Thanks for Checking Back!  Lo Siento!  Poor planning and poor organization (actually due to the large numbers of fish caught) has caused a delay and I need to move the promised posting dates for Parts III and IV back.  Thus a revised schedule has now been posted below.   Part III, hopefully, will now be available sooner than later! 

Introduction

Something that has been of interest to me for a long time has been how many actual fish I have caught by hook and line and also encountered in Baja California Sur since 2003.  At the request of Professor William Gilly, Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, California, who is trying to figure out the changes of marine life within the Sea of Cortez due to rising water temperatures, and with the encouragement of one of my oldest friends, Ross, who helped me big time endure the challenges of continuing as a graduate student at the University of California Davis, I have rolled up my sleeves and will now be providing a four-part report.

These reports will include the line-item details of 851 Surf Fishing Outings and 1,173 Panga Fishing Outings made over 18 years.  Obviously, I am indebted to several individuals, starting with Gene whose book “King of the Moon” got me interested in this hobby, changing my life forever, got me started with my website, and introduced me to Milton.  And then from the strong support of the Academic Fish Fraternity, starting with Gene’s introduction to Milton (whose book on Scoropionfishes has a nice collection of my photographs of numerous Scorpionfish including Ivan the Terrible, the Stone Scorp that was voted as the meanest fish on planet earth by its High School classmates), and Milton’s subsequent introductions to H.J. and Ross.  H.J. has provided continual tireless support with other exceptional support provided by Bob, Dan (whom I have known for 42 years and first went fishing with when he was 4!), Dick, John, Matt, Milton, Phil and Ross.  Gene also gave me an initial introduction to photography that has subsequently been enhanced by significant interactions with Ross (I currently have 15 photographs on his Atlantic WWW site and 166 photographs on his Pacific WWW site), with the “how to” pin out a fish for a scientific presentation and Ben Cantrell who is an exceptional in-field photographer (who has also very recently introduced me to micro fishing, you know, size 20 hooks and below).  And finally, to those who came and spent a limited amount of time fishing with me:  Bill, Bob, David, Clifton, Eduardo, George, H.J., Keith, Mauricio, Mike, Larry, Tom, Tom and Walter.  And to my four exceptional Panga Captains – Salvador (Pata) Pino B, La Playita (Bundo’s Big Brother!); Javier Barco, Palmilla Beach, Jimmy Camacho, Puerto Aldolfo Lopez Mateos and Servando Davis, Loreto.  The most amazing thing about these guys is I booked 1,173 trips with them and they have been at the launch pad and ready to rumble at the designated time when I arrived on 1,173 occasions.

Part I.  Surf Catches by Hook and Line – 2003 – 2020.

Surf fishing is an interesting pastime and most definitely is not as productive as Panga fishing but it is economical and a way to “to get out in the morning” and feel like one has done something constructive.  Currently, I either drive the 5 miles from the house to Km 21 and park at one of the two big hotels (where the car with Mexican Plates is “safe” noting that I just got kicked out of one of them) or I take the Torture, aka Chicken Bus (about $1 one way and avoids the concerns about the car), and hoof, on average about 3 miles per outing.  Initially I fished “Twin Dolphins” at Km 12 from 2004 to 2009 and when the e-Bay Development mushroomed the Fat Lady sang on that location.

I moved and have been fishing the Los Cabos Hilton, a one mile stretch of beach that extends from Las Ventanas, Km 20 to the Marquis, Km 21 on a continual monthly basis for the last 11 years starting long before both the Hilton and the Marquis were constructed.  The area has heavy rock structure with small patches of open sand that extend for about a half-mile into the sea before the bottom turns to 100% sand.  It is unprotected and faces directly south keeping in mind that the next land is Antarctica to the South, Australia to the Southwest and Japan to the West.  The preferred time is O dark 30 (cooler, less surf, less wind, more active fish, less Gringos), and I normally stay down there for two to two and a half hours noting that the surf at times can be obnoxious, especially from May through October. I know the area well and where the local residents like to party.

When do the pelagics show up locally?  Hard to tell but they generally follow the massive schools of Mullet that come through in May and June. They also follow the massive schools of Flatiron Herring (Sardines), which at times are present year-round but then can totally disappear for 5-year intervals.  On any given outing I have absolutely no clue as to what the catch might be.

My approach is fairly standard – an extra-long 14-foot surf rod, inexpensive spinning reel, 15# test mainline, small swivel, 3 feet of 10# fluorocarbon and size 4, 6, 8 and 10 Mustad 92553 hooks tipped with either fresh cut up frozen market squid or freshly caught infamous Lightfoot Sallys (that are seasonal and only catchable during high tide episodes, and YES they can run faster than Usain Bolt).  I do not retain fish other than a few exceptions that I retain for photographic/scientific utilization, but I do give any larger fish that I catch to the locals if they are in the immediate vicinity.  The locals fish the area in small groups of two or three with an average of one or two groups a day. They fish the fringes of my area with sand substrate to avoid heavy structure and terminal tackle (sparkplug) loss.  They are all friendly and will always offer me live sardines for use as bait that they catch with their cast nets. They seldom catch very much, but are always willing to show their catches (take-homes).  At times it is a challenge with them – I will ask a simple question in my “fluent” Spanish and their response will go on forever with me comprende 100% NADA!  The location is on the main boat drag from Cabo San Lucas to all ports north within the Sea of Cortez and provides a fairly good idea of ongoing local activities.

Historically I went to Todos Santos once a mouth every month for 11 years from 2006 to 2016 on a fish collecting mission from the Commercial Fishermen Fleet (both Larry and  H.J. have accompanied me on such missions), and fished the surf along the Pacific coming and going.  I stopped these trips 5 years back.  I also have fished the East Cape one or two days a year, from just south of Cabo Pulmo to “Ian’s Rock” well north of Las Barilles (when I get an invitation from Amigo Brad; with him you know it’s “be on the beach at 4:30 and yes I know it is a 90-minute drive to get here, but the bite will stop at first light.”).  And I have fished north of La Playita along the coast as far north as “Shipwrecks”, a favorite spot of surfers. Although the road is actually now paved, I have cut back on these trips due to the fear of a mechanical breakdown.

…and yes, for Covid Lockdown this year I fished the Hilton for 90 consecutive mornings from March 15 to June 12, 2020.  During that period the beaches were all “closed” and deserted.  It is well isolated from vehicle access so the cops didn’t show up seeking mordida but a couple of locals and I did get the boot one morning just as I was quitting for the day. Undeterred,  I picked myself up and got back onto my bicycle the next morning.

Via the following link you can access the monthly catch records for the 3,797 individual fish and 92 different species caught in 851 fishing outings over these 18 years:

Surf Catches, 2003 – 2020

….and down on the beach when all those idiot Gringos stop bye and ask “what are you trying to catch?“  I now have a good answer – Number 93!

Nomenclature: I follow the American Fishery Societies’ recommendations except I refuse to accept the Giant Mexican Needlefish being a Houndfish, the Pacific Needlefish as being a Agujon Neelefish, and the Yellow Snapper as being an Amarillo Snapper.

Big Fish.  I do not focus on big fish.  I do not hum surface iron or plugs due to the low ROI (return on investment). I do not use Sardines either frozen or fresh caught by the locals. I use almost exclusively the previously described Carolina Rig.  I have caught a few Reef Cornetfish and a handful of Giant Mexican Needlefish that are in the 4-foot zip code but they do not weigh very much.  Over the years I recall one 30-inch Leopard Grouper off the beach at Cabo Real, a few similar sized Pacific Jack Crevally (the largest one was with infamous guide Jeff Klassen when I first started), and an Island Jack that I caught last June during Covid Lockdown, that had weights greater than 5 pounds.  Then there were the two others – the first was about 10 years back at Cero Colorado, who picked up my Carolina Rig and headed straight out to sea motoring in excess of 20 mph and just kept on ‘agoin’ until he spooled me and broke off.  The second was this past June when one picked up my Carolina Rig and took off at a high rate of speed, ran continuously for about 200 yards, and then dove into some heavy rock structure and I heard the Fat Lady Sing and it was over.  An educational learning curve from both – crank down your drag dummy as you have never experienced a non-rock induced fish line breakage to date.

World Records.  I am not into world records and most of the fishes I catch are very small in stature, not well studied, and are not of interest to most.  Nevertheless I do encounter some odd balls along the road, take note of them and pass the information along to the scientific community. From surf fishing I have three “length extensions”.

Banded Wrasse, Halichoeres notospilus, Cabo Real, January 2016. Length: 28.5 cm (11.2 inches). Previous record: 27.3 cm (10.7 inches). A current resident of the SIO Fish Collection. My most common surf catch is 532, caught in 18 years. They reside in heavy rock structures very close to beaches with strong wave action. They come in a variety of shapes. The juveniles have an elongated cigar shape and as they mature into the Initial Phase (Female) and then to the Terminal Phase (Male), they change into compressed rectangles, and their costumes become very dark with maturity. A picture of a juvenile is also included elsewhere in this report.

Emerald Wrasse, Thalassoma virens, Cabo Real, March 2019. Length: 36.6 cm (14.4 inches).  Previous record: 30 cm (11.8 inches).  A current resident of the SIO Fish Collection.  A rare fish in Mexican waters. I have caught thirty-five in 18 years of which twenty-three were in 2015.  With increasing water temperatures, I anticipate that will become more common.

Mexican Night Sergeant, Abudefduf declivifrons, Cabo Real, June 2014. Length. 19.5 cm (7.7 inches).  Previous record: 18 cm (7.1 inches). A current resident of the SIO Fish Collection.  They reside in heavy rock structures very close to beaches with strong wave action.  The juveniles are a uniform sand color and blend into the background.

 Ten Most Abundant Catches (number caught):

Banded Wrasse, Halichoeres notospilus (566).  They reside in heavy rock structures very close to beaches with strong wave action. They come in a variety of shapes, the juveniles (see photo above) are an elongated cigar shape and as they mature into the Initial Phase (Female) and then to the Terminal Phase (Male) they change into compressed rectangles, and their costumes become very dark with maturity. The vast majority are in the 4-to-7-inch zip code. A picture of a Terminal Phase Male is included in the World Record Section of this report.

Mexican Night Sergeant, Abudefduf declivifrons (364). They reside in heavy rock structures very close to beaches with strong wave action. The juveniles are a uniform sand color, blending into the background, and are only accessible with very small hooks. The vast majority are in the 6-to-7-inch zip code. A photo of a juvenile is above and an adult is pictured in the World Record Section of this report.

Panamic Sergeant Major, Abudefduf troschelii (325).  A classic nibbler that is difficult to hook.  Found in more open tranquil waters over sand substrate.  They are normally a uniform 7 to 8 inches in length.  Breeding males are very dark in color.

 Giant Hawkfish, Cirrhitus rivulatus (264).  Aka Chino Mero (Chinese Bass).  Another local beauty pageant contestant and one of the very few surf fishes that draws the attention of international recreational anglers.  More common when water temperatures are in excess of 80 degrees. Found in heavy rock structures, they are a classic lie-in-wait ambush predator and will strike rapidly moving bait hauled in front of their noses.  The larger ones can at times be difficult to extract from the rock structure but over time they can eventually be landed.

Orangeside Triggerfish, Sufflamen verres (244).  Aka Taxi!  Yes, even near the beach THE PESTS of the southern Sea of Cortez are unavoidable.  At least they are energetic, but despised by most.  The vast majority I catch are highly colored mature adults.  They are normally in the 9-to-12-inch zip code.

Spottail Grunt, Haemulon maculicauda (196).  THE Featured dinner table chow in Extreme Fishing with Robson Green.  100% hit or miss and seldom in residence.  When present they are found in only one location and just prior to sunrise they can be caught from just adjacent to heavy rock structures “at will.”  I recall one morning 15 casts and 14 fish on the beach! They are normally in the 9 to-11-inch zip code   .….and not all Spottail Grunts have spots on their tails.

Sunset Wrasse, Thalassoma grammaticum (145).  Always a finalist in the local beauty pageant.  Have very specific residences and can be caught year-round fairly close to shore out of heavy rock structures.  The vast majority are in the 7-to-9-inch zip code. For a wrasse the difference in color of the juveniles, Initial Phase females and Terminal Phase males is not significant.

Longfin Croaker, Umbrina dorsalis (131).  These guys are small and a hit or miss.  Seldom in residence, but when present they are catchable.  The vast majority are in the 4-to-5-inch zip code. They hang out in the suds and surf, in and out in the waves and are caught in ankle deep water.

Porcupinefish, Diodon hystrix (122).  I only catch these in one location and I catch the vast majority with Sally Lightfoot Crabs with the bait affixed to size 2/0 or 1/0 hooks.  They are normally a uniform 12 inches in length. They demolish terminal tackle and they will impersonate a log on the way to the beach. If present they are plentiful but they can disappear for months on end.

Gafftopsail Pompano, Trachinotus rhodopus (121).  A consistent finalist in the local beauty contest.  I caught 110 of the 121 fish from 2004 to 2009 – then I moved five miles up the beach and no mas!  They hang out just out of the surf break being ever vigilant for food swept out to sea in the wave runouts.  A strong foe and simply GORGEOUS!

Five Most Interesting Fishes

Giant Stargazer, Dactylagnus mundus. I have caught four over the years. These guys are more common than thought. They are normally half submerged in sand substrate looking skyward for food.  Over the years I have had several “on” but they normally drop off as soon as they come out water, bury themselves in the sand and are gone.  Taping out at a maximum of 16.5 cm (6.5 inches), not your every day GIANT!

Island Jack, Carangoides orthogrammus.  I have caught seventeen (15 in 2005, go figure!) of these off the beach.  Easy to identify.  Tuff as nails to land.

Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo.  I have caught two of these in eighteen years.  A weird duck!

Slender Kingfish.  Length: 36 cm (14 inches). A one time catch off the beach in Todos Santos in November 2010 and I caught four!

Spotted Boxfish, Ostracion meleagris. Length: 14 cm (5.5 inches). A one time catch at Km 21.  No telling what might show up going forward as I drop the hook size.

Graphs (4)  – Surf Catches by Hook and Line – 2003 – 2020

Part II.  Panga Fishing North of Los Cabos, 2016 – 2019

In early 2015 George Brinkman, from Guelph, Ontario, contacted me asking for identification support on some fishes he had caught out of Mexican waters.  We had an excellent exchange and he was able to provide me photographs of several “Mexican Fishes” that I did not have.  He is a global fishermen and a species hunter that has spent at least one week a year for the past several years in Mazatlán and in the greater Cancun area and had an excellent portfolio of photographs.  I posted several of his photos immediately.  Late in the year he called me up and said “I went to La Bocana about six months ago and I want to go back.  Would you like to go with me?”  “Er, well ‘um, am I up for such an adventure?  I am not so sure.”  Eventually I came around and indicated that I had heard a lot about both Magdalena Bay and Loreto and asked George if we could include stops at both as they are en route to La Bocana.  George was agreeable.  I then contacted one of my strong long time contributors Chris Wheaton, who knows Loreto like no other, and asked for a referral for a fishing captain in Mag Bay and in Loreto.  Chris said he had used Jimmy out of Puerto Adlolfo Lopez Mateos and had been fishing continually with the Davis family in Loreto for years and referred me to Servando.  George and I set off on April 8, 2016, and spent 10 days on the road covering 1,200 miles. We fished three days in La Bocana, and two days in Lopez Mateos and two days Loreto. That was the beginning of my fishing experiences north of Los Cabos.

Following that wild experience I have made 11 additional trips, 6 to both Lopez Mateos and Loreto, and 5 to just Lopez Mateos.

A Few Words About Baja California Sur. Although I have lived in Baja California Sur about 40% of the time for the last 20 years, I have not traveled extensively and have spent nearly all my time at the extreme tip of the peninsula. I did make the well-documented monthly trips to Todos Santos for about 10 years and spent a few days on the East Cape. I also made the two hour one-way drive to La Paz three times – once to get my Old Folks Card, once to spend a day with Dr. Robertson, and once following Hurricane Odile as I had to fly into and out of the La Paz airport.  The state of Baja California Sur covers the southern half of the Baja Peninsula and is approximately 465 miles long by 60 miles wide and totals 28,000 square miles. Its northern border is 450 miles south of the United States border. To the East is the Sea of Cortez, to the West is the Pacific Ocean.  It is slightly smaller in size than the State of Indiana. Its population, at last count, was 710,000 (10.7% of the Indiana population) making it one of the least densely inhabited areas on earth. The big cities are La Paz (220,000), San José del Cabo (165,000), Cabo San Lucas (70,000), Ciudad Constitución (64,000), Santa Rosalia (53,000), Guerrero Negro (13,000), Loreto (12,000) and Ciudad Insurgentes (11,500). If you do the math you will see that these eight cities have 86% of the state’s population. Between these well-spaced towns there is a whole lot of nothing. One quickly discovers that these large cities are congested and almost all the locals live in tight communities in inexpensive block houses, some with dirt floors, some with palm frond roofs, seldom with paved streets and most get their water from the city (not dependable) or a water truck that puts water into a cistern on their roofs. They have ginormous families and most never ever leave town. Heat, large mountains (to 6,800 feet), lack of fresh water, searing sun 24/7, 365 days a year with no place to hide, poor roads and the omnipresent threat of hurricanes are all real. There are of course, the 1,063 miles of Mex 1, completed in 1973, a narrow two-lane road that zigzags south from the California border thru Baja California Norte and then into Baja California Sur where it starts in Guerrero Negro on the west coast, goes across to Santa Rosalia on the Sea of Cortez, then south to Loreto, then back to the center (Ciudad Constitución) and then back to the east coast in La Paz, and finally back to the west coast at Todos Santos (yep home of the controversial Hotel California), and then south to Cabo San Lucas. Almost everything comes in by truck from Tijuana and those trucks like to run flat out, straddling the center line; the road is two feet narrower than a standard USA two-lane and there is absolutely no place to bail out.  They continue to work on it and have made it wider with two lanes in places and it is better.  With the pedal to the metal, the best I have ever been able to do is an average of 42 mph for an extended trip.

Fishing in a Mexican Panga, which is a glorified row boat with a single huge motor on the back, is basic mano a mano, hand-to-hand gorilla warfare.  You’re on the sea, being very isolated in some locations, subject to the whims of the wind and ocean waves, green water, strong currents, broiling sun, big swings in water temperature, etc., etc.  Your Captain has probably been fishing in the same waters you’re fishing in on a daily basis since he was five.  He can read the ocean, knows the turf, and the habits of the fish, depending on fishing for his family’s  livelihood, etc., etc.  They are really good at what they do…and three of my four captains have EXCELLENT Customer Service skills.

A few Basic Rules and Miscellaneous:

1. Pay in Advance.  I pay in advance for the days I plan to fish within the next 10 days at the full requested daily rate plus a strong tip.   Like all  local transactions it’s always USD in cash which the fishermen demand.  Makes sense – when I first started, the exchange rate was under 10 and now it is over 20 indicative they they are all getting double pay these days if payment is made in USA.  Two of my four captains have asked me for an advance that can be offset against future trips.  Via the school of hard knocks I have learned “don’t go there” as those monies will never be repaid.  It is far better to give him $100 and tell him “OK but this is a one time deal”, or take the tough position and simply say “sorry, it is not possible right now.”  It is really really hard to go home at the  end of each and every day feeling that your financial arrangement with your Captain is at the level he wants. Try to learn to live with it – it comes with the turf.
2. Fishing License.  No license NO VA!  This is just another government cash grab.  In the first 10 years it was not a topic.  In Lopez Mateos it is still not a topic.  In CSL and Loreto it is a topic.  I buy an annual license – it’s $20 for a day, $30 for a week, and $60 for a year.  I buy one for Javier as well.  I give him laminated copies of both, put the originals in the house safe, and never carry one.
3. Game Warden?   One does not need a fishing license to go surf fishing and I have never seen a “Game Warden” in this environment.  In now close to 1,100 panga trips we have been stopped three times with one being the Mexican Navy in a large heavily armed PT Boat (JFK PT 109 style).  We have always been fully documented and had no issues.  The punishment is severe – first offense – “back to the beach, now!”  Second offense – ” follow us to CSL and we will give you bus money but your boat and all your fishing gear are toast!”  The retention of bill fish is strongly encouraged but I have yet to see one released.  Sharks have fairly recently been banned from retention – this regulation is respected and actually closely adhered to.  Daily bag limits are known about and monitored but it is not abnormal to go a few fish over.  When I go with Javier, and he has a fishing license that I provide for him, anything he catches goes against my daily bag limit, which from my perspective is ABSURD!
4. Gifts.  On the first day I always try to show up with some kind of gift – a one pound box of chocolates for Frau Pangaroo, and $40 to $50 worth of fishing gear.  I have fished with Javier now for over 10 years. He has always been there for me, and provides excellent customer service.  For him, I try to make sure his fishing gear is current, in good working order and that his boat is fully functional.
5. Beach Help.  As historically the vast majority of my panga trips have been beach launches, significant man power is needed.  I also bring my own gear and it is of great benefit to have a beach helper do the transportation.  Those guys are essential for both a safe launch and a safe “crash” landing.  For the last 10 years Polo has been our guy – I get on with him well and he is one of the quietest people on planet earth.  He knows when I am in town and will show up “early” (unless he got overpaid the day before and went out drinking all night).  I pay him well – $5 to $10 a day, knowing that more than likely I am his only source of income.
6. Fishing Gear.  I use quality but low end gear.  My rods are $20 boat rods from WalMart and I bring 4 for each outing.  My reels are $100 fast retrieve Daiwa’s.   I have three equipped with 60 pound test Spectrum and one with 30 pound test monofiliment.  More that 90% of my fishing is done with Sabiki Rigs with six 1/0 hooks and 60 pound test line.  I will use light sticks and smaller hooks on occasion. I use either no bait or frozen squid and if available, freshly caught Skipjack Bonito.  I utilize 6 oz and 8 oz sinkers that I have to haul down from San Diego.  My  backup for waters with depths of less than 150 feet are six inch pieces of 3/8 inch rebar which I can source locally for a song.
7. Fishing Approach.  My approach is totally different than all four of my Captains.  I am a small hook bottom fishermen trying to catch something new and exotic.  They are Big Fish Meat and Potatoes Fishermen.  I fish with multiple hooked Sabiki Rigs.  They fish with yo-yo iron, flylinned live bait, etc.   Javier, on occasion when I have located Pacific Red Snappers, will join me on the bottom.    I normally out produce these guys on average by 20 to 1.
8. Scoreboard.  I carry an underwater divers tablet with me and write down each and every catch immediately.  If you wait, 5 minutes, you have no chance for remembering your last catch.
9. Wind / Viento.  If the wind is howling and the sea is very grumpy don’t ask, “we are going.”  There is money on the line, and Gringo dollares are vital to their survival.  “Manana” is not a part of these discussions.  On rare occasions – two or three days a year –  the Captain of the Port will close the ocean to all boats .
10. Where Would You Like To Go Today?  Now there is a question I have never heard!  I have  learned over the years “DON’T GO THERE!”   You will generally end up fishless and stressed out by the whole experience.  These guys have been at it their whole lives and focus on very small areas that have been historically productive.  They are also exceedingly well connected. Small groups readily share information and since they are out there every day they all know where the hot action is currently on-going.   They are also incentivized to be productive since they know I will actually take very few fish home and thus if they can produce, they will have an abundance of quality food fish for their ginormous families.  Of course I would really love to fish that 700 feet hole off El Tule and explore the unexplored Gordo II, but for Javier, those are a hike that he will not make.
11. Where’s Your Tackle Box?  Well sorry, I don’t have one.  For each trip I bring my four “Boat Rods” fitted out with Daiwa $100 fast retrieve reels, three of which have 60# test Spectrum and one with 30# test monofilament, four five gallon buckets – two filled with all my gear, sinkers, swivels, scissors (3 pair), bait cutting board, light sticks, fishing belt, backup line, extra Sabiki rigs, one with a Sea Anchor, and one for live bait maintenance; cushions, drinks for the day, and ice for the cooler.
12. Live Bait.  If you have live bait in your boat you will catch larger, bigger and more fish.  That said, you’re  paying for it.  Your captain and the bait salesmen have probably been doing business every day for the last 40 years and you are up against a tag team of sumo wrestlers.  For the first 10 years with Pata we purchased bait from three guys known collectively as Panchito.  There were actually two older guys and one teenager when I started.  I still see those guys on rare occasions, noting that Panchito, who was 12 when I started, has now grown to well over 300 pounds.  These are world class guys – we used to fill two of the three people sections in Panga Salome with water and they would add bucket after bucket of live sardines and I would get to ride around with them swimming around my lower legs and ankles all day.  Post hurricane, and pre-bridge when I used to have to drive through the jungle to get to the launch pad, those guys would meet me at the river’s edge and I would follow them across the water, at times above the cabin floor.   With Javier we changed our live bait source to Roberto.  Roberto fished with Javier’s Dad every day for 25 years and thus if he and his current partner have bait, we get first priority.  The amounts are not excessive  and it takes a 10 mile run to fetch.  The standard price from Day 1 has been $20 per day.  Of late I have been hauling fish gear (cast nets, marine radios, flourocarbon, etc.), for them with my goods booked at cost which is credited against bait purchase and thus a form of a barter system.  Javier and I will make our own bait during December – March via Sabiki Rigs from the San Jose Rio basin in 300 to 400 feet of water – Round Herrings and Pacific Chub Mackerels with numerous interesting bycatches.  Live bait is generally available in Loreto for $20 per day; Pacific Chub Mackerels can also be caught pre-dawn with some frequency at certain times during the year.  In Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Jimmy will use a cast net to make bait by the car load off his local pier, pre-departure.  The bait comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and variety,  (which has been an excellent source of new species for me).
13. Navigation / the Use of a GPS?   Er no, they utilize a triangulation system navigating off the local mountain tops.  I check Javier frequently, he doesn’t need a GPS.  Four miles out in the middle of nowhere, he can put that boat in exactly the same location we were the day before.  They do get in “hot water” when clouds obscure the mountains.  If heavy dense fog shows up (neblena), they head for home and pronto.  Of late I have been playing around with a Depth Finder with mixed results.
14. Are we Quitting Early today?  The answer to that question is a loud NO!  What if we are over daily catch limits?  The answer to that question is a loud NO!
15. Fish Consumption.  I don’t take home fish other than those I don’t have that I need to study in further detail or take photos of.  The exception is that I do try to take one quality food fish (Golden-eyed Tilefish, Greater Sand Perch, Pacific Creolefish, Pacific Porgy, Red Snapper, Sierra or Ocean Whitefish) for consumption.  All other catches are reviewed with the Captain and he takes home anything of interest for his family.So how cold was it in Lopez Mateos?   All I heard was “this is GREAT WEATHER!”   Er sir “the water is 62, the air is 62, there is only fog and no sun and during all this time I am spending in your boat I am freezing to death!”
16. Weather.  A mixed bag to say the least.  Here is a report from May 2017.  Super deluxe in the greater Los Cabos and Loreto areas running from just above 70^o pre-dawn to just under 90^o with 12 hours of sunshine and nominal wind.  As you move the 20 miles from Ciudad Insurgentes to Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos the temperature drops from just over 100^o to 63^o , with heavy cloud cover, and it becomes “muy muy miserable!”  Water temperatures?  Los Cabos area:  78 – 79^o; Loreto:  73^o; Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos:  62^o!  The forecast is fairly simply – if it is blowing today it will be blowing tomorrow;  if it tranquil today it will be traquil tomorrow.  In all cases there will be full sun and cloudless skys and the temperature will be the same as it was yesterday.  All of the above true except when the chubascos arrive (you known Odile, Class 5) that hit the coast with winds at 165 and start beating the hell out of everything…. and if you don’t protect your face from El Sol you will very quickly impersonate a rotisserie chicken. 
17. Update on the World’s Greatest TV Show – Extreme Fishing With Robson Green – Featuring Me!  Brad reminded me of the late evening two years ago that he was in Lombok, Indonesia in his hotel room, flipping through the channels and found this episode on BBC TV.

An Introduction to My Traveling Companions

Retired Professor of Ag Policy, George Brinkman, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario Canada.  Winters in Florida and spends at least one week a year in both Cancun and Mazatlán.  George has also visited locally and has fished with Javier a handful of times. A global fisherman who quite recently passed the 1,000 different species milestone for Catches by Hook and Line.  He got me to explore the Northern Coasts of Baja California Sur.  He has made many significant photographic contributions to Mexican-fish.com.  He introduced me to an exceptional group of Fraternity Brothers of Species Hunters.

Professor Larry Overman, University of California, Irvine. An academic icon who is one of my three longest friends, all of which I met in September 1961.  Without him as my tutor I couldn’t have made it through college;  it is also he that convinced me to leave my cushy first job out of graduate school as Chief Chemist, Research of the Unites States Sugar Corporation, Lewiston, Florida, with lifetime security and return to the West Coast for what turned out to be an 18-month Post-Doc in Berkeley. …and for his daughters wedding, now a few years back, it is the only time I have actually worn shoes in the last 17 years!

Retired Curator of the SIO Fish Collection, H.J. Walker, Jr.  My tireless continual scientific support guru for the last 15 years on all topics related to fish.  We averaged three meetings a year to go over my “unknowns” which I would haul into the Fish Lab for sessions that gave me a real education to the complexities of correct fish identification protocols.  And it is he Who introduced me to the scientific fish community and the likes of Matt Craig, Phil Hastings, John Hyde, Bob Lea (yes I still consult his 1972 epic book at least twice a month), Stuart Poss, Dick Rosenblatt, David Smith, William Smith-Vaniz, and of course Dr. Dr. Ben Victor.

Retired Professor of Neuroscience, Michael Browning, Health Science Center, Denver and founder of Phosphosolutions, Inc, a company he founded based on a business relationship with me in my former life.  When I made my abrupt departure from my former life, Mike nicely hired me on for a couple of years.  A long time friend who helped grow my business substantially and strong golf foe when golf was important in my life.

Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.  A retired San Diego County Park Ranger (Anza Borrego) and three years on a Hawaiian Dive Boat who is an exceptional underwater photographer and strong contributing scientific writer and photograph contributor to Mexican-fish.com.  Commonly will jump overboard and have a look underwater with camera in paw.  One of the most knowledgeable, mild mannered, compatible individuals on planet earth!  What he is doing in Ivins, Utah?  ….an excellent question!

Part IIA.  La Bocana. La Bocana (26.06^oN, 112.29^oW) is at THE END OF THE EARTH. And impressively you will find details about the place in The Baja Catch authored by Gene. Gene first went there some 35 years ago when there were no paved roads off Mex 1!  It’s a 14-hour drive from San José located 386 miles NNW as the crow flies and it is 473 miles SSW of San Diego.

It was full seven-hour drive from Loreto with the turn off from Mex 1 north of San Ignacio. From there it was a nicely paved road (with some potholes) for a full 60 miles. Four vehicles came toward us on this 90-minute stretch to the booming town of Abreojos (population of 600) and then 10 miles up a tidal flat road that is not accessible during high tides to La Bocana (population of 600). Both “cities” have one paved street with overstated populations and are separated by a 10-mile estuary that has only one opening to the ocean. Gene talks about this Tidal Flat Road being so smooth that you have to open the car door to see if you’re actually moving.  He was correct!  I asked him later “How many times did you go to La Bocana?”  His answer was “at least 25 and that was before the 60 miles from San Ignacio was paved”.

La Bocana was different. Here everyone “goes fishing” also, but the catch is totally different with the major focus being the harvest of 6 to 8-inch Wavy Turban Snails, Megastraea undosag, out of 15-foot water collected via hoopa diving.  At the pre-dawn launch, there was a massive traffic jam of boats waiting in line for ice. Three men to a boat, one in the water with a large bell over his head for breathing, one watching and monitoring the air supply, and one driving the boat. Everyday 15 to 20 boats work a half square mile each taking 500 of these 6 to 8-inch inch snails. How long can this last?  The snails are hauled to the local processing plant, their shells smashed, and their meat canned for sale in markets of mainland Mexico. At low tides they also collect an abundance of 4 to 8-inch Mexican Chocolate Clams, Megapitaria squalida, for human consumption that are found stranded “high and dry” at low tides, thus easy pickings. Within the estuary, which is only open at one end and has ugly pea-soup green water but an overabundance of life, there are also a series of Oyster farms with a small processing plant on the otherwise uninhabited barrier island within 500 yards of the beds. Seasonally commercial fishermen also focus on lobsters, on which I believe the majority of their annual income is made in a very short time window. Only one or two commercial boats went out for fish with the catch being Ocean Whitefish with a few Pacific Golden-eyed Tilefish.

La Bocana has set up a Sports Fishing cooperative to take advantage of a large seasonal Gulf Grouper run (this trip’s Grouper catch = zero), building six primitive huts (of course with Dish TV), hot and cold running water, no heat, a large restaurant, and a fleet of four super pangas (exceptional boats), with which they try to chum in Gringos. They had internet service until I tried to download Google Earth which blew up the town’s internet system and remained down for the three days I was in residence. Note: Gringo citings in three days in La Bocana = ZERO!  The town has one modest-sized grocery store stocked primarily with Costco goods. The primitive huts, were exceptional and the best road housing I have had in my travels of Baja California Sur are directly on the mouth of the estuary and plagued by wind-driven sand. One can be picked up at the hut’s door step with the panga. We fished two days outside (fairly easy transition through the white water) and one day inside.

The first day we fished with George’s former Captain Juanchys (age 51; he has spent 365 days a year for 51 years in La Bocana) and the other two with Enrique (about age 35). Both captains and the boats were excellent, however, the Captains had very limited English and Enrique was not a good communicator.

The fishing conditions were great until around 11:00 am when a daily “blow” started and climbed to at least 40 mph. The huts (similar to the photo on the right) were 555 Pesos per night ($33) and we got three days of fishing, quality lunch and dinner, lodging and tips for $375 each (that’s $125 per day!). Late afternoons we went surf fishing about two miles north of town – you know past the town cemetery with houses bigger than those found in town.

Bottom line:  A most interesting stop but man this place is AT THE END OF THE EARTH!

In three panga outings (two outside and one inside) we came up with 138 fish of which 24 were different. In three “surf fishing” outings we came up with 17 fish of which 8 were different.

A summary of the La Bocana catches by Hook and Line is provided via the following link:

La Bocana

Most Significant Catches:

Photo

Baja Blenny, Labrisomus wigginsi – first time catch, rare. Caught off the beach by George.  Mexican-fish.com/baja-blenny.

Pelican Barricuda, Sphyraena idiastes.  A RANGE EXTENSION.  Now north to La Bocana (26.06^oN, 112.29^oW). Previously known northern range to Todos Santos (23.41 ^oN, 110.23^oW) and historically only known to Peruvian waters.

 

A Word About the Loreto Marina.  In a word – unbelievable!  It’s tiny, with the area inside the breakwater being less than the size of a football field.  There is a 30 vehicle car-park immediately adjacent, that always has places to park.  Within the marina there are about 40 panga moored overnight (one of which is Servando’s Panga Zorro), with the largest boat in residence being under 30 feet.  Early morning the boat ramp gets enormous traffic and all sorts of small boats are trailered in – cost for a launch is $5 – it’s over $50 by comparison in the greater Los Cabos area.

Fishing with Servando.  Servando is very professional.  I normally book well in advance, reconfirm 30 days prior and again 7 days prior and telephone him when I arrive in Loreto, the day before our first outing.  This approach is OVERKILL but it has worked well. Servando has historically worked in maintenance for the school district but has built his sportfishing business to a level that he is now self-sufficient.  He has a small panga, “Zorro”, which is an excellent fishing platform.  Loreto is unique for its diversity and famous for its sport fishing and its 1,000 foot waters. Servando is always on time and likes to depart well before first light.  I had an excellent “business” relationship and never left Loreto with mixed feelings – I gave him a box of chocolates for Frau Davis and a 1-pound spool of fishing line upon arrival, paid his asking price of $230 – $240 per day which I paid in full on the first outing and gave him a $30 tip after each trip, plus I always asked which fish he wanted from those I caught, that he wanted retained for food fish.  Live bait was available on all outings from commercial bait salesmen for $20 per day.  One needs another $5 for food and drinks for the day and another $5 to tip the kids that transport the gear to and from the boat to the car park.

Servando normally makes the six-mile run to Isla de Coronado and will either go north or south of this island.  We fished early morning around the breakwater a couple of times (Sierra, Roosterfish) and also “made bait” (Green Macs) a few mornings at about 3 miles out.  We will normally start in shallow waters around Isla de Coronado and then work our way out into much deeper waters and fish the deep-water reefs, known to Servando like no other.  Servando has one spot that is 10 yards from shore and first time there before I dropped I asked “how deep.”  His response was “DEEP” and it turned out to be in excess of 600 feet.  Servando fishes with larger gear, seeking big fish.  I, and my traveling partners, fish the bottom with my standard gear that I bring with me, the small hooked Sabiki Rigs tipped with frozen squid (also brought with me from San Jose). We normally make 10 or 12 stops and return to the marina by 2:30. Servando was very good at trying to provide a fishing experience that equates to his customer’s interest – the radio was chattering the whole day with Servando having to tell his local amigos why he was not out pursuing Yellowtail and the like.

The Catch Summary for 14 trips with Servando from April 15, 2016 to October 17, 2019 that includes 934 fish caught by hook line of which 64 are different is provided in the following link:

Loreto

Vessel Assist?  On my last trip with Bob on our first of two mornings, we did break down fairly early into the trip as the motor went KAPUT!   Servando called his Brother-In-Law Rigo and Rigo headed for the marina with his big boat in tow and found us in about 90 minutes.  Servando had bummed a tow from a fellow Sportsfisherman, who quit their fishing and hauled us from the high seas to the lea of Isla Colorado, where we fished in shallow water awaiting vessel assist.  Rigo hauled us the 6 miles back to the marina and the day was cut short and was 4 hours in total.  Word was parts had to be flown in from Mazatlán and Zorro was down for the count.  Servando showed up the next morning with Rigo’s son’s panga which was far less of a fishing platform than his standard boat.

And there is a whole lot more to Loreto than fishing.  The white sands of the deserted islands come immediately to mind. The marine life, including the birds and whales are superabundant.  In the spring, the town’s mascots the Blue Whales, the largest living animals on planet earth, are present by the car load.

 A few words about the Hotels of Loreto.  I have tried three, all in the $50 a night range. One was OK (the Desert Inn), and the other two (Santa Fe and Loreto Bay Golf Resort) had major noise issues.  The Desert Inn is run and operated by the Mexican Government, normally empty, old, poorly maintained but if you can get two rooms in their four to a building locations and have your traveling partner stay in the room below you it can work.  One friend looked at it and said “I ain’t stayin’ there!”  They tell you up front however “don’t come here on Friday or Saturday nights as the road traffic and the blaring radios go on all night at the adjacent marina”.

Part IIC.  Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos.  For years I have heard and had interest in Magdalena Bay – you know isolated, full of drug runners, heavy military presence, etc.  For several years Grant Galland, then at SIO, and I had planned to go to Magdalena Bay and document the fish population.  Then he went off and got a real job and that never went down.  The bay is 31-miles-long along the western coast of central Baja California Sur. It is protected from the Pacific Ocean by the unpopulated sandy barrier islands of Isla Magdalena and Isla Santa Margarita.  San Carlos is a small put major fishing port that supplies all of Mexico with a wide variety of sea food (fish, clams, oysters, lobsters, octopus, etc.).  If you ask in the local Fish Market in San José they will tell you most of their fish come from San Carlos.  18-Wheelers leave every day packed with fish heading for mainland Mexico.  There is a large clam processing plant in San Carlos and a large Sardine processing plant in Puerto Adolfo Lopez. The barrier islands generate an “intercoastal waterway” that extends 50 miles to the south and 50 miles to the north. It includes large numbers of mangrove swamps and provides sanctuaries for over 100 different sea birds and many of the juvenile fishes of the Eastern Pacific.

I asked Chris Wheaton, one of my longtime very strong contributors and frequent visitor to Loreto for a referral in Mag Bay.  He came back with Jimmy, Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos.  Lopez Mateos (25.19^oN, 112.11^oW) is within the Magdalena Bay complex and features perhaps the greatest and most diverse marine habitat and marine life on planet earth. It is a reasonable six-hour drive from San José located 224 miles NNW as the crow flies.  By the odometer, with the pedal to the metal, it is 280 miles and takes 6.5 hours. Lopez Mateos is 20 miles north of San Carlos – by boat 30 minutes; by car it’s 75 miles and 90 minutes. 100% of the population of Lopez Mateos make their livelihood off the ocean. It is a traditional Mexican village with one paved road and 1,000 residents, all Mexican, of which 600 are fishermen with 200 of those going out, weather allowing, seven days a week.

All of the houses in Lopez are of cement block construction with a panga and long gill nets sitting in a front yard that is poorly maintained and full of trash.  It is not uncommon to be driving down one of the streets of Lopez late afternoon and find a panga parked with 5 guys gutting maybe 1,000 fish that have been caught with traps that day with the remains  put into crates and returned to the ocean “inside” and hauled away via the massive tidal flows. The cleaned gutted fish are trucked  each day to LaPaz in about five refrigerated 18-wheelers, then ferried across the Sea of Cortez, and then on to Guadalajara and Mexico City.  Depending on the species, prices vary but the vast majority of these gutted fish are sold at 15 pesos per kg (ca. 38 cents a pound) which are subsequently sold in the big cities with a 6x mark up.  Such things as Sharks (which end up in the Tokyo Fish Market), Smoothound Sharks, White Sea Bass, Halibut, Red Snapper and Grouper command prices that are up to 100 pesos per kg ($2.50 per pound).  They have a good tourist trade from January to March for whale watching; the rest of the year everything closes down, and the population drops significantly.

An Overview of Lopez Mateos. Lopez Mateos is in dismal shape. The Mexican Government has raised the gas prices  4X in the last two years and it is now costing the commercial fishermen $100 to $200 per day just for the gas to make the run outside. Jimmy states “I can only go outside now if I am assured of bringing back a large quantity of fish just to pay for the gas.” In addition, the Mexican Government is trying  to implement a country-wide ban on the use of gill nets (to save the turtles) which will have a devastating impact on these guys and drive the prices for fish through the roof.  The prices they get for their fish remains low – accompanied by a price of $1.00 per pound for their very best fish (grouper, sierra, red snapper, etc.) has decimated the fishing community.  It was the first time I had seen an overabundance of trash can pickers and people actually approaching asking for money. The town itself was more or less empty of life (except for the dogs), and there were only three or four boats going out each day. Jimmy indicated he can be in dry-dock for up to 14 days due to the high winds and high seas.

To get there you have to pass thru residential La Paz, where they are zero directional signs, which costs you an extra hour. From La Paz I often ran into road construction, having to run off-road for up to 10 miles at 5 mph as they continue to upgrade Mex 1.  The 100 mile stretch that ends at Cuidad Constitución (population 40,000) might be the most boring section of road on planet earth, with a population of ZERO and only one 7-11 and one gas station mid-way!  It’s narrow, full of big trucks driving down the center, so I try to be on my A game and run between 55 and 58 mph.  From Cuidad Constitución, the gateway to San Carlos, THE major port of Magdalena Bay (and a 40 mile hike one-way) it is on to Cuidad Insurgentes (population 11,500 – I think the cows are included in these numbers).  In Insurgentes you can go east to Loreto or west to Lopez Mateos.  Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos is a 35 km half-hour drive from Insurgentes that is 20 miles of treeless, isolated, deserted, two-lane road with some potholes. Eventually one pulls into Lopez Mateos, being greeted by the only gas station in town, then turning left and going about a mile down a dirt road to the Mangrove Inn (sourced off the WWW). En route you pass several very large man-made platforms stuck on top of tall telephone poles that are full of Osprey families.  The Mangrove Inn sits on the estuary and is in a deserted part of town with ZERO amenities (no air conditioning, no telephone, hot water only upon request, and the caretaker takes off at 6:00 p.m. and you’re on your own).  The Hotel itself is primitive but “OK”, however, on both sides are vacant lots on the lagoon which serve as the local swimming hole during the day and as Lovers’ Lane in the wee hours of the morning.  For the latter, you take your honey there, park next to the motel and crank up your radio to the maximum.  And yes the dogs will bark all night long and the chickens will get you early in the morning.  For my traveling partners – George, H.J., Larry and Mike, all of whom have all spent time there with me, I have often planned but have not yet executed a gift of a specially prepared T-shirt inscribed with “I survived the Mangrove Inn!”

Infrastructure you ask?  ZERO!  As all of my trips were made in NON-Whale Season.  My dining options were ONE open six table restaurant, which happens to be run by Jimmy’s Aunt. Very spicy food (yes, ham and cheese omelet every evening and they had essential very useful strong WWW access), very slow service, virtually no customers, but quality friendly non-English speaking owners. There is one 7-11 size convenience store in town which is down a dirt street, and not much more.  It is a cash only, pesos only town and if you run out of cash you’re done for.  Even the gas station won’t take plastic.   And there is always the ace in the hole that I play with all encounters – Mi amigo Jimmy!

For the initial trip I went to Lopez Mateos with George Brinkman and I booked two days of fishing with “Jimmy” – Jimmy Camacho (JimmyHcamacho@gmail.com, 613-114-0761).  Jimmy is about 40 years old and has lived his whole life in Lopez Mateos and if there is a way to make money off the ocean he has tried it.  Jimmy has exceptional customer service skills and speaks fluent English.  He learned his English when he was 20 and hired by a group of Americans to lead them around a local island for 90 days to document the bird population.  This gave him a strong introduction to species identification and documentation. I did see a raised eyebrow when we told him on my first trip that a 4-inch unknown was a far better catch than a 100-pound ATUN!  He is the Lead Captain for a Seasonal (January – March) family-owned Whale Watching business ($58 per hour for 1 to 8 people) and operates a very large panga, pushed by a 115 HP Suzuki that will run at 30 mph, that he uses year-round and makes for an excellent fishing platform.  This is a harsh environment, not only weather wise, but the commercial fishermen struggle, being strongly affected by the Mexican Government. For example, due to nesting turtles and based on scientific input from the United States, the Mexican Government closed all commercial fishing from Puerto San Carlos to Guerrero Negro in May 2016 for six months starting last May. There was also a ban placed on Shark that continues.  No fishing, no work, no dinero, and everyone goes HUNGRY.

Jimmy has all the toys – Fish Finder, GPS, Fish Bag, etc.  He offered us the option to make the two-hour one way run to the Thetis Bank which he says is loaded with marlin and wahoo.  Normally, weather allowing, he goes fishing every day with his brother Jesus, taking just two Sundays off a month.  Most of their trips are for 36 hours and they tie up to a buoy at night while one stays awake watching for big ships.  They are atypical, being hook and hand line fishermen and do not utilize nets.  They focus on the higher ticket and larger fish, Sierra, Red Snappers, Groupers and Sharks. The sharks are a primary target as their fins command high prices in China and Japan with the meat being sent to Mexico City.  Jimmy works for the Mexican Government logging and tagging the new highly invasive Yellow Turtles now arriving from Japan. He also works two days a month as the lead pilot for the National Geographic Mega Ship (http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/expeditions/baja-cruise/detail) that brings tourists to Mag Bay monthly, leading it through the maze of sandbars that make up the intercoastal waterway.  He is currently focusing on the sportsfishing business due to the demise of the shark fishery.

I have always driven in the night before and, except for the first of the 11 trips, have fished with Jimmy three days (never with a cancellation), with 8 hour outings on the first two outings, and 6 hours on the third as I try to depart 6 hours before sunset in an attempt to make the drive home while there is still daylight. I always have a pre-game meeting with him which includes his wife and lead dog Tiger (he has six dogs in total) at either my hotel or his house.  We transfer my fishing gear, I pay him for the week ($250 per day) and I pass out a 1-pound box of chocolates, some kind of fish gift for him (line, new GPS, etc.), an updated photo album of our species catches to date, and we discuss our options for the next three days based on the weather forecast. We then adjourn to THE GAS STATION and gasoline with Jimmy has been a tough gig.  It has basically been $250 a day plus gas. The gas from his perspective is not the amount one uses while out fishing but amounts to bringing  all your vehicles, all your boats with gas tanks and all the jerry jugs you own to the gas station empty and make sure they are all full when I drive out of town!  I always try to sponsor a family dinner at THE restaurant that his wife and daughter tend.  He also always invites me to his house for a late afternoon dinner.  All conversations cover the various aspects of the local fish population.

Fishing with Jimmy starts at 6:30 and he will rumble up in a beat to hell old truck with 2006 California Plates affixed, with his large Panga in tow, the mate for the day sitting in the back, and three of his six dogs trotting along behind. I leave my gear with him during my stay and only bring liquid refreshments for the day as his wife makes us “burritos” by the car-load each day. I just get into the boat and it is off to the launch site.  The launch site is adjacent to the local fishing pier and normally has a half dozen boats being launched without a ramp – all have three locals each heavily protected with foul weather gear.  The catch off that pier is crazy good as it is manned during all daylight hours by hook and line fishermen or kids with cast nets.   I will co

Based on the daily forecast – wind and wave heights “outside”, he will then elect to go “outside” – first choice, or we stay “inside.”  Outside is a five mile run to the mouth, a one mile transit through the omni-present Class 5 white water rapids, and then into the open Pacific.  Once outside, you’re in the open ocean with the only major issue being the strength of the wind and the size of the waves.  I have been lucky – Jimmy knows when to go out there and when to stay inside. “Out there” there are only net fishermen and thus bottom fishing is wide open and totally unexplored as it was when I first came to the Baja.  Once outside we generally make a 10-mile run south to some well-marked, frequently visited deep-water reefs (there are no mountains and thus the use of a GPS is essential).  The maximum water depths “outside” that I have experienced are under 200-feet.  We move around a lot, starting about 5 miles off the course and then work our way back toward the coast and back toward the mouth.  Jimmy has spots well marked and it is more or less pull up to the marked spot, drop anchor, drop down, and start cranking. And that goes for stop after stop after stop. With him, about 80% of the fish we caught were take homes; only the smaller fish, the Moray Eel, and the Latin Grunts were returned to the ocean. Jimmy reported that he was very grateful for these fish and spent two hours each evening distributing them to his various local relatives and friends, repaying numerous debts. 

We normally come in early enough to spend one hour fishing “inside” at either of one or two locations that I will cover next.  Inside we will a run to the south (13-miles run toward San Carlos well past THE Devil’s Curve) or north (10 miles north to a small boca off Santo Domingo). We fish several well-known spots within the intercoastal adjacent to the mangroves.  One of the greatest fishing spots on Planet Earth is the very small dock of the Fish Processing Plant which is “inside” and about 2 miles north of the launch site.  It draws a vast variety of fish as the Fish Processing Plant continually dumps its fish process waste water into the intercoastal.  For all trips north we would stop there for an hour and average greater than 25 fish per hour.  Notable catches from that  specific location include:  Bairdella, Largemouth Blenny (a world record), Pacific Bumperfish, California Corbina, Shortfin Corbina, Rock Croaker, White Mullet, Pacific Spadefish, and a Chameleon Wrasse.  The other is just inside the mouth and it is a favorite stopping place for the last hour prior to my departure.  The objective at that location is to catch 100 fish and depart when that quota is reached or leave at the one hour mark.  I recall we got to 77 once but we are always over 50.

Jimmy’s Fishing Approach.  Jimmy fishes in an atypical fashion, at least one that I am not familiar with. He has a list of Rock Piles with GPS coordinates. He pulls up on the mark and advises the mate to launch the anchor and when it gets affixed it is time to fish. Jimmy fishes via the low budget Mexican system – a strong hand line with a single hook off dropper loop with a 2/0 to 11/0 hook. The bait employed was my imported Market Squid, Striped Herring (now long dead) either whole or cut into pieces or when available, slabs of fresh Skipjack Bonito. From a productivity perspective, I put 2X the number of fish in the boat; they put larger fish in the boat.

Jimmy Is Phenomenal!  Having lived and fished these waters day in and day out for years, he knows everyone.  And as I stated above,  almost every fishing panga has a relative or a former fishing mate within.  Thus, when we see a panga, we approach, Jimmy will jump into the other panga and start pulling fish out of their fish box that he feels might be of interest to me and we get to view their catch of the day.  All of them fish with nets or traps so the catches are bigger and different!  Any fish they have that is of interest to me is passed from their boat to our boat, laid out for a photo shoot, and then returned.  The most interesting of those experiences was a panga in the intercoastal that was pulling a half-mile of gill net that had been set out overnight.  We stayed with those two guys for about an hour and as they pulled in fish after fish, passing the noted ones over for a photo shoot.  I always carry adequate amounts of cold cans of Coke® that I pass out as mordida for each of these encounters.

The Catch Summary for 35 trips with Jimmy from April 9, 2016 to October 21, 2019 that includes 4,523 fish caught by hook line of which 97 are different is provided in the following link:

Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos

Shells?  The beaches within the estuary at low tide are fully covered with billions of Shells (gastropods and pelecypoda). I collected several large Pink Mouthed Murex and large Radish Murex (along with numerous scallops, clams, razors, and also various snail shells. You can also find mountains of discarded large six inch murex shells in numerous locations.   I will try to summarize these in Part IV.

Jimmy’s Support Crew.  Jimmy likes to bring a mate with us.  The ones he has selected have been exceptional, being extremely quiet, very helpful, providing great service, always having a rod in the water, coming up with lots of different fish and providing a back-up Captain.  These have included his brother Jesus (3 times), his son Keven (3), and his father-in-law José (9 times), Jesus #2 (6), Luis (3), Mario (2), and Mishael (6).  I paid each of them a standard $20 at the end of each trip. 

One More for the Boat.  On August 25, 2017, Stephanie who was celebrating her 28^th birthday and a part of the Mexican Government’s watch program to monitor commercial fishermen came with us as an observer. She was from Monterrey and is fluent in English.

Two More for the Boat.  Jimmy had two nephews in town from Loreto and asked if they could go with us.  What?  I am going to say “no” and end up as Shark bait!  For July 11, 12 and 13, 2018 it was Jimmy, Keven (16), Pelon (12) and José (8) as fishing mates.  They were all great and of course added another rod to the mix which also produced more fish and an opportunity for more different fish.

It is a Totally Different Environment!  In the greater Los Cabos area you don’t drive around town with your 2006 California Plate – a red flag in front of a bull and you better have your mordida ready.  If you’re out on the ocean you won’t see anyone.  Your known somebody is out there somewhere as you saw them leave the launch pad and you will very seldom hear chatter on the marine radio.  That chatter is always short, to the point and over quickly.  NICE!   …and if you do see someone, they will head for you, have a short discussion, are are more than happy to give you a view of their catch and give you a fish or two if you like.  If you’re tied up at the fish processing plant, a guy will come out of his cabin, say good morning, depart, and come back with a carload of Pacific Sardines and Green Mackerels that we can use for bait. Yep…. old Mexico and nothing like the greater CSL area!  These types of of events DO NOT HAPPEN in the greater Los Cabos area — ever! Note:  the factory has new owners and they are not overly friendly to the commercial fishermen.  So the local fishermen send a panga out to meet the trawler as it returns in the morning and they fill the panga to the gills. That panga meets other pangas closer to the launch pad and they split up the bait for use later in the day.

The Three Days with the Gill Net.  For my August 2017 trip brought with him a gillnet that he had bummed off an amigo and we spent part of the day gillnetting.  I found the gillnet fishing extraordinarily interesting, it being new to me. The net was 300 meters (700 yard) x 4.5 meters (15 feet) net and the protocol was to have Mishael send out the gillnet meter by meter with an end affixed to the boat. We would then move off and bottom fish for thirty minutes to an hour and then retrieve the net. The take: Day 1, Inside: Blackfin Jack (rare!) and Cominant Sea Catfish. Day 2, Inside: Roosterfish. Day 3, Outside: Pacific Bonito, Cominant Sea Catfish, Sicklefin Mobula, Pacific Sierra, Skipjack Tuna. Four Sicklefin Mobula, Mobula tarapacana were taken in one net. They had wingspans of over 5 feet and weighed at least 250 pounds each; getting them unraveled from the net and preparing one for a photo shoot took heroic work. There were a dozen Skipjack Tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, in one set. Jimmy had them confused with the Black Skipjack, Euthynnus lineatus, and was discarding them. I rescued two and sent them home with H.J. for consumption (test marketing). The Skipjack Tuna is caught at a level of 2.5 million tons per year and is the second most caught fish globally. 

Vessel Assist?  Jimmy has his boat and motor well maintained and very functional with one exception.  We were sitting in the middle of Devil’s Curve in the intercoastal at least 10 miles from town having seen nobody all day, with a motor that would not start.  He made various adjustments, tinkering around for about 30 minutes and it would not start.  He finally got on the cell phone and called an unknown for help.  In another 30 minutes here comes a guy in another panga to help.  Just as he arrived Jimmy got the motor going and we all headed back to port as it was just at quitting time.  That would have been one-hell of a tow!

Hotels?  The hotels of Lopez are something else which my traveling companions – Bob, George, H.J., Larry, and Mike will attest to.  I have tried four – I started with the Mangrove Inn and after several visits finally gave up on that one as the late-night radios from Lovers’ Lane drove me bananas.  Jimmy suggested El Rufugio, which has great managers, and at $18.00 per night it was OK for the three nights I stayed there (and in retrospect was the best of the lot).  Then it was on to the Mag Bay Outfitters Whales Tail Inn, with their large six room, very run down, chaotic partially converted bar, pool table, big screen TV and dismal rooms.  They were charging $25 per day per room and it simply would not work if there were additional guests.  I lucked out on the first round, being the only resident; for the second, Larry and I rented the whole place.  On this trip we discovered that the Town Recreational Center was just across the street and on our last night we were serenaded with exceptionally loud music that went on until midnight.  I spent that night in an “out back” storage room on the floor.  The last one, also recommended by Jimmy, was the deluxe Hotel Villajaimez, which was $15 per night and features “hot water.”  What they didn’t tell you is that for hot water they run a pump 24/7, which cycles on and off, and it sits on the thin roof just over your bed.  On our departure at 0 dark 30 we were confronted by the owner saying we only had paid half, so “pay up and now!”  This joint was in the middle of town and the radio noise from the road traffic was unacceptable.  I beefed a lot to Jimmy about the housing options and he finally came up with a $55 per night stand alone mobile home with a three or four day minimum on the outside of town that WOULD BE QUIET.  I had Bob look at it with me and he reported that it wouldn’t work for us as it was too small for him traveling with someone who goes to bed at 8 and gets up at 4.  If I were ever to go back I would try that one and send Bob or whomever to the Refugio.  Note:  I carry with me Tylenol PM and a White Noise machine – these help but they are not the Cat’s Meow.

Jimmy’s House.  I rolled into Jimmy’s house about a dozen times – eight times to unload gear; four times for early dinner.  Jimmy lives in a modest 1,400 square foot block house on a large fenced lot of non-maintained native habitat and accessible via dirt streets that I believe he built from scratch and continues to upgrade on a continual basis.  He has a deluxe non-English speaking wife from Mazatlán, a high-school son, Keven, and a grade school daughter, Keyra.  His father-in-law, José, a commercial fisherman by trade out of Mazatlán, lives with them part time and works on the house when not out fishing with Jimmy.  The house is on the outskirts in a new sparsely populated quiet part of town.  Of interest:  via the use of a Smart TV he has cut the cord.

Jimmy’s Photos.  Jimmy likes to take photos with his cell phone. He has sent me several good ones over the years.  He has such a tremendous  collection of exotics that would be of great interest to me.  Unfortunately, as our relationship developed he stopped sending me photos.

Jimmy I found to be exceptional.  I don’t have any issues, OK I overpaid him, but he has been simply phenomenal as a fisherman, very dependable, a communicator, and a teacher, and it is clear he has had no work and is struggling mightily.  Bottom line – I got way more than what I paid for!

The Catch Off That Pier, Marine Life and Birds.  These will be summarized in Part IV which should be available within 30 days.

Finally, and very sadly, I have decided that I have made my last trips to both Loreto and Lopez Mateos. I was totally stressed out by my last trip even before I left San Diego. The logistics, the packing and transport of all the gear needed, the local food, the cash society, been there and done that, Father Time, traveling the Baja alone, poor to non existent language skills, etc. have all taken their toll.  Jimmy not bringing his gill net or his anchor, plus he no longer provides me photos of exotics or gives me frozen fish that he has collected during my absence are also contributing factors.  … it has been a tremendous experience and again I would like to thank George for introducing me to the areas and to Chris for his exceptional referrals to Servando and Jimmy.

 

Available on January 28, 2021 – Part III.  Panga Catches by Hook and Line – 2003 – 2020.

Available on February 4, 2021 – Part IV.  Other Fishes (fish from commercial fishermen, commercial bait salesmen, off the beach, mercados, etc. – 2003 – 2020).