BajaNomad - A krill encounter

A krill encounter

baitcast - 5-24-2007 at 01:09 PM

Two years ago I and a good friend were camped behind La Gringa,just across from one of my favorite places Smith Isla and looking for dorado which were supposed to be around somewhere,s.
Having no luck the first day,everything seemed dead in every direction,O well try one more day before leaving.
Day two,what a difference,rays jumping eveywhere,several whales in the area,looks good,having only a 12' cartopper you must be rather careful :lol:

I made a run for the main channel hopeing for the main event and found nothing,not the first time and probaly wont be the last,went back to the isla and hoped for a yellow or two,my favorite rock,it wont let me down.
Nearing the tip of the isla we heard what seemed to sound like a heavy rain,I shut the motor down to hear better,the sound was coming from around the corner and getting louder,so I fired it up and made for the sound of the chaos and there before us was the most unusual sight these old eyes have ever seen,couple of whales,sea lions and about a million skipjack and NO BIRDS not one,there were no baitfish jumping!!
A area of maybe a square mile was white and pink,long lines of skipjack shoulder to shoulder pushing water,no jumpers,didn,t take long for us to get a jig in the water and wham hooked up instantly,but wait my bud was hooked up to something much larger,after a a long bout up comes a YELLOW!,I hook a skipjack and something grabs him

after a while I bring in a head,my Bud yells something I look up and a huge whale is coming straight at us and goes under the boat comes up on the other side and blows and I nearly faint!!!!!!!!1

We get broke off bit off the sea lion gets us the sharks get half our fish,never seen anything like this,the noise is awesome...........things are completly out of control and we are the only boat there :biggrin:

What is the attraction? what are these things eating?..........Well we finally figure it out,when we would get a fish to the boat they would spit up gobs of little shrimp,1/4 to a 1/2'' long,light green to pink in color,there were billions of these things in the water,you could not see through them they were so thick,as we would look down we could see flashes of big fish..........for two or three hrs this lasted then nothing.

The same happened the next day about 10am to 12 or 1pm,I did not discover what these were until we got home,its sames there are 80 different kinds of krill both cold water and warm,the SOC has two.

Has anyone out there had a similar experence,it was a first for me after many years of fishing the gulf
BAITCAST

Hook - 5-24-2007 at 01:58 PM

I cruised over a reddish blob off of San Bruno (Mulege one) about 15 years ago that was several hundred yards wide and about 6 feet below the surface. No fish feeding on it that were visible from the surface and it didnt meter anything on the fish finder, yet it was so thick that you could not see through it. It could have been tightly packed krill I guess. Not being real close to the surface, it was difficult to tell if it was made up of any individual organisms. I chalked it up to some kind of strange conglomeration of plankton at the time but now I am wondering.

I figured whatever it was, it was probably responsible for the name Vermillion Sea as it was pretty reddish and covered a huge area.

baitcast - 5-24-2007 at 02:36 PM

Who ever heard of yellows and skipjack hanging out together? there was alot of other stuff mixed in there to,everything seemed to have teeth,it was hard to bring in anything because of the sharks,the whales kept us on edge,12' boat 50' whale,you feel very small when they come along-side :lol:

........all in all a fine time was had by us.
I can just imagine my Bud telling this story to his friends in Priest River IDA.

Hook - 5-24-2007 at 02:41 PM

We had a true killer whale pass under us several times a few years back when we rented a panga out of La Concha in La Paz. We were headed to Islote. That made me nervous; getting dumped by a filter feeder would be one thing. But by a flesh-eater?????

Skipjack Joe - 5-24-2007 at 02:42 PM

Gosh, what a neat experience baitcast. The more I read your U2U's and posts, the more I realize what a wealth of fishing experience you've had. I wish I was in the boat with you with this adventure.

I've been in krill before but nothing on that scale. I've been in fish boils that resembled your experience, though.

Last year my son and I were fishing the same general area you're describing and ran into krill. We were fishing near that white covered isla just south of Smith. We saw fish working the surface and expected some good action. When we got there we found mantas that were moving together on the surface in an almost porpoise like manner. I was very surprised because I'm used to seeing them flopping (sommersaulting like flapjacks), but this was very different. We started trolling and soon realized that the mantas were slurping krill just below the surface. Alex ended up hooking one of them on the wing by accident and we ended up losing one of our best lures.

Skeet/Loreto - 5-24-2007 at 02:50 PM

Baitcast: During the years I saw many Fish Pileups: One time and One time only I experienced the SkipJack Like you described.
I was with Alvaro Murillo and my 84 year old Mother. I cast next to the "Wall of SkipJack and hooked on a 250 Shark! I have the Picture of my Mother with the Shark standing in front of the Hotel Oasis.

Alvaro explained that he had seen the same several times on his trips from San Nicolas to Loreto when as a Boy His family would Row and Sail South to Loreto for Supplies.

A very Different Experience, posibility of being Once in a Life Time!!

Skeet

Cypress - 5-24-2007 at 02:55 PM

Sometimes ,when all the conditions are right, nature serves up a special treat, you just gotta be there at the right time.

Diver - 5-24-2007 at 03:21 PM

Who will tell the "Wanna Make It With A Whale" story ?? :lol:

Shari ? Ifly ?

Sounds like a krill snack to get in the mood !! :biggrin:

A special treat indeed

baitcast - 5-24-2007 at 03:36 PM

This wall or wave is something to watch they all turn together in unision like dancers,a musical background would have seem fitting,except for the noise.
A pile-up is just that a pile-up no ryhme nor reason everybody just running around eating :lol:

and ducking the birds

elgatoloco - 5-24-2007 at 09:18 PM

We have an extra camera we don't need!

Amazing.

The blue whales feed on pelagic crabs.

http://www.earthwindow.com/crabs.html

I just learned that krill is Norwegian for whale food! :dudette:

http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/About_Antarctica/Wildlife/Krill/...

Krill in Baja

http://www.oceanlight.com/spotlight.php?img=3117

This is a cool photo of krill being attacked. http://www.agpix.com/view_caption.php?image_id=99647&pho...

elgatoloco - 5-24-2007 at 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by whistler
We get Krill in the aprty boat's bait tanks on occasion.Friends like to reach into the tank,grab a handfull and throw it into their mouths.Goes over real good with the seasick crowd.

Skeet/Loreto - 5-25-2007 at 06:43 AM

With the Post from Baitcast, I wonder if the Sea of Cortez my have returned to its condition 25 years ago?
On my first trip across the Ferry from Guyamus to Sta. Rosallia in 1969 I saw Yellowtail on top of the Water a Mile Long and 1/4 Mile wide!
During the next 15 years saw lots of Fish Pileups, Sharks feeding on Dolphin etc.
The way Pompano and others describe the many fish on top of the Water may mean that the Massive Fish Life this year has returned>
Also might suggest the "Why of the Shark program".

Who Knows? Time will tell.
Skeet

Pescador - 5-25-2007 at 07:05 AM

Skeet, I love you man, but your idea that the fish are at the same as they wee in 1969 is more wishful thinking than anything else. I came over on the ferry the next year (1970) and have been fishing and diving in the baja since that time and fishstocks are a small percentage of what they were in those days. I agree with you that there are still a lot of fish in the ocean and I have had some days where I was blown away by the amount of fish i see or catch but make no mistake, it is a mere fraction of what it was once. I now spend 6 or 7 months on the water almost every fishable day and cover a lot of territory so I think I can speak with some knowledge and my concern is that if it declines at the same rate that it has since 1970, things will get pretty bleak in the nexxt 30 years. So, things have a wonderful way of being elastic and springing back in the ocean, but we need to be careful with those resources that we have been given. I do agree that most of the environmental orginizations are selling "SCARE" to obtain new members and money, but we don't want to be an ostrich in the sand either.

Crusoe - 5-25-2007 at 07:29 AM

Baitcast.....In 1978 while on a small open boat voyage in an area not that far away from where you expirienced this feeding frenzy we saw something quite similar, only there were hundreds of peeed off sea lions!!We observed this from quite a distance and it was almost could be described as "Prehistoric".. By natural instinct we became very afraid and put as much distance between us and the activity as we could very quickly. Later I was talking to a marine biologist about this and he said in the Southern Ocean- Humbolt Current--Antarctica, these feedings are even bigger and quite common. WOW!!!!!!! Cant immagine. Thanks for the wonderful story.

baitcast - 5-25-2007 at 08:17 AM

Crusoe.......I should have been with you on that trip!!
What were the sea lions peeed at or feeding on?
Killer sardines! amagine that :lol:

The SOC can be a wonderful but scary place at times.
Which reminds me of the time :lol:

Skipjack Joe - 5-25-2007 at 02:34 PM

Baitcast, those fish pileups are some of the most emotionally draining experiences you ever have. It's hard to fully convey in writing what it's like to be in the midst of the entire thing. I think you did a pretty good job of it. The sound of an oncoming rain storm is a good way to put it.

I thought about it during my lunch hour today. It's sort of the feeling you get in Hitchc-cks 'the birds'. A screeching, swirling mess of wings and feathers as your panga is being bombarded by a million projectiles. I remember casting and having my monofilament line being hit with bodies before the lure even has a chance to descend. It's so exhilirating!

Skeet/Loreto - 5-25-2007 at 06:07 PM

Pescador: I am sorry if I gave you that impression:
There has been a decline in fishing that I noticed, I just think that Sprots Fishing,and Commercial is the Key:
Reasons:
From 1968 to 1976- When all the Sierra were taken from the Bays, there was no decline of Yellowtail-they just moved out and went to the Mac's out Deep.
When I noticed a decline was when the Sports Fisherman stopped coming to Loreto--I have counted as many as 85 Boats getting Bait--No more after the Reserve came into Being and the Military started the Harrisment of the Fisherman.

Hannjin came in with a Permit to take Squid.

Shrimp Boats were banned from Loreto Bay.

Long Liners Fished off of the Tip of Baja.

Small Commerical Boats were allowed with Handline Fishing.

From some recent reports it appears that the Fishing is Great- No, not like it was 20 years ago, but it is still good-Especially 20 miles from Loreto.

It is a combination of all the above. I happen to think that the cause of most of the Decline is the Decline in Sport Fisherman and the taking of the Squid.

Ad most of all I think it is Nature responding to the various changes that are caused by the Above.
The Turtuva are coming back!
The Sierra are coming Back!
The Sharks are coming Back!
The Dorado are Here!
The Yellowtail are Here!

What about the Squid????

Skeet/Loreto

Pescador - 5-26-2007 at 06:47 AM

I talk to a lot of friends who are squid fishermen in Santa Rosalia and San Lucas who have fished for years in the area and they think the harvest is significantly up the last 5 years. I also know the head of PESCA in Santa Rosalia and he claims they have been following the catch and size for the last 10 years or so and they think that the stocks are way up. This makes sense from one standpoint. Squid do not get caught on longlines and the only effective way is jigging. Even though there may be upwards of 400 boats on a given night in the area and each boat may well bring in 2 tons of squid,, they only do that when the squid are thick enough to pay for going out. Also figured into this is the fact that when we removed a significant portion of their natural predators like yellowtail, tuna, dorado, and sharks, then they do not get eaten as much as in the past. So I think it is safe to assume that their stocks are up.

Skeet/Loreto - 5-26-2007 at 12:08 PM

Pescador:Good Info.

Since the Sea of Cortez has been changed after the Colo. River was dammed, I think that it would be a good Idea for a new Study. However I think it should be done by People with Experience and Intergity instead of the present Bunch.
A group consisting of An ole time Mexican Fisherman{Such as Manuel Ferandez Jr, A Marine Biologist, A truthful reporter of Information gathered, an Ole Time Fisherman with Lots of Cortez Time on Two Cruisers with Pangas.
Study would take some time as each given Area would have to be observed at least two weeks and during each "Season" of that Area.

When a study of that kind could be made and Published, I think that it would have an impact on All the People involved, instead, of the so-called Stats Reports of the Eco-Nut Fisheries Bunch who have yet to learn that Truth and good Sale Techniques can get them a lot further in getting their Point across!!!

Have you been to the Deep Hole Northwest of DelFonso to see if there are any Parquetee.

Iflyfish - 5-26-2007 at 01:52 PM

Diver,

I'll leave that amazing story for Shari.

Rick

baitcast - 1-27-2015 at 07:01 PM

Been reading a lot of the old postings lately and I thought why not,plenty of new folk.
Rob
Bump

woody with a view - 1-27-2015 at 08:05 PM

I dream about your encounter regularly and can't replicate it in my waking moments!

Pacifico - 1-28-2015 at 08:25 AM

Great experience, Rob! You painted the picture very well...
These experiences are some of the things that keep us coming back in hopes of catching another. I've been in some pretty awesome fish pile-ups; although it has been many years since the last one. We still occasionally get into some good boils, but nothing like back in the day.

baitcast - 9-19-2018 at 10:23 AM

One more time for a good one

Rob

A krill encounter

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A special treat indeed