LIGHTEN UP!

Originally Published the Week of March 3, 2010 in Western Outdoor News




So, the airlines are making it hard to bring all your toys on your Baja trip. They're charging for everything (or taking it away if it looks anything like a weapon). Well, it is what it is. Times have changed.

No matter what we feel about the airlines and how much we want to gnash our teeth lie on the floor and kick our feet in the air that we're getting "ripped off", I have news for you. Just like you and me, the airlines are in business to make money. At least, they don't wanna lose money!

So, just accept that the days of hauling down giant ice chests and 30 rods are long gone unless you want to pay extra. So, it's time to "go guerilla" and figure ways around the baggage games.

For rods, your two key words are "shorter" and "fewer." Since airlines generally are going to charge you for things being over-sized and/or overweight, go for shorter rods. As much as you'd love to bring along that 9-foot throwing stick, you'll be fine with rods under 7'. Most of my own Baja sticks are closer to 6' actually.

As well, if you're going with a buddy, each of you doesn't need 10 sticks just to fish a few days in Baja. That's overkill. Combine both of your rods into one rod tube and bring only what you honestly will use. This way you share the costs.

For ice chests scale down as well. The days of hauling down the big white "coffins" are long gone. Most international flights now limit you to only 50 pounds on the average. Sure, you can pay extra and sometimes it's worth it for those extra fillets (hard to get fresh dorado in Wyoming!) , but usually beyond a certain limit, the airlines won't even take it. So, if you fill a 100 qt. ice chest full of fillets and it weighs 100 pounds, the airlines might turn you away.

In our experience over the years, a 35-40 quart ice chest full of frozen fillets weighs just about 50 pounds. One other thing, if you buy ice chests with wheels, those wheels add an extra few pounds to the overall weight so take that into consideration.

Also, those ice chests that advertise staying cold for multiple days are great, but they do have more insulation and hold less fish. Think about it. In most cases, you'll be home the same day you leave Baja, your fish will be fine in a regular ice chest.

On thing you may want to consider is purchasing an ice chest in Baja. This serves two benefits.

One is that you're not paying extra to bring an empty ice chest down to Baja. The 2nd thing is that when you come home, you can go shop for an ice chest that specifically accommodates your frozen fish.

In the past, ice chest used to be quite expensive in Baja and in many places still are. However, with the advent of the big Mexican chain stores like Aramburo, Gigante, Centro Commercial, La Ley, City Club as well as COSTCO, Sam's Club and Walmart, everything is getting cheaper. Still pricier than back home, but much better.

As long as you're packing that fish, whether you or your captains/deckhand cleans your fish or you have someone else clean and pack your fish, consider having you fish cut as lean and clean as possible.

Given that every extra bit of weight counts, there's no sense in bringing home pieces of fish with blood lines in it, heads, tails or other parts that you don't plan to eat or will trim yourself later anyway.

Most boat crews are happy to do it. Toss them an extra buck or two. If your fish is being vacuum sealed for you, see if they'll re-trim the fish.

One technique that has always worked for me in the past was to take my ice chest dow, but pack all my clothes in a duffle. I never needed much clothing in tropical Baja anyway. I stuffed the duffle into the ice chest to take it down.


Coming back, the duffle full of stinky fishing clothes now becomes a carry-on and my ice chest is now full (hopefully) of fish! No extra bags and no empty ice chests.

Several of our more ingenious clients purchase their fishing clothes at outlet stores and swapmeets. They buy inexpensive shorts and t-shirts. Then, when they depart, they leave the clothes in their hotel room. The clothes will get washed by someone and used again, but now, the anglers come home without the weight of extra clothes.



That's our story. Jonathan is the Baja Editor for Western Outdoor News. If you'd like to contact Jonathan directly, you can e-mail him at riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com

BAJA PLANNING

Originally published the week of Feb. 24, 2010 in Western Outdoor News




So, you're finally going to make that trip to Baja that you've been putting off. Maybe it's your first time. Maybe you've been south before, but it will be a new destination. Now that you know where you want to go, you have to start somewhere. Airlines? Hotel? An outfitter or charter company? Reading Western Outdoor News? (good start!)

There are alot of ways to go. But there are things to be careful about as well.

To begin with, do a little research. Forewarned is forearmed and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of pain!

Assuming you know the dates of your vacation and that you're going to be flying instead of driving to your destination, make sure there are flights. It does no good to make all these plans then find out there's no airplane to ride!

Once you're sure there's flights, don't book them just yet! What if there's no hotel rooms available or all the boats are sold out? There's a little juggling to do here so hold on if you can before buying those tickets!

Assuming you plan to fish, dive, kayak, etc. or one of the numerous activities afforded in Baja, I would go to the company that offers that activity. Choosing a company takes a bit of doing but it's worth it.

Ask friends. Go to online message boards on the internet and ask for suggestions. Check out the ads in places like Western Outdoor News. You'll notice that many of the same outfits advertise year-after-year and in the same places year-after-year.

That doesn't mean they're good. Anyone can be a bozo operation and place an ad or ads can be deceiving, but at least it's one indication of an operation that isn't fly-by-night. It's a tough business and idiots don't usually last long out there. By the same token, there are those that are popular enough and have enough of a track record that they don't need to advertise. And that's where asking friends or searching online comes in.

If you've chosen an outfitter (check out several), make sure they can accommodate what you want to do on the days you want to do it and the way in which you want to do it.

For example, if you're set on fishing for marlin and the company doesn't fish for marlin or there simply are no marlin there, then you need to re-adjust. If the company only uses cruisers and you want to fish in a panga, again, you'll have to re-think. Same for any activity. For diving, if you're an experienced diver and want to wreck dive or dive with sharks, but the area only has shallow reefs, then oops...better re-think the plans!

One good idea is to ask how long folks have been in business. Ask if the person answering your question is just a booking agent or really knows their stuff. There are alot of folks out there just answering the phones sitting in offices who have never even been to the location they are selling and are really just ticket agents!

Ask hard questions. Be specific. It's YOUR vacation. It's too important to put in the hands of people who don't know a tuna from a roosterfish or whether you can eat the street tacos or not. How fast do they get back to you with your answers? How often has that specific person been where you want to go? Do they live there? Or are they just visitors themselves? Maybe they have NEVER been there! Your gut will give you a good feel.

Assuming the company can handle you, ask them about lodging. Many can put the whole package together and work closely with hotels. If not, at least they can recommend some places or offer suggestions. Even after they make suggestions or tell you which hotel they work with, check out the place online. If the place has no online website, then I'd probably pass on it. All good places have websites these days.

Once you have your activities and lodging locked in, now go get your airline ticket.

If you let the airlines or the hotels book everything for you, there are some real hazards that can happen. Not always, but why take chances? If you go through the airlines, the person answering the phones probably cannot answer questions about the fishing, diving, etc. or the hard questions about the hotel you really want to know. Is the room near the beach? How much are dinners at the restaurant? Are there child services? How far to town? They book airline tickets and that's what they want to do and are best at.

At the hotel level, it's the same thing. They want to put head-on-beds. That's their top priority. Sure, they can book your fishing, diving, kayak trip, etc. , but 9-out-of-10 times, I bet that person booking the hotel room for you can't tell you the name of your captain; what gear you will need; what the water temperature will be; if you will be able to catch a tuna, roosterfish, etc. It's not their fault. But, they sell hotel rooms.

Also, beware of the internet. It's your worst friend and enemy. It is indeed the information super highway, but it runs in two directions. You can find lots of helpful and useful information, but like online dating (ha-ha), what you see on the internet is not always what you get!

Of course, the online website won't tell you that their hotel is right next to the busiest highway or that it was built on a beach next to the garbage dump or that "secluded" really means it's a 25 dollar cab ride from town or that "rustic Mexican" really means they are on a generator that shuts down at 9 p.m. The website will never show you that nor will the booking agent for the hotel.

Unless you're really adventuresome, the worst thing you can do is "wing it." That might work going to Disneyland or Vegas. Granted, chances are you'll have a great time on-the-fly, but so many things can also go wrong. Your boat might break down (or not even show up!). Your luggage might get lost. You end up with a 100 dollar cab ride. Your room has no running water or faces an alley. And then what? There's no accountability. No one to bitch at. Your vacation is worth more than that.

A little planning will help insure the very best time!

_____________

Jonathan is Baja Editor for Western Outdoor News and his column appears twice monthly in the paper. You can contact him directly at riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com

HOT ROD TWEAKING YOUR GEAR

Originally Published in Western Outdoor News the Week of Feb. 17, 2010




So, I'm digging through my tackle storage unit here in La Paz. Either, it's the end of season inventory for 2009 or my beginning of the 2010 inventory to see what I've got; what I need; what's busted; what needs to be fixed or replaced. I hate this.

As I pull line off reels; repack hooks; and untangle lures that should have been untangled before I put them in the box, I wanted to pass on a few "tweaking tips" to "hotrod" some of your gear for the coming season.

For many of my lures, especially crank-type lures like Rapalas and even many of my throwing irons, I replace the hooks. I take off the treble hooks and replace them with single forged hooks. I believe, I get deeper and better hooksets in the hard jaws of Baja gamefish on a single hook than on a treble.

Single hooks penetrate better. Less chance the fish will spin off. Further, if I plan to release a fish, it's alot easier to take out one hook than three. If there are two hooks, I replace both of them so that the lure swims true and remains balanced.

For my swivels that are on leaders, especially trolling leaders on my bigger feathers, jigs and wahoo lures, I make sure that all of them are changed to black. Silver swivels when trolled through the water cavitate. They make a teardrop shape going through the water. With a shiny silver swivel, it looks just like a baitfish.

Your big lure now looks like it's chasing a baitfish. That's great for realism, but not so good if the REAL fish you're trying to catch decided to bite your swivel instead of your lure. That "short bite" might cost you a very expensive lure, even if you're using wire!

All hooks, no matter who makes them, but for sure on non-"designer hooks" in my box, I take a file to them. I give every single hook the "fingernail" test. That is, I drag the point across my fingernail. If it scratches my nail, it's sharp. If it doesn't measure up, I give it a couple of runs with a good hook file.

On the subject of hooks, there's nothing quite so frustrating as getting a little moisture in a fresh pack of hooks then finding they all rusted on me. To prevent that, I put some grains of rice in each pack. The rice absorbs any stray moisture that gets in much like rice in a saltshaker helps prevent condensation.

On my rods, I spray WD-40 on a rag and wipe them all down. Not only does it put a nice sheen on them, but it really helps take off blood, scales and other goo that might've gotten stuck on them during the season.

I then take some clear fingernail polish and dab it on the stress fracture where the foot of the guides starts to break through the wrapping that holds the guide to the rod blank. The clear polish also works well on any dings I may have in the rod as well.

By the way, as long as you have that same cloth with WD-40 on it, wipe down your reels. It does a nice job on cleaning.

Speaking of spraying things on, if you're like me, your line is wound on your reel tightly. At least, it should be. If it stays on all season, like mine, it tends to develop into coils as it comes off the reel.

Instead of laying flat and limp, it has developed "memory." I hate throwing away line (I'm cheap...uh..er... economic and I have too many reels to replace all that line!) so I use one of several new commercial sprays. When sprayed on the line, they actually tend to relax the line and to a great degree restore the suppleness of older line.



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: It all started with an idea, a lime and some good tequila!

INSPIRED BY A WOMAN!

Originally Published the Week of February 3, 2010 in Western Outdoor News



Over the past month, we've been travelling around the western U.S. for our annual fishing/hunting shows. First Denver, then San Mateo (near San Francisco), then Sacramento and now I'm writing this from Puyallup, Washington near Tacoma. Through it all, I think we've been in some of the craziest, coldest, wettest weather I've ever seen!

Often, we stand shivering in our booth in front of huge pictures of the fish caught in our tropical Baja waters of La Paz. Pictures of guys in shorts and t-shirts holding huge dorado. Ladies in bikinis fighting marlin and tuna. Sunshine. Sunshine. Sunshine.

And the folks we chat with, we see them bundled up in layers of flannel, down, polyfil and fleece, anxious as get-out after, in some cases almost 2 months of cold and wet, to jet as far away to sunny climes as they can.

My comment to one person, "Come to Baja because the only snow you see will be in your margarita glass!" prompted some comments about margaritas among a few Baja old-timers. One gent claimed to have been around in Tijuana where the first margarita was supposedly invented. Another said they were an American concoction from Los Angeles. The guy in the booth next to us (from Alaska) was eavesdropping and said margaritas were first stirred up in Galveston, Texas.

The lively debate about the enduringly frosty beverage, made of a combination of tequila, triple sec and fresh lime juice, has become a Mexican icon. But, no doubt in many respects, it has become synonymous with Baja, fishing, and Baja fishermen.

Here then, is what I found when I checked out Wikipedia and a few other sources:


1. In 1934 Rio Grande Valley in Mexico, a senorita named Margherite Hemery was a friend of the owner of the "Dos Republicas" Restaurant in Metamoros Barman "Willie" invented the drink for the owners.

2. In 1936, Danny and David Negrete owned a bar in the Garci Crispo Hotel, Mexico. As a wedding gift, Danny gave David a drink of equal parts lime juice, triple sec and tequila with hand-crushed ice. Rumor has it that the infamous "chicken dance" was co-incidentally also started at the wedding after the 3rd round of wedding drinks.

3. In 1938, famous Ensenada bartender Danny Herrera worked at the Riviera del Pacifico Hotel and Casino. Infatuated with American actress Marjorie King, the canintero wanted to woo her. Marjorie was strange. She enjoyed drinking, but the ONLY alcohol her body could tolerate was tequila, but she hated drinking it straight up. Danny whipped up the famous drink just for her. No word as to whether Danny eventually got lucky with Marjorie. "But it doesn't taste like tequila, Danny!" "It's not supposed to, senorita." (he says with a wink and a leering smile!) "Andale! I"ll make you another!"

4. Enrique Gutierrez in the early 1940's in the heyday of Tijuana was also another infatuated barman. Margarita Cansino was a pretty teenage dancer in Tijuana at the Foreign Club. Enrique devised the drink as homage to Margarita. Americans know Margarita well. She came to the U.S. and became actress Rita Hayworth!

5. Pancho Morales in 1942 worked at a bar called Tommy's Place in Juarez City. A woman patron ordered a Magnolia which is a drink made with brandy, cointreau, egg yold and champagne (yuk!). In what is often customary in Mexico, rather than say he didn't know how to make it, he came up with a fuzzy alternative that wasn't even close! (just like my contractors who worked on my building in La Paz) The new drink was an instant hit.

6. Barman Santos Cruz in 1948 worked at the infamous Balinese Room in Galveston Texas. He created the margarita for famous singer and Peggy "Margaret" Lee. The Balinise room was quite the hot spot and famous for having great food, entertainment, music, a casino and even..air-conditioning! The Texas Rangers shut it down in 1957.

7. Margaret "Margarita" Sames was a wealthy Dallas socialite 1948. She claims to have invented the frosty citrus drink and also the first to rim the glass with salt noting that Americans liked to lick salt before shooting tequila. She had alot of time on her hands.

She was given to lavish entertaining and strove to concoct a tequila drink for her guests that was refreshing and could be downed before lunch "because you can only drink so many beers and margaritas and screwdrivers or whatever..."

Early attempts by Sames were not immediately successful. "I was pushed into the swimming pool many times because some of those drinks were so bad."

She finally got it right. Party guests included John Wayne, Lana Turner, the Nick Hilton, Hotel Bel-Air owner Joseph Drown; Tail 'o' the Cock owner Shelton Henry and other world travelers who brought the drink to their own establishments.

And an immortal drink was born...somewhere...pass the chips and salsa...








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