Senor con Dos Nombres

I went fishing yesterday. Schedules lined up so that I could spend the day with one of my favorite people. Once again, on the rare possibility that he has one shred of innocence left somewhere, his name must be protected. We'll call him Dos Nombres as he is one of those rare guys that has two first names (actually three when you consider the "Wayne"). I met this fellow some 19 years ago when I moved here. He was tangled up with the previous owner and another possible ner'do well or two in bringing folks down here to fish. He had retired from a career in law enforcement at a relatively early age and was doing sports travel for hunters and fishermen. He seemed a nice guy, as opposed to perhaps his compadres at the time, and as time wandered on he proved himself to be just that. "Nice guy" might seem a little like damning with faint praise to some of you, but think about it, how many truly Nice Guys do you know, or have you run across in an average decade? See, that's my point. I've kinda always had an affinity for the law enforcement types, or at least I have spent a lot of time around them, being in the same places, usually on opposite sides of whatever issue of personal behavior was on the table at the time, but after 1/2 a century or so it seems that I've gotten it right, finally. DN was an old school cop, tough enough when he had to be (SWAT stuff) but also willing to cut the non hardened kinda schmuck, who just messed up, a break if he could. Perhaps as a former NHKS myself this is what drew me to him. At any rate, we went fishing. Fishing slowed a little on this last full moon, with the fish that came in still being of impressive quality, but a few less of them. Dorado, marlin, sails, and wahoo were comin' in every day, but a little less tonnage over the last couple of days. We decided, on the advice of an unnamed Bobo to go after rooster fish. With reverent thoughts of Sr. Mathias we chose Efrain as our Captain. Efrain is Isisdros' kid, and a nice one, so that kinda closed the Bill connection. Seemed like a plan. Over the last week some clients have taken some monstrous roosters, near 90 pounds, and we felt as though with our experience and piscatorial acumen that this plan would be easily accomplished. Not so gentle reader, not so. We couldn't find any lady fish so we settled for concineros and trolled the usual hot spots, without a bite, for hours. Now in the defense of fishermen and plans that need defending, when you are working a full moon it is likely that there will be some times of intense feeding, around the changes, but also some times of intense ennui as when that big current starts to hit its' stride most fish stop feeding. So full moon times tend to be peaky, and if you are in the right spot, at the right time, full moons are great fishing, but 80% of the hours in that full moon day are liable to resemble, particularly from an olfactory perspective, a black and white vermin. Well, a little before noon DN said, "this kinda sucks, and yesterday I caught a wahoo around this time, why don't we try that?" Well, Efrain and I communicated with each other in ocular fashion that at least this plan belonged to neither of us, and if it failed, at least it wasn't our idea, and nodded eagerly. To the wahoo grounds off the east side of Roca Montana we went. After trying a mullet colored Rapala for a few minutes Efrain changed DN over to a purple CD-18 and that was when the mash started to bubble. Almost immediately DN was on a wahoo, and that 45 pound fish went in the box shortly after Efrain gaffed it in one swift shot. 3 minutes later another wahoo hit the same Rapala and DN handed me his pole. I didn't think about the manners and generosity of this act at the time, things was a boiling, but in retrospect this is what Nice Guys do. Unfortunately that fish came unbuttoned underneath the panga. It was down 12-15 feet but the flash said that it had been another nice fish. I changed my lure over to a BomBoy plug that Chris and I have found quite productive over the years, and soon I was fast to a good wahoo which Efrain secured with another single blindingly quick gaff shot, and lifted it over the rail. This one went 60lbs. or so, and I was a happy guy. DN hooked another nice fish on the Rapala and lost it much as I had lost mine earlier, under the boat, big flash. Folks wonder how it is that anything can escape the plethora of barbed tentacles on the Rapalas, but I think that the number of hooks is also part of the reason for the wahoos' ability to escape a seemingly inescapable situation. You know from black bass fishing that particularly when using lures the fish are often hooked outside the mouth around the face. I believe that this happens when the fish violently attacks the lure. Because of the fishes side facing eyes that lure is not in direct sight for the final attack, and if anything moves, like the lure darting a few inches sideways, the hooks will be stuck on the outside of the fishes mouth, usually around the face. Aside from resembling John Lyndon at this point, the hooks are through skin and face meat, not around the jaws and bone of the mouth. This is a much more tenuous connection and is bound to pull out eventually, often before the hooks are replaced with the gaff. Wahoo strike so ferociously and with such velocity that this situation is made more common. At least, that's my excuse for losing mine. The bite then slowed, again short periods of activity on the big tide, and after another 1/2 hour we headed for the beach. A couple of things lingered in the RAM about this experience. One was how automatically DN had handed me the second fish, on his rod. No hesitation, no second thought. I hope that I would have been as nice. Maybe. Second was how well Efrain had handled the boat. With both of us being elderly, and with fairly high centers of gravity, and somewhat worn knee joints, scrambling around the panga after fish is not what we do best. Efrain had continuously and meticulously positioned the boat so that the fish, the boat, and we the fishermen were always in the right relative positions. It might seem like a small thing, but it's not, and I've never seen it done better. We didn't have to ask him to do it, or recommend any movement as he kept a steady eye on the rod tip, the line, and the direction the fish was heading. A real artist that one. We got back to the beach, and there were a few dorado there, and some stories of billfish lost, but we had the best day of the bunch, at least from a fish count metric. I doubt that anyone had a better day in terms of fellowship and company either. I hope that they had as good a day in that respect as I did, because that is what matters.I would like to cast a vote for the Nice Guys, like DN. They are undervalued and all too rare. And those wahoo steaks ain't no chump change neither. Thanks, David

Just Keeps On Keepin' On

Must have something to do with the last name, but there be funk among us. We're layin' down a rhythm down here that if you can hook up to it the dancin' be really good. The big dorado continue, floppin' around like the Fatman in the Bathtub. With a little wind earlier in the week mobility was cut down a little, and so was the tonnage, but it's clear sailin' now. No storms on the horizon, morning temps a little cool due to fog down south, but afternoons are Hot. The conundrum of the gringo continues however. "We only caught 3 fish today, not a good day." followed a few days later by "We've got too much fish, the airline is goin' to kill us." Well Hell,that's sorta like taken the bad off both sides of the coin. These are big fish, they take awhile, patience, skill, and a modicum of talent. Using the right hardware helps. As we are using bigger baits, ie. concinero, molcate, bonito, zebras, tiny dorado, etc. you have to scale accordingly. I'm using 50lb. main line to a fluorocarbon leader. Best to use a swivel if the bait is dead, a line to line double uni if the bait is alive. The leader could be 60 or 80, and a #5/0 or #7/0 hook. Leader length is a choice, but make sure if using a swivel that between the length of your rod and the length of the leader that you can reel that fish in to within gaffing range. These are big baits, and you must be a little patient on the hook up. Whether it is a circle or J hook, you need to let the fish run just a bit, it ain't a sardine and instead of enhaling it like Mr. Langusch on a vienna sausage they are gonna gnaw on it a bit, flip it around a bit, and savor this tasty repast. When the fish hits 2nd gear, or when your Captain starts jumpin' up and down, drop the hammer. On circle hooks you need but point the rod at the fish, let him take 15 yards and then slowly bring the rod into play. If using a J hook, it's time to swing, but you're not trying to pull teeth from a pachyderm, just come tight on it, bang him a couple of times and you're there. Remember that by the time you have put the reel into play that fish is goin' 40 the other way, and the hook that you so carefully touched up with the trusted emery board the you always carry will slide like Tuttle down the buffet table. You're hooked up, and the fish knows it. Long runs, big jumps, enjoy! This is why you came all the way down here and decided to put up with me. Keep the line tight, and wait until you can make some headway. When you can JUMP ON IT. With big fish there are two battles goin' on, one is to see which one of you will tire sufficiently to make the first mistake, but the subtext, and an important one, is a battle of wills. This a predator pretty high up the food chain, not some farm raised corn eating emasculated rainbow. He ain't use to losin', the thought hasn't crossed his mind. Don't let him rest. As you start to gain line he'll start to circle the boat, using his large flat profile to resist closing on the boat. When he goes left, you pull right, he goes right, you pull left. Don't even let him get the idea that he's in charge. I'm not at all recommending that you horse this fish, but fight as hard as he is. When he starts circling under the boat, use the 2/3 or that circle where he isn't pointed directly away from you to make some headway, and when he is pointed away, drop you tip instead of giving up precious line. When you feel the head shake and he starts to run, this is your opportunity for a short breather, let him tire himself, and then jump right back on the pony. When you see the line coming up for a jump, prepare to bow ever so slightly to his display, but then climb on him. There is a distinct difference that you can feel when the fish realizes that you are in charge. As he starts to circle close to the boat, get ready to lay him out for the Captain to dispatch. When the Captain has sunk the gaff and is lifting the fish take the reel out of gear, keep your thumb on it, and enjoy that magnificent animal as he is removed from his traditional home, and enters yours. The colors are at their brightest, you and the Captain are at your happiest, and for a few moments your world is limited to that panga, and to that moment.The purity and focus of that moment is rare in our facebook connected, twittering, smart phone world, and it is to be savored. It's a feeling that non fishermen may secure elsewhere, maybe. Large fish require a higher degree of concentration and team work than the 10 pounders. They will capitalize on your errors, and you should be ready to return the favor. You might be tired, but he's dinner, you win. David