Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3903 Jan 17-31 2020 | Page 18
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Jan 17-31, 2020
VOL.39 • ISS.3
GONE FISHING
day. I drew the “Mi Pistola” with Mike
Cunningham from Colfax and Frank and
Rebecca Domeier from Auburn. With
arrangements made I retreated to our room
to get some sleep before a 6:30 appoint-
ment at the dock the next morning.
Tico’s Cafe at the Palmas serves
breakfast early for those going fishing.
The menu includes both American and
Mexican options. My go-to pre-fishing
breakfast is pancakes and bacon, which
is served with fresh fruit and plenty of
coffee. A good caffeine and carbo load for
the much anticipated battles with the big
game fish lurking offshore.
At the dock there is a finely orchestrated
dance of boats, anglers, and coolers full
of ice and lunches, all under the watchful
eyes of Anibal and his staff. As each group
Big fish and big smiles…That was scene when
Team Will Fish explored the waters off the
Baja Peninsula recently.
Photo courtesy of CRAIG NEWTON, Will Fish
Tackle.
continued from page 1
gathers at the dock, their boat for the day
is radioed in to pick up passengers and
supplies. We loaded onto the Mi Pistola
to meet Raul and Rogelio, our captain
and crew for the day.
Captain Raul stayed with us for the
following two days and Kiao, a captain
of another cruiser, joined us as our crew.
That is one of the advantages of fishing
in early November, the shoulder of the
season, as captains from boats that are
not booked will often work with on boats
that are. The cruisers are comfortable
for up to 4 anglers and the crew. They
provide gear, tackle, and flush heads.
A quick stop for bait, which consisted
of Ballyhoo and whatever live bait was
available and we were off to the fishing
grounds.
On the first day most of the fleet went
northeast along the coast in search of
dorado and billfish. The weather and
seas were favorable for a quick run
offshore. Raul was not worried about
burning fuel. Based on the navigation
app on my phone we were cruising at
close to 30 mph. After an hour run we
were slow trolling bait around a shark
buoy when Rebecca got her first taste of
blue water fishing.
A dorado took a bait and it was game
on. It is hard to explain the power these
fish exhibit unless you have felt it
yourself. Rebecca can now say she has
firsthand knowledge of the drug that is
the tug. It was an amazing thrill for her.
I so enjoyed watching Rebecca learn the
ropes and land this beautiful fish.
Mike was next up when a Sailfish hit
a trolled Ballyhoo and gave us a great
acrobatic show. This was not Mike’s
first rodeo as he is a veteran of long-
range sport fishing. After a several runs,
Mike brought his personal best Pez Vela
to the side of the boat. After a quick
SUTTER MARINE IS YOUR DEALER FOR
Boats
photo opportunity,
the fish was safely
released.
I was up next when a
nice bull dorado took
a live bonita we had
teased up while on the
troll. The dodo left the
water as it hit the bait
and back flipped into
the water. This fish put
on quite a show before
it was deposited in to
the fish box to returned Quality dorado like this are a big highlight during a fishing trip
to Baja. Not only do they fight hard and jump frequently, but they
that evening as
also offer outstanding table fare.
ceviche we all shared
Photo courtesy of CRAIG NEWTON, Will Fish Tackle.
at the Palmas bar that
evening. We spotted
several marlin that day but couldn’t get one
a 55-pound tuna. The fish made a freight
to take the bait.
train run and sounded as the fight began.
I was anxious to get back to see how the
With the storm came wind and chop that
others in our group did. I was very happy
made the fight a little more taxing. Again,
to hear that most everybody had caught
I was so happy to be there to watch Frank
fish and all had opportunities. The day’s
work so hard for a great reward.
catch included blue marlin, striped marlin,
I spent half an hour battling a Striped
sailfish, dorado and wahoo. The next two
Marlin before it worked its way through
days were more of the same but we were
the 100# leader. To end the day we ran
able to add yellowfin tuna and roosterfish to south and trolled live bait for Rooster
the list.
and I landed my first respectable rooster,
On day two I fished with Frank and he
a bucket list for me. That evening we all
had his first exposure to the power of a
enjoyed fresh Ttuna and dorado at one of
yellowfin. We had a front come down out of our favorite restaurants in town, La Casita.
the north and it had begun to rain. I had just The Chef presented several tuna sushi
landed another nice dorado when porpoise
preparations and amazing grilled Dorado.
came right by our stern. Captain and crew
It was so good we repeated it the last night
sprang into action rigging up live bonita
we were in town.
and getting them out.
We had planned to bring some fish
Almost immediately, with cries of
home, so rolling coolers made the trip
“Hook Up”, Frank was feeling the pull of
down with us as checked luggage. Staff
from Smokey’s Grill and Smokehouse
was always at the dock to meet us at the
end of the day. A quick weigh in and
exchange of information and our fish
was taken care of. The fish was filleted,
flash frozen and vacuum packed for
a very reasonable fee. Smokey’s also
filleted fish at the dock for us to eat fresh
that evening. All who wanted to take
home fish ended up with full coolers for
the flight home.
Kim and I could not have been happier
with the service we received from
everyone at the Palmas de Cortez and
everyone we encountered while in Los
Barriles. The East Cape has been one
of our favorite vacation destinations for
almost 30 years and we are honored to
be able to share it with our customers. I
have a feeling this will become a regular
While offshore fishing was excellent when Team
Will Fish hit Mexican waters, the inshore fishing for Will Fish Tackle experience. For more
roosterfish and other species was good too.
information, contact Willfish Tackle in
Photo courtesy of CRAIG NEWTON, Will Fish Tackle. Auburn, (530) 887-0839.
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