Photo Caption Contest #1

Everyone knew Dave had a fishing problem when he yelled "Stand aside - here comes the human gaff!"

Think you can top that? Post your caption below.

...and now meet his friends.

Mr. Sardinas has a few friends he likes to hang out with. Here they are at one of their many get togethers in the fall near La Paz. A passing diver caught them cavorting about. Just look at them partying like that..waiting for the delivery man to bring their "Mexican Flag" in thirty minutes or less.

Questions: Will there be "bird piles" to give them away like we see in the Bahamas? Are there frigates in the Sea of Cortez? I'm assuming yes but tell me what you've all seen in your travels there.

Meet Mr. Sardinas

Sardina or Flatiron Herring, Harengula thrissina: A prized and primary component of a purchased “scoop of bait.” Caught in the surf zone during the winter months, with water temperatures below 78 degrees, early morning in 5 to 10 foot deep water, utilizing a net cast by a panguero bait salesman. Size varies from 3 to 6 inches and they are virtually weightless. This very small “beast” is the mainstay of the Los Cabos sport fishing industry and a very simple rule of thumb is that if you have "sardinas" in your panga you will have a highly productive day, and if you don’t you won’t without major effort and a great deal of luck! Survives a panga “bait tank” at a high level provided that an adequate amount of water per sardine is present. Photo courtesy John Snow.


Questions: Would frozen sardinas be useful? I can probably bring some from here. Can we catch them ourselves? (Do we still have the net?) Should we anchor near the panga fleet on some days and buy them?

Do Fisherman Like La Paz?

ummmm...Yes! You might ask Mike B from Ohio. Here's what he had to say after he fished it.

"I caught the pargo at the south end of Cerralvo Island on 50-pound line. It was a great fight. The fish immediately went into the rocks. I could not budge him. I tried every trick in the book to coax him out. As I hung on and waited, I looked down and there was a layer of hundreds of needlefish and below them were hundreds of amberjacks."I could see at least 50 feet down. I hung on for about 15 minutes. I was just about ready to pull until the fish came out or broke off when I felt a slight movement. I pulled up hard and reeled down fast a few cranks, he was out of the rocks. I worked hard to get a few more cranks to get him away from the rocks. The fight was on. It took me about another 15 minutes to get him to the boat. When I saw him I knew he was something special."I love fishing around Cerralvo Island. I'm going back for a week this summer."The day I caught the pargo was my favorite day fishing ever. That day I started out early in the morning at the north end of Cerralvo. Immediately caught six bonita. Then I caught a 20-pound dorado. Then I caught three yellowfin tuna back-to-back-to-back. Two of them were about 80 pounds each and one was about 60 pounds. Then I caught a needlefish. Then a large sailfish."After all this I needed a break. I asked the panguero what else can we catch? He said pargo? I said okay. So I rested while we cruised to the south end of the island. I hooked a sardine in the butt so he would swim down. The pargo hit it right away. After I landed the pargo I caught four amberjack in a row."This was all by 11:30 a.m.! I told the panguero to take me back, I had had enough for the day. I went back to the pool. My wife asked why I was back so early. I told her I came back to spend time with her. The truth was I was beat, and she laughed and knew I was fibbing."Baja is great! I spent 15 days down there. Five in Cabo, five on the East Cape, and five in the La Paz area. I have tons of fish stories. This was my first trip down there. I am from Ohio but love ocean fishing. I go somewhere a couple times a year. By the way I really like the book Baja Catch. I read it twice before I went."

The seed has been planted.

I talked yesterday to Bob, owner of the Sea Fortuna. He's holding the boat for us Sep. 12 - 19, 2009. He'll mail me a packet with more details and a contract. I'll let you all know when we get to the tipping point for commitment and deposit. In the meantime, to whet your appetite, re-visit the Bimini Bound blog here. And please respond to this post - and start your own post too. Because planning is half the fun right?