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Paula
Super Nomad
Posts: 2219
Registered: 1-5-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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Don Alley on Paula's account:
I go the book.
Good work! Excellent book! Thanks!!!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64858
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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End of Year Special!
Email from Zach arrived with this special message for Nomads who may need gift giving ideas for the Nomad fishermen/women...
"... let the Nomads know I'm selling my book for $22.50 (25% off) through the end of the year."
 
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castaway$
Senior Nomad
Posts: 742
Registered: 7-31-2007
Location: Gold Hill, Oregon
Member Is Offline
Mood: Fish on!
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Zach I look forward to reading your book ( going to order tomorrow). I really enjoyed the Baja catch it's a very good book but it does have
limitaions, primarily the book is geared toward inshore fishes caught by trolling lures. I hope your book has more in depth information on offshore
and the other highly successful methods of fishing in Baja waters.
Castaway$
Live Indubiously!
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ZThomas
Junior Nomad
Posts: 62
Registered: 4-9-2008
Location: Reno
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Castaway$,
I love The Baja Catch, too, as much for the funny, engaging writing as the content. I've worn out two copies, lost one, and I'm now on my fourth.
My idea from the start was to do something that would complement--not compete with--The Baja Catch. The main things it misses, as you point out, are
offshore fishing, live-bait fishing, and launching and towing offshore-capable boats.
So I do emphasize offshore fishing and live-bait fishing more than Kira and Kelly. But I should make it clear that The Angler's Guide is probably 80%
travel and boating guide and 20% fishing guide.
More than anything else, it's a resource for people who take trailer boats to Baja. My goal was to include everything you'd need to know to plan a
trailer-boat fishing trip anywhere in Baja -- when to go, where to stay and what to pack, plus detailed driving directions and times, availability of
fuel, ice and supplies, washdown facilities, tide and weather resources, navigation notes, basic where-to how-to fishing advice and complete contact
info.
That said, there is a 28-page, 13,000-word chapter on fishing, organized by species, plus location-specific fishing info in each launch-spot chapter.
Here's an example of the species-specific info:
Calico Bass (cabrilla: cah-BREE-yuh or calico)
Calico bass are found only in the Pacific from about Punta Abreojos north. Because they live in areas where it's difficult to set a gill-net, Mexican
commercial fishermen pretty much leave them alone, as do visiting anglers who are typically after bigger game. The result is that Baja calicos—at
least south of Ensenada—are far larger on average than those north of the border. A typical fish is 2 to 3 lbs., 6-pounders are common, and 8-pounders
turn up fairly often. Double-digit fish are rare even in Baja, but they're definitely around.
The easiest place to find and fish for calicos is along the edges of kelp beds. Current is crucial; you can catch a few bass if no current is running,
but the stronger the current, the better the fishing. If possible, find a spot where the current runs parallel to the kelp edge so you can drift along
just beyond it. Best of all is a current strong enough to pull the kelp a few feet below the surface so you can drift and cast right over it.
Calicos love small mackerel and jacksmelt, but they're way more fun to catch on artificials. The single most consistent calico lure is a 5-1/2-inch
plastic Fish Trap or similar swimbait in a brown-red, brown-orange, or green-red pattern on a 1/2- or 3/4-oz. triangular leadhead. "Christmas tree" is
my personal favorite. Cast it right to the edge of the kelp, let it sink 5 or 10 feet, and then retrieve it at moderate speed. Most bites will come as
the lure sinks. If you're not getting anything, let it sink a little farther on each cast.
Many of Baja's kelp beds are absolutely teeming with calicos. If you're catching small fish on every cast, try switching to a 1- or 1-1/2-oz. leadhead
and a 6-1/2-inch swimbait, which discourages some of them. If that doesn't work, resist setting the hook on the first strike. Often, if you let the
little guys peck at your lure for a few seconds, a bigger fish will chase them away and inhale it.
Another way to select out the larger fish is to cast surface iron (see "Fishing with Metal Jigs" in this chapter). This works best when the kelp is
pulled below the surface by the current. Fairly drab patterns that are predominantly olive green or brownish yellow usually work best, although mint
green is sometimes deadly, as are green and blue mackerel-striped jigs.
The most exciting place to fish for calicos is on "boiler rocks"—shoreline or offshore rocks where swells "boil" up and then recede. You're not
looking for actual breaking waves, just surging whitewater. Larger calicos sometimes feed right up in the wash, or hang just below the offshore edges
of these rocks.
Maneuvering within casting distance of boiler rocks requires the utmost caution and attention, especially in Baja, where you're entirely on your own
in the case of an accident. Always have a confident helmsman at the wheel, paying exclusive attention to running the boat (i.e., not fishing), and
always keep the engine(s) running.
Both plastics and surface iron will catch boiler bass. The trick is to cast them right to the water's edge and retrieve them with a receding wave. If
possible, try to stop your lure at the edge of the rock and let it fall a few feet. Boiler bass are larger on average than kelp bed bass, so be ready
for savage strikes, and grind for all you're worth to get your fish out of that minefield of rocks and surge.
The best outfit for Baja calicos is a big baitcasting reel spooled with 20-lb. mono and matched to a stiff, 8-foot graphite rod. Some big-bass
specialists are now filling their reels completely with 65-lb. Spectra, which they say actually slices through kelp fronds when a fish gets wrapped,
and using a short leader of 20- or 25-lb. fluorocarbon.
P.S. Pic attached of my own personal best, an 8-1/2-pounder (weighed before release, not estimated) caught on a cold morning at Geronimo on a Q-105
skiff trip.
[Edited on 12-2-2008 by ZThomas]
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amirravon
Nomad
Posts: 126
Registered: 12-14-2008
Location: encino CA
Member Is Offline
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very good book.....is a must to any boat owner that plan trips to the baja ,
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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Looks good Zack. Great pics to go with the writing.
Iflyfish
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bajabass
Super Nomad
Posts: 2016
Registered: 10-4-2006
Location: La Paz,BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: Want to fish!!!
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I have both The Baja Catch, and Zack's book as well. Sorta like the old and new testaments. They definitely compliment each other. Planning a trip
from La Mision to San Bruno come spring. Both have been a great help.
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