Baja, Day 2

[JerryInLodi]

I was much more, "with it" today when I woke up. I left the docks at first light and headed out to catch some bait. I had bought a bait light from Russ at Fisherman's Friend in Lodi so I lowered it over the side and down 15 feet and then plugged it in. Within minutes my sonar was almost solid under the boat. It took me about 15 minutes to catch two dozen baits and put them in the well.

Fully loaded now, I took off for the rocky beaches at the edge of Pt. Concepcion to take a brief look for roosters. The half hour's cruising brought no results. By this time I was at the spot I had caught yesterday's biggest Pargo and decided to try a few casts before heading out to look for grass and dorado.

I made a nice toss of my nine weight with a 1/0 chartreuse clouser and after counting down for twenty, started stripping in. Suddenly the line jerked out of my stripping hand and something big and heavy was taking off. This was a big fish. I put every ounce of pressure on it since pargo are famous for digging into the rocks but I could not begin to turn the fish's head.

He was stubborn and strong and headed opposite the direction I was drifting. I COULD NOT stop this fish! I started the engine and idled in the same direction the fish was heading. I was sweating, my muscles were quivering. I was leaning on my Redington nine weight as hard as I dared and this fish was not giving me an inch. Twenty minutes had passed since I had stuck this fish and he was still all head.

Suddenly he stopped moving forward. The line became strangely quiet. Damn it, he had "rocked" me. I slacked up the line just in case he might swim out. No luck. I had no choice but to break off the fly. I was exhausted and this was my first fish of the day.

I was too tired to make any more casts so I headed out and rested while trolling twin sets of hoochies looking for grass trails and scum lines. The hoochies were constantly getting slammed by giant needle fish. I had put in 5/0 hooks in the hoochies just to try to avoid the small bonita and skipjack but it didn't make any difference. The needlefish were still getting hooked now and then and I'd have to reel in and take them off the line.

I ran a set of parallel lines at about a mile's distance apart working farther and farther from the shore but it seemed no matter how far I went out the needle fish were there.

The radio crackled with news from another boat that they were into dorado but when hailed wouldn't give their position. It was noon and I still didn't have a fish except for the damn needles. I headed back to the shore to catch some triggers for my host for a fish fry tomorrow night.

After 45 minutes I had five triggers in the baitwell, each the size of a dinner plate. Believe me, they are also a major fish on a nine weight. I also caught one jack and a coronet fish.

It was time to head in. Once back in the bay I saw what looked like a giant boil about a mile away. A panga heading in saw it as well. We both punched it and found a giant school of dolphin. When I got close enough to the panga I recognized the skipper, Victor Mayoral, the best guide in Mulege and a friend of ten years. We waved, yelled and talked about fishing. After looking over each other's new boats he asked how I did for the day. I told him no dorado. He gave me instructions on where the fish currently are. They are still way out, 18 miles and in giant schools. We'll both head out together tomorrow after making bait.

One of the replies asked for a picture and description of my boat. Additional details on the boat can be found at:

http://deltastripers.com/Triumph215.htm

[David Lee]

Great report Jerry !!

I got ROCKED off the beach @ Punta Colorada last December ....... Whatever it was ran about 160 yards without bothering to stop .

There's a really nice Clouser/T-14/Mono runner decorating a cave out there somewhere ........

David