Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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Big Baja Fish
El Hablador
There is a club for liars. I think the official name is the International Liars Club. I do not know the requirements for membership. From time to
time, on a slow news day, perhaps you can recall, like me, reading or hearing about their annual meeting/contest and the announcement of the winner of
the year. The winner, that is, of the biggest lie contest. I can't guess at what other things could jam the busy schedule of this once-a-year gala
but the lie-off, I'm sure, is the big thing for these folks. The liar who won in l989, took the honors with "I once met an honest fisherman".
I have been a fisherman all my life and, like most fishermen, everywhere, I can take good-natured kidding. This Liars Club thing just went too far.
It is a sad commentary on the media people when they publish hurtful things just for the sake of profit. I suppose, in this case, they felt
comfortable publishing such slanderous stuff because "fishermen" are such a large and diverse group. They believed that if they offended everyone who
fished, the insult would be diluted by the number of people they slammed.
Who are these "fishermen"? The term almost defies definition -- I will give you my idea of the kind of people who are not in the group. A true
fisherman is not a person, age 71, who for the first, last and only time was invited to go fishing, in a boat, on a lake. We are talking about a
group of people, who, once hooked, cannot NOT GO FISHING. These are not people with a hobby or a passion, they are analogous to groups called "people
who eat food" and "people who breath air".
Where the rumor started, that fishermen lie, I do not know. If I were pressed I would have to say it had something to do with the description of the
fish they didn?t land; those wiley creatures that evaded capture. The ones that got off the hook right at the boat, shore, ledge, bow, log, ice, etc.
The fish are gone and can't set these stories straight but I can tell you there is a big, big gap between an out and out lie and a little
exaggeration. Even in the Mexican culture here in my little fishing village in Baja California Sur, the distinction is very clear. A liar is a
"mentiroso", one who tells untruths but an "hablador" is a storyteller, a teller of tales.
If I'm right, it's this occasional exaggeration about a lost fish that keeps the fire burning. Is it impossible that out there, in every fishable
body of water, are fish that are unusually large and strong and aggressive? Is it so hard to believe that these anomalies of the fish world exist?
If they are bigger and stronger and fight harder, does it not follow that they are the very ones most likely to escape?
Where are these wondrous fish? Did they all die? Are they still out there waiting to be caught? I've been pondering this for a long time. I
dreamed of fishing the waters of the Sea of Cortez when I was just a kid. My dream began to come true 30 years ago--I have been able to fish this
wonderful sea on vacation outings almost every year while I worked in the U.S. and now that I am retired here I can jump into my little "panga"
fishing boat anytime the urge strikes me.
There are grumblers complaining that the Sea of Cortez is "fished out". "It's not like it used to be", "the long-liners have got em all", "the
shrimp boats have ruined everything", "the hotel boats and commercial fishermen have damn near wiped them out", etc.,etc. These comments, and worse,
mostly from fishermen who lack skill or luck. Lately I have heard happier banter right here in my village. The fishermen here, "pangueros", are
talking about the "pez de historia", the "story fish" that still abound. Some say they sometimes school up and they have been seen around Cerralvo
Island, north of here and as far south as Punta Frailes. I believe them.
Exactly 12 days ago Julio and I were trolling slowly with dead macerela at the nine mile mark -- west to east, looking for scum lines or signs of
surface action. At 10:20 my big Penn reel went off, singing a loud, sweet song of disappearing 80 pound tournament mono. We could not believe our
eyes when a huge Dorado, estimated at 150 pounds, almost seven foot of fish, went thrashing at the end of my line. Since the largest Dorado caught in
this area, in all of known fishing records, was 76 pounds you know our hearts were at full throttle and all the juices were flowing. My 55 HP Johnson
outboard motor thrust the small craft forward to set the hook deep in the mouth of the monster. He was hooked good, took two more beautiful leaps,
took another 150 yards of line in what seemed like parts of a second. Julio took the helm and was after him, I reeled as fast as the brute would
allow and just as we both felt good about the control, the line went slack.
I did not hang my head about the loss of this great fish -- I finally got my chance at a "pez de historia" and now have a genuine fish tale to tell
my kids and grandkids (and anyone else who will listen). I?m just glad it happened now, before all the big ones disappear.
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Sallysouth
Super Nomad
Posts: 1835
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Capo Beach
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Mood: missing Baja...
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Great tale Osprey! I think you qualify as a true "Hablador"!!P.S. I believe you!!
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Ken Bondy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3326
Registered: 12-13-2002
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Mood: Mellow
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Great story Osprey. You should make it into a book. Add some fluff about Julio and Baja and get it published. For a title how's about "The _______
Man and the Sea"?? Fill in the blank with "Young", "Crazy", "Middleaged", or whatever fits. Remember, "Old" has been taken. Or, "El Gran Hablador y
El Mar", if you write it in Spanish 
++Ken++
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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2 comments
Two comments, Osprey:
(a) that was a nice piece of literature.
(b) Yes, you are a fisherman.
Actually there is one other thing. Are you sure about that 150 lbs? I guess, I should just read the title of your post. Just kidding - if you say it's
150 then it's 150.
By the way, did you know I lost one last year that was probably 155?
[Edited on 6-13-2005 by Skipjack Joe]
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Skeet/Loreto
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4709
Registered: 9-2-2003
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Great Story Osprey!
After fishing the Great Sea of cortez. I can hear and feel the Sing of your line!
As you know each time I see a Post "That the Sea of cortez is fished Out" I try to take them to Task with 35 years Experience..
Keep on fishing and I hope the next one is bigger!
Skeet/Loreto
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Frank
Senior Nomad
Posts: 861
Registered: 6-5-2005
Location: San Diego
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Mood: Is it time to leave yet?
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Great story. Nice release! 71? Incredible, you are living the good life my friend.
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3499
Registered: 8-27-2003
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The other end of the spectrum......
Great story Osprey! I can't even imagine a 7' dorado.
Today, I spent a wonderful 4 hours on a small tributary of the Rubican and caught tiny 4" and 5"rainbows, still with their spar marks, on #16 flies
that now take me 10 mintues to tie on as I can't seem to see the end of the tippet anymore. Damn fine day.
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bajaden
Nomad
Posts: 496
Registered: 4-7-2005
Location: Ensenada
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Mood: vicarious
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Did I ever tell you the story about the 326 pound channel cat I caught in the mississippi river. Oh well, another time. Yours was more exciting. Great
story........
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
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Mood: good
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Great story
Osprey,there,s nothing Ive enjoyed more over the years than to sit around a fire with the boys ,a couple of beers and tell tales of our experiences
in our lives especially
fishing stories.
Being older guys like we are that can cover a lot of ground,there was the time I had a fish fish on for a little over two hours in a LAKE in
wash.,followed that fish all over the lake,never saw him,then there was the time I had hooked a fish at Guadelupe island,it was midnight and lost him
at 1:30 never saw him,I think of both often.
Turned 71 a few days and have been thinking of such things more lately,twilight years I guess.
The one thing I miss most is the way my body responds to given situations,we just are,nt what we used to be.
I,m losing muscle,hearing the prostates acting up,but most of all my vision is going which brings me to my question,did you have your
glasses on when you hooked that great fish?
GREAT story though.
BAITCAST
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