PHOTO: When it rains, you might as well make the best of it and stay dry under your favorite watering hole!

PHOTO: Most late summer/early fall storms blow in and out quickly.

CLICK YOUR RUBY SLIPPERS, DOROTHY!

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the week of Sept. 2, 2008

I’m typing this while under a palm roof watching the rain drip from the fronds. A steady drizzle rakes across the bay giving it an uncharacteristic greyness to what is normally a vibrant panorama of greens, blues and red sandstone. A brief flash of lighting and rumble of distant thunder pops and fades. And the rain falls a little harder.

The drops streaks across the glass in front of me and I can see it starting to puddle up under the space in the door where the wind is pushing in the water.

And I’m hiding.

There’s a pack or two of fishermen roaming the hotel grounds and they’re grumpy and bored. They can’t fish. The port is closed. No one in. No one out. No boats off the beach today, fellas. Sorry you got up so early.

Yes, blame it on me. It’s my fault. I made it rain JUST FOR YOUR VACATION. It hasn’t rained all year, but I picked YOUR vacation for the rain to come down on the parade.

It’s difficult to run a fishing business and explain to anglers that although it might not look real rough in the bay, outside, it’s churning. We don’t like to cancel trips anymore than you! We’d put you out of we could, but not only is it darn rough, it’s unsafe. It’s difficult to communicate the safety issue to anglers that have been pumped for month about getting out on the water. Understandable. So is the grumpiness.

If I could click my rubber ruby slippers and make the great Oz take it all way, I would. Dorothy help me. We lose work. We lose money. We have unhappy anglers on the beach all day who just want to vent on someone…anyone!

That’s why I’m hiding! I’ve already heard it. I’ve already explained it. Tomorrow, the weatherman says it will all go away and the sunshine will come blasting out again and all will be forgiven as the fish fight to jump into your boat.

But today, no one is listening.

From August to September-October, it’s technically “hurricane season.” All that warm water to the south of Baja off the central coast of Mexico breeds storms. As it moves over the warm waters they gather power. Sometimes they turn into hurricanes. In actuality, they usually get no larger than a tropical depression or a tropical storm that doesn’t even warrant an official “name” like “Hurricane Marty” or “Hurricane Henrietta.” Today it’s “Number 11.” Whoop-dee-freaking-dooo…

But storms do move north. No doubt.

In all honesty, you do get some rain. These late summer and early fall months can get awfully humid for some amigos as the heat gets the water vapor rising. Then, clouds turn to thunderheads and you can see them rising precipitously like giant columns of cotton. By the minute, you can see them extend and sometimes get darker.

Then, perhaps some lightning happens. And the rain starts to fall. This is especially true in the afternoons. Very tropical. A warm shower or short blast of water. One street floods. Another remains dusty. You can be bone dry, but 100 yards away, you can see the cloudburst. On the water, you run into columns of falling water and simply drive around it.

Then, just like that, it’s over. The sun comes back out and the ground steams and basically no one left the swimming pool or stopped sipping their margaritas. No one stops fishing.

Compare that to the “torito” (little bulls) that can unleash with all the power of a mini-hurricane. They come up quickly and leave just as quickly leaving wind-ripped palm trees; community flooding; torrential arroyos; and even some structural damage. But, like a bull, they’re quickly gone. Probably not a good time to be on the water and most will head for shore if even for some quick shelter then head back out once the storm blows by. In truth, most storms here…except for the largest blows…are big wet inconveniences to Baja travelers.

But not coming fishing at this time of year or being nervous about it is unfounded. The fall is traditionally some of the best fishing time in the Baja. Avoiding it would be like deciding not to go skiing in the winter because there “might be a snowstorm.” Or not taking the freeway because accidents happen. Duh!

I’ve been here 14 years and been through a chubasco or two. Actually 4 here in that time Only 1 was really bad. The others kept me off the water no more than a day or two. Then out we went! One of the best by-products of the storms is that it washes lots of debris into the water which is perfect for dorado to hang out.

Could a hurricane or storm happen on your fishing vacation this time of year? Sure. Will it happen? Probably not. Is it a good time to go fishing? You bet.




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

PHOTO: Keep an eye on the cleaning process. Cut it. Clean it. Take care of it!

HASTE MAKES WASTE!

Originally published the week of Aug. 19, 2008 in Western Outdoor News

After all these years here, it still amazes me how little attention many anglers pay to the end-product of their endeavors. They’ll spend weeks prepping and primping to get all the lures, hooks and rods together and making sure they have CD’s for the boombox and digging for that smelly fishing hat, but the object of the hunt gets scant attention.

I’m talking about your fish. That’s why you come down here, right? Fish for the barbecue when you get home…fish for the gardener…fish for all your office buddies.

Well, like anything else on the trip, it requires two things. Namely preparation and forethought. Stop and take a breath. Stop worrying so much about whether you can find your fishing shirt with the funny logo and 4 seasons of blood stains on it and give a little thought to actually bringing home some fish.

I get questions all the time from first timers. Many of them have fished places like Alaska and assume that fish can just be flown home from Baja neatly packaged and wrapped, if not by the charter service then by UPS, DHL or other carrier. NOT!

I mean, sure, it can be done, but chances are, it’s costly and in many places carrier services are not offered or even “express” service means 3 to 5 days with no guarantees!

So, assume your fish is flying home with you in most cases. That means you need some kind of packaging and something to bring it home in.

Vacuum sealing is increasing, but assume for the moment it probably is NOT available. So, bring the zip-lock style bags. Gallon size is preferred, not little teenie sandwich bags. It’s rare that anyone will have the time and patience to cut your 40 pound dorado into 4 oz. squares.

Do not assume that these types of plastic bags are readily available in Baja. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they are not. Often, they are a thinner or inferior quality and often much more expensive than in the states. Big-box retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club offer great deals on bags.

Second, you’ll need an ice chest. In the old days, we all brought down huge coffin-like 100 qt. marine coolers. These days with weight restrictions and airlines charging for excess baggage, we’ve found that a 40 qt ice chest filled with frozen fillets weighs just about 50 pounds more or less. Remember that those extra-thick chests or chests with wheels will weigh more than regular ice chests.

Sure, you can buy ice chests in Mexico, which is often a good alternative, but know that an ice chest might cost almost twice as much in Baja as back in the states.

Now, at ground zero, when you’re nailing fish and pandemonium is on the deck, don’t forget your fish. It would be nice to bleed the fish, but that’s often not possible or feasible when all heck is busting loose and the tuna and dorado are boiling.

That being said, bleed them when you can, but at least get your fish out from the hot sun. The Baja blaze will turn them to mush so put them in the shade and into some kind of chiller as soon as possible. The cooler the better. As soon as a fish is dead, it’s already decomposing. That’s nature. Heat is your enemy.

That goes for fish cleaning as well. I know it’s hard to resist the high-fiving, fish tales and beer toasts at the end of the day but keep an eye on whoever is cleaning your fish.

Pack it yourself in your bags if possible so that they’re in the size you want. If there’s only two of you eating, there’s no senses in putting 10 pounds of fillets in a bag that has to be defrosted back home.

Resist the urge to pack too much into a plastic bag as well. So often, I see anglers jam everything they can into a plastic bag.

When it goes into the freezer, it will freeze like a giant bowling ball that will have a hard time getting into your ice chest. Often, it expands as it freezes. The enclosure pops open and now you have freezer burned fish.

One trick is to put just a few fillets in the bag. Using a bucket of water that most boats have handy, push the bag under water just far enough that all the air comes out. The water pressure compresses it. Press the bag closed. Instant Mexican-style vacuum seal! And, by all means, don’t leave bags of fish on the cleaning table or deck to steam cook in the sun! Get them iced!

You paid too much for this trip and fish is too precious to waste! Take care of it.





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

TAG ENDS!

Originally published the week of Aug. 5, 2008 in Western Outdoor News


Some loose “tag ends” this week to tie up and spread around to you. Just some bits and pieces and notes off the tackle box:

SOMETHING SMELLS FUNNY

After my column two weeks ago about keeping smells away from your fishing gear and bait, I got a number of comments from readers agreeing with me and offering various remedies. Initially, the column was generated by a WON reader who asked about having sunscreen on his hands and whether the smell repels fish.

Two readers, wrote in and told me that they keep a small can of WD-40 handy. It’s not only good for the occasional squeaky reel handle, but it’s then sprayed on a small rag. The rag us then used to wipe on hands or fishing tackle that may have been “contaminated” by non-fishing smells such as suntan oil, food, cigarettes or mechanical items.

Great idea. Many anglers swear that WD-40 is a great fish attractant and will spray it directly on lures and other items. I once asked a WD-40 executive about it and all he could do was smile and say, “No comment!” But it’s rumored that the popular lubricant has fish oil in it.

Another amigo wrote that he keeps a little bottle of that waterless hand sanitizer handy to clean his hands of sunscreen then keeps a little bottle of shrimp or anchovy fish scent in his box. A drop or two on his palms then rubbed together gets his hands smelling “just right!” But he adds that his hands smell pretty stinky afterwards.

ECONOMIC RIPPLE EFFECT

Yes, indeed, Baja is feeling the pinch from a lot of different angles. Whatever happens economically to the U.S. also has an effect down here in Baja. Americans have less disposable income so conversely, they’re not traveling as much. High airline tickets and fuel prices don’t help.

Actual gas shortages in northern Baja over the past few weeks have actually stranded many vacation drivers insofar as commuters and commercial drivers, fleeing high U.S. gas prices have come across the border to fill up on the cheaper Mexican gas prices. Supply has not been able to accommodate the demand. Ergo vacation travelers have been caught in long lines of stranded vehicles.
Along those same lines, nervousness over road violence towards tourists, has severely crimped U.S. tourism to Mexico. And nothing says “money” like a big old shiny Suburban pulling a sportfisher down Highway 1. (And it’s probably filled with gasoline!)

I’m not saying something is going to happen. Hundreds of thousands of people cross the border daily and nothing happens. But, by the same token, I’m not one to advertise when I have a bankroll in my pocket as I walk down a dark alley.

But, even for passengers flying down here, not only are flights more expensive, but they’re getting harder to find. Out of Tijuana, our old friend, Aero Californa, is once again having problems. You may re-call that several years ago, their flights were suspended because of too many safety violations. Thousands of U.S. fliers were left holding worthless tickets. Well… They were allowed to fly again, but never regained their ability to have international flights.

However, many folks travel domestically with Aero Cal and lots of San Diego and S.California residents and fishermen find that traveling to Tijuana to catch Aero Cal flights to cities in Baja and mainland Mexico is quite convenient and surprisingly easy. Well, Aero Cal has been suspended again allegedly for failure to pay fines and taxes. Some of the newer Mexican airlines that seemed to have great service such as Alma Air and Avolar are having their own difficulties because of higher ticket prices mean fewer travelers.

Bottom line, it seems things are slow down here in Baja. Depending on who you talk to or what you read, business is off 20-40 percent. In the northern border states where much of the economy is directly affected on a daily basis by Americans and Mexicans crossing the border for business and pleasure, counts have been as high as 60 percent.

Speaking to friends in Cabo, La Paz and the East Cape, they tell me it’s off about 30 percent from normal years.

Baja is still a bargain relatively speaking compared to other places, but there’s no question that what happens in the U.S. affects everyone else.





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