38 July 6 - 20 , 2018 VOL . 37 • ISS . 15

1960s and 70s , when surf fishing for striped bass was a big , big thing , the goal for most surf casters was to be able to throw out a true one hundred yard cast .

Oh ,” you say , “ That ’ s easy !”, but considering the tackle we were using back then ( no graphite rods , no super braid line , no reels with ball bearings ) it was quite the accomplishment . Now , I am talking about a true one hundred yards , not “ it looks like a hundred yards ”!

In order to throw that magical one hundred yards , I took my outfit ( an 11.5 ’ Lamiglas fiberglass rod , a tricked out Penn 501 Jigmaster Jr ., and 30 lb . mono line ) to the local high school football field , placed the 4 ounce sinker on the goal line on one side of the field , then walked out the length of the field to the other goal line . I then used a permanent marker to color a five foot section of line at the one hundred yard marker . Only when you stand in a known marked off location do you realize how far one hundred yards really is !

Casting with all my skill at the time , I boomed out cast after cast and never saw the mark on my line . I would crank it up , power into the cast , the sinker would make a high , majestic arc , and land somewhere in the 80 to 90 yard area . From where I stood , those casts looked

like a hundred yards , but the mark on the line kept me honest .

Eventually , after refining my technique and practicing a lot , I not only finally made the hundred yard cast , but surpassed it by another twenty yards .

This endeavor was brought to my memory with the opening of the salmon season . When I used to work at a tackle shop , the beloved Uncle Milt would bring in his Penn Senator 3 / 0 trolling reel to be serviced and filled with 30 lb . Sunset Marked Flexon line .

This was a true trolling line with no delusions of being a soft , castable line . It was dark green in color but had a short , one foot section of red line to mark off every ten feet . Knowing exactly how much line to let out when he hooked fish , Uncle Milt had quite the reputation as a salmon catcher .

Unfortunately , in the past , marked line was almost always associated with trolling , and so was always associated with being stiff , extremely abrasion resistant , and fit only for conventional reels , and totally unusable for spinning reels .

The new generations of super braids has changed all that , and now , metered lines may find their way onto your reels !

Dale , Chelsa and Rojn spent June 12 crushing tuna and dorado off the East Cape . Photo courtesy of THE HOTEL BUENA VISTA BEACH RESORT , East Cape , Baja .

In terms of size and stamina the blue marlin is

Baja ’ s supreme prize . Found on both coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico , they may grow in excess of 1,000 pounds , are the premier North American marlin . A blue water fish , they are seldom found close to shore , and are highly migratory .

Most blue marlin caught on sportfishing tackle weigh between 150 and 400 pounds , and it is an awesome sight when such a fish , or a larger one , spears through the surface in the distance and leaps high in the air . It may do this repeatedly , then run great distances , sound deep , and resist capture till the angler is weary . Large baits and trolled plugs are the normal offering , pulled at 4 to 8 knots , and tackle ranges from 30 to 130 pound outfits employed on both flat lines and outriggers .

Found in Pacific waters and most abundant in North America off southern California and Baja . Striped marlin do not grow as large as blue marlin , but are revered for their acrobatics . No billfish jumps more often , and striped marlin are likely to make successive grey hounding leaps across the surface . They are more frequently caught than blue marlin , and are often found in near-shore environs . Striped marlin are a good light-tackle billfish ; 30 to 50 pound outfits and 4 / 0 to 6 / 0 reels are commonly used .

Although they are the smallest member of the billfish clan , Sailfish are among the most popular with anglers because they can be taken fairly easily by experiences anglers on light tackle , including spinning rods and fly rods . There are Atlantic and Pacific sailfish , and some disagreement exists as to whether these are the same or different species . Pacific sailfish grow considerably larger on average . Nonetheless , the usual fish in between 5 and 7 feed long weighs between 30 and 70 pounds . Sailfish are distinguished , of course , by their high first dorsal fin .

Dave and Kevin hammered these incredible grouper while fishing Mexican waters aboard the Excel on June 13 .

Photo courtesy of EXCEL LONG RANGE SPORTFISHING , San Diego .

Room for 4 nights , 5 days , 2 days of fishing , tackle , breakfast & lunch , 28 ft . supercruiser w / captain & mate

Martin verdugo ’ s Beach resort

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E mail : martinverdugo @ prodigy . net . mx ( 949 ) 226-7169 Or 01152 624 141 0054

A beautiful Beach Resort located half way between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas , right on the Sea of Cortez