Bob H
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Fishing 1960's in Baja???
What was the fishing experience like in Baja in the 1960's... Sea of Cortez, Cabo, Pacific, etc. compared to the fishing experience today? Please
include shore fishing experiences as well as pangas.
Bob H
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woody with a view
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i'll gamble and say the fish were consistently bigger although even with modern lures the numbers are still similar.
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capt. mike
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good stuff at www.bajadreams.com
pix and tales from Larry.
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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Skeet/Loreto
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Bob H;
My experiences started out with my first visit in 1967 fishing out of the Hotel Oasi with Alvaro Murillo.
There were more fishing in close and Visible at that time. There were Fish Pilups and Skipjack Waves as well as Sharks eating injured Dolphins on top
of the Water,
At San Nicholas i regularly caught 25 pound Yellow casting from shore.Later after the Sierras were netted out, the yellowtail moved out and went
deeper.
I caught many Cabrilla off of the rocks all along the coast. Caught Amberjack in the 80 Lb Class.
I observed in all my years that there were "Cycles" in the fishing through the years. There was a big decline when the Natl. Park was established as a
lot of the old time fisherman left and did not returned to this Date.
There would be as many as 80 boats catching bait at times{2 or more fisherman per boat}.
Then following the taking of the Squid for three years there was a sharp drop in Reported Catch.
Then In 2008 I was lucky enough to fish out of Mulege for several days and several other times since then. I was amazed at the grestest number of fish
I had seen in Years. . Millions of bait on top of the water, even Schools of Amberjacks. Sharks and Whales Galore!!
I have not noticed any big change in the size of fish, I did notice a good size change in the Number of Fisherman coming from the North to Fish as
well as the reporting of the number of fish after a good many fisherman were "Hazzled so much"" by the Military.
Since there are not any "TRUE" facts about where the yellowtail and Dorado go to when they leave the Sea of Cortez, my take is that:
1. When the Sierra were taken, the yellowtail moved out and increased in size and number do to the mackrael Bait.
2. Do to the number of fisherman declining especially around the Loreto Area, the "Reported Number of Fish was Less"
3. I think that the massive taking of the "Cycling" Squid caused a decrease in the Number and size of most of the catchable and reporable fish.
I owned and fished my Panga ,the Patricia for 27 years from Timbicbeca North to Mulege.
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Osprey
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I began fishing down here in the 60s flying into dirt strips. We didn't take much gear, the Mexicans didn't have much so that was a real problem. We
tried to take as many Rapalas as we could haul and almost everything was caught on those. Big difference then was gas was hard to come by, you didn't
need much for the boats because we stayed inshore mostly and were content to fill the boat within sight of land. No limits and I remember eating a lot
of roosters. I will never know how they made them taste like swordfish to me.
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Skeet/Loreto
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Bob H; Ray Cannon showed me how they would cut out the Black Strip of the Roosterfish before they Broiled it. Maybe that was why it talsted so Good!!
Bob; There are many other things that would cause the Reported numbers of fish to be different.
Most of the Pangas going out in the 60's could bring in all the fish they wanted-No limits= as all the extra fish went to the Holtel or to the
Fishermans family{and it still does to this day}.
There never has been a lot of boats going long distances on Day trips.
In the last few years the Fancy boats with all the Electronic Devices, the Fisherman watch their Devices, will come back to thos places that they
marked the last time out.--Fishing the same Spots, over and over.
In the past 6 months I have been making inquirys into the various places I fished as well as talking to some of my old timers,
You want beleive it but none of them have repported seeing anyone fishing Loa Animas{35 miles south of Loreto}. Also they report no sightings out a
Mercaieros reef{35 Miles out on a 030 heading from Loreto]
Also no reportings of any Sport Fisherman out early at Dawn fishing this side of Pt. Lobos.. I am beginning to think some of our modern fisherman like
things easy.
M Second experienced happened as soon as I got back to the States and bought a Cessna 170 B and started flying into all the small strips as you did.
It would be interesting if a couple of ole Timers like us would get on a good size boat and spend a couple of years going to all the good fishing
areas of the past and reporting such!
Skeet
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roadhog
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Read Gene Kira's book Baja Catch. Use interlibrary loan at the local public. Traveling south from the San Juans, I speak with unhappy fishermen, see
few birds, and quantities of diesel fuel.
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Don Alley
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1961, I was ten years old, and my parents and aunt and uncle took me with them on a fly-in fishing trip to Las Cruces, on the peninsula opposite Isla
Cerralvo. Our room was not ready when we landed, so we were driven from the strip to the owner's house. Later, when we went to the resort for dinner,
I made a bee line for the water. There was a short cement pier, and in the water off the end of the pier I could see fish-big fish-swimming below.
Two Mexican men walked out on the pier. They had dead mullet, which they cut in half and baited a large marlin hook, rigged on the plastic coated wire
leader that we used for marlin fishing. They dropped the bait over the side, and immediately pulled in a nice cabrilla (leopard grouper). Wow. At the
time, a bigger fish than I ever caught.
The next morning we were fishing for marlin. Those days, they did not have the fancy (and effective) skirted lures that are commonly used today, and
no live bait. We trolled frozen and thawed flying fish, rigged to outriggers and trolled so they skipped on the surface. Just before we started
fishing, we saw another boat with two hooked marlin jumping. (Back then, we saw few other boats compared to the fleets you see today). My dad, perhaps
not wanting my expectations to be too high, told me that a double hookup was unusual and not to count on us being so lucky. So, a few minutes after we
started fishing, we hooked two! Over the rest of the week, we fished offshore three days and my got marlin, marlin, marlin. I did break one rod,
leaning back too far and high-sticking it. I also tail wrapped one, fought it for 2 1/2 hours before my dad made me hand off to my uncle. Took him a
while longer.
I killed one marlin, and its weight matched the 165lb estimate by the crew. It was the smallest one of the trip, with several estimated at over 200.
On alternate days we fished inshore at Cerralvo, for mostly nice cabrilla, with none of the midgets that are so common now. We also caught snapper,
pargo and ladyfish. We used trolled lures, feathers and spoofers, we did not have rapala type lures, and as with the marlin fishing there was no live
bait.
Unfortunately, most of the photos from my parents' trips to Mexico, including an album of photos taken by a professional photographer, are in the
possession of a brother and are not available for posting. I'll try and pry some loose next summer, and if he won't cooperate I'll post his name and
email here on Nomads. (evil grin)
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Russ
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Nice report! If you post his E-mail now we could all send him a Christmas Card!
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
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Russ
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OR
In a more brotherly.... manor, Suggest you could make a slide show and a DVD and return the photos organized and with a copy of the DVD.
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
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Pompano
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Not exactly the Sixties, but close..
Summer of 1959...The Golden Age of Baja...I was fifteen and went on a great adventure with a fine fisherman. Dad & I flew his Stinson 108-3
station wagon cross continent from Sask/ND. That's a few miles.
Here's what the Stinsons look/ed like..pretty rare birds these days.
We stayed at the old Playa Cortez Hotel in Guaymas. I remember the old overstuffed leather chairs in the reading room next to huge stone fireplace.
There was a table full of old manuscripts and fishing records. Tales of fishermen's luck dating back to the 20's.
Most read like this: "A fine day on the Cortez. Caught 4 sailfish, 5 marlin, 10 tuna, and numerous grouper"...."Great time, fish on, fish on, fish
on!"....and so on.
One full page scrawled script is still imprinted in my memory banks today.
It said:
"Snow getting deeper, wolves drawing closer.
Fear navigator drinks."
Gotta love a fisherman with a sense of humor. 
Then we flew across the Cortez at Guaymas. Saw lots of bird/fish boils below that totally amazed this teenager. We fished at Mulege (via Club Aereo
Mulege) and Rancho Buena Vista further south. It was fairly new then, but Dad had been there twice already. A whole different era. Magical to me.
Imagine whatever you can of the ocean's creatures...and you would still be underestimating the sheer abundance of marine life. They were here...in
huge numbers. I've seen nothing like it since the late 70's.
The Bay of Conception was just that...conceiving every possible form of saltwater life. Literally everything came in here to spawn. We would snorkle
and see baby everythings. Manuel Diaz of Coyote Bay was a young champion diver and fisherman back then...and still alive and kicking today..enjoying
his grandchildren.
It's a crime that The Bay is a cemetery today.
Charter boats were abundant back then. Chris Craft, Owens, Richardson, Monk..they were all here, but Chris Craft far outnumbered all the other US
brands. Wooden of course, and most were in the 25 - 35ft range. They were 'top shelf' and 'posh' for that time. We also used leaky pangas for
quick ventures. 40-50 horse Johnson/Evinrude tiller outboards. We bounced and got wet more than a few times, but were grinning all the way.
We were lure fishermen and seldom had to resort to bait. Seems like just about any lure I brought with worked VERY WELL...including some lake trout
spoons which surprised some folks.
Unfortunately in 1967 I lost my precious hunting/fishing album of old photos on a Northwest flight from Seattle to Fargo. I plagued their Lost and
Found Dept. for years, but to no avail. I also lost a styrofoam cooler of oysters from Hood Canal, but those were nothing. What was so dear as those
old photos of great times with my father and of my youth? Fortunately I have Dad's old 16mm movies of that era and now can soon be digitilizing all
those canisters of film. Huzzah..The wonders of modern technology! Can't wait to see those photos.
Not in Baja but in Acapulco 1963..one of my few surviving photos of yesteryear.
Here's what my Dad looked like back in the fifties. On the left. Anybody remember those old Buicks and Pontiacs? A Strato-Streak no less.
I had so much fun back then that I decided I would come back later...so I did...and grew to love this country.
Stop by the casa sometime for a cold one..we can retell old times...and make some new ones!
[Edited on 11-29-2009 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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baitcast
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1964 found I and my family at Gonzaga for trip no.1,no boats for the first few trips. I could only wish for one,with many tips from PaPa Fernadez on
how,where and when I soon found the fishing from the beach so good I neally forgot the boat.
In those days there were roosters right in front of camp for breakfast,large corvina,cabrilla,sierra,ladyfish and small totava,caught
two small roosters just south of Puertecitos,
On the pac side just south of El Rosario beach fishing for white sea bass,halibut and the whole croaker family was to good for words,I
bet its still real good.
The late 60,s I got a boat and things just got better,5 0r 6 years later we started fishing BOLA,thats where I got my first YT from the
beach
just a few examples of the Baja Norte many years ago,I really miss it.
Rob
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capt. mike
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great story and picture Pompano! love the Stinson. the Voyager and Reliant were classics like old Buicks.
you were a lucky boy.
any chance there are some aeroplane shots in those old 8mm films you plan to transfer? did you know you can trace FAA N numbers on the registry and
find out what happened to old planes you rode in?
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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David K
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It was all for the fishing (in the beginning, in the mid 1960's) for my family... all the fish you wish! Later it was for the sites and to see where
the road went!
That's 8 year old me with my first dorado off Cabo San Lucas in July, 1966... fishing from a panga... We drove to Cabo down the peninsula (a 2 week
adventure).
[Edited on 11-29-2009 by David K]
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Pompano
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Mike...I know my Dad took miles of film from pre -WWII, during his tours, and for about 15 years after...mostly 16mm, but some 8mm, too. Plus I have
containers of old slide negatives. I still have his old Bell & Howell and Revere box cameras plus a Kodak projecter w/screen. Some great, but
grainy scenes of Eagle Squadron..before the US got into WWII.
I will be engaged next summer Up North trying to digitalize all those scenes. If I run across any FAA numbers, and I am sure I will, I'll post them
here or email to you.
And you're right, I was a lucky boy to have good parents. But that was not anything rare back then. 
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Bob H
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I just KNEW this thread would bring great posts! Love it.... keep'm com'n
Bob H
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baitcast
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A few more pic,s of beach fish at Willard Bay early and late 60,s.
Anyone can catch a fish from a boat but only El Pescador Grande can get them from the beach.
Rob
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805gregg
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The fishing was much better everywhere, larger fish more fish and less pressure on the resource. In the 60's I remember the Notre Baja campos would
have a live turtle turned upside down on it's shell. Waiting for the end. I wont fish much anymore, decline in size and abundance are pointing to a
problem, I don't want to contribute to the decline anymore. Will the last guy who catches the last fish, turn off the lights we're done.
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