The 'Plan' - Fishing & Dinner Photos

Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it...Pompano.


"LET'S GO FISHING!"



We start this report off with a patriotic flare...meet Red, White, & Blue

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Hmmm...Let's look at that image again..?

Is it just me..or does this threesome faintly remind you of ..The 3 Stooges?.
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Okay, on with 'The Plan.'

Over daiquiris on the patio, all our guests are in agreement...we concluded that tomorrow would be a good day to try our luck fishing. Further patio drinks revealed that pinto and cabrilla were far better table-fish than jurel or dorado, so henceforth pintos would be our target for the length of our guests stay. (there..I finally got to use 'henceforth'..whew..)

Next day...We got up super-early.


Well...for this crew 9:00 AM is super-early.

Nomads (The Purple Sage & Don Jorge) having post-dawn coffee and talks on the seawall...joined by Cedrik the Beach b-tch.
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By the time we had found my lost boat, which I had forgot was in Mulege at Marcos the Magician Electrician's shop, it was.. ooh..about 10:30 when we actually launched the Yarcraft at the river ramp and headed out to sea. Hey, who says you have to be out there at 0-dark-thirty?
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Opps, yet another slight delay...back to the casa...we forgot the Purple Sage in the kitchen.


It might be too late for him, though...


The motto of the day was "No Waves! We want pinto dinners!" and it looked to be just that..a perfect kind of day, with the water like glass, marlin fins scissoring along the surface, huge manta ray splashes off in the distance following seconds later by the 'Splat!', fish sonaring on the screen all through the water column,..and lots and lots of bird/fish boils.

We were 5 aboard and all seated comfy..3 guys in pedestal seats and two gals lounging up forward with mats & pillows.

8 rods/reels/darts/rock cod rigs/feathers/grenades/chicken guts

5ft. coffin cooler: ice, 1-1/2 cases brownies, 5-6 limes, 5 chicken drummies.

Plus our survival rations if lost at sea: sailcloth, ancient jug of water, I pk green Sabritas, 1 can Spam, 1 mystery can, 1 notebook w/sailor's chanties & burial at sea rites.

I motored the silent-running Etec115hp tiller to a rockpile I mark as Pinto 1 on my gps. It's about 1 mile offshore...90 degree heading... from the old mine at 255ft, with surrounding depths of 275-280ft. About the size of a football field and usually loaded with pintos, snapper, and occasionally a few cabrilla. We have also hooked yellowtail and Humbolt squid here in the past.

It's easy as pie to fish these rockpiles on calm water days. Just get on top of it, shut down and drift..watching your gps for about 5 minutes..noting the distance and direction the current is taking you..or a slight wind if any. Now just motor back to the spot and adjust for your drift..planning your drift to take you over the pile below for the longest period.

For pintos and other small species usually found at these rock piles, I like using lighter line..say 8-20lb test.. with a barrel snap swivel for quick changes. Snap on your favorite 3-4 oz dart or yo-yo..any fast sinking iron will most likely work. Now free-spool the iron to the bottom, novices taking care not to get a 'mouse-nest' on your spool. Thumb it if needs be...you'll soon get the knack of it...very easy learning process once you have untangled your first backlash. So...Down it goes. If the fish are there, you'll have a hookup just before the iron hits the rock bottom. Sometimes in the mid-column of water..say 125 feet down...the spool starts to spin really fast...meaning something has picked up the iron and is running fast! This is where you might be hooked up just about anything, which makes ocean fishing so much fun. We have often caught Humboldt squid in situations like this.

Getting back to waypoint Pinto 1, we drop lots of iron down and hit bottom with......nothing happening. We jig the iron up and down the last 20-30 ft over the rocks..but nada..zippo. That's a mite strange for this hole, which has always produced pintos in the past.

Perplexed at the absence of bites, I wonder what has made this change...Hmmm...?

The voices in my tackle box are faintly whispering now...telling me something..."Psst..ahoy, putz... it's time to open a icy-cold, refreshing, idea-creating brew and assess the situation at hand."

I feel the cool lager wetting my parched throat and suddenly realized how right the tackle box voices are...like a thunderbolt the solution hits me...and then I blurt out some Pacifico foam,"Hey..sput, sput.. we can try another spot!"

The crew's eyes grow wide and they stare at me with wonder at this novel idea. At least I think it was wonder...

"This is possible? We can catch fish? The pintos, please?" asks Co-pilot.

"Don't worry, tesoro, I can make it happen." I modestly replied.

Putting away the 10 empty beer bottles we had consumed while debating this heavy issue, I started the engine, put it into gear, and moved the 75 yards to the other side of the rockpile and told the crew to drop thier iron ..again.

Well, the rest was action-action-action! The irons never reached the rocks before all were hooked up...WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, SLAM! & BAM!...we had found the mother lode!

The sun burst brighter.. the tackle box choir sang out .."Alleluia.. AHL-LEY-AH-LOU-EYAH."..

...and life was good.


The crew brings them up for me to dehook and throw into the live well....multiple hookups all around with some very effective darts.
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Co-pilot is always a good angler and brings in some nice pintos from the depths.

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Mi compadre, Randy the Purple Sage, hoists a nice red snapper, too...personal pan size.
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Fishing is fast and furious...the fish are hitting everything we can get down to them!..some anglers are kept busy helping certain co-pilots to get their iron down quickly. note: This is a JOKE photo! duh..sheesh, I am NOT fishing 2 rods!
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Then Co-pilot gets her wish and lands her own snapper.
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Hey, that's enough fish for us...22 fish caught: 2 red snapper, 1 cabrill, 19 pintos. A good day working on the rockpiles.
Time to head for Domingo Beach and some beachcombing and lunch. Maybe we'll see something fun along the way?

Hey..what's that?


"Hey...we're surrounded. I think we may be in for quite a show." says guest angler and fellow nomad, Don Jorge.


Our buddies from the other day are still out here..Porpoise!



A couple of very playful guys came surfing fast up behind us..slamming through my wake and swimming unbelievably fast up to the boat...like greyhounds chasing the track bunny...diving and zooming under the bow...


..and then...WOW!

How high can a dolphin jump? The one that jumped just before this guy was twice this height..or more. What a thrill to be with these ocean gymnists. Stupendous creatures!
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Catch of the Day

A perfect time to stop at Domingo for this photo op with Don Jorge and Randy (The Purple Sage). Good friends well met, and the end of another great day on the water.

Plus..we had a huge amount of fish fillets for the week's dinners ahead. Bon Apetito, All!
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Now the real treat happens when all the goodies are in the kitchen. We have wonderful pinto, cabrilla, and red snapper fillets...joined by some lobster tails. A seafood medoly.

Co-pilot commands the kitchen help and creates a truly gourmet dinner. Bravo, Co-pilot..Bravo!

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Well..'some help' is better than no help at all, as I finally figure out how to use a garlic press. Meanwhile, Co-pilot puts the final touches to the fish and lobster. Ahhh..the aromas in that kitchen!!
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My favorite...The 'get-down-to-the-eating' part:

A couple of dinners, courtesy of The Sea of Cortez.







Ah...Baja..


Don'tcha love it when the day goes according to 'The Plan?'

Till next time..adios, amigos.





[Edited on 4-30-2010 by Pompano]

[Edited on 5-2-2010 by Pompano]

Pompano, It looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for the photos.

Pompano, that's exactly what I have in mind.
only four days to go before I head there.
too bad I'm still 7000 miles away.....
ciao
rob & le ragazze.

OK, roger....

...now tell us what you 'really' do for fun...all that 'rod & reel' stuff looks like WORK...

...There you guys are, suffering through those salty days on Cortez del Mar - Hell, were still stormin' and chainin' up to get over the Sierras earlier this week here in Calif de Norte - but a Pacifico con limon helps us get through the snow drifts...

Great stuff, as usual...enjoyed the pics, Ray

I'm not only jealous.....I'm HUNGRY!

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Originally posted by pellicano Pompano, that's exactly what I have in mind. only four days to go before I head there. too bad I'm still 7000 miles away..... ciao rob & le ragazze.

HI ROBERTO..and the girls! Ciao, amico! Benvenuti a Baja Nomadi. Bello vederti qui.

Hey Rob, welcome to Baja Nomads, and it's good to see you here. Everything is still waiting for you in Baja, amigo, and we'll have some rare fun. Co-pilot and I are looking forward to seeing you and le ragazze again. Have a good trip from Rome... as a passenger.

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Originally posted by Mexray ...now tell us what you 'really' do for fun...all that 'rod & reel' stuff looks like WORK... ...There you guys are, suffering through those salty days on Cortez del Mar - Hell, were still stormin' and chainin' up to get over the Sierras earlier this week here in Calif de Norte - but a Pacifico con limon helps us get through the snow drifts... Great stuff, as usual...enjoyed the pics, Ray

Quote:

Originally posted by acadist I'm not only jealous.....I'm HUNGRY!

Hola Amir, Jesse & Acadist

Please stop by, visit, fish & eat. Mi casa es su casa..as for all nomads.


Thanks all for reading and commenting on our day's outing. I'm very glad to share our times here with other Baja fans. Luckily for us, Baja Nomads and other similar forums are the thread that joins us all together in our common love of Baja.

For myself, I wouldn't be without it....addicted..read it like my morning newspaper.

Now, got to get on with my reading and see what's happening Baja-wise.....??

Thanks, Howard. Now I have to ask...Who are Manny, Moe, and Jackie??

Another day in the life of Pompano and friends. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. That was one big dog snapper.