IMPULSE FISHING IN DECEMBER

Originally published the week of Dec. 4, 2007 in Western Outdoor News


This is about that time of year when it’s cold. It’s cloudy. Your summer fishing fun is over and your rods and gear are stacked in the garage. Someone mentions something about getting the Christmas lights outta storage and that’s the LAST thing you want to hear. You get antsy so you play with the TV remote praying for a football game or some fishing show playing re-runs.

You don’t really feel like getting all bundled up and trudging out to the local fishing hole for planted trout. You had fun doing that two weeks ago with the kids catching but you still have fluorescent dough bait under your fingernails and, admit it, two pound test and #14 hooks are getting hard on your old eyes.

It’s fun for a few hours with the kids sitting in a folding lawn chair, but you really need to pull on something! Twelve-inch trout are fun…for awhile. Your fingers are twitchy and no way you’re gonna wrangle another “kitchen pass” to run down to Cabo or Loreto or the East Cape for a week. Certainly not with the holidays on the way. And surely not with your posse of guys who are all in the same predicament as you.

“I have a Pop Warner barbecue to do.”
“My relatives are coming for the holidays and my wife wants me to paint the guest room.”
“The school Christmas parade is coming up!”
“I have to help bake cookies!” (Not sure if this is acceptable by man-law rules as an excuse).

Waaaa Waaaa Waaaa Waaaa Waaaaa…you know your buddies are genuinely stuck and you can appreciate that. But where do you go to scratch the itch?

Impulse fishing! Road trip!

It’s what you and your older brother and sometimes dad did when life was simpler. You simply grabbed the gear and took off.

Fishermen are good at being impulsive. See a new reel…buy it! Your buddy has a lure that you don’t…get one! Someone puts a shot of tequila on the bar in front of you…oh-oh! But just one!

Some of the best impulse fishing out of S.California is simply a few hours drive over the border. Ensenada, Castro’s Camp, San Quintin and a few other places are a great weekend get-away that are tailor-made for a shoot-down-shoot-back trip.

Especially during winter when crowds are down for the same reasons mentioned above, you can get into some really nice fishing a short road trip away. If you can, hit WON or the internet and make a reservation. Cruisers are nice, but I’ve done some of my best fishing in the pangas.

Bait is not always available so bring deep water jigging plastics and heavy iron for fishing offshore. If you’re going to fish the beaches, I always like throwing little motor-oil colored grubs for perch or setting up with sand crabs.

Offshore, there’s a surprising variety of fish to be taken. On the bottom, look for reds, ling cod, sculpin, whitefish and other rock fish. Over sand bottoms, halibut are still around. In the middle of the water column, sand bass and calicos can still be on the chew. Up on the surface, depending on conditions, don’t be surprised to hit barracuda, bonito and perhaps late season yellowtail. Many is the time when I threw iron all day and got hits on every throw with log barracuda that would make you think it was summer.

If you do make a spur-of-the-moment trip, do take a breath before you jump in the car; fire the ignition with your ice chest of beer.

Know where you’re going. Mexico is no place to get lost, especially if your Spanish isn’t up to snuff. Folks are very helpful, but best to have a clue first so you don’t end up going in circles in the dark down a one-way street in Tijuana.

You would be surprised how many anglers I run into that don’t even have a map in their car. They somehow find their way but a map would certainly be helpful.

Bring your identification papers and don’t forget insurance which can be easily and cheaply purchased at the border. Make photo copies if you can and put them someplace else in case you misplace the originals.

Remember in Mexico, you are guilty until you prove your innocence or that you have insurance. It’s your “get out of jail free” card. You also want to make sure that when it’s time to come home that the man at the U.S. border smiles and waves you through to U.S. soil. The kids will be ticked if you miss Christmas.

Lastly, don’t travel alone for Pete’s sake for all the obvious reasons. Bring a wingman. Besides, it’s no fun fishing by yourself. And make sure people know where you’re going and when you expect to be home.

The Christmas lights can wait one more weekend. Right?


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

INSHORE ARTIFICIALS

Originally published in Western Outdoor News the week of Nov. 27, 2007

Where I am down here, we don’t do a lot of fishing with artificials. By that, I mean almost all our fishing is with live and/or dead bait. It’s just the way things are. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. And we catch plenty of fish.


We don’t troll much. We don’t throw plastics into the rocks. We don’t deep jig. We don’t throw iron. Don’t get me wrong. We catch a lot of fish, but normally we have so much live bait around that you just don’t need to do much more than pin a bait on the hook. Put the line in the water and then don’t drop the rod.


People ask why. But think about it. Using artificials is really nothing more than trying to get some non-natural object to act like something living or organic to entice a fish to think it’s worth eating.


A lot of times, I feel kinda bad. Fishing with artificials is probably some of the most fun fishing you can do, especially in the Baja. When the fishing is so easy with live or dead bait, so many anglers miss the fun and satisfaction of fooling a gamefish into ripping into a piece of molded plastic, rubber, or metal.


Believe me, when you’re reeling that lure back in and it abruptly stops and the handle of the reel freezes. You stop. You lean back and the rod doubles over.


In a nano-second your emotions go from, “Dang, I’m hung up on the bottom!” to “Oh yea, I’m bit!” when your rig suddenly starts screaming. Lures hung up on the bottom don’t suddenly strip line! Artificial lures don’t suddenly start swimming off on their own!


This time of year is particularly conducive to fishing the artificials. My personal favorite is throwing iron..metal jigs…into, around and down to structure. Whether you’re fishing the Coronado Islands near the border or all the way down to Cabo up to the East Cape, La Paz and up again towards Loreto, Mulege, Santa Rosalia and further north, there’s places to throw the iron.


Often, this time of year is windy anyway. I like bluewater species as much as the next guy, but when the winds blow, unless I really have to, I’d much rather find calmer inshore or protected waters to fish.


This is where iron fishing can be so very effective.


You don’t even need to be able to cast. Simply dropping heavier iron down and jigging it up and down or fishing it on the retrieve back to the boat can produce some monstrous strikes.


If you do know how to throw, either with conventional tackle or spinning gear, you’ll be able to cover even more water. Throw towards drop-offs, around reefs, between rocks and into holes. Look for places where the currents eddy or where bait congregates.


I fish a lot around Espiritu Santo and Cerralvo Island near our spots in La Paz. There’s probably 100 miles of coastline up, down and around those two islands. While almost any of those rocky areas could be fishable, I look for certain tell-tale signs.


One of the best is simply look for bird crap on the rocks. See all that white stuff in certain areas? Birds did that. Why there? Well, often it’s because there’s a source of food nearby like sardines or some other baitfish that keeps the birds nearby. Well, if there’s baitfish, then the fish that eat the bait will also likely be around too.


Depending on how deep the area is, I’ll throw heavy lures if there’s a drop off. I’ll throw surface lures if it’s shallow. I’ll throw plugs, floaters, or crank baits if bait, birds and fish are thrashing on the surface!


No doubt, you’ll lose gear. It’s like the old days of fishing deep water rockcod. The rockfish were near the bottom. They were near structure. If you don’t get hung up and snagged now and then, you weren’t fishing close enough to the areas holding the fish!


Simply put, you gotta take your game to the fish in order to make them come out. The fish that inhabit the rocks of Baja aren’t like the pelagic blue water bad boys like tuna and dorado that swim all over the map looking for food.


The fish in the rocks stay in the rocks. Their meals almost have to swim by their noses to get them to charge. You almost have to bonk them on the nose.


They’re not going to go far for a meal before they head back to their holes. By the same token, when you do get hit, the first reaction of these fish is to bull straight back to safety. Safety means sharp rocks and reefs. So, be prepared to lose a lure or two and just accept it as part of the sport.


If you’re coming down the next few months, pack a little iron. Be a little flexible. You’d be surprised about all the fish that often get ignored waiting for something to swim by their noses!





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

HEY, WHERE 'D EVERYONE GO?

Originally published the week of Nov. 20, 2007 Western Outdoor News


And just like that, it was over. Where did everyone go?

Years ago when I worked boats in San Diego, it was the strangest thing. The fishing could be wide open. Boats would be packed, but once Labor Day showed up, it was like someone hit the light switch and everyone disappeared.

To many folks, the season was over. Time to do something else. Go shopping for ski clothes. Put the holiday turkey in the oven or something. Fish could be jumping in the boats, but once that Labor Day came and went, it was like the recess bell back in grade school. All stop. Line up and march inside. Don’t you dare let the kickball bounce one more time.

Well, it’s like that down here now too. I think it happened about 3 weeks ago. Just like that, everyone was gone.

From what I can see, fishing is still blazing. There’s fish to be caught. But not many are fishing. There’s not even many people here! Even when I was in Cabo San Lucas more than a week ago, town was relatively empty by Cabo standards.

Planes are empty. Boats remain tied up at the docks or moorings or lay covered on the beach above the tide line. The guys at the bait receiver are bored. Captains hang out at the cantinas drinking beer; revert to commercial fishing or go work driving a truck for the off-season or head out to work a rancho.

Sure, we’d all like to keep working, but in many ways, after a busy busy season, you can sort of hear a lot of the fishing areas, in Baja let out a collective sigh. Day-after-day we drag ourselves outta bed in the dark; work the waters; and come back in the dark. Eight, nine, ten, months straight. Very few days off.

Don’t get me wrong. We love our jobs and we’re blessed to be able to do something like this. But, let me tell ya…It’s a wonderful feeling to throw the alarm clock against the wall and still find yourself in bed when the sun is coming up!

This really is a neat time of year to be in the Baja. Whether north or south. Inland or along the coast.

I don’t know what it is. There’s a word here. It’s “tranquillo.” Peaceful. Easy. Slower.

The sun is at a different angle. Shadows are longer. The sun doesn’t blaze quite so hard. It’s almost “non-weather” compared to the broiling summers and the humid fall season. It’s so pleasant now you almost don’t even think about it.

There’s a breeze now coming from the north. It’s cooler in the mornings and evenings and you’re thankful for a windbreaker or sweatshirt. There’s a bit more chop on the waters and it’s a good time to watch the ocean from a seaside bar than to be out there on some of these days.

Look down the streets and except for an occasional taxi or local rusty dusty pickup truck, there’s not much activity. At the local cantina, you’ve got the bar to yourself and the cantinero (bar tender) is happy for your company. He willingly pours you the entire blender in your glass and makes it a double with a wink! He’ll also switch off the soccer game on the TV and find that NFL game no one else is playing.

No waiting at the restaurants either. You rarely hear, “Sorry, Senor. We just sold the last lobster. You should have come in earlier.” In fact, the whole staff is all over you as are the strolling mariachis musicians who recognize you as perhaps the only guy who might drop them a tip for another version of “La Bamba.”

In the stores and markets, there’s no Thanksgiving week like we have in the U.S. Mexico is already into Christmas.

The smaller stores have snowflakes and Santa painted on the windows. Large lots are being cleared for their deliveries of “fresh Christmas trees from Oregon” and the bigger stores are already floor to ceiling with toys. Stores are selling lots of those little ceramic Charles Dickens houses so you can build your own Christmas village in your front window. People are already putting up those little white icicle Christmas lights on their homes. I saw eggnog at the grocery store a few days ago. Yes, even here in Baja.

I like these days. I guess I can wash my rods and reels later. Cleaning out my tackle box can wait. It’s a nice time to find a hammock and catch up on some reading or a nice siesta!



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

PHOTOS: Shots from the recent Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot in Cabo San Lucas. Some anglers battled these fish for over 4 hours. Tuna are big, tough and mean and are often easier to hook than to land.

CATHING THE GORILLA OF YOUR DREAMS!

Originally published the week of Nov. 13, 2007, in Western Outdoor News

I just spent the latter part of last week at the Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot in Cabo San Lucas. Fun time. If you were there, you know what I’m talking about.

I had nothing to do with it other than smile a lot and shake hands, but Pat and the rest of the staff sure put a lot of work into hosting a bang up event for everyone. If you only knew what goes on behind the scenes in putting something like this together.

Anyway, as I stood around in the afternoons at the weighing station mingling with the crowd, I heard a few comments from onlookers. Given that there were something like 125 teams and about 500 anglers, there really weren’t that many tuna weighed in. In fact, the largest tuna of the tournament was “only” 189 pounds.

Some of the crowd (many non-fishers) were saying how “small” the tuna were. I heard someone else say that “they saw more marlin caught during the marlin tournaments.” Another said that “maybe this was a tournament for amateurs” and “that marlin fishermen are probably better” which is why they catch more marlin!

OUCH! On behalf of all my tuna-fishing-brothers, I had to bristle a bit!

Only someone who has never pulled on a tuna would say that. I have nothing but respect for those who chase billfish. Bravo to you, my fish brothers.

Some would get in my face to tell me that yellowtail or roosterfish or some other species pulls a lot harder than tuna. However, I’ve rarely run into someone who consistently fishes tuna that would give the nod to some other species other than tuna.

Yes, marlin are surely the glamour fish. Any advertisement for tropical destinations shows a big gleaming sportfisher, a girl in a bikini, and (ta-DA), a marlin somewhere in the photo dancing across the water. They look darned good.

But, pound for pound, tuna are sluggers. I’ve caught and released over 100 marlin over the years including a 400 pound black, and nothing compares to the fight of a tuna.

Think about this. Marlin of 100, 200, 400, 500, and even a thousand pounds have been caught. Marlin under 300 pounds are not that uncommonly hooked. However, no one has yet to put a 400 pound yellowfin tuna on the decks. I’ve been able to put 100-200 pound marlin next to the boat in less than half and hour. I’ve fought big tuna for 4, 5 and 6 hours and never even seen the fish only to lose it!

I’ve watched strong men (and women) battle 200 pound marlin to the boat in ½ an hour. I’ve seen them battle for more than an hour with a “little” 70 pound yellowfin tuna. Yellowtail are brutes, but they won’t strip off 500 yards of line on their first run.

We’re not talking about being strapped into a chair with the boat doing most of the work. I’m talking man-up (only a figure of speech) stand-up style fishing where it’s angler vs. fish.

Here’s an example that one guy explained to me. Take your rod and reel. Tie a refrigerator to it and hang it over the side of a 10 story building. The frig is full of money. You don’t get the money unless you bring the frig up.

You are not allowed to let the frig touch the ground either. Now, add blazing sunshine beating on your face, arms and back like hammers. Now, hold that refrigerator and try to reel it up for one hour, then two hours. No help.

I’ve seen it happen time and again. We call it “praying to the tuna gods.” It’s where even the beefiest manliest man is brought to his knees. Hands are cramped into crab-like claws. Blisters have formed on fingers and palms. Veins bulge. Knees and back ache. Arms shake. And you succumb. You kneel down on the deck like a penitent sinner praying for relief…unwilling to let go, but unable to continue.

And just like that…ZING POWIE!

The line breaks. The fish comes off. The hook comes unbuttoned. Someone else saws you off. A shark eats your fish. Whatever. It’s gone. You get no credit for the time you fought it. If you’re in a big tournament like the one this week, fish still in the ocean don’t count. You get nothing but a pat-on-the back. All that time and money mean nothing.

Micheal Jordan once said that he has won many games with a last-minute shot. However, it’s the ones where the ball didn’t go in that he remembers the most. In fishing, you never forget the big ones you battled and lost. The big toads. The big sluggers. The huge gorilla tuna…the gorilla of your dreams!

There weren’t many fish brought to the scales this week because they are still out there…eating marlin for lunch! Many are hooked. Few are weighed!







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

KODAK MOMENTS ONLY COME ONCE. YOU DON'T GET TO TAKE THE PHOTO OVER.

IS IT WORTH IT?

Originally Published the week of Nov. 5th in Western Outdoor News

When you have to come up with 60-70 columns a year plus articles and every week there’s a deadline, you scramble for just about any idea that can get your cerebral muse cranking out words on the computer that might make sense to someone.

Many of the columns come from everyday experiences or people I meet down here on a fishing adventure. Many of the ideas come from you when you write to me or ask me a question.

I recently got one from a good-guy amigo who wants to come down in February. That’s WINTER in the Baja. There’s some good fishing to be had, but it’s not exactly prime time for catching the sunshine, warm waters and many of the bluewater species that have made the Baja legendary.

He’s coming down with his wife and his sons. He wanted to fish 3 days during the week, but ended his inquiry by saying, “Is it even worth it to be on the water that much?”

I wasn’t quite sure how to answer that.

Of course, I know he was probably referring to whether it was worth it to even fish that many days given the probability of winter-like conditions. He has his heart set on a big bull dorado of which I tried to temper his expectations with the reality that February is not usually dorado time, but there would be other species to catch.


But, his question raised perhaps the bigger question of whether being “on the water” was “worth it?”

About now, as I write this, I’m looking back at a helluva fishing season we’ve had. I think of all the fish. But what I remember most is all the smiles.

To me, that’s what this is all about. Years from now when the fish tales are still being told and the truth has become enmeshed, distorted, and augmented, embellished and still generate laughs, it’s the smiles that will be remembered.

Down here, I don’t sell fishing trips. I sell smiles. I think that’s what all of us do who are in this business. At the end of the day, is everyone smiling? As you pull away to the airport, are there more smiles than frowns?


The battling fish of the last few days have been reduced to amorphous frozen slabs in plastic zip locks stuffed into ice chest. But a smile is a smile is a smile.

Whether they caught fish or nor, are they smiling? Was it worth it?

For most of us…most of you, your time on the water is limited. Your vacation time is limited. The time you have with your family, friends and loved ones is finite. You only get a certain number per lifetime. We will not pass this way again.

I can ask the dad who watches his young sons get excited over their first fish if it was worth the time he tore himself from his busy work. The screams. The laughs. The Kodak moments. They will never be 10, 12 and 13 ever again. Mom doesn’t care that she spent 3 days packing. It was worth it.

Ten guys now all with families and responsibilities had all been high school buddies so many years ago. But today they’re together poolside with beers and nachos. Missing waistlines and hairlines. Weary from the day-to-day meat grinder of running businesses and raising families. And today nothing but laughs. Many stories beginning with, “Remember when…?” Or, “How about the time…?” For a few days, they get to be Kenny and Joey and T.J. Instead of Mr. Baxter, CEO. Pull my finger! Har-Har! It’s worth it!

There’s the couple who just celebrated 40 years together still holding hands here on the beach and looking at each other over a sunset dinner. Ask them if it was worth it. How many sunsets have they seen? How many are left?


I had several different clients facing serious medical problems. The prognosis was not good. We both knew this might be the last Baja trips ever. How many good days in the past had they spent on the Cortez watching sunrises and fish breaking? Birds diving. Cold beers and spicy tacos.

We promised we’d see each other next season. You betcha. But we both knew the likelihood was not good. We were saying good-bye and we all knew it. It’s different saying good-bye when you know it’s the last. Right now, every day is worth it.

I had a gent who was a vet of World War 2 here. Still going. Eyes still-twinkling. Over conversation, he quietly said, “Phillipines, Leyte, Manilla City.” That was enough. “I’ve seen a lot,” he said. “I was just trying to stay alive. I was a machine gunner.” That was all he had to say. I think he would say being her in the sunshine with his wife laughing and fishing with his grandkids was worth it too. But, fish had nothing to do with it.

There’s an old saying that “God does not count the days against you spent on the water.”

We only go through here once. You will never have this day again. I hope it’s spent smiling. Whether the fish actually bite is irrelevant.




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