Cabo Sport Fishing is Like a Box of Chocolates

As Forrest Gump would say, you never know what you're

going to get.

Not too many things get me more excited than the prospect

of hooking and landing big fish. The mere thought of setting

the hook on a 300 pound marlin, hearing the scream of the

drag as the fish pulls off line and watching the acrobatic

leaps that follow really gets my heart pumping. Fortunately

for me, a two and a half hour flight and a 30-minute drive is

all it takes to find myself in the "billfish capital of the world".

What more can a sport fisherman ask for?

Well, for starters, variety. Just like biting into a randomly

selected piece of chocolate, when you set out the trolling

lures here in Los Cabos in search of the next big one, you

just don't know what it will be. Different seasons bring

different possibilities as does different sides of the Baja

peninsula. The diversity of game fish here never ceases to

amaze me and even a slow day on the water offers the

opportunity to see some of the oceans greatest creatures.

Whales, porpoise, sea turtles and bat rays that often school

by the hundreds and perform what almost appears to be a

choreographed routine of synchronized jumps. On a spring

trip to Cabo in late march of this year, my partner Dolores

Peralta and I had another opportunity to experience the

diversity of life in these nutrient rich waters.

Jacqueline "Jacquie" Lee, owner of Guerita II, set us up for

two days of fishing with Captain Efren Beron Zamora and

crewman Jesus Alfredo Espinoza. Efren has a lifetime of

experience as an angler, guide and captain and has a love

of the ocean that rubs off on crew and passenger alike. The

Guerita II is a tournament rigged 34-foot Crystaliner

equipped with everything the avid angler could need or ask

for _ Shimano Tiagra 50 wide LRS & Penn International

reels, Shimano Black Steel IGFA rods and an outstanding

selection of lures, this wide-beamed fishing machine

boasts top-of-the-line electronics to help get you on the bite

fast.

We arrived at the docks at 6:30 in the morning, a little late for

Captain Efren's liking as he planned on running out about

30-40 miles in search of warm, blue water where he hoped

to put us on striped marlin and tuna. While waiting on our

arrival Efren had already loaded up on live bait from the

pangeros that supply the fleets and with no delay, we were

on our way. Winds this time of the year can be unpredictable

and on this day, the winds helped build a fairly large swell.

We motored our way out to sea on a bumpy but dry ride to

the fishing grounds. Once he found the water conditions that

best provided the chance for large billfish, he switched

driving positions to the tall tuna tower while Alfredo began to

set out our spread of lures. Purple and orange Zukers set

out at the fifth wake behind the boat, trolling feathers in pink

and white and Mexican flag patterns on the third wake and a

dark colored Marauder set close to the boat.

A few hours passed as we crisscrossed areas where

colder water met warmer, Efren's eyes trained on the

surface scanning for signs that fish were near - circling and

diving birds, the tail of a marlin cruising for its next meal, a

pod of porpoise balling bait. None of the usual signs

appeared until Efren's eagle eyes spotted a feeder, a

marlin

actively working the ocean surface. A quick turn of the boat

and a punch of the throttle controls placed us in the perfect

position to present our spread of lures to the fish. The

marlin took notice and struck one of the lures back at the

fifth wake. The jigstrike started our adrenalin flowing and we

scrambled to the deck to ready for a battle. The marlin let

loose the lure just as Alfredo cast a live bait back to entice a

bite. After a few tense moments, the marlin took the bait, the

reel left in free spool in order to give it time to fully take the

bait. Flipping the reel into locked position followed by three

to four strong and sharp lifts of the rod tip set the hook on a

good sized striped marlin.

Dolores took her position in one of the two fighting chairs

mounted on the stern and within seconds the marlin was

giving us a show. Several vertical leaps and violent shakes

of its broad head and the fight began. The key to landing

marlin is the hook set. Everything depends on whether or

not the hook was in the right position when the hook set is

made. Many times, the marlin takes the bait only partially

and the hook never pierces the mouth fully when the set is

made. Unfortunately, this was one of those times. Shortly

after the first series of jumps was made, a second series

began and on this series the hook was thrown and the fish

was lost. Spooked by the encounter, the marlin sounded

and was soon nowhere to be found.

We continued on in search of another marlin, my turn in the

chair coming next. A short while later, a starboard reel

started to scream. Nothing was visible on the surface so the

likelihood of it being a marlin was slim. From the strong pull

and speed of the fish, we thought it would be a tuna and

sure enough it was. The fight lasted only 5-10 minutes and

soon we had a twenty-pound yellowfin on deck.

The trolling continued and for several hours and we had

nothing to do but occasionally switch out lures and scan the

horizon for signs of life. Efren spotted a true prize in the form

of a swordfish. While these great eating game fish can be

found here most of the year, they prefer colder water so

spring is generally the best time of year for this sought after

species. Although the sword made a turn towards our

spread and a live bait was cast directly in front of it, this fish

was apparently well fed and no matter how appealing the

presentation, it would not take the bait or strike a lure. As

they say, that's why they call it fishing and not catching. The

balance of the day produced only suntans and relaxation.

On our second day on the Guerita II, we arrived at 5:30,

determined to beat Efren and Alfredo to the boat. Once

again, Efren had made it to the boat well before us and once

again, he had already baited up. If I didn't know better, I'd

say he must have slept on the boat just to make sure we

wouldn't arrive before him! We headed out, stopping off to

check in with the port authorities to present our manifest

and fishing licenses. A recent change in fiscal policies

keeps the revenues from fishing licenses within the state

where the activity is taking place. This restructuring has

apparently heightened the diligence of officials responsible

for ensuring that everyone on a boat possesses a valid

license, even those not fishing. Makes sense that if you get

to keep the money, you're more likely to make sure everyone

is playing by the rules and buying their licenses. Those that

did not have licenses in hand were sent back to the docks to

get them or there would be no fishing that day.

This day we decided to switch to the Sea of Cortez side of

the cape and concentrate our efforts on some of the

in-shore species that Los Cabos waters offer up. One of the

benefits of a pre-dawn start is the experience of viewing

some of the most spectacular sunrises you're likely to find

anywhere in the world. The skies here light up with all the

colors of an artists canvas with the endless reflection of the

ocean surface. Everything is bathed in reds, oranges and

yellows and the sky appears to be on fire. The sight alone

makes the trip worthwhile.

The Guerita II cut through the calmer waters of the Sea of

Cortez with ease by benefit of the natural windbreak that the

East Cape coast provides. We set out a mix of CD 4

Rapalas in a sardine pattern and started to work the

underwater ledges and rock piles in search of sierra or

Spanish mackerel, dorado or tuna. We ran across pods of

porpoise working bait schools to the surface. These

working pods often hold schools of tuna just below that pick

off bait from the edges of the bait ball but today, we found

just the porpoise. Off in the distance, Captain Efren spotted

surface activity and turned the Guerita towards it.

Within minutes we were surrounded by thousands of

Humboldt squid. Denizens of the northern most portion of

the Sea of Cortez, these alien looking creatures have slowly

made their way down to the southern tip of the Baja in recent

years. With tentacles reaching up out of the water like some

kind of extra terrestrial meat eating flower, we watched in

awe as they fed on floating red crab. Just about anything we

tossed into the water was immediately engulfed by the

toothy tentacles of the squid and with constant pressure and

slow pumps and reeling, we brought them to the gaff.

Legends abound about the ferocity and strength of the

Humboldt squid and while many of these tales are true "fish

stories", there is ample credible evidence of the potential

for injury and even death from these marine cephalopods.

Recently, a Discovery program featured an in-depth study of

the Humboldt squid in the Sea of Cortez. During times of

agitation, such as when these animals are being fished by

fleets of pangeros who make a significant share of their

income from the sale of the tasty beasts, they can and do

become very aggressive. One pangero spoke of his

encounter with the squid with fear and respect. While

working a large school, he lost his balance and fell into the

water. Within seconds, several five to six footers locked onto

him and began to pull him under, all the while biting into his

flesh with their impressive and powerful beaks. He

managed to free himself and make his way back to the

surface and into his panga, scared and exhausted. The

scars that he showed tell the tale all to well. He also told of

others that did not fair so well, never making back to the

surface.

While events like those have occurred, the squid are usually

no more than curious about visitors to their domain. It is the

frenzied activity caused by fishing these creatures that

creates the aggressive and often cannibalistic behavior.

Divers have been able to get up close and personal with

the Humboldt squid when no fishing pressure was present,

all without being attacked or harmed in any way. The

aggressive behavior and flashing of colors associated with

a feeding frenzy brought on by fishing pressure is simply not

a normal occurrence, but more a reaction to the situation at

hand. You need not fear the squid but make sure to stay

away from the business end. Tentacles with hundreds of

toothed suction cups lead to a bird-like beak with incredible

power. Ink on the other hand can reach you from

astonishing distances as my partner, Dolores, can testify.

While fighting a squid estimated at about fifty pounds, she

experienced the jet blast of a Humboldt squid firsthand. As

the squid was gaffed, Alfredo jumped off to the side leaving

Dolores directly in the path of what seemed to be gallons of

ink shooting from out of the squid. In a split second she was

covered head to toe in the slimy, dark liquid. Being the

trooper that she is, she laughed it off, wiped herself clean

and tossed her line back out to catch another one. By that

time we had been joined by over a dozen other charter

boats

and pangas and everywhere you looked, people were

battling these impressive animals. Great fun, an awesome

sight and great table fare was the end result. We left the

spot having boated 3 squid and cleaning the ink from the

deck of the boat.

Our next area of focus was just a few hundred feet from

shore working the reef structures that line the coast.

Catching eight to ten pound sierra on light tackle is an

experience I recommend highly. We picked off a few sierra

and even landed a small mako shark before we called it a

day and headed back in, all the while amazed at the beauty

of the azure blue and turquoise green waters of the Sea of

Cortez.

So if you are one to enjoy the ocean and the surprises that

such a aquatic paradise promises, fishing the waters of the

Pacific ocean and the Sea of Cortez in Los Cabos is a

dream come true. Finding the right boat and crew is of the

utmost importance in ensuring a successful and

memorable charter. When it comes to making that choice,

we can't recommend Jacqueline Lee's Guerita II and the

knowledge and hospitality of Captain Efren Beron Zamora

and crewman Jesus Alfredo Espinoza enough.

To book your trip, visit their site at

http://www.gueritasportfishing.com or call 011-52-624-143-4465

and tell them Cabo's Best told you all about them.

Richard Chudy and Dolores Peralta are the co-owners of http://CabosBest.com, a travel information portal for Los Cabos, Baja Sur, Mexico. An avid and frequent Cabo traveller, Richard brings his travel experiences to the web for others interested in exploring all that Cabo has to offer.

To reach him, email caborich@cabosbest.com or call 1-818-702-0876.

Copyright 2005 CabosBest.com