BirdDog - 4-25-2007 at 06:09 PM
Was wondering if some nomads could help me out with some good fishing mags for the Baja area. Plan on moving down in a few years but visiting a lot
before then and would like to learn some techniques. Thanks
Alan - 4-25-2007 at 06:20 PM
I believe it is now called Southcoast Sportfishing. Anyway they usually have sections on Baja fishing but their primary focus is SoCal. This is
just as good because the techniques are pretty common for both areas.
The east coast stuff the describe in Saltwater angler would probably work too but some of the things they do seems really foreign to me.
Diver - 4-25-2007 at 06:43 PM
Unfortunately, the Baja Catch is the only book I know of that focuses on Baja.
Their maps are very basic and much of the information is pretty dated.
There are other books with much more on fishing techniques and tackle etc.
Anyone have a favorite ?
.
Santiago - 4-25-2007 at 07:19 PM
Bird Dog:
here's my two cents:
1. Read the following over and over and over: "The Baja Catch" by Kelly/Kira and "The Baja Adventure Book" by Peterson. Yes they are somewhat dated
but are very good basic guides.
2. Read every post by the folks who live there regarding fishing: Pompano, Osprey, Don Alley, backninedan (we all assume he's talking about golf),
Skeet/Loreto (doesn't live there anymore but still counts), Don Jorge and a host of others.
3. Read the fishing reports on www.mexfish.com - they come out on Sunday or Monday each week.
4. Some guys read "Fishsniffer" or "Western Outdoor News" but I've tired of them - the 'Bloody Decks' crowd has taken over.
DavidT - 4-25-2007 at 07:44 PM
http://www.thelog.com/
The fishrap has some Baja reports. Pretty decent for a free San Diego local paper.
MoFish - 4-25-2007 at 08:02 PM
Western outdoors has some baja info.
jerry - 4-25-2007 at 08:15 PM
and read the baja bigfish company report for the loreto area
Don Alley - 4-25-2007 at 08:19 PM
One of the best sources of information on tackle, technique, where and when to go can be found on message boards. Do a search and start reading, and
maybe post and ask questions.
http://www.allcoastsportfishing.com/forum/dcboard.php
http://www.senortuna.com/main/
There's also Bloodydecks...don't let the kids see you surfing there.
Baja Mag
Garry - 4-26-2007 at 06:53 AM
This is one of the best that i have found, Wester Outdoors-wwwwonsubs.com Has lots of Tuna an Dorado, reef fishing info. Also a Baja only Issue.
We have a winner
baitcast - 4-26-2007 at 07:41 AM
Santiago is right on,Baja Catch for a newbie is a must!Lots of info right here..........Ask and read ,If your into R-rated fish reports try B/D.
BAITCAST
Cypress - 4-26-2007 at 08:43 AM
Try thehulltruth.com.
shari - 4-26-2007 at 09:18 AM
just hang out with Juan!
flyfishinPam - 4-26-2007 at 09:40 AM
Nobody asked what method of fishing you'd be planning.
The Baja Catch may be dated but the information is still good today. We have taken many of the techniques Gene referes to in this book, and modified
them to fit our fishing situations and desires (like fly patterns or homemade lures). Keep in mind that his book is for the kayak angler and my
kowledge is pangas and only some kayak knowledge. He takes into consideration the launch spots for a cartopper and accessability to any decent bite
worth expending energy over.
I subscribed to all the mags when starting my business. One poster mentioned the east coast techniques, they sound foreign to me too. The
advice on southern california styles of fishing apply here as another poster noted. For baja focus the message boards, the websites that deal with
the area you're interested in and purchasing "the baja catch" by Gene Kira and Neil (don't remember name), is good advice (only book you need). And
if you'll also be flyfishing I'd suggest "Baja on the Fly" by Nick Curcione. keep in mind that that particular book fosuses heavily on the east cape
so lots of the techniques won't work off Loreto (we've tried). Put out specific questions to allcoast.com and on this board. I'm not fond of bloody
decks but hey that's one sector of the fishing industry, whatever.
After many years not recieving a subscription of WON once in awhile someone bringe me a copy so I can keep up. My opinion is that they've been doing
the same ol' same ol' for over ten years and probably more than that before I ever heard of it. Maybe southcoast sportfishing will do a piece on
baja, maybe one of the fly rags will do one: Fly fishing in Saltwater, Saltwater fly fishing, and others. I'd suggest following publications on the
web and when baja related articles apear, just buy that issue. Keep it on file. One thing interesting is that the persons who put out those stories
will be a big factor in taking advice seriously (are they professional guides or did they spend a week here during the summer). I see a larger focus
on east coast saltwater, bonefish in particular over the kind of fishing baja has to offer. The bonefish here are generally small and spooky as hell.
There are so many better fish to catch.
We're learning constantly and we have some better technology to help us now so things change but the general principles won't. Learn to cast wether
its your flyrod, spin, or bait rig. Learn about your tacklebox and what wil be essential but always be ready to adapt to local conditions. Learn as
much as you can before going out on the water so you'll appreciate it more.
Skipjack Joe - 4-26-2007 at 09:59 AM
Pam,
There isn't a good book on flyfishing baja out there. Why don't you write one? With all of your years of experience I'll bet you can come up with the
flyfishing version of the baja catch. And I'll bet it will sell.
Curcione's book is real basic and could be just as well named 'Saltwater flyfishing'. Gary Graham's book is just a series of maps. I also find Ken
Hanley's book very limited as it only deals with the shoreline caster (as I remember).
I see guys stalking roosterfish with flyrods from shore but there's no literature on that. There's this method of flyfishing for roosters where you
tease the fish and substitute the fly at the last minute. Again, only guides - but no literature. I remember talking to you about float tubing around
seaweed paddies for dorado. Another interesting technique - no literature. There's a lot to write.
There are so many good flyfishing guides now. I was at Marriotts yesterday and there's a good guide for every state now. I like those 'Flyfishers
guide to ___' series (Montana, Idaho, Utah, etc). A book like that for baja would be perfect.
[Edited on 4-26-2007 by Skipjack Joe]
cbuzzetti - 4-26-2007 at 10:14 AM
I always bring a full tackle box to Baja. I have found that most of it never leaves the box.
Here is what I have used the most and has worked the best for me.
Shore casting: 2" - 3" Krocodiles, mostly chrome and chrome and red. Have caught everything from Triggers to Roosters with these.
Lagoons: Swim baits and the Rapalas they recomend in Baja Catch. Bass, groupers, Halibut you name it they will take these two lures.
Open water Pacific and SOC: Live bait hooks, Sabikis (to make bait), assorted jigs for YT in Scrambled egg, Blue/White and Chrome/Blue. A couple of
trolling feathers (Mexican Flag, cedar plug).
Everything else seems to just sit in the box and get in the way.
This has been my personal experience. I also firmly believe that if you are fishing a lure you have confidence in and know how to fish it well you
will catch fish.
I use the Baja Catch as my bible and it still seems to be pretty accurate.
Tight lines and only keep what you will eat.
Hook - 4-26-2007 at 11:21 AM
The basic technique of fishing in close and using small deep-diving plugs is about all that is current in the Baja Catch. And that presupposes that
all you want is to catch scads of "cabrilla" in all it's permutations; whether it be grouper, spotted bay bass or ? Sure, you will catch the
occasional firecracker YT or a small rooster, but that's bass territory. The rest of the book has been relegated to the category of common
knowledge........largely due to the book's wide distribution.
Reading websites like mexfish, Allcoast, BD, and Nomads will give you much better and more current info these days, IMO. Better than any mags or
weekly publications. Remember, print writers generally write articles with an eye towards advertisers as much as the reader. On websites, it's
generally the unbiased information of the average fisherman. I say "average" but in the era of the internet, the collective skills/knowledge of the
average fisherman is tremendous these days.
Baja is also, perhaps, the most forgiving fishery even in it's continuing decline. A few iron, a few plugs, a few shiny lures, a few plastics and you
stand a good chance for success beyond what 90% of the worlds oceans will yield. Include live bait in your arsenal and, at times, only the conditions
will limit your success.
Use the knowledge.............but also respect the Sea's limitations.
[Edited on 4-26-2007 by Hook]
BirdDog - 4-26-2007 at 12:29 PM
Thanks all. I hope to being fishing in Baja soon.
Iflyfish - 4-26-2007 at 12:48 PM
And I look forward to seeing you again soon.
Keep your tip up!
Iflyfish
info overload
baitcast - 4-26-2007 at 01:33 PM
I bet Its a little overwhelming for a newbie who has a question and has been setting on it for a while to think maybe if I,m lucky I,ll get a couple
of replies and finally posts.
WHAM he,s pc nearly,s shorts out,INFO OVERLOAD takes place,it will takes days of research to sift thru all the info
..............Just ask!
BAITCAST
Skeet/Loreto - 4-27-2007 at 07:04 PM
The very Best way to learn Fishing in the Loreto Area is to buy a Panga, hire an old time Mexicano Fisherman, pay him a fair Wage and go Fishing!
One of the many negatives of the Pangeros and the Fishing Fleets are their Fishing only during Workign Hours,,
If you sleep over at about a Mile this side of Pt. Lobos and fish right before Daylight at the time of the YellowTail, you can catch large fish on Top
in Shallow Water.
If you Fish the Late afternoon and evening Bite you can get some large Cabrilla.
Re; Fly Fishing for Roosters--There was at one time a famous Fisherman from San Francisco who fished out of a 14 Ft. Boat and caught many Roosters--I
think he wrote a Book about doing that. Will try to remember his name.
I fished out of Loreto last August with my longtime Friend Alvaro Murillo- We left the Marina about 6 Am, returning at 10 Am with 3 30 Lb Yellowtail.
There are places that have a small Population of Yellowtail all year long within 30 to 40 minutes of Loreto.
But we all must pay our dues and Learn the Water to find these places.
Skeet/Loreto
Pescador - 4-28-2007 at 08:05 AM
You are on the right track in your quest for education. I read Sportfishing, Pacific Sportfishing, Western Outdoors, and any others that look like I
might get one good idea from. In addition to posting every week from Santa Rosalia on Gene Kira's Mexfish, I also read the internet sites like:
http://alllcoastsportfishing.com
http://mexfish.com
http://bloodydecks.com
http://islasanmarcos.com
http://senortuna.com
You won't always find exactly what you are looking for but each little nugget will contribute to your happy meal
[Edited on 4-28-2007 by Pescador]
[Edited on 4-28-2007 by Pescador]
flyfishinPam - 4-28-2007 at 01:36 PM
Skeet not true about fleets off Loreto only operating only during "working hours". If the bite is worth going out for we do standard daytime trips
(before sunrise till about 2-3pm), we'll do afternoon trips (4pm till dark), night trips (9or10pm - around 5am) or even overnights if the demand is
there and if the quality of the bite is worth doing these trips for. We're very flexible in Loreto. Also yes we can get Yellowtail throughout the
summer its that the heat restricts most client's preferences to the topwater bite. Also the old captains are excellent and I use their sons and
grandsons as captains because we work these guys very hard in high season. I really love the tradition of passing along their skills and expertise to
the younger generations. The older captains are still very able but their working hours should be limited (its the very many days in a row, as
opposed to long hours throughout a given day that I get concerned about) as this is a very physically demanding job. They are an ideal choice for
private boaters who need a captain for their boat during high season when all the pangas are rented out.
Skipjack Joe, its gonna happen but don't expect the run-of-the-mill fishing guide as my opinion is that those are about as exciting as watching paint
dry and not overly helpful. I'm working on a history of the "great fishing families of Loreto", the stories of the pangueros and how our fishing
techniques (both conventional and fly) work into all of this. Complex~ and should be done in 2010, but first I am working on a prelude to this, as a
practice but a hell of a story in itself and that ought to be finished around mid 2008. For the fishing guide & history, I want a practical and
readable book that you can lounge with in a hammock and it will be less focused on glossy photos as I'm not interested in writing a "coffee-table
book". Just gotta get through the 2007 season first, gonna be a busy one!
flyfishinPam - 4-28-2007 at 01:42 PM
I'm sorry to ramble on. I love fishing and I love talking about it too. Drives my husband crazy as I can "waste hours" (his opinion) in the shop
talking fishin'
Pescador - 4-28-2007 at 02:43 PM
That's what we love about Pam, not only is she smart with college degrees and all that stuff, but she can focus on what really counts in
life..........When the fish are going to bite, what they are going to bite, how we cast to them, etc. etc. etc.
Skeet/Loreto - 5-1-2007 at 05:57 AM
Glad to hear that you are going for the different Hours. It sure is more Productive.
Has abyone shown any interest in the Overnight Trips North to Pulpito or South to Catalina?
Anybody bringing in any Lingcod?
Are the Fisherman still Releaseing the Golden Cabrilla?
Keep up the Good Work.
Skeet/Loreto