PHOTO: The mornings are getting chillier and chillier before the sunrise breaks out. Bring a sweatshirt. The seasons are changing!

SUDDENLY NOT SUMMER!

Originally Published the Week of Nov. 3, 2009 in Western Outdoor News



I just came off the water before writing this. Except for washing the fish stink and crust off my hands before touching my keyboard, I’m still salt-encrusted from head-to-toe. What a day. For three weeks now, we’ve been enjoying balmy skies and flat seas; warm waters and fish fighting to eat the baits. Fish heaven!

Then, just like that someone flipped a switch.

Today I spent the day shivering and wet. I’m glad I brought a light jacket (I always do), but it was barely enough . The sun ducked in and out of the clouds. The waves kicked up. In a panga, it was a bit like “Victory at Sea.” We took waves over the boat and a good portion of the day we weaved about the boat like drunken sailor on liberty walking the docks.

Even the cruisers were getting bounced. I felt badly for many of the angles who were in t-shirts and shorts huddled wherever they could try to stay dry. It didn’t help matters that bait was harder to find and the fish got stubborn as well. The fishing “honey hole” turned into a gopher hole instead!

Where did all this come from? What happened to my summertime?

Truth is, it’s that time of year when we should expect these kinds of changes and we get so lulled into “easy fishing” we forget how abruptly the whims of the ocean can change…even in Baja.

It’s not ALWAYS like it says in the magazines. It’s not ALWAYS like the pictures in the brochures. We forget that Baja is a 1000-mile-long peninsula bracketed by the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez that has as many micro-climates as it does types of fish. We should no more expect consistent weather between Cabo San Lucas to the south Ensenada to the north any more than San Diego and Seattle have different climes.

Seasons change and Baja is no different.

I had a phone call the other day from folks who wanted to book with our fishing fleet in Febuary. They wanted to catch dorado and marlin.

I had to tell them that we don’t catch those fish normally in the winter months.

“Why not?” she says.

“Because it’s winter. The waters are too cold. You should go further south, maybe Cabo San Lucas, “ I tell her.

“Why?” she responds.

“Because it’s warmer and marlin and dorado like warmer waters, “ I answer.

“Why?” she asks again

“Because they just do.” I say without going into the entire marine-biological explanation a bit exasperated. (Perhaps you’ve had this type of conversation with one of your youngsters. The old “It-is-because-it-is-and-I-am-the-adult” way of ending a discussion going nowhere).

“But we already booked our tickets to come in Febuary and really want to catch a marlin and dorado. Can’t you do anything?” She pleads.

Uh sure…I’ll wave my magic wand and just make marlin and tuna appear. You get the idea. I tell them that it’s still the Sea of Cortez and anything can happen, but not to get their hopes up. That’s the best I can do. They bought their plane tickets before doing the research.

There are warm months and there are cold months and we’re about to start heading into the colder months of the Baja fishing season. That doesn’t mean the fish aren’t biting. It doesn’t mean the sun won’t shine. It doesn’t mean your vacation just went up in flames.

But forewarned is forearmed. Be prepared for weather changes. Be prepared to fish differently. I’m taking a heavier jacket on the water tomorrow. I”ve told the clients to bring a sweatshirt or windbreaker. I’m going to prepare my clients to do more inshore (where it’s calmer) than offshore fishing (where we’ll most surely get wet again). But part of fishing is being adaptable.

I’ll be in Cabo San Lucas all week at the Western Outdoor News Tuna Tournament. Come say hi. In fact, when you’re reading this, we’ll probably be right in the thick of it on the docks. It’s always a lot of fun. Hope to see you!


Jonathan Roldan is the Baja Editor and his column appears every other week. He can be reached in La Paz at: riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com

THE NOISY FISHERMAN

Originally Published the Week of Oct. 20, 2009 in WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS


When I was a kid fishing with my dad and uncles, I was constantly admonished to be still. Be quiet. You’re going to scare the fish!

Like most kids, I fidgeted a lot. I had the patience of…well, a kid! And when fish weren’t biting, I did what most kids did. I skipped rocks. I played in the tackle box. I sang. I banged things. I even ate all the Velveeta cheese bait when no one was looking!

Although I never ate the worms, I did try salmon eggs once. If fish liked them they couldn’t be all that bad. The ruckus caused by my gagging and coughing surely scared away any fish in the area.

I grew up learning to be quiet when I fished. Most of us did. Noise was our enemy! Be verrrry quiet. The fish might hear you!

However, the more time I spend here in Baja, going on 15 years now, and the more time I spend fishing in small craft, the more I’m re-thinking the pros and cons of noise.

Any angler will tell you how many countless hours we spend choosing our tackle be it line, lures, hooks and other equipment to make sure it’s the right color, size and shape. Does green line work better than blue line? Will the red feather hookup better than the purple feather? Does the color of the hook make a difference? You get the idea.

But what about noise…or better yet..SOUND! The difference is as profound as someone crashing two pie tins together and someone playing the drums in a beautiful rhythm.

Many veteran anglers and captains have long known that engine sounds and prop wash are known fish attractants. Ever notice how some boats just have a knack for raising fish? They can have the same captains; fish the same area; use the same lures and one boat gets consistently bit over the other.

It’s like having two cars that are exact duplicates in every manner, but for some reason, one is a lemon. Same with boats. One just has that certain ju-ju that is an unfathomable combination of the shape of the boat, the way the motor vibrates and other variables.

I have worked on commercial boats and noticed how engine speed and certain revs caused fish to be attracted. Or, by the same token, drives fish away. I’ve read stories about how sharks will sometime chomp down on a moving propeller, much to their detriment of the shark, thinking it’s food.

The same with terminal tackle like lures. If you’ve ever been scuba diving, you’ll remember that aside from the sound of your regulator and bubbles, you’ll often hear a cacophony of clicks and snaps underwater. That’s the fish!

In a bait school or school of predatory fish, the sounds are extremely audible and the submarine environment gives off a tangible and often audio vibration.

Hence, you’ll notice that many lures these days are built with clickers, ball bearings, bubble holes and whatnot that attempt to duplicate those sounds. I know several lure manufacturers that do detailed studies of their products to see how they “swim” and attempt to duplicate the precise vibration a nervous baitfish makes in the water. The better to attract a predator!

The same with lures that splash, jump, pop and gurgle. Not only do they create a visual stimulus for a potential gamefish, but all of that action produces sound that will hopefully put the predator into “attack mode” to generate a strike. Even if it doesn’t have noise-makers, how it “swims” generates vibrations that are detectable to fish.

Ergo, how you troll it or reel it back to the boat can make all the difference in the world. That’s what makes it fun.

For instance, I’ve used surface plugs. I can cast them into the rocks and pop them along and get some viscious strikes from cabrilla and pargo. By the same token, slow popping won’t work on roosters. Reeling as fast as I can to skip the lure on the surface gets the pez gallo all worked up.

Same with yellowtail. Slowly retrieving a yo-yo iron will only get you tired. Winding as fast as you can until your arm feels like it will fall off will get you tired sooner, but it will also get you bit!

Make some noise. Catch some fish!


Jonathan Roldan is the Baja Editor and his column appears every other week. He can be reached in La Paz at: riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com

PHOTO 1: Fishing in the fall can lend itself to alot of variety with inshore fishing. Offshore fishing can be even more spectacular!

THE UNEXPECTED FALL

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Oct. 6, 2009

I’m sitting here looking at some of the gloomiest Baja weather I’ve seen in a long time. Short of a hurricane coming in, this reminds me of summer days in Southern California when the marine layer just hangs over the beaches. Supposedly sunny beach days like the type you see in all the Chamber of Commerce ads are just dreary grey. The water and sky are the same color that you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.

And that seems to be the gist of weather this fall here in Baja. Weather patterns are all askew. Bright sunshine one day and rainy tropical day the next. Calm waters one day then furious winds from all directions the next. Incredible humidity and no sun is interrupted later in the week with freaky thundershowers.

I think, so far, this has been the oddest fall in my 15 years down here in Baja.

From our own experiences as well as communicating with other operators and friends in Baja, the fishing appears to have reflected that as well. I think the word is “streaky.”

Normally, the fall is some of the best time to be in Baja. Balmy weather and afternoon breezes are the norm. Humidity is down. Storms season, at least by October, is largely past. It’s cooler than the summer, but the ocean can be bath-water warm and clear scuba-diver clear!

Likewise, it’s prime-time fishing as well. There’s a reason that so many of the major fishing tournaments take place in the fall. It’s probably the most popular time for fishing as well. Not vacationing. Fishing!

The big blue and black marlin kings prowl the waters during this time. The fat growler tuna come up from the deep canyons. Schools of dorado forage voraciously. Wahoo roll onto the high spots with trophy roosterfish marauding along the white sand beaches.

This year, it seems things are topsy-turvy. Billfish can be hit-or-miss. They are on fire one week then AWOL the next week with seemingly no change in conditions. Same for the dorado and tuna. They crash for several days then disappear to who-knows-where or go completely lockjaw ignoring baits tossed right in front of them. A wide-open wahoo bite one day turns into the desert the next day? Where’d they all go?

Roosterfish that were terrorizing the baitfish along the beaches suddenly turn to…sierra? Wait a minute. Sierra normally don’t show up until the cold waters of winter roll into the Sea of Cortez. What are sierra doing here? So are pargo and cabrilla which are normally taken in cooler waters.

Go figure. That’s the Baja and, although you may not get the weather or the species you had anticipated, it’s part of the adventure.

It’s unpredictability, especially this season is also part of the attraction. So, the marlin doesn’t hit your trolled feather, you may end up with the largest dorado you’ve ever taken. The roosters are gone, but you had never gotten 20 sierra in a day on light tackle either. Those high spots that usually hold the wahoo, might just produce a big fat 80 pound amberjack or dog tooth snapper instead. That’s what makes it fun.

And the weather, just roll with it also.

If it’s windy, adjust. Another good reason for the windbreaker. If it’s too rough outside, fish inshore. Or, know that this is a transitional time as we approach the winter months. The winds will blow a day or two then diminish for a few days.

I always bring a light windbreaker any time I am on the ocean anyway. Bring one down now. It’s light and doesn’t take much room. Or, in a pinch, grab a plastic trash bag and cut out a hole for your head and two for your arms. You’re covered if it rains. You’re good to go!

It usually doesn’t rain long anyway. You can often see storms coming if you’re on the water and literally watch columns of dark water coming from the approaching clouds. Of course, don’t take chances if it’s a serious storm.

But, if it’s just a little tropical blow, sometimes it is so distinct, you can actually drive around it. Rain will fall in one spot but 10 yards away, not a drop! Or, you get wet for 10 minutes…enough to wash the sweat and sunscreen off of you and blood off your arms, then the sun comes blazing again.

The unexpected is part of the Baja adventure!





Jonathan Roldan is the Baja Editor and his column appears every other week. He can be reached in La Paz at: riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com