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Fisherman seeks adventure, fun and fishing grounds on 23-day Baja quest
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/outdoors/20041002-9999-...
By Ed Zieralski
October 2, 2004
A quick glance at Marshall Madruga's itinerary shows how unique his Sea of Cortez adventure aboard a 15-foot boat is going to be.
"Fishing and camping in an undetermined area due to the length and remoteness of this stretch" is one entry. "Stay overnight in an undetermined spot"
is another.
That place called "undetermined spot" appears often in his itinerary, but Madruga wouldn't have it any other way. His travel agents for this trip are
Imagination and Wanderlust.
Madruga now is on the fourth day of a 23-day, 950-mile one-way journey through inshore waters of the length of the Sea of Cortez, Baja's eastern
waterway. It is a seafaring venture that does not appear to have been born from any personal or spiritual quest for enlightenment or discovery.
On the contrary, Madruga, 36, has kept the purpose, goals and objectives of his adventurous trip simple and forthright, eliminating the possibility
that someone might read some transcendental or spiritual meaning into the journey.
"I just want to have fun on this trip," Madruga said. "I want to show the fishing community and the general public a first-hand, day-by-day,
mile-by-mile experience of Baja and the Sea of Cortez. I want them to know what they'll need to know if they want to go there, what to expect and how
inexpensive it really is. Most of all, though, I want to eliminate all or any of the preconceived notions, past and present, and bad publicity that
hovers like a black cloud over Mexico and in turn affects its tourist industry.
"I just want to show how safe, relaxing, enjoyable, beautiful and adventuresome Baja California really is."
Introduced to fishing at the age of 7, Madruga has been consumed by angling and various ventures related to fishing ever since. He remembers spotting
swordfish for his commercial fishing father, Bill, when he was 8.
While at Humboldt State, where he earned his fisheries biology degree, he learned the ancient Japanese art form of gyotaku ? or fish printing ? in a
class he took in 1992. He mastered the technique, and after returning to San Diego, used it to decorate surfboards, designer clothing, snowboards and
skateboards. Japanese samurai invented gyotaku to certify their catches at sportfishing contests. Madruga took it to another level here by decorating
modern man's toys and clothing and making lasting prints of world-record fish.
But it all began with his own fishing and catching.
"The minute I hooked my first fish I was hooked on fishing and couldn't wait to go again," he said. "The only problem was I had to wait for my dad to
come home from three-month long commercial tuna fishing trips to go again."
Knowing he had to get on the water more, Madruga took up sailing on an 8-foot Sabot and quickly learned seamanship.
From the Sabot he moved to a 10-foot inflatable with a 10-horsepower motor, and used that craft to venture out to the Coronado Islands at the tender
age of 12. Later trips included going 25 miles out on a 13-foot aluminum boat with a 10-horsepower Honda motor, followed by going farther offshore for
tuna and marlin in a 14-foot Klamath with a 15-horsepower motor.
Madruga always dreamed of catching a fish as big or bigger than the boat he was in, and in 1997 he did just that, boating a 103.3-pound striped marlin
in his 14-foot Klamath aluminum boat.
But his angling hasn't been restricted to small boats. Madruga holds the International Game Fish Association all-tackle record for the 28-pound,
6-ounce California sheephead he caught Nov. 4, 1999 aboard captain Art Taylor's Searcher while on a long-range trip at Isla Roca Partida of Mexico's
Revillagigedo Islands.
He's caught big fish and world-record fish, but now he's on what can only be considered a fishing adventure of a lifetime.
"In the last year I've gone into Baja on five different occasions," Madruga said. "I've been searching and going to the most remote locations
possible, conquering the worst roads and trails imaginable while trailering a lightweight aluminum boat, just to get a taste of the most unique and
mind-blowing fishing and landscape anyone could experience."
He believes this trip will capture a part of the Baja peninsula that remains unexplored. He figures to fish for more than 20 different inshore species
of fish and camp in the remotest areas possible.
All of it will be documented by a journal, some will be captured on video, and he plans to take as many pictures as he can to present it all later.
Much of what he finds will be invaluable to Sea of Cortez travelers.
Madruga isn't sure what he'll do with all the material and data, but he said some of his options include doing a documentary, a fishing and adventure
series for TV and a book.
No matter how he presents it later, Madruga knows he'll be showing adventurers and fishermen the best of those "undetermined spots" of the Sea of
Cortez.
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Baja journey
Marshall Madruga left Wednesday on a 23-day, 950-mile journey on the Sea of Cortez. He will cover an area that starts just below San Felipe and ends
at Cabo San Lucas, all aboard his 15-foot Bayrunner boat powered by a 30-horsepower Honda motor. A support crew includes a camera man in the boat and
another driving and keeping pace on land in a pickup with a camper, towing a trailer to carry the boat back to San Diego. His itinerary:
Day 1: Drive from San Diego to below San Felipe and put in at Okie Landing, one hour south of Puertocitos.
Day 2: Fish the Enchanted Islands to Gonzaga Bay (Rancho Grande).
Day 3: Gonzaga Bay to Calamajue.
Day 4 : Calamajue to Bahia de Los Angeles (Punta La Gringa), with an option to add an extra day of fishing and camping at an undetermined area due to
the length and remoteness of this stretch.
Day 5: Bahia de Los Angeles to Las Animas.
Day 6: Las Animas to Punta San Francisquito.
Day 7: Fish Lorenzo Island and Punta San Francisquito.
Day 8: Punta San Francisquito to Santa Rosalia, the longest stretch with no road or access, will require an overnight stay at an undetermined spot.
Day 9: Undetermined spot to Santa Rosalia.
Day 10: Santa Rosalia to Punta Chivato.
Day 11: Punta Chivato to Mulege.
Day 12: Mulege to San Nicolas.
Day 13: San Nicolas to Loreto.
Day 14: Loreto to Puerto Escondido or Luigi area.
Day 15: Puerto Escondido or Luigi area to Agua Verde.
Day 16: Agua Verde to undetermined spot north and inside of Isla San Jose en route to Punta Coyote.
Day 17: Undetermined spot to Punta Coyote (Punta Mechudo).
Day 18: Punta Coyote, fishing Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu, en route to Play Tecolote (north of La Paz).
Day 19: Play Tecolote to Punta Arena de la Ventana (Las Arenas).
Day 20: La Arenas to Los Barriles.
Day 21: Los Barriles to Cabo Pulmo.
Day 22: Cabo Pulmo to San Jose del Cabo.
Day 23: San Jose del Cabo to Cabo San Lucas.
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Packoderm
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I'd for sure want some kind of flotation on that boat. A fast bilge pump would also be nice. I have contemplated this kind of camping travel before -
Maybe not the whole length of the peninsula, but instead maybe from BOLA to Loreto. A fresh water maker would be needed for sure. You never know if
you have to stay put for awhile. Sounds awsome. Maybe this is the last bastion of real adventure travel in Baja.
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JZ
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Leg 8 and Legs 20-22 will be the most challenging
I'm done the run twice down to Santa Rosalia, and went from Santa Roslia to Loreto last year.
No way I would do it in a 15 footer. It would beat the sh$t out of you. No fun at all.
At least he picked a good time of the year for it.
[Edited on 10-2-2004 by JZ]
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Packoderm
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How about in a panga?
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JZ
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Loreto to LA PAZ
Would be the best place to do a run.
Reasons:
- generally more boat traffic
- more protected ancorages and closer together
- best scenery
- you could book-end the trip with two great cities
BOLA to Loreto would be the worst. Little boat traffic, and few good anchorages, and very far apart. The cape north of Santa Rosalia is notoriously
nasty. It scared the crap out of me on my 31 footer.
Santa Rosalia to Mulege/Conception to Loreto would be interesting.
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Packoderm
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Ok, so Loreto to La Paz it is - let's go!
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David K
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Remember Carlos Fiesta?
| Quote: | Originally posted by Packoderm
How about in a panga? |
From Los Angeles, Calif. to the Colorado River by Panga, a Baja Circumnavigation!: http://www.bajaexpo.com/adventure.htm
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Packoderm
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Man, I read Carlos Fiesta's story - all 41,125 words of it. Its quite a story. I think I would have done a couple of things a bit differently than he
did. I think I would have continued to look for a boat but with a four stroke engine. The gas just killed him. And the oil couldn't have been cheap
either. A Boston Whaler would be nice. But I do like his boat better than the aluminum job the other guy chose; at least you can sleep on the panga.
Also, I would not be too happy about paying so much to port in a 19 foot boat. It should have been open to a little negotiation. I think I would have
told each official my story, note the official's name, tell him that the whole story is being chronicled at each stop via internet, and threaten to
turn back if denied a cheaper rate - Bad publicity for Escalera Nautica. I might have invested in additional canvas to make a cabin on the boat. I
would have bought a collapsible hand cart to tote the gas cans. FMX satellite radio would be nice on the boat. I wonder if its possible to make an
emergency sail setup if the motor fails?
But all in all, it sure would be nice to have firsthand knowledge about every beach and cove on the peninsula. I wish Carlos would have included a
technical profile of his boat like Lois did with her Yamaha. Also, maybe it might be better to head south from San Felipe and then head north after
rounding Cabo San Lucas. The winds just seem to blow from north to south on the sea while it blows inland on the ocean. And what's the deal about not
mentioning fishing poles? He could have eaten like a king. At least he could have gotten a break for not having any fishing tackle on his boat. I
would have started sneaking into port earlier that he did. Maybe with a four stroke engine and more fuel capacity, he could have skipped some of the
ports.
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