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 never 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.
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.We motored our way out to sea on a bumpy but dry ride to the fishing grounds.
Once Efren found the water conditions that best provided a 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 were 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 to the fish. The marlin took notice and struck one of the lures back at the fifth wake. The jigstrike started our adrenaline 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 it. 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.
The key to landing marlin is the hook set. Everything depends on whether or not the hook is in the right position when the set is made. Many times, the marlin takes the bait only partially and the hook never pierces the mouth fully. Unfortunately, this was one of those times. Shortly after the first series of jumps was made, a second series began and in this series, the hook was thrown and the fish was lost. Spooked bythe encounter, the marlin sounded and was soon nowhere to be found.
We continued on searching for 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 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 much 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 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. This day we decided to switch to the Sea of Cortez side of the cape and concentrate our efforts on some of the inshore 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.
Our next area of focus was just a few hundred feet from shore working the reef structures that line the coast. Catching eight to twelve 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.
