My friend Bob gave me a call last week reminding me of the great fishing we enjoyed a few years ago in Loreto after hurricane Marty hit Baja. The reason for the tremendous catch, according to the locals, is the great deal of debris that washes out to the sea along with nutrients to form shade on the sea . Fish congregate under it just waiting for skillful anglers like us. Well hurricane Jimena did the same thing a week and a half ago so we gathered our gear, made flight reservations, gathered our passports and of we went. We invited our friends; Javier had a prior commitment and Jorge quietly demur, he was not allowed to go. So we had to leave them behind. Sorry boys maybe next time. Bobby sadly uttered, "que lastima". I retorted apathetically "pues, ni modo". I can still visualize the sadness on their faces as we left without them.
With everything ready we left early for the airport, after boarding the plane, we had couple of thirst quencher and before we knew it we were landing, less than two hours, in Loreto International airport a tranquil, peaceful, small place with only one airplane on the ground at a time. Very relaxing after the turbulent pace at LAX.
Loreto, Baja California Sur was founded by the Jesuits around 1667. At one time it was the seat of government for all of the Californias. You can find beautiful historical building such as the mission our Lady of Loreto built in 1752. Or if you are interested in geology or anthropology take a study tour to many of the cave painting and hieroglyphic left by the early inhabitants thousandths of years ago. If marine biology or diving is your preference, you can take an Eco-tour to the Loreto Bay National Marine Park, christened by Jacques Cousteau as the aquarium of the world because of the majestic specimens of sea life, which can only be found in Loreto bay.
But we were here for fishing, upon arrival to our hotel we took inventory of all the equipment we would need for the following days. We made our arrangement through Blue Water fishing tours in Long Beach CA; bluewatertours@charter.net they took care of everything in a prompt professional manner. Once in Loreto all we had to do was to make contact with the Arturo's fishing fleet to insure everything was in order. Now it was time to relax by the pool with our margaritas until dinnertime.
(Bob making friends at Augies) (Bob and his special dinner friend)
The following morning a representative from Arturo's met us at our hotel and transported us to the marina, we purchased our fishing licence and bait. A box lunch, water ice and soft drinks were provided by Arturo's and of we went for our first day of fishing in the calm Sea of Cotez. We met a few anglers who wished to make their own bait, they thought $15.00 dollars was too much to pay, we met them again at sea a few hours later, they had no live bait, their lures and jigs were not attracting fish. They wondered if they could purchase some bait from us. Now as good sportsmen we shared our live bait with them. I would advice you purchase bait, it takes too long for you to catch bait and you are loosing the valuable time before the sun rises, you still have a boat ride of at least an hour to reach the fishing grounds. Further, you all ready paid too much money and come too far to worry about fifteen dollars for bait. Don't haggle, the price is set it's a commodity priced according to the local market.You pay much more in the states for bait.
As any experienced angler will tell you the first thing you hear from the local fishing guides that yesterday was a great fishing day or last week. As we headed our guides tells us; "ojala que tengamos suerte" let's hope for good luck. This is the usual disclaimer for all the previous boasting of past great fishing. The trepidations in our guides' voice changed as he stoically exclaims "pero le vamos hacer la lucha" this means more than just we are going to try hard, it connotes challenge between you vs the sea and the fish, we are going to have to fight for every single bite. Why? well... Loreto just completed hosting the International Dorado Fishing tournament the day we flew in and according to the reports half of the anglers failed to hook any fish and the winning fish was not a great specimen.
With all of this negative information, I must admit to you I was a little shaken. How can it be? things suddenly didn't seem very promising. What happened to the excellent conditions after the hurricane? The constant record size fish caught in past tournaments? The fishing news from last week said that fish were jumping into the boats? Yes I was a little shaken but not for long, because I brought a secret weapon with me. Any experienced angler, you must have one in order to have continuous productivity and high yield over the long run. Bob is my secret weapon, a high yielding machine! an angler with the golden touch, he can catch a fish with a rusty nail and a shoelace in the LA river. A fish catching apparatus, a man with Polaroid vision, a human depth fish finder. He can identify a fish by it's shadow, underwater and from the ripple pattern of the water. He can tell you the speed the weight and the color of their eyes fifty feet away. With bulls-eye accuracy he can cast a hooked sardine sixty yards on to the face of an incoming dorado, rooster or yellow tail. Once the fish is on it's just a matter of repetition. Our fishing guide exclaimed "que barbaro", fish have no chance. This is not a fishing tall tale. I strongly encourage you fisherman out there to get yourselves a Bob, one of those anglers who can't miss regardless of conditions or seasons, forget about the full moon, high sun or fast currents!
When the captain and I congratulated Bob on his good luck "buena suerte" he felt insulted and he pummelled, with a high pitch voice he exclaimed "this is not luck it's hard work! it's more than just throwing a line out there!... there are three ways to fish Loreto, he advised, one is casting a shiny spoon or jig, my favorite is a 7 in. chrome crocodile or light blue jig" he added, "today I prefer drifting a live bait, hook you bait on the hard part of the nose... do not" he admonished, "just cast you line out there and then sit and rest your pole on the holder, you need constant connection with
(The master angler showing his catch, top/buttom)
your pole in order to feel the fish nibbling on your bait" he demonstrated, "when you feel the strike don't rush to set the hook, let the fish enjoy the bait, let it runs a little bit, now! gently but forcefully, set the hook!!... don't jerk your pole or you will pull the bait right out of its mouth" , he warned. Well it worked for him he out fished me three-to- one. Bob favors a light casting pole about 7 ft. with a casting reel full of 17-20 lb. line, "nothing heavier than 20 lbs." he added. Well... friends
that why I like bringing "Good old Bob" fishing. At the end of the day we had a cooler full of fillets. Speaking of fillets, We would encourage you to stay with the person who fillets you catch, although the operators of the fishing fleets such as Arturo's are honest, hard working business men, we always end up with less frozen fillets than we start with. I would suggest that you count the number of bags after each day and write the number of the total of the bags and inform the owner/operator of the total number of bags you leave each day for the freezer, In reality, we really don't know how many people have access to the freezers. Make sure the hotel name and room number is also on the bags. There are a number of persons who handle the bags, from the person cleaning, filleting and bagging the fish and storing it. The bags are stored in large freezer with the catch from other "pangas" skiffs. The number of people who have access to the fish is unknown. But what we do know is that by the end of your trip there are less bags of fish to be found. We are sure that like us, you leave generous tips to everyone that provides a service to you and although we are sympathetic to the predicaments of the workers, remember we are paying good money for their services, it is very disappointing to see part of our catch disappear. This was the only discouraging part of our trip.
Would we go fishing to Loreto again? yes we have been coming here for years, it's a beautiful town. The people are warm and friendly, it's a peaceful and safe place. Would we fish with Arturo's again? yes, we fished with him many times before. Ask for Anthony he works hard for you and is not one of those "pangeros", fishing guides who is hurrying you to return to shore. If you are in a hot streak he is helpful and willing to assist you. We would also recommend Blue water fishing tours to plan your trip. For the best accommodations at reasonable prices, Hacienda Suites (866)207-8732 at the entrance of town on Salvatierra St.. For the best stakes we recommend El nido, next door to Hacienda Suites. The best nachos and coldest beer, with peaceful view of the sea, Desert Inn formerly La Pinta. The best tacos, El gran burro on Miguel Hidalgo, one block south of Salvatierra St. turn right at the only traffic light in Loreto. For those who feel they have been hanging around the locals too long, go have a drink and snack at Augie's on calle de la playa street, south of miguel Hidalgo street one block south, parallel to the malecon this is an expats. hangout. You know what anthropologist say, species of the same order like to stick with each other now and then. For the best Margaritas you'll have to go to LA or Long Beach, for the best fish tacos we recommend La bufadora in Irwindale CA. Sorry Loreto.
Loreto, Baja California Sur was founded by the Jesuits around 1667. At one time it was the seat of government for all of the Californias. You can find beautiful historical building such as the mission our Lady of Loreto built in 1752. Or if you are interested in geology or anthropology take a study tour to many of the cave painting and hieroglyphic left by the early inhabitants thousandths of years ago. If marine biology or diving is your preference, you can take an Eco-tour to the Loreto Bay National Marine Park, christened by Jacques Cousteau as the aquarium of the world because of the majestic specimens of sea life, which can only be found in Loreto bay.
But we were here for fishing, upon arrival to our hotel we took inventory of all the equipment we would need for the following days. We made our arrangement through Blue Water fishing tours in Long Beach CA; bluewatertours@charter.net they took care of everything in a prompt professional manner. Once in Loreto all we had to do was to make contact with the Arturo's fishing fleet to insure everything was in order. Now it was time to relax by the pool with our margaritas until dinnertime.
(Bob making friends at Augies) (Bob and his special dinner friend)
The following morning a representative from Arturo's met us at our hotel and transported us to the marina, we purchased our fishing licence and bait. A box lunch, water ice and soft drinks were provided by Arturo's and of we went for our first day of fishing in the calm Sea of Cotez. We met a few anglers who wished to make their own bait, they thought $15.00 dollars was too much to pay, we met them again at sea a few hours later, they had no live bait, their lures and jigs were not attracting fish. They wondered if they could purchase some bait from us. Now as good sportsmen we shared our live bait with them. I would advice you purchase bait, it takes too long for you to catch bait and you are loosing the valuable time before the sun rises, you still have a boat ride of at least an hour to reach the fishing grounds. Further, you all ready paid too much money and come too far to worry about fifteen dollars for bait. Don't haggle, the price is set it's a commodity priced according to the local market.You pay much more in the states for bait.
As any experienced angler will tell you the first thing you hear from the local fishing guides that yesterday was a great fishing day or last week. As we headed our guides tells us; "ojala que tengamos suerte" let's hope for good luck. This is the usual disclaimer for all the previous boasting of past great fishing. The trepidations in our guides' voice changed as he stoically exclaims "pero le vamos hacer la lucha" this means more than just we are going to try hard, it connotes challenge between you vs the sea and the fish, we are going to have to fight for every single bite. Why? well... Loreto just completed hosting the International Dorado Fishing tournament the day we flew in and according to the reports half of the anglers failed to hook any fish and the winning fish was not a great specimen.
With all of this negative information, I must admit to you I was a little shaken. How can it be? things suddenly didn't seem very promising. What happened to the excellent conditions after the hurricane? The constant record size fish caught in past tournaments? The fishing news from last week said that fish were jumping into the boats? Yes I was a little shaken but not for long, because I brought a secret weapon with me. Any experienced angler, you must have one in order to have continuous productivity and high yield over the long run. Bob is my secret weapon, a high yielding machine! an angler with the golden touch, he can catch a fish with a rusty nail and a shoelace in the LA river. A fish catching apparatus, a man with Polaroid vision, a human depth fish finder. He can identify a fish by it's shadow, underwater and from the ripple pattern of the water. He can tell you the speed the weight and the color of their eyes fifty feet away. With bulls-eye accuracy he can cast a hooked sardine sixty yards on to the face of an incoming dorado, rooster or yellow tail. Once the fish is on it's just a matter of repetition. Our fishing guide exclaimed "que barbaro", fish have no chance. This is not a fishing tall tale. I strongly encourage you fisherman out there to get yourselves a Bob, one of those anglers who can't miss regardless of conditions or seasons, forget about the full moon, high sun or fast currents!
When the captain and I congratulated Bob on his good luck "buena suerte" he felt insulted and he pummelled, with a high pitch voice he exclaimed "this is not luck it's hard work! it's more than just throwing a line out there!... there are three ways to fish Loreto, he advised, one is casting a shiny spoon or jig, my favorite is a 7 in. chrome crocodile or light blue jig" he added, "today I prefer drifting a live bait, hook you bait on the hard part of the nose... do not" he admonished, "just cast you line out there and then sit and rest your pole on the holder, you need constant connection with
(The master angler showing his catch, top/buttom)
your pole in order to feel the fish nibbling on your bait" he demonstrated, "when you feel the strike don't rush to set the hook, let the fish enjoy the bait, let it runs a little bit, now! gently but forcefully, set the hook!!... don't jerk your pole or you will pull the bait right out of its mouth" , he warned. Well it worked for him he out fished me three-to- one. Bob favors a light casting pole about 7 ft. with a casting reel full of 17-20 lb. line, "nothing heavier than 20 lbs." he added. Well... friends
that why I like bringing "Good old Bob" fishing. At the end of the day we had a cooler full of fillets. Speaking of fillets, We would encourage you to stay with the person who fillets you catch, although the operators of the fishing fleets such as Arturo's are honest, hard working business men, we always end up with less frozen fillets than we start with. I would suggest that you count the number of bags after each day and write the number of the total of the bags and inform the owner/operator of the total number of bags you leave each day for the freezer, In reality, we really don't know how many people have access to the freezers. Make sure the hotel name and room number is also on the bags. There are a number of persons who handle the bags, from the person cleaning, filleting and bagging the fish and storing it. The bags are stored in large freezer with the catch from other "pangas" skiffs. The number of people who have access to the fish is unknown. But what we do know is that by the end of your trip there are less bags of fish to be found. We are sure that like us, you leave generous tips to everyone that provides a service to you and although we are sympathetic to the predicaments of the workers, remember we are paying good money for their services, it is very disappointing to see part of our catch disappear. This was the only discouraging part of our trip.
Would we go fishing to Loreto again? yes we have been coming here for years, it's a beautiful town. The people are warm and friendly, it's a peaceful and safe place. Would we fish with Arturo's again? yes, we fished with him many times before. Ask for Anthony he works hard for you and is not one of those "pangeros", fishing guides who is hurrying you to return to shore. If you are in a hot streak he is helpful and willing to assist you. We would also recommend Blue water fishing tours to plan your trip. For the best accommodations at reasonable prices, Hacienda Suites (866)207-8732 at the entrance of town on Salvatierra St.. For the best stakes we recommend El nido, next door to Hacienda Suites. The best nachos and coldest beer, with peaceful view of the sea, Desert Inn formerly La Pinta. The best tacos, El gran burro on Miguel Hidalgo, one block south of Salvatierra St. turn right at the only traffic light in Loreto. For those who feel they have been hanging around the locals too long, go have a drink and snack at Augie's on calle de la playa street, south of miguel Hidalgo street one block south, parallel to the malecon this is an expats. hangout. You know what anthropologist say, species of the same order like to stick with each other now and then. For the best Margaritas you'll have to go to LA or Long Beach, for the best fish tacos we recommend La bufadora in Irwindale CA. Sorry Loreto.
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