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.