Marlin Report & Photos - April 16, 2010 - Sea of Cortez, Mulege

Yesterday, we hit the water at the ungodly hour of ..oh..about 8:30-9:00 in the morning..sigh. You see, SOME of us like to sleep in a leeetle bit late.

It was a beautiful morning..at least what was left of it.

First, I take care of the day's menu. We nailed dinner right off at Wilbur's Hole..2 nice fat pintos taken with a green 4oz dart in about 220 feet of water.

Okay, that's enough fillets in the cooler, now let's just go hunting marlin, sailfish, or dorado for the rest of the day. The first mate, Co-pilot, says Andiamo!, so away we go..heading out to sea on the prowl for the first pelagic arrivals of the season. Namely dorado, sailfish, marlin, tuna, and ..yumm...walleyes!

Well, okay then..no walleyes...dang it.


We cruise on a 110-degree heading out of Pt. Conception and start recording water temps...starting at 70.4 F.

I pass a big white sportsfisher trolling 4 lines for whatever...2 on outriggers, 2 off the transom. They stayed in our vicinity for about an hour with no sign of activity,...I felt their pain for the fuel consumption and no action.

I spotted several frigate birds wheeling and diving at the water ahead and thought..aha, dorado! Nope..nada, nothing, zippo. Just some small baitfish around a bit of sargasso. Even the birds gave up on them and left.


Now we are about 12 miles south of Pt. Conception and the water is still only 71.2 - to 71.7 max. Pretty much devoid of fish...until...Bingo! We spot some fins on the surface ahead ..





and I pull closer. Yup..it's a



H-U-G-E MARLIN!!

We got very up close and personal with this gorgeous fish...and could see it's vivid blue dorsal fin and bill quite clearly. Yes..very clearly... Seeing as how we soon got to within 10 feet of it!!

YAHOO! I yell and grabbed my rod with a heavy feather attached, turned to gauge the distance of my cast, and how much to speed before the intersect with this huge monster, fighting it to a draw, and the release at the end of a mighty battle..

...and saw Co-pilot looking at me with sad eyes. "Please. No. You have your camera, tesoro."

The marlin lazily swims around my Yarcraft...flicking his tail now and then.

Damn..I truly hate arrogance in a fish!

Co-pilot says he wants to be..get this..."He wants be petted."

I clamp my mouth shut. Mother, Mary, and Joseph! I roll my eyes and bite my knuckles till they bleed...Aarrgghhhh...gnah, chitey poo, mof***..psiistassucker..that damn marlin was close enough to be stabbed with my fillet knife.





There is something to be said about fishing solo.



To be continued...after the coroner's inquest.

[Edited on 4-18-2010 by Pompano]

There's something to be said about fishing...... Thanks for sharing your fishing adventure.

Awesome pics, that close MAY be considered catch and release

"He wants be petted."

I'm still laughing...
Thanks !!!

Continued...

We said goodbye to the marlin and gratefully thanked him for the fine photo-ops. Sensing Co-pilot's feelings on the matter, I didn't even hail the sportsfisher on the vhf to tell him about the sighting.

Okay, Senor Marlin...guess that makes us even for the pics...

..but ...

.....MANANA is another story.

.
.
As always when on the water, I look forward to what the day will bring..and the scenery today included this old friend, Osprey Rock, near the old mine at Pt. Conception. That nest has been rebuilt soooo many times. I can recall seeing it for the first time in 1971. I wonder how many chicks have been raised there since?


Osprey Rock
.
.
We motor on...and then...


"Hey Co-pilot, look up ahead...another marlin, maybe?"

Nope...not a marlin at all, but a nice sight of an altogether different creature. It's a lobo laying on the surface with his fins in the wind...going for a leisurely downwind sail. I can almost hear him singing this sailor's chanty, "Yo ho ho, the wind blows free....Oh, for the LIFE on the ROLLing sea.."
.
.
.
Now we run down the peninsula towards Pta. Rosa. This shoreline is dotted with great beaches and remote campsites for kayakers and gunkholing sailors.


And sure enough, today is no exception...because here is a typical kayak group that was hauled out of the wind for a day camp.

Kayak Foursome - Beach Camp near Mine
.
.
.
While this land mass is fairly inaccesible to most vehicles, it can be reached with 4WD rigs..IF you know which trails go where. Taking a handheld gps and making track maps is the order of the day.

The Old Grocery Store Trail - Langostas!
.
.
.
THE BOYS ARE BACK!

On south we go..and you can' t go far in this season without running into these amigos..

Co-pilot calls to them, "Hola amigos..MI ALEGRO DE VERTE! Glad to see you!"


"Bravo!.. Bello-bello! For the show, Grazie..bellissimo!"
.
..and...'a special treat'



"Tesoro, I have touched zee dolphin! But...He has the smell...?"

.
.
.

We run on down to Playa Teresa to check out some pinto rock piles about a quarter-mile offshore. This is vital research for our upcoming Pinto Derby at Ana's Cantina, Santispac, on April 24th. Should be a real hoot, but I am becoming concerned about locating that 'special' pile of rocks with the monster pintos.
.
Finding my first waypoint near Pta. Teresa, I troll a nice pink MirroLure for Co-pilot and she gets hooked-up right away.

It doesn't feel like a pinto, though...and up comes...

A triggerfish.. which, because of it's ceviche quality, is always a welcome addition. In this photo, you can see Co-pilot is struggling to hold up the fish, which is huge...maybe two-three hundred pounds.. or more!
.
.
Well, enough research and hard work fishing..time for some R&R.

There's a beach to be beachcombed, a seashell to be collected, a tide pool to be inspected, soft sand to be stretched out on, and a warm sun to snore under.



Tranquility Base - Playa Teresa


.
A more peaceful place might exist somewhere...and that's good, but for now..this will do.
.
.



I'm just gonna lay here and relax... gaze at squadrons flying slowly overhead...drifting, drifting...drifting.......zzz..zzzzzzzz..

No marlin in lakes up north either... dang it