THE CHRISTMAS VORTEX

SITTING HERE IN LIMBO, WAITING FOR THE DICE TO ROLL,
SITTING HERE IN LIMBO, WITH SOME TIME TO SEARCH MY SOUL
-JIMMY CLIFF

THE CHRISTMAS VORTEX HAS SWEPT DOWN FROM THE NORTH, A JUGGERNAUT OF GOOD CHEER AND EMOTIONAL CURRENT NEAR THE BREAKER LIMIT. A BLITZKRIEG OF CHILDREN STRUNG OUT ON LEGENDS OF SCARLET CLAD FAT MEN SWARMING DOWN THEIR NONEXISTENT CHIMNEYS. PARENTS WROUGHT WITH STANDARDS OF DELIVERY SET BY GLOBAL MARKETING GROUPS, GATHERING IN CELLS TO SELF MEDICATE LIKE JONESTOWN SUB STATIONS. HERE IN THE BAJA WE DO NOT EVEN HAVE THE EARTHWORKS OF THANKSGIVING TO BREAK THE FESTIVE WIND. AS SOON AS THE HALLOWEEN SUGAR HIGH HAS BEGUN TO SUBSIDE MOUNDS OF ALIEN PLANT SPECIES BEGIN TO PILE UP IN DEPARTMENT STORES, PARKING LOTS, AND NORMALLY VACANT LOTS. FAMILIES FROM THE OUTLYING AREAS BRING THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN ON A PILGRIMAGE TO VIEW THESE FOREIGN FLORA THAT MANY OF THE YOUNGER AND NON TRAVELED HAVE NEVER SEEN. CONIFERS AND PINES, AN OCCASIONAL CEDAR, UNDER STREWN WITH A CARPETING LAYER OF THE RED LEAFED HARBINGERS OF THE HOLIDAY, THE POINSETTIA. WALKING THROUGH THIS FAUX FOREST, INHALING A SMELL THAT THEY HAVE PREVIOUSLY ONLY IDENTIFIED WITH A CLEAN BATHROOM, THEY CHOOSE A VICTIM WITH WHOM TO SHARE THEIR HOUSEHOLD FOR THE NEXT 2-3 WEEKS, AND HAVE IT CEREMONIOUSLY "CHOPPED". THEY HAUL IT HOME TO BE RE-ERECTED, AND DECORATED TO CELEBRATE THE REPEATING REBIRTH OF THE TREE. AT THIS POINT CHRISTMAS HERE AND WHERE YOU ARE FOLLOW CLOSELY ALIGNED PARALLEL PATHS, AND YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY......

A BIT GRINCHLY OF LATE, EH? WELL OF COURSE, AS A CURMUDGEON IN TRAINING I FOLLOW THE TRADITIONAL SCRIPT. I MUST ADMIT THAT THIS FESTIVE TIME IS A BIT LIKE DISASSEMBLING A STEPHEN KING DESIGNED MATROYSHKA DOLL. AS YOU PEEL YOUR WAY DOWN THROUGH THE LAYERS OF HOLIDAY WRAPPING A PLEASANT CORE REVEALS ITSELF, MUCH LIKE THE LEGENDARY SOFT CENTERED NOUGAT. FAMILY RETURNING AND FRIENDS SITTING AROUND TAKING A BREATH AFTER SCALING THE CHRISTMAS PEAK. OUR CHRISTMAS BOARD, REPLETE WITH THINGS BOTH TRADITIONAL AND UNIQUELY LOCAL, GROANS ALONG WITH THE REST OF US. SUGAR COOKIES SHARING ATTENTION WITH SEARED TUNA IN PINEAPPLE/SERRANO CHILE SAUCE, GERRY HOLDING FORTH EVEN WITHOUT A MICROPHONE, LENTILS FOR VAL, EGGPLANT FROM EILEEN, AND CONVERSATION IN AT LEAST TWO LANGUAGES. MULLED TEQUILA? NOT YET, BUT HMMM.....

AFTER ALL THE FURIOUS PREPARATION, THE PINCHI AGUINALDOS (THE INVOLUNTARY CHRISTMAS BONUSES FOR POLICEMEN AND GARBAGE COLLECTORS ALIKE), THE FRANTIC MULEING OF PRESENTS FOR ENRIQUES' KIDS, AND THE DYSPEPSIA CAUSED BY AN INTAKE OF TOXIC COMESTIBLES THAT EQUALS THE TOTAL OF THE OTHER 50 WEEKS IN THE YEAR, WE ARRIVE AT THAT WHICH IS REALLY WHAT WE ALL REALLY WANT THIS TO BE ABOUT, HEARING YOUR CHILDREN CHATTERING WITH THEIR FRIENDS, LISTENING TO YOUR BELOVED LAUGHING OVER SHOPPING STORIES WITH MIMI, WATCHING THOSE THAT YOU CARE ABOUT ENJOYING THEMSELVES, RELAXED, COMFORTABLE, AND NOT NEEDING OR WANTING TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE.

THAT'S A LITTLE MORE CHRISTMASY, EH? AS WITH EVERY YEAR WE WADE THROUGH THE COMMERCIAL EFFLUVIA, AND ARRIVE AT THE ESSENCE OF THE SEASON. WE HOPE THAT YOU HAVE ALL SUCCESSFULLY MADE THE JOURNEY, AND HAVE ENJOYED THAT WHICH IS ENJOYABLE, AND BEGUN YOUR CARBOHYDRATE DETOX. IN TERMS OF YOUR COMPANY AND PATRONAGE THIS TIME OF YEAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMEWHAT BARREN, BUT LIKE CHAUNCEYS' GARDEN, THE SPRING WILL BRING FORTH THE NEW GROWTH, THE FAMILIAR FLOWERS OF YOUR PRESENCE WILL BLOOM WITH THE INCREASING HOURS OF THE SUN. AFTER YOU'VE PUT AWAY THE STRINGS OF LIGHTS, SOME OF WHICH MAY EVEN WORK NEXT YEAR, WE HOPE THAT AT LEAST A FEW OF YOUR THOUGHTS WILL TURN TO THE GOOD TIMES, GOOD FISHING, AND GOOD COMPANY THAT WE, AND YOU, KNOW THAT LA PAZ CAN PROVIDE.

TAKE CARE, HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR, COME DOWN AND SEE US WHEN YOU CAN,
THANKS,

DAVID JONES AND THE WHOLE FISHERMENS' FLEET FAMILY

P.S. AND THIS YEAR, A SPECIAL BIT OF XMAS WARMTH TO SCOTTY, EL PASSPORTERO, AND OUR GREAT JOY THAT HE IS RECOVERING FROM SOME SCARY BITS.

Dropped four flights and cracked my spine
Honey come quick with the iodine
Catch a few winks, under the bed
Then head back to Tennessee Jed

While not prepared to head, much less "head back", to Tennessee, this has been a year that will not rate in the top 10 that we've spent down here. Between the world wide downturn in tourism, El Nino, and pinchi Odile, there is no where to go from here but up. While those of you who came down were bright spots, each and every one, the below average fishing and time/business lost to the storm, served as a dark background making your brightness blinding.

Warmer than normal water meant some below average fishing. While "below average" here is still pretty darn good, there is no way to claim a banner year. Wahoo in SoCal? "Those are our fish!", we claim, in the manner of whiners everywhere. We lost almost 5 weeks worth of reservations, in what is usually our filet of the season, due to Odile, and that hurt.

OK, ENOUGH! They didn't come here to listen to your sour grapesness! Right you are.

Good news? We had some. Friends, customers, and family pulled together to recover from one of the worst storms in Baja history. Capt. Chris and his crack crew over to Mag Bay had a very nice season, picking off a large number of the fish starting to return, their heads hung in shame, from their vacations up north. The water is starting to cool with a vengeance, there have been reports of early season yellow tail 40 miles north of La Paz, and we head into 2015 with hopes high.

On the family front we had a nice visit from Glynnis and her boyfriend Steve at Thanksgiving, and are looking forward to Kelly Anne and her novio Uriel coming down at Christmas. Jane is doing well, continuing to unknowingly remind me of how lucky I am in that regard. Drex remains the Baron of the Backyard, surveying his domain much like Yertle the Turtle.

Perhaps Odile was a haiku for the year. When concerned folks asked me "How bad was the damage there from the storm?" my chosen response was generally, "Well, it wasn't fun, but while a lot of little things are pretty fucked up, we'll fix them, and all the really important things are just fine."

We wish you all a very happy holiday season, and look forward to hearing from you, or better yet seeing your face, in La Paz, in 2015.

Take Care, Have Fun,
David

HEY TERRY! IT'S A FISH REPORT, and more............

I'VE GOT TO DO A FISH REPORT, HAVEN'T HEARD FROM "THE GENERAL" IN AWHILE, HE'S PROBABLY TIRED OF ALL THIS STORM B.S. AND HAS GIVEN UP ON ME. OH WELL.

FISHING SINCE THE STORM HAS BEEN NOTHING SHORT OF THE BEST THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED THIS YEAR. THE STORM GIVETH AND THE STORM TAKETH AWAY. LOADS OF NICE SIZED SARDINIA BY BOCA DE ALAMO, SWARMS OF DORADO, NO REALLY BIG ONES BUT DOUBLE DIGIT CATCHES HAVE BEEN THE RULE, WITH FISH TO 27LB. WE'VE ALSO TAKEN A FEW YELLOWFIN TUNA, FISH IN THE 25LB. CLASS, NOT ENOUGH OF THEM TO ADVERTISE A FULL ON TUNA BITE, YET, BUT A VERY GOOD SIGN. A FEW SAILFISH, A LOT OF STRIPED MARLIN, A FEW BLUES, AND THE EVER PRESENT ROOSTER FISH. ADD IN A COUPLE OF PARGO MULATTO AND THOSE OF YOU WITH SUFFICIENT POISE AND REASON TO COME DOWN HERE ARE BEING REWARDED.
THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT BEING CAUTIOUS OF A STORM LIKE ODILE IS ILL ADVISED, BUT, THERE HAS BEEN AN AWFUL LOT OF CHICKEN LITTLE BEHAVIOR, AND I'M SORRY TO SAY THAT SOME OF IT HAS COME FROM FOLKS THAT I KNOW WELL. CANCELLING TRIPS IN NOVEMBER? COME ON. ALASKA IS OPENING UP LIMITED SERVICE TO CABO AS OF OCT. 8, AND IT IS MY FIRM BELIEF THAT THEY WILL BE OPENING UP THEIR REGULAR SCHEDULE MUCH SOONER THAN THEIR CURRENT CAUTIOUS SCHEDULE. READING INTERNET BLOGS AND SUCH, ONE EVEN FROM SOMEONE HERE IN TOWN, WOULD CAUSE ONE TO BELIEVE THAT WE'VE BECOME A LAWLESS COMMUNITY WITH PREDATORY MACHETE SWINGING THUGS RUNNING AMONG US. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. WHILE THERE WERE SOME SCARY DAYS IN CABO IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE STORM, BETWEEN THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT AND THE HARD WORKING LOCALS THINGS ARE WELL ON THEIR WAY TO A FULL RECOVERY. THE FOLKS HERE IN LA PAZ SHOULD BE PROUD OF THE WAY THAT THEY HAVE BEHAVED. I'VE GONE OVER THIS IN PREVIOUS REPORTS TO THERE IS NO NEED TO POUND THAT NAIL ANY FURTHER, BUT I REALLY URGE YOU TO SIFT THROUGH THE ASPARAGUS FERTILIZER AND GET THE TRUTH. IT'S A POSITIVE AND HOPEFUL STORY, WITH SOME REALLY FIRST CLASS FISHING TO BE HAD.
THANKS,
D

ODILE, DONTCHA' COME AROUND HERE ANYMORE

WELL, THAT WAS DIFFERENT. I'M NOT SURE WHAT KIND OF NAME "ODILE" IS, BUT I REALLY DON'T WANT TO ENCOUNTER THAT GUY AGAIN. THE STRONGEST HURRICANE TO HIT THE BAJA SINCE THE EARLY 1970'S, THE "BIG O" SURPRISED THE PREDICTORS AND US BY HOOKING EAST IN THE LAST FEW HOURS AS IT APPROACHED THE TIP, SO INSTEAD OF PARALLELING THE COAST ON THE PACIFIC SIDE IT ROARED OVER CABO, BREACHED THE MOUNTAINS THAT NORMALLY PROTECT LA PAZ FROM DIRECT ONSLAUGHT, AND LANDED SQUARELY ON OUR HOUSE. BY MIDNIGHT SUNDAY THE NOISE IN THE HOUSE WAS AS IF OUR HOUSE WERE A GIANTS' COKE BOTTLE AND HE WAS BLOWING ACROSS THE TOP. ABOUT 4:30 OR SO I DECIDED TO HEAD DOWNTOWN IN ORDER TO CHECK ON OUR STALWART CUSTOMERS AND 4 BLOCKS FROM HOME STUCK MY CAR IN 3 FEET OF MUD. WALKING HOME IN THE DRIVING RAIN AND 85 MPH WIND WAS A HUMBLING JOURNEY. STARTING OUT ONCE MORE IN JANES' LOYAL ESCORT I WAS ABLE TO CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE TOWN, AVOIDING THE NORMALLY FLOODED SPOTS AND DODGING DOWN WIRES. HOUSE INTACT, CUSTOMERS PEERING OUT INTO THE CAULDRON THAT WAS LA PAZ BAY. AFTER DAY BREAK RICKY Z. AND I HEADED DOWN TO CHECK ON THE "DIRE WOLF", SON CHRIS' BOAT. WE HAD TAKEN PRECAUTIONS, WITH THE HELP OF SEVERAL VERY HELPFUL LOCALS AT THE MARINA, TO TIE IT UP TO THINGS OF SUBSTANCE, AND AWAY FROM POTENTIAL PROJECTILES. I WAS LOATHE TO LOOK AS I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO CALL CAPT. CHRIS, WHO WAS ENSCONCED IN SAN DIEGO, AND TELL HIM THAT HIS PRIDE AND JOY WAS NO MORE. "HUZZAH", I MUMBLED AS I SAW HIS BEAUTIFUL BOAT, BOBBING JUST LIKE A BOAT, OCCASIONALLY SPITTING WATER FROM A REAR ORIFICE, BILGE PUMP YOU KNOW. SO, IN A PHRASE, THE BIG THINGS HERE, IE. FAMILY, FRIENDS, HOUSES, DOG, BOATS, ETC., ARE JUST FINE. THE LITTLE THINGS WERE EXTREMELY AWRY. TREES, POWER POLES, TALL PEOPLE, SIGNAGE, PARKING LOT SHADES THROWN AROUND LIKE A LARGE 3 YEAR OLD WAS DONE PLAYING WITH THEM. BY NOW ANY OF YOU WHO WERE INTERESTED HAVE SEEN THE PICTURES, SO I'M NOT PUTTING ANY IN, BUT SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT ANY BUILDINGS BUILT POORLY, THINGS THAT WEREN'T ANCHORED SOUNDLY, OR ANYTHING DEPENDING UPON OUR SODDEN SOIL FOR SUPPORT WERE DISPLACED IN SOME FASHION OR OTHER, SOMETIMES BY HUNDREDS OF YARDS. WITHIN A DAY OR TWO MARKETS STARTED TO OPEN, GAS STATIONS HAD LINES BUT ALSO GAS, AND FOLKS WERE ALREADY OUT CLEANING UP. IT TOOK US 4 DAYS AT THE HOUSE AND 5 DAYS AT THE OFFICE TO GET POWER (REMEMBER THAT DOWN HERE POWER MEANS WATER), AND AS OF THIS WRITING 90% OF LA PAZ IS POWERED. CABO IS A DIFFERNET STORY, MASSIVE DESTRUCTION THERE OF BOTH POORLY BUILT RESIDENCES AND FANCY HOTELS BUILT ON THE EXPOSED SOUTHERN SHORE. YOU CAN CHECK THE INTERNET FOR COUNTLESS STORIES OF RUINED BACHELORETTE PARTIES, BUT THAT'S NOT FOR HERE. EVERYONE THAT YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY, ALL THE CAPTAINS, DRIVERS, ETC. ARE FINE, AND IN FACT WE HAD FISHERMEN OUT BY WEDNESDAY.
I DID WANT TO MENTION A COUPLE OF HEROIC FIGURES IN ALL THIS. THE CFE (OUR ELECTRICITY PROVIDER), WITH WHOM YOU LONG TERM READERS WILL KNOW I HAVE HAD MY PROBLEMS IN THE PAST, PERFORMED AND IS PERFORMING IN A FASHION OF WHICH THEY SHOULD BE PROUD. AS THE STORM WAS HITTING CABO THE AVAILABLE EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL FROM LA PAZ HEADED SOUTH TO ASSIST. AS THE IMPACT TO LA PAZ BECAME APPARENT THEY SHIPPED LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AND PIECES OF EQUIPMENT HERE BY FERRY FROM THE MAINLAND, AND THEY WERE ON THE SCENE VERY QUICKLY. THEY HAVE DONE A MAGNIFICENT JOB OF THEIR JOB AND I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE THEM KUDOS TO THE MAX.
THE OTHER FIGURE WHOSE PERFORMANCE I AM IN AWE OF HAS BEEN MY WIFE, JANE. WHILE I WAS AT THE OFFICE TRYING TO MAKE THINGS WORK FOR OUR CUSTOMERS SHE TOOK CHARGE OF OUR HOUSE. GOING IMMEDIATELY TO WORK, SHE FISHED ALL KINDS OF THINGS FROM THE SWIMMING POOL, SWEPT AND MOPPED BOTH INSIDE AND OUT, AND RECRUITED A COUPLE OF TEENAGERS WHO WERE PASSING BY, AND SOON ALL 3 OF THEM WERE HACKING' BRANCHES, MOVING 400 POUND HORIZONTAL CACTUS AND GENERALLY REASSEMBLING THE OUTER SHELL OF OUR EXISTENCE. ALL OF THIS WITHOUT ANY POWER FOR ICE, TOILETS, OR SHOWERS, FOR DAYS. WITHOUT A WHIMPER OR A GRUMBLE SHE WAS AN EXAMPLE THAT I HAD TO STRUGGLE HARD TO HONOR. IN THE WORDS OF CAPT. ROMERO, "SHE'S MY HERO #1."
CABO AIRPORT REMAINS CLOSED, BUT WITHIN 5-7 DAYS MY SOURCES SAY THAT THEY WILL JURY RIG FACILITIES, LA PAZ AIRPORT IS OPEN AND OPERATING, LORETO THE SAME. THE PEOPLE HERE HAVE IN GREAT PART RISEN TO THE CHALLENGE AND WILL PERSEVERE, AND TRIUMPH.
NICE TALKIN' TO YA',
DAVID

Remembering Billy

Now he's gone
Lord he's gone
Like a steam locomotive
Rollin' down the track
He's gone,
he's gone
Nothin' gonna bring him back
He's gone

Nine mile skid,
On a ten mile ride,
Hot as a pistol
But cool inside
Cat on a tin roof
Dogs in a pile
Nothin' left to do but
smile, smile, smile

Robert Hunter

Fishing this summer has been a bit unusual starting with the abundance of marlin and dorado all winter, and the corresponding lack of yellow tail and cabrilla, on into a summer that has provided some good solid fishing, but not much that would qualify as spectacular. El Nino, water temps, slow year, lots of thoughts, not lots of facts. The last week or so has started to perk up a bit, with the guys the last few days hittin' good amounts of good dorado, the occasional wahoo, marlin, or pargo. Taken in perspective it is so far a year a little below what seemes to have been the average over the years, despite some fish reports from other sources that suggest the use of literary steroids. What makes this year suffer a bit is the comparison to last year, perhaps the best year for big dorado that we have seen in the last 20. There is one segment of our fishery that is really outstanding now, and has been for the last 5 weeks. The reference above is of course to William "Rooster Bill" Mathias, and he would really enjoy the rooster fishing right now, were he available. On the island, both sides, and along the Punta Arena beach, and the beaches to the south of Muertos there have been very good quantities of rooster, and of good size.I haven't heard of any fish under 35 lbs. and most have been between 55 and 85. That's startin to be a damn fine rooster, and the boats that are after them have been getting between 4 and 7 fish a dsy. This ia a beautiful fish, a strong fighter, and the Las Arenas area is one of the 2 or 3 best spots in the world, the others being on different continents. You get a great fight, and the satisfaction of releasing your opponent to fight another day, maybe with you.

Have Fun,
David

I Hate That Damn Ketchup Bottle

Whether it's Ketchup or Catsup, it's still waitin' for that damn stuff to come out that's the worst part. A bit like that down here right now. The fishing is OK, were catching dorado, with some big ones, some wahoo, some marlin, even a few sporadic tuna (better than Spastic Tuna which was the name of Jon Cannfields' band), but it's not yet that which it should be for almost July 1. We've had bait parked on the buoys for almost a month, the water is that blue color that has no name sufficiently descriptive, and all is at the ready. Like the way water quivers before coming to a rolling boil we're on that edge, but it's coming late this year. The fishing from La Paz has been good, but not what we've grown accustomed to for July out of Punta Arenas. End of the World?, Global Warming? Lack of MacAllister? I'm not sure, but I suspect that the fish gods are feeling a bit taken for granted and have decided to remind us of the true nature of things. Patience is a hard one attribute. It'll come, and I think in the next 10 days, but then optimism is one of my most charming features. Stay tuned,
David

In Honor of Fritz the Most Recent

Fishing is finally starting to congeal. Coagulation is often a good thing, and in this case most certainly. We've been anglin' along, catching enough dorado and marlin to keep folks satisfied, but somewhat short of overjoyed. As reported earlier the buoys started loading up on bait a month ago or so, and we've been sittin' in the front room waiting for our fish to come home from their time away, impatiently. Well this week things started to get going:

=Last couple of weeks we'd get a big dorado, 30 plus, every couple of days, but nothin' consistent enough.Yesterday we had 4 over 40. While we did have 6 boats out, and this does not constitute a full on bite, it is indication of steady improvement, and in the right direction. Most of these fish have come from the buoys, but Marc, who just got our of the army, had a 44lb. fish on a marlin jig 1/2 mile off Punta Perico on Thursday.

=We've had a fair amount of striped marlin throughout the last six months, a steady supply with several of you catching your first, ah, you'll always remember that. That action has warmed some, and one of our guys spent 2 hours on a mid 300's blue marlin two days ago. He was fishing for dorado, and as such using 40lb. line. As outgunned as Barney Fife at a Crips picnic, he had fun, but lost that one.

=Roosters over 60, with a couple in the 80's, have been readily available the last 10 days or so. They've been coming at the island beaches and from the light house to the hotel.

=And now to the subject mentioned in the title above. The Right Reverential Fritz, Conquering Lion of Holland, the Duke of the Dutch, Oracle of the Temple of the Wooden Shoes, is down here, sputtering and waving his hands. He scored our first good tuna catch of the year yesterday, taking 4 to 40, and losing 2 more, using both cedar plugs and 5" feathers. When you need leading, you look to a leader, and once again Fritz has done it. They don't call him He Who Must be Understood for nothing my friends.

So you can tell that things are starting to heat up down here. It took a little longer than normal this year to get the kindling to catch, but some of the big logs are starting to spit and sizzle, and you can't stand quite as near as just last week. Get out your tongs, and maybe your thongs, and come play with us.

Take Care,
David

And Now.....

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, SORRY. WE'VE HAD A VERY POOR SPRING, AT LEAST IN TERMS OF BUSINESS, AND I'VE BEEN CONCENTRATING ON A VARIETY OF OTHER STUFF. I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU DEAR READERS, IT'S JUST THAT AS MY CAPACITY SHRINKS AND LIFES' BANDWIDTH BEHAVES LIKE A SLINKY I HAVE HAD TO LEAVE YOU IN THE DARK FOR A BIT, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT YOU ARE LOYAL AND WILL UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU.
SUMMER IS ABOUT TO KICK OFF, WE'RE QUITE FULL DURING THE NEXT 3-4 MONTHS, AND THAT IS A GOOD THING ON SO MANY LEVELS. FISHING THIS YEAR HAS BEEN DIFFERENT, WITH DORADO AND STRIPED MARLIN ALL THROUGHOUT THE WINTER, EVERY MONTH, AND VERY FEW YELLOW TAIL TO SPEAK OF. OF COURSE THE CAPTAINS AND I SIT AROUND AND DISCUSS THIS UNTIL IT IS GROUND TO A FINE POWDER, WITH NO APPARENT CONSENSUS. "EL NINO", LONG LINERS, PERIODIC BIOLOGICAL CYCLES, WILL OF GOD, BAD JUJU? "YES TO ALL" I SCREAM AND WE PLOD FOREWORD. AND WHAT'S SO WRONG ABOUT DORADO AND MARLIN? ABSOLUTELY NOTHIN', SAY IT AGAIN Y'ALL.
WE ARE STARTING TO HEAR THAT GOOD SUPPLIES OF ZEBRA FISH (ACTUALLY A MEMBER OF THE PILOT FISH FAMILY) ARE FORMING ON THE BUOYS AND SOME LARGER DORADO HAVE BEEN SIGHTED BY THE BUOY TENDER GUYS (SHARK FISHERMEN). THIS BODES WELL, AND I HAVE A SNEAKIN' HUNCH THAT AS WE GET A FEW MORE BOATS OUT, EXPLORING THE NOOKS AND CRANNIES OF OUR FISHERY THAT WE WILL DISCOVER POPULATIONS HERETOFORE UN TAPPED.
MAG BAY IS GOING WELL. WE'RE 80% BOOKED FOR THIS FALL, WITH SOME CHOICE SPOTS LEFT FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH A PICKET OR TWO PROTRUDING INTO YOUR POSTERIOR LOBES. IT'S THE BEST FISHERY ON THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA, NO SHIT, AND SHOULD BE EXPERIENCED AT LEAST ONCE. OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT ONCE YOU GO, YOU WILL RETURN. CAPTAIN CHRIS HAS BEEN USING HIS BOAT OUT OF LA PAZ, AND IS CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST OF AN EVER GROWING PROJECT AROUND MOVING THE LARGE BOAT OF EL CARPENTERO UP TO SAN DIEGO, WITH A BRIEF 10 DAY STOP AT THE SAN JOSE DEL CABO BOAT YARD TO REMOVE SOME PIECES DEEMED EXPENDABLE AND PATCH THE HOLES LEFT UPON EXPENDING THEM.(WHEN THINKING OF HIS MOST RECENT ADVENTURE I KEEP HEARING THE LINE "A THREE HOUR TOUR" REPEATING ITSELF IN MY HEAD, BUT THAT MAKES ME THING OF JIM BACKUS "GOOD HEAVENS LOVEY, A YALE MAN" AND THAT IS JUST WONDERING TOO FAR AFIELD, FOR TODAY.
AT ANY RATE, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE SCADS OF YOU WHO ARE COMING DOWN THIS SUMMER, AND TO THOSE OF YOU WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED PICKET PROBLEM, CALL US UP, GO FISHIN!

HAVE FUN, WE WILL,
DAVID

Nothing like an April fool

Been awhile. Things haven't really changed a whole lot, just more like the were than they were. Dorado continue to make up the largest portion of our take. While this makes no sense, calendarily speaking, it is the truth. There have been some yellow tail, a few amber jack, pargo, cabrilla, and even a few striped marlin, but dorado have dominated. While there haven't been sardines any closer than the north end of the island, we have survived on using concineros, caballito, the occasional mackerel, and strips of this and that. The dorado fisihing has been good, with 5-8 fish/boat/day and some over 30 pounds, it's just strange that we have them. This will be the first year since we've been here that dorado have been a viable goal for all 12 months of the year.
On another front, I'm not sure how many of you do your own reel maintenance, but you should try and do some. It's not hard, hell I can do it, and I firmly believe that in order to use your tackle to its' potential you should have a basic understanding of what is mechanically happening when you push that button or flip that lever. There are lots of places to get advise, schematics, after market parts and lubricants, but the best in my opinion is one Alan Tani. If you search for his presentations by name, his and the reel model, you will find that he has comprehensive, pictorially based primers on most of the popular salt water reels, how to disassemble, service, and reassemble. He also gives very solid advice on how to make your reel better, different lubricants, drag washers, etc. Alan also has designed some of his own parts, especially a line of after market handles that address one of the truly weak points in almost all store bought reels. Give him a look, you will, I think, be properly impressed.
Thanks,
David

Albondigas, Ensalada de Pescado, Garantia

Roughly a year ago, maybe 14 months, I documented our search for albondigas de marlin for the official start of the fishing year. This year the adventure continued. I have done some fishing this year so far, with some success, but let's look at that as preseason, getting the hardware working, remembering how to do it, exploring. Chris and I decided to join some first timers yesterday, not wanting Andres to drive all the way over the mountain for just one panga, yeah that's it. We kinda had our sights set on some yellow tail, but knowing how it goes we were willing to settle for whatever our Captain thought was best. Upon arrival at the beach Enrique informed us that some of his buds had seen some marlin the last couple of days, and reminded us that his far better half, Marcela, was hankerin' for some albondigas, again the first of the year. When we expressed some skepticism at the concept of marlin in March, he went to far as to offer a "garantia" of a marlin. My heart sank like a politician opening The Enquirer. Rushing back like the kiss on the end of a wet fist were memories of the last time this very Captain had given me a "garantia" of marlin. It was in January, 9 years ago, and I was fortunate enough to be fishing with El Zedillo, foremost citizen of a city at the extreme northern end of the AlCan highway. Zedillo is a bud, and on that day we trolled, baited, waited and exasperated all day, without a single bite, while the echos of our "garantia" faded into the mild northern wind. As soon as Enrique uttered that damning word again, I shuddered. While optimism and hope are good attributes in any fisherman, guarantee is a digital word, and crosses over the line of such conceptual themes as optimism and hope. Well, I am not beyond overlooking an opportunity to grind a little on an old friend like Enrique, and so I saw this as a win win type of day. So far this year the biggest limitation to our fishing has been the bait supply. There are some sardines, but they've been small and are at the extreme north end of Cerralvo. This is a long trip, and with the prevailing northerlies has not often been advisable. So, we have been using ballyhoo, both fresh and frozen, caballito, concinero, and when we can find them mackerel. The scattered nature of the bait has led to a scattering of our prey as well. There are yellow tail, mullet snapper, and cabrilla around, but without a centralized school of bait we've had to move from place to place to locate them. Yesterday we loaded up easily on cocineros, getting 10 in pretty quick order with Sabiki rigs. Trolling around the buoys not far offshore, maybe 3-4 miles, we got a couple of dorado. One of them was small enough (6 lbs.) that we released it, but as part of the nature study that is fishing here we couldn't help but notice that on the lower half of this fish, towards the tail there were matching wounds on either side, about the size of a silver dollar (no kids, not the Susan B. Anthony dollar, but the real one). These wounds were clearly fresh, and were obviously signs of predators with pointy faces in the neighborhood. The fact that even after such a disturbing experience as this, of being made into a cocktail frank by a marlin, this dorado was still feeding led us to believe that he would continue to function if we released him. Chris then got another dorado, 12 lbs. or so, and we saw other dorado chasing schools of greyhounding ballyhoo. The question of "el garantia" began to come up amongst the 3 of us. Enrique tried to drag branches behind his steed, telling us that the tide change would bring the marlin, but it was almost too much fun poking the nerve that has been exposed for nearly 10 years. The day was already far from boring, we saw a pod of humpback whales breaching and tailing, a pretty large sea turtle doing his imitation of a member of family flora, and then Enrique spotted a large dorsal fin and tail cleaving the water. Big Mako? No a smallish whale shark, 10 ft. maybe, cruising the surface. I splashed with my hand next to the panga, and he turned towards us, approaching to zero distance away, lightly bonking the panga with his face. We drifted together, Chris taking some great underwater footage with his GoPro and petting the whale shark with his free hand. After 10 minutes of this we went our separate ways, he after his tiny prey, us after something somewhat bigger. A few more exchanges upon the real meaning of "garantia", along with really enjoying the fine day that it had turned into. Chris had gotten the dorado on a double hooked ballyhoo. I was using a live cocinero which had been too large for the dorado to swallow, but that hadn't kept them from playing with it. My rod tip began dancing again, but this time Enrique had seen a different commotion in the water and said, "garantia". I picked the rod from the holder and retracted the clicker button. Using thumb pressure I let whatever it was start to take line. Using a circle hook demands some patience, but I have great faith in them. After 25 yards had been taken, the fish went into 2nd gear and I put the reel into gear. He was hooked. I still hadn't seen the fish, but Enrique was chuckling to himself. 75 yards behind the boat a good sized striped marlin began to cavort in the aerial dimension. During the fight he exhibited some movements that in my experience are not typical of striped marlin and I surmised that he might be tail wrapped, or maybe snag hooked, fairly rare with "ensuelos automatico". After 20 minutes or so I had him to the boat. It was a nice one, particularly for March, around 120 lbs. Upon further examination the line was around the base of his bill, and the hook was around the line, so the hook was in no way implanted in the fish, he was lassoed like a steer. Well, any landing that you can walk away from. After making good on his "garantia" Enrique took us trolling with XRaps, and doing that Chris retrieved a 12 pound amberjack. Back on the beach we learned that our Canadian customers had headed out to the buoys and caught enough dorado there to make them happy. In the van, back to town, case closed. A very satisfying day, with my son, lots of animal planet moments,and albondigas.
Take Care and Hope to See You Here,
David

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRITZ

One of the bestest things about this job, besides the 3am alarm clock, is that I've met some of the nicest guys ever, and that may include yourself! One of the nicest is my friend Fritz.(As usual the name that I use is not his given name, but he knows who he is.) Fritz is a great guy. I met him years ago when one of my regular customers, who was a friend of a friend, included Hans in his regular yearly group. Over the years people moved, passed, or just got old enough to no longer come down, but Fritz remained. He comes down 2-3 times a year, and once spent a month down here, wandering around, cleaning his tackle and equipment until each piece actually began to look smaller, and enjoying his time in La Paz. Fritz is a man of the world, he was born and lived the first part of his life in Europe, wandering and working. The military, the middle east with the oil business, he ended up, as I understand it, following a woman to the United States. In the states he made his living working on cars, a master mechanic, specializing in some of the exotics. Racing cars, Dr. Porsches' babies, and other teutonic creations, Fritz fixed 'em, swore at them, and drove them. Converting from swinging bachelor rake to married man, Fritz participated in the making of both a son and daughter, both very nice humana. Like so many folks that have lived this sort of adventurous life Fritz has learned a very savvy combination of making and letting things happen. Add to this a devious and slightly twisted sense of humor, and you have a Fritz, and a friend. He is all that you would want in a friend ie. loyal, talented, and twisted.
Over the years Fritz has become a pretty talented fisherman as well. I only say this trusting that you will not mention to him that I said it. Over the years he has used this combination of letting/making things happen to great advantage on the water. He has equipped himself with every fishing tool known to man, and has learned how to use them pretty well. On top of this he always enjoys his time on the water. He knows that if he bears the disappointment of a bad day of fishing with grace, the fish Gods will smile on him another day, and the ladies and gentleman, is a fisherman. Over the years he has caught some very nice fish. One large tuna comes to mind. I was lucky enough to be out with him that day, and after hours spent on a large tuna on light line, Hans was pretty beat, maybe getting a little pissed, but wasn't going to give up. The sight of him punching this fish repeatedly after he finally got it in the boat will remain with me always. After years of being skunked on wahoo from La Paz, he went to Mag Bay and broke the curse. He smiles more than he frowns, he doesn't blame bad days on anyone, including himself, and he is up bright and early, perennially adorned in what could only be described as his fishing togs.
Fritz has been counselor, foil, and cohort over the years, and my kids think of him as "uncle Fritz". Children seem to always be good judges of character, sometimes even after they are grown. They got this one right, Fritz is the man.Happy Birthday my friend, and truly, I wish you many happy returns of the day, and not without a certain amount of selfishness, because you make this place a better one for me.
Have Fun,
David

Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world,
The heart has it's beaches, it's homeland and thoughts of it's own.
Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings,
But the heart has it's seasons, it's evenings and songs of it's own.

There comes a redeemer, and he slowly too fades away,
And there follows his wagon behind him that's loaded with clay.
And the seeds that were silent all burst into bloom, and decay,
And night comes so quiet, it's close on the heels of the day.

-Eyes of the World, R.Hunter

WAKE UP! Spring is just around the corner. It's been 85 down here the last couple of days. Yes, I know the wind is more than likely goin' to blow a time or two more, but it's days are numbered, you can feel it. Carnival is just around the corner, next week in fact. As you will remember gentle reader, I am not much of a fan of this murmuring of Mexicans, but it must pass or we will not officially be into the spring. Yellow tail have been a little hit and miss, both from La Paz and from Las Arenas. One day it feels as though they are off and running, and the next day the coop has been fled. Ditto with the pargo lisas. They are starting to osmose into the area of, a few more every day, hinting as to the great gathering in the near future. We also have had some hold over dorado both inshore and on the buoys, one panga got 8 between 12 and 23 pounds the other day, and the increasing frequency of planar water days allows us to learn more and more about what the hell is really out there.
Had a great reminder of how special this place is this week. A couple of newbies were out fishing for 4 days, and each day upon their return I would attempt to question them as to the fishing they had. They would go on and on about the whales, dolphin, sea lions and other denizens of the briny that they had encountered, and then go on to the fishing, which was pretty darned good. I forget, sometimes dulled by exposure, about how special this place is, not just as a fishing destination. They have threatened to return with an assortment of children and grand children, and that my friend is a good thing.
Have Fun,
David

The Dead of Winter

 Patience runs out on the junkie
The dark side hires another soul
Did he steal his fate or earn it
Was he force-fed, did he learn it
Whatever happened to his precious self control

Like him I'm tired of trying to heal
This tom-cat heart with which I'm blessed
Is destruction loving's twin
Must I choose to lose or win
Maybe when my turn comes I will have guessed

These are the horns of the dilemma
What truth is proof against all lies
When sacred fails before profane
The wisest man is deemed insane
Even the purest of romantics compromise
  
And so I wrestle with the angel
To see who'll reap the seeds I sow
Am I the driver or the driven
Will I be damned to be forgiven
Is there anybody e ea here who needs to know but me?

From "Victim or the Crime" by Geritt Graham and Robert Weir

 Introspection or just like riddles? Well one thing is fo' sure, winter is a time when too much thinkin' can occur. For those of you who are freezing, literally, our condolences, but where ever you've chosen to live these months, with temperatures that make bouncin' outta bed in the morning that much more difficult, when the long dark hours make life seem even more obscure, and it makes the creekin' of your aging bones almost audible are not among the best, it's still home. Sure, some of you like speeding over frozen water, our Nipponese brothers use the Northern Lights as an excuse to mate (do those women really fall for THAT?) and others of you, like Brother Fishface Greeley swear that it feels so good when it stops, but I ain't buyin' any o' that. Maybe it's like those bad days of fishing, they just make us appreciate the good days that much more (Oh Damn, I'm startin' to sound like BFG!), or maybe that's just my own bullshit to get it over with. We've had northern wind almost continually this winter. Temps have been cold, for us, and hot chocolate has replaced the ice water in front of the idiot box at night. "Get over it!" you say, and you're right, let's look on the brighter side- with all of this wind the yellowtail are but a few short weeks away, each day will be a little longer than yesterday, we don't have to scrape ice of the pangas, I'm still wearing sandals, HEY, it ain't all that bad, and it's getting better.Take that you nattering nabobs of negativism (remember that?), put THAT in your pipe and smoke it, and use that to warm your hands. It'll be over soon.
David

Stay Tuned For Your Next Exciting Adventure

When I awoke, the Dire Wolf, six hundred pounds of sin,
Was grinning at my window, and I said "Well come on in"
The wolf came in, I got my cards, we sat down for a game,
I cut the cards to the Queen of Spades, but the cards were all the same.


2013 is scattering to the past. Like mercury splashing and rolling on the floor it will soon scurry into the corners and exit through the cracks. But before it becomes just a pile of fallen calendar petals, lets take a look back at some pretty good stuff what happened:
First and foremost on the fishing front in our front yard at Las Arenas we had an absolutely stellar year for big dorado. As we headed into June we were besieged with dorado such that a 30 pounder was nothing special on the beach. The day that stands out for me was one on which we had 8 boats that took 40 dorado, with the smallest at 38 lbs. and the biggest kissin' 60. Usually males of this size are solo or in pairs (don't go there!) and you have to hunt to find them. During the Onslaught of 2013 they were looking for you. As some of these fish took well over an hour to land, it often wasn't the amount of fish available that limited the catch, but the lack of time. While we are accustomed to good dorado fishing here, pretty much year in and year out, having customers return, beaten up and with equipment broken down is usually reserved for our runs of big tuna, but this year the dorado reeked havoc on backs and fishing line. We had our runs of tuna, dogs, and wahoo, but the amount and size of the dorado was the stand out event of this past year. From a business stand point, we had a several new groups of folks come down this year to augment the regulars, and hope that they too become often seen.
This year at Mag Bay was a good one as well. The biggest new card in the hand was the arrival, in the nick by the way, of our new boat. She's a 31' Ocean Master, built in Florida to handle the rigorous Gulf Stream trips, and she's just a flat out fishing machine. Complimented with a brace of 250 hp outboards her range and seaworthiness are without compare. Also new to the boat was an officially USCG licensed Captain, Chris Jones. Chris and this boat now remind me of Timmy and Lassie, hard to tell where one stops and the other begins. Bobo has christened her The Dire Wolf, and she's a beast. Captain Chris and his band of hand picked brigands not only made a lot of customers into true believers this year, the team also took high money team in the annual Pesca Tournament in San Carlos in their spare time. We'll be making a few improvements on her this year, but this is getting down to the 1200 grit paper. As a side note we will be running The Wolf out of La Paz during the year, taking groups of 4 on some trips to take advantage of her range and comfort. Also on the list of steps forward on the Pacific side was the expansion of our house to three bedrooms, and the addition of an outdoor kitchen con palapa. Our intention is to run 2 boats next year, and accomodate 6 persons per week. Stay tuned for news on boat #2.
On the home front, much familial progress was made as well. As I continue to desiccate and fear grows of the nest high wind, the next generations is proceeding with acumen and alacrity. Glynnis has become bona fide school teacher, and is the Spanish department at her school in Santa Paula. Happy as a bivalve and under full sale she is a sight to behold. Kelly is getting ready to transfer to SF State, holding down a couple of jobs, carving great grades, and continuing to dance, both in and out of the studio. These two have got it going right now, and with the aforementioned testimonial from the USCG for Chris they are starting to stretch out and flex their stuff. Jane is continuing to both teach at a high school here in La Paz, and to tutor from home, while she handles and maintains a very difficult and challenging room mate.
So as you can see, like the rest of you we are doing our best to turn some of the ubiquitous lemons that seem to be everywhere into limonada. I know that you are working the same project for yourselves and yours', and I wish you bon chance in these endeavors. I hope that our paths will cross in the coming year, remember that you are always welcome here, hell, I'll even put on a clean T shirt.
Take Care and Be Happy,
David