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

3203

Call Toll Free:( 888) 567-8552 www. verdugosbeachresort. com

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