Biggest Marlin Of My Life...

A flashback in time...and a reminder that.... It's Marlin time in the Sea of Cortez.

Some time ago, 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.... what was left of it.

First, I take care of tonight's dinner menu. We nailed that right off before leaving the Bay..2 nice fat pintos taken with a green 4oz dart.



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...tasty walleyes!

Well, okay then..no walleyes in the SOC...darn it. (Just forget that I included this non-Baja photo....)


We cruise on a 110-degree heading out of Pt. Conception and start recording water temps...starting at about 70.5 F.

I pass a big white sportsfisher that had been anchored back in Coyote...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 - to 73 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'm stoked! I yell and grabbed my rod with a proven marlin lure 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. Poor animal! You have your camera, tesoro."

The marlin lazily swims around my Yarcraft...flicking his tail now and then. Damn, I hate arrogance in a fish!

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

What!...Mother, Mary, and Joseph! "He wants to be petted!!??" I roll my eyes and bite my knuckles till they bleed...Aarrgghhhh...Carrumba! gnash, chitey poo, mof***..psiistassucker..puff, puff....that damn marlin was close enough that I could have jumped on his back with my fillet knife!





There is something to be said about fishing solo.






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.

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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
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We motor on...and then...


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




Nope...not marlin at all, but a nice sight of an altogether different creature. It's porpoise playing on the surface with fins in the wind...going for a leisurely downwind sail. I can almost hear them singing this sailor's chanty, "Yo ho ho, the wind blows free....Oh, for the LIFE on the ROLLing sea.." Like I've always said...'It's nice to have a porpoise in your life.'
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Now we run down the peninsula towards Pta. Rosa..looking at the attractions. 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
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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!
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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!"
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..and...'a special treat'



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

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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.
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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 nice jurel.. which is always a welcome addition. Co-pilot is rather pleased with her first yellowtail. We'll just have to invite a few guests for dinner to consume this prize.
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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


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A more peaceful place might exist somewhere...and that's good, but for now..this will do.
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I'm just gonna lay here and relax... gaze at squadrons flying slowly overhead...drifting, drifting...drifting.......zzz..zzzzzzzz...and dream of huge marlin to pet.

Cool Roger.
Looks like the Co Pilot is the fisherman and fishes best friend, don't throw her back