Baja

Just got home late, real late last night from Baja. I was there only a week with 6 clients. Overall, we did pretty good for the week. African pompano, dorado, dorado, dorado, a few rooster fish, some huge skip jack up to 15lbs and a Marlin.

I caught the marlin on my one day out fishing. I let my clients go out on there own and stayed back. After 28 years of going out with them for 6 to 7 hours in a rocking, bouncy, panga, I had enough of the body beating. So I got me a captain and went out for a 1/2 days fishing. From 7:00 to 10:30.

Talk on the water that there had/has been some Yellow Fin tuna showing at Punta Pescadero, about a 30 minute boat ride. Stopped and got some bait then continue with our adventure. Upon arrival, there were 6 boats already in the area, most from the East Cape. So my captain got out his GPS and I was wondering what the heck. Finally he found the marked spot and we drifted for a short minute. Then he threw about 10 baits in the water and low and behold, the area came alive. Dorado every where. My first three casts had dorado, up to 10lbs, nothing big but fun. So we moved and found another school, more dorado. Although this time we saw two HUGE dorado probably around 50lbs. But the small ones beat them to the food, everything. Then the skip jack showed up and they were all over the place. I asked myself, do I can to catch a skip jack. Ya, I guess they are wild and not planted, so I made few casts and hooked a decent size size skip jack, kept it for the boat to drag behind for dorado attraction.

Then all of a sudden my captain Fidel, said MARLIN. Where? Right there. Well the marlin went under the water then came back up. It was like 15' from the boat then kept swimming and next thing I know the big dorsal was within 2' from the boat. He was swimming around the boat for at least 10 minutes just picking up a bait here and there. I must've made 200 casts within a span of 3 minutes trying to get him to eat the fly. Wasn't interested.

Then all of a sudden the skippies and dorado were around fighting for the bait. Then I thing the marlin wasn't going to have any of that so he kicked it into gear and started slashing the surface for the bait. Then I just so happened he and the wrong bait but ate the wiggy air head with grizzly saddles tied in. (one of my new designs). The line was moving and I had thought he was tail hooked until the line came tight and I set the hook, then he was 75 yds in to time, jumping and jumping and greyhounding. I had the fish to the boat within 25 minutes by using a method that I learned from Jake Jordan for fighting marlin. The marlin was still in good shape, the lactic acids hadn't turned colors, so we got him in the boat, put him on my lap and took a few quick photo's. Then when we were ready to release him, I had the bill and Fidel grabbed the tail and the fish didn't like that. Shook his head and the bill scraped my arm.

So this is my third marlin caught on fly by casting to the fish. I have two marlin caught by trolling a live bait and teasing them up to the boat and casting the fly. Haven't caught one trolling yet.

I was using a TFO Axiom IIX 9'10wt rod, a RIO OBS 10wt line, 30lb RIO fluorocarbon bite, which got shredded.
It weighed around 55 pounds

I'll take those battle scars anytime. I have a 2 1/2 minute video of the fish jumping.. Too long to post

Way to go Jay! That's a perfect size marlin for a fly rod. Geez, he did a real number on your arm.
Tony

Nice marlin Jay.........must have been fun.



I still think Baja is one of the best values in salt water fly fishing, especially if you live over on the West side of America.

I wish I could have hooked a Sailfish or Marlin.


Jay Murakoshi and Carl Blackledge are both experts of Baja.

Exciting to have them on our Forum.

Must've been really exciting to have a Marlin swimming around so close to the panga. Bragging scar and fish were well earned. :cool:

Nice Work Jay! Too bad they have a weapon to use on you. 10 wt holds up. It looks like they are still in to the mahi there. Heard they are going to open up Christmas Island next month.

Yes, Baja and Christmas Island are hard to beat.......

Fiji Airways recommences flights to Kiritimati 07/12/2022 but not all Lodges are open then.