Exotic Fishing..Sea of Cortez

[TubeDude]

I lived in southern Arizona for about 20 years...before moving back to Utah.  During that time my wife and I spent a lot of time across the border...in Mexico...fishing and diving in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California). It was wonderful in the days before cartels and rampant development.  Miles of uncrowded beaches and rocky shorelines, with no surf and lots of fish in the clear waters.  We fished it a lot from float tubes, from shore and from small boats. 

It was not uncommon to catch well over a hundred fish in a morning of fishing...over 200 in a full day...with at least 25 or 30 species being represented.  I guess I really didn't fully realize just how good we had it...until it was no longer available to us.  These days I'm not sure I would even want to chance it down there.

I wrote the attached piece as part of a chapter in my book on Tubing and Tooning.  So a lot of the references are float tube oriented.  But I have substituted "small craft" in a lot of places.

For all fellow Utah BFTers who are "Jonesing" for some good fishing...but don't wanna hit the ice...

[doitall5000]

Yes I fished Puerto Pensaco a few years ago. Grabbed a Mexican charter for the day.
Caught a lots and lots of trigger fish. Couldn't get much else. The tackle was crappie. It was fun but didn't really know what we were doing. Do it differently next time, but next time I'm going to Costa Rica. Do ya want to come??

[TubeDude]

Yes I fished Puerto Pensaco a few years ago. Grabbed a Mexican charter for the day.
Caught a lots and lots of trigger fish. Couldn't get much else. The tackle was crappie. It was fun but didn't really know what we were doing. Do it differently next time, but next time I'm going to Costa Rica.  Do ya want to come??

Claro que si.  Vamonos.

[Gone Forever]

We took a trip to San Filepe in the mid 90's.
I hired a "charter" in a Panga from the beach for $50 and the next morning off we went. First we stopped for a couple of cast nets full of bait and then out we headed. Along the way I pointed out a very large shark fin sticking out of the water. Well this "captain" turns the boat, ties a big snagging treble on to a length of para-cord, runs the boat right up next to the thing and snags it about mid belly.
Like a "Nantucket Sleighride" we were off with him tying the paracord to the anchor line and letting the shark drag the boat around. This lasted about 20 minutes when I begin to realise that he intends to put the thing in the boat with us...
Thankfully the hook pulled and we lost the shark.
Off again to the unmarked spot out there somewhere. We fished for a while around some other boats and were catching some grunts when the captian finally understood that I didn't want to keep the fish, just catch them. Pulled anchor and headed for another spot. It was Corvina and Cabrilla one right after another and some White Sea bass to 20lbs. Finally we had used the last of the bait and it was time to head in.
The Panga looked like a gut wagon, we were literally knee deep in fish. Not to worry, he culled a big white, a couple of corvinas and and cabrillas out for me and pointed me to his brothers restaurant told us to have them cook them up for us.
As I stood there giving out gratuities of sinkers, hooks and a 600 yd spool of 20lb test mono the towns people, as if by some majic signal began to descend on the boat, picking out which fish they wanted and paying a dollar or 2 cash for them before wandering off for their dinner.
It was the most amazing experience I had ever had to that date and I still remember it like yesterday.

[TubeDude]

We took a trip to San Filepe in the mid 90's. 
I hired a "charter" in a Panga from the beach for $50 and the next morning off we went.  First we stopped for a couple of cast nets full of bait and then out we headed.  Along the way I pointed out a very large shark fin sticking out of the water.  Well this "captain" turns the boat, ties a big snagging treble on to a length of para-cord, runs the boat right up next to the thing and snags it about mid belly.
Like a "Nantucket Sleighride" we were off with him tying the paracord to the anchor line and letting the shark drag the boat around.  This lasted about 20 minutes when I begin to realise that he intends to put the thing in the boat with us...
Thankfully the hook pulled and we lost the shark.
Off again to the unmarked spot out there somewhere.  We fished for a while around some other boats and were catching some grunts when the captian finally understood that I didn't want to keep the fish, just catch them.  Pulled anchor and headed for another spot. It was Corvina and Cabrilla one right after another and some White Sea bass to 20lbs.  Finally we had used the last of the bait and it was time to head in.
The Panga looked like a gut wagon, we were literally knee deep in fish.  Not to worry, he culled a big white, a couple of corvinas and and cabrillas out for me and pointed me to his brothers restaurant told us to have them cook them up for us. 
As I stood there giving out gratuities of sinkers, hooks and a 600 yd spool of 20lb test mono the towns people, as if by some majic signal began to descend on the boat, picking out which fish they wanted and paying a dollar or 2 cash for them before wandering off for their dinner.
It was the most amazing experience I had ever had to that date and I still remember it like yesterday.

Great you were able to experience that fishing.  I used to be on good terms with one of the pangeros who I would go out with at least a couple of times a year.  We would "make bait"...small stuff...and then go catch some corvinas FOR BAIT...for totuavas.  We would head out toward the big white Consag Rock until we came to  "the zone".  Then a 2-3# corvina would go over the side on heavy tackle.   It was rare to catch totuavas under 50 pounds.  Most were 70-80 pounds with some over 100.  Like hooking an underwater freight train.

I also used to get on one of the "long range" boats out of San Felipe that made the run down to the "midriff islands" in Cortez.  Wide open non-stop action for two or three days on many different species.  I also talked my way aboard a shrimp boat or two...as a gringo deckhand.  I speak reasonably good Spanish and got along well with the other shrimpers.  Worked my behind off at night...while working the nets...but got to fish during the day while the boat was anchored up and waiting for the next night's fishing.   Also took home many pounds of huge shrimp as my "wages".

Ahhh...memories.

[Freakyfisherman]

One of the most memorable fishing trips was on the sea of Cortez. I was with a group of family and extended family camping on the beach near a small village called La Manga. It's near San Carlos and Guaymas. It was Christmas time and part of a tradition my wife's family did for years before I came along. The local fishermen took 10 of us out on their boat that they used for scallops diving. We fished all day and caught so many fish of all kinds. We took the fish back. The families came out, including our group and the families in the village, and we all enjoyed fresh fried fish that night for dinner. All they wanted was $100. What a bargain! I did hook into something really big and I assume it was a stingray or manta ray. The guy felt what was on my line, shook his head, then cut the line. He knew it would not make it on board. If the drug cartels ever get under control, I would love to make that drive down and do that again.
Gabe

[TubeDude]

One of the most memorable fishing trips was on the sea of Cortez. I was with a group of family and extended family camping on the beach near a small village called La Manga. It's near San Carlos and Guaymas. It was Christmas time and part of a tradition my wife's family did for years before I came along. The local fishermen took 10 of us out on their boat that they used for scallops diving. We fished all day and caught so many fish of all kinds. We took the fish back. The families came out, including our group and the families in the village, and we all enjoyed fresh fried fish that night for dinner. All they wanted was $100. What a bargain! I did hook into something really big and I assume it was a stingray or manta ray. The guy felt what was on my line, shook his head, then cut the line. He knew it would not make it on board. If the drug cartels ever get under control, I would love to make that drive down and do that again.
Gabe

The San Carlos area was one of our favorites to go tubing and diving.  We had access to a condo on the beach so we lived large in between trips to the water.   Great times and great memories.  But don't look for the cartel situation to be resolved any time soon.  It is dangerous down there now.

The area around La Manga was one of our fave float tube and diving zones.  Lots of rocky habitat, beautiful clear water and with all the fish species it was like Jacques Cousteau's garden.  Attaching a few pics to rekindle your rememberies.

[Therapist]

Okay, TD is sand bagging you all. His "small craft" was his old round float tube. He fished those waters out of the old round style tube, spinning rod, and 4-6" curl tail grubs all those years. IF you ever doubted his sanity, you need to know that on several occasions he was TOWED out to sea by these fish. I would contend that part of his knee problems stem from having to kick back to shore 3-5 miles after getting hauled around by some large critter he hooked into. The guy is one of a kind !!! MERRY CHRISTMAS to you TD and the rest of the board. Hope the Happy New Year has some great fishing for all !!!!

[TubeDude]

Okay,  TD is sand bagging you all.  His "small craft"  was his old round float tube.  He fished those waters out of the old round style tube, spinning rod, and 4-6" curl tail grubs all those years.  IF you ever doubted his sanity,  you need to know that on several occasions he was TOWED out to sea by these fish.  I would contend that part of his knee problems stem from having to kick back to shore 3-5 miles after getting hauled around by some large critter he hooked into.  The guy is one of a kind !!!  MERRY CHRISTMAS to you TD and the rest of the board.  Hope the Happy New Year has some great fishing for all !!!!

There ya go.  Now ya gone and did it.  There were probably at least a few BFTers who only mildly suspected my mental stability.  But I still got a few secrets.  And Merry Christmas to you too.

I did enjoy some "donut cruises" courtesy of large fishies.  But never for really great distances.  The big fish either "rocked" me or otherwise arranged their own early releases...for bad behavior.  My biggest challenges were getting caught in the heavy currents of changing tides and being swept down the coastline.  But if I did it right, I could fish going one way and then fish the other way after the tide changed.  It was great when I worked it right.  Tough when I had to get out of the water on some lonely beach and wait it out.

Some of my most memorable experiences in the "donut dinghy" were of the non-fish persuasion.  Several times I had curious young sea lions come up swimming around me and seemingly inviting me to play.  Thankfully none of the big nasty territorial males thought me worth bothering with.  And then there was the big green sea turtle.  Kinda shook me when I looked at my shadow on the bottom in the clear water and saw TWO big shady spots.  And when I turned around there was a big ol' turtle with lust in his eyes.  I had a tough time convincing him that I had a headache.

Thankfully, I never saw any large sharks while tubing.  Quite a few small ones.  Fun to catch.  The biggest shark I encountered was about a ten footer I hooked on a big handline while being a gringo deckhand on a shrimp boat.   It had chomped a cabrilla I was reeling in on my rod...leaving only the top half.  I put that on a big shark hook rigged on a stout rope and chain and dropped it back over the side.  The shark came back for seconds and it was game on.  I wrapped a couple of loops of line around a stern cleat on the boat and the shark started jerking the whole big shrimp boat around.  That woke up the Mexican shrimpers and they came up from below decks to see "que paso?"  Took a few minutes and a couple of rifle rounds to settle the shark down.  Took longer than that to keep the crew from wanting to throw me overboard.

And then there was the night when a couple of coyotes raided my camp while I was sleeping on the beach...

And then there was the time when I was purposely sprayed by a cropduster while driving down a long dirt road to the water...

'Twern't all fun and games.  But mostly.