. Like Peter and his 7-foot rod taking the streetcar to fish. . .His first long range trip of foray into Mexico.   We are very privileged.

I understand the old man statue now. 

As Peter wrote, “I dream of going out for tuna and yellowtail again. . .Maybe sometime…  One more trip…  The others will look at the old guy with the old gear and chuckle….  But I don’t think the fish will know the difference…  anyway, I hope not.”

Just one more trip.

___________________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

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


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

Read Full Post »

MEXICO ECONOMICS AT GROUND ZERO

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Cabo San Lucas, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, Western Outdoor News, Western Outdoor Publications, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Another business locked and up for rent...

MEXICAN ECONOMY AT GROUND ZERO

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of January 10, 2012

Just before the holidays, I took a little hike into downtown La Paz to go pick up some gear I needed from one of the local hardware stores.  During the frenzy of the fishing season, I don’t often get a chance to get out let alone take a walk down the waterfront and into town.

Seriously, in the course of about 8 months of craziness, walking about 8 blocks might as well be a cross-country excursion.  There’s just no time to go strolling when you’re going full turbo shuttling folks to and from airports; shoving pangas off the beach; packing fish;  tracking down a piece of luggage or trying to figure out who doesn’t want salsa in their lunch burritos for the next day fishing!

Anyway, my walk got a little depressing.

Old Juancito’s little taco stand had closed.  I think it has been on that corner over 30 years.

The little French place had a “SE RENTA” (for rent) plastered over shuttered windows.  In fact, I counted 4 restaurants that had closed as I walked along.  It included some pretty fancy places too.

The little neighborhood department store had the equivalent of a “Going out of Business Sale.”

One little Bed and Breakfast had a “For Sale” sign stuck out front and it was clearly no longer open for business.

I got hailed by Jose Luis, driving a taxi.  He stopped to wish me Feliz Navidad.

“Why are you driving a taxi?” I asked.

“Our shoe store had to close,” he said sadly. “My family has owned that store for 23 years, but there is not enough business so I am driving a taxi.  But, it is not much better. I have had only one trip for 50 pesos (5 bucks) in 3 days.”

I get asked a lot if the downturn in the U.S. economy has affected us in Baja. Most folks are touring visitors so they only see 3, 5 or 7 day chunks of life through the  picture-perfect postcard perspective of a hotel or timeshare where superficially, all looks rosy.  It’s vacation!  It’ supposed to look like a postcard.

However, I can’t think of too many places or too many people that have  not been affected by the crunch anywhere on the planet…at least not in my circle of friends or places I know.  As the dollar goes, the rest of the world goes as well.

I know of at least five big multi-million dollar real-estate projects  around La Paz that will never be completed; have gone bankrupt; or are simply languishing vacant stoically  waiting for the relentless Baja desert to do what it has been doing for ages…re-claim them to the weeds, sand and dry winds.

I can’t speak for the rest of Mexico or even the rest of Baja, but I can’t imagine it’s too much better.  I think because in Southern Baja, so much of the economy is based on disposable income whether it involved tourism, real estate investments; vacation homes and land speculation, it may have taken a longer time for the economics to crash, but it may take even longer to recover.

It’s a trickle-down effect.  You can point the finger at the economy; fear of swine flu or nervousness of drug violence.  But the triple whammy effect is the same.

If the fishermen aren’t coming down with their buddies and families; if people aren’t buying land or condos; if cruise ships aren’t dropping anchor; if vacation homes aren’t getting constructed; then no one is buying gas.  Fewer people are eating out.  No one is shopping for t-shirts and trinkets.  Fewer margaritas are getting ordered.

Whether you walk some of the business streets of La Paz or the marina in Cabo San Lucas, the commonality of boarded shops or “for rent” signs is unmistakable. Those that are open have restricted hours; have cut back on staff; or changed other aspects of doing business.

I kid you not.  Parts of the once-bustling waterfront/ marina district around Cabo are a virtual ghost town at times.

As one prominent well-known cantina owner told me,  “In 30 years of operation in Cabo, I have never seen it this bad.”

At our own restaurant/ bar in La Paz,  I get a constant stream of job applications from skilled chefs that worked 20 years in a big-chain hotel; or waiters who spent an  entire career waiting on the rich and famous now asking if we have a dishwasher position open.  Anything.

One La Paz restaurant manager told me that on one single day, they sold “just one beer.”

Another usually bustling eatery told me  they had just one dinner table all evening.  For three days, they didn’t have a single patron.

I get regular inquiries from fishing captains asking if I have any positions in my own fleet because they’ve not had a single trip in 1, 2 . . .3 months.

As one of my local friends told me, “When times got rough in the past, I have cousins who would sneak north across the border for a few weeks and make good money. Wash some dishes.  Dig some ditches.  But now, even in the U.S. there’s no jobs. The whole world struggles.”

So, yes, our little slice of Mexico is going through a rough patch.  I wish there were some answers.

That’s my story

Jonathan

__________________

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

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


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

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“STAY HOME NO MORE!”

Posted in Baja, Baja Fishing, Baja Life, Baja Mexico Fishing, Baja Rockfish, Fishing, Fishing Tackle and Techniques, Fishing techniques, fishing tournaments, holidays in mexico, inshore fishing in Baja Mexico, Jonathan Roldan, La Paz Fishing, Living in Mexico, Mexican, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Mexico life, Panga Fishing, Salt Water Fishing, Sea of Cortez, Tailhunter International, Uncategorized, women fishing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Look out! These gals can fish!

STAY HOME NO MORE!

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of December 14, 2011

          “Steve used to leave me at home, but if he knows what’s good for him, he better bring me along!” laughed one of the ladies.

 

          “I know what you mean,” said another gal at the beachside table. “My husband can still take a ‘man-cation’ with the buddies, but he knows he has to make time to take me on a separate trip also!”

 

          “I used to think it would be boring but after my first trip, I couldn’t wait to get back,” grinned another of the women.

 

          Back in the day,  fishing trips to “the Baja” or “Old Mexico”  used to be a manly-man affair.  Jim, Joe, Jack, Harry and the rest of the guys piled into a van with the sleeping bags and an old Coleman canvas tent for the dusty drive or  climbed into an airplane full of other guys doing the same thing and landing at some one-desk airport…if there was even an airport. 

 

          Ice chests, rods and fishing gear were all tied together.  A pair of shorts or two; some flip-flops for the feet; a straw fishing  hat; some t-shirts were all the clothes you needed stuffed into an old salt-stained gym bag. 

 

          If you couldn’t swim in it or rinse it out in the sink, you didn’t need it!  As long as the beer was cold and you could put sand between your toes, it was pretty simple.

 

          You camped anywhere.  Or you stuffed as many guys into an economical room near the beach.  Maybe it had running waiter.  Maybe not.  Maybe it had a toilet.  Maybe not. So what? 

 

          There was always a bar  somewhere and the drinks were frosty.  The fishing was always good.  There was always an old hammock somewhere.  The jokes were always funny.  You ate what they cooked or you ate what you caught.   There’s nothing you can’t eat wrapped in a tortilla. 

 

          If  it tasted good, you made it taste better with more salsa.  If it tasted bad, you added extra salsa and drank more beer.  Nothing that couldn’t be cured with more salsa or beer. What happened in Mexico stayed in Mexico. You and the guys!

 

          Oh how times have changed!

         

          These days, with more frequency, the complexion of Mexico fishing trips is changing.  If you ever watch folks de-plane at the airport or even watch the cruisers and pangas go out in the morning, you’ll notice a few things…

 

          A few more pieces of pink luggage on the tarmac…

 

          A few more “anglers” wearing sundresses and halter-tops…

 

          A few more high-pitched laughs in the mornings on the dock and beach…

 

          Jim and Joe and Harry have brought along Sarah, Joanie and Kathleen, and it’s happening more and more.

 

          And don’t be fooled by the dangly -earrings, manicured nails or floral sandals.  These ladies come to fish!  No longer content to just “ride along” or “just coming to watch,” these gals have no qualms about going hand-to-hand with the world-class fish in Mexican waters or shoulder-to-shoulder with their husbands, brothers, dads, and buddies!

 

          “I don’t need any help when I’m on a fish! If I’m hooked, up, everyone else better get outta my way!” is how one lady angler put it.

 

          “I can hang with the guys and I especially like being able to spend time doing something that used to be an all-guys sport,” is what another told me.  “I started fishing with my boyfriend who took the time to show me how to fish and now he’s my husband!” she beamed with a smile.

 

          It’s a great way for families or couples to have quality time together.

 

          The captain of one charter boat in Cabo San Lucas once told me, “I like having the ladies aboard.  They tend to listen better and you can coach them.  They are not afraid to ask questions.   They have more patience sometimes than the guys and beat the fish with technique rather than brute strength which is what some guys often do.  I’m never surprised when one of the women or girls outfishes the guys although it often surprises the guys!” 

 

          Some can handle it.  Some can’t!

 

          “Some guys get their shorts all bunched up if a woman does better than them,” said another captain.  “But, if you put all the macho-stuff aside, everyone has fun although some of the women are as fiercely competitive as the men and get as fired-up as the men when it comes to who-fishes-better-than who!  Some of the women can really talk smack!” he laughingly added.

 

          “I love to outfish my boyfriend,” grinned one young lady who talked about her fishing trip as she watched the crew fillet their catch of dorado.  “It seems whenever we come to Mexico, I catch the biggest fish or the most fish,” she said proudly.

 

          “I let her win!” retorted the boyfriend with a wink and a laugh who got a playful elbow in the ribs as he raised a bottle of beer in a toast.

 

          In some ways, it’s a two-edged sword.  For many guys who used to do the all-boys trip, the days are long gone or numbered.  On the other hand, getting a wife, girlfriend or daughter interested in fishing with you is a pretty nice trade-off.

 

That’s our story…

Jonathan

______________________________________________________________

 

Jonathan Roldan has been writing the Baja Column in Western Outdoor News since 2004.  Along with his wife, Jill, 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: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745 Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico Phones: from USA : 626-638-3383 from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report: http://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

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

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

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