marlin in rocky point

[hammer scuba]

we were fishing on sat with a group of 15 people and i put a small live sand perch on a customers pole and on the way down something hit it hard and took off sideways fast when the reel was put in gear the line broke. 15 seconds later a small ( 5 foot ) marlin jumped 6 or 7 times trying to shake the hook. 25 years of fishing here and that was a first for me . i would have never believed it if i didn't see it for myself. wierd year so far

 

[Stuart]

Time to set up the outriggers and go trolling! I plan on doing just that in July. Marlin are there; nobody fishes for them. I've caught sailfish and have seen marlin jumping when fishing out of Penasco, but have yet to catch and release a marlin there. Have also come across marlin laying on the surface sunning themselves over by Consag Rock, too. Surprised me at the time.

The only problem is that there's no real density to them like further south in San Carlos (same with big dorado). You can do a LOT of trolling in prime blue water and not get a strike all day. Gets too boring for most guys that just want to pull on a fish.

We've had some good years trolling for dorado out of Penasco -- some in the 25-30 lb. range, which is respectable. I've already heard San Carlos is having a pretty good year, so maybe that will translate into a good trolling year further north, as well.

I'd pay a quarter to see the look on your face when you saw that marlin jump, Rick! :rofl:

 

[Kenny]

Not that long ago I posted about the young one I threw a big white saltwater jig to from a private Ponga over 20 years ago. We were fairly close to shore between Cholla, and Sandy. I had my Steelhead rod and reel with me, and after watching him fooling around the boat for a while chasing bait fish, I thought I'd give him a go. He jumped right on it, then peeled line faster than any fish I've ever been onto by a long shot. It was a short ride, but a heart thumper.

 

[dmcauley]

Yours is the second report I've heard in two days Rick. The other folks saw many Dorado in close also.

 

[Kenny]

It couldn't be related to that global warming "propaganda" could it?:think:

 

[moore_rb]

I'm still reading that "Valentine and Friends" book and the stories from the 50's and 60's of the Cholla Bay Sportsmen nailing Sails, Dorado, and small marlin 5 miles off of Pelican Point make me yearn for the good old days...

So Rick- why did the line break? Did you forget that the drag was locked down on the "Grouper" setting when you threw it into gear....?

 

[Stuart]

It couldn't be related to that global warming "propaganda" could it?:think:

I called Al Gore. He said "No." uff:

If it has to do with anything -- it's that they've been cracking on the illegal longlines further south. Less longlines, more billlfish and dorado making it through the gauntlet and heading north, where's there's usually endless bait schools for them to feed on.

 

[Kenny]

I'm still reading that "Valentine and Friends" book and the stories from the 50's and 60's of the Cholla Bay Sportsmen nailing Sails, Dorado, and small marlin 5 miles off of Pelican Point make me yearn for the good old days...

So Rick- why did the line break? Did you forget that the drag was locked down on the "Grouper" setting when you threw it into gear....?

I remember that when I was a kid there, that some of the bigger boats with outriggers would come back in flying the flags that signified the number and type of billsfish they'd caught.

 

[moore_rb]

I called Al Gore. He said "No." uff:

If it has to do with anything -- it's that they've been cracking on the illegal longlines further south. Less longlines, more billlfish and dorado making it through the gaunlet and heading north, where's there's usually endless bait schools for them to feed on.

I hope that's the case...

We saw the San Felipe guys that cleaned out the 51 to 53 mile reefs when they were unloading in RP Harbor and they had their lines coiled up and clearly visible on the Mother Ship like they were proudly flying a flag.

 

[hammer scuba]

it was a lite trigger rod with 30 pound line . my mouth hung open the whole time and i think i shit myself a little

 

[Stuart]

A good fisherman woulda had that marlin, Rick... even on a Snoopy rod! BWHAHAHAHAHA!!

 

[moore_rb]

Dude- are you making fun of my Snoopy Rod...?

way uncool.

 

[Kenny]

I called Al Gore. He said "No." uff:

If it has to do with anything -- it's that they've been cracking on the illegal longlines further south. Less longlines, more billlfish and dorado making it through the gauntlet and heading north, where's there's usually endless bait schools for them to feed on.

Oh right, and the Roosterfish too.. There's no question that a variety of fish species have been moving north for some time now Stuart, and I think I remember you making that obsevation yourself a few years ago. It's not called Al Gore, it's called science.

 

[Stuart]

Oh right, and the Roosterfish too.. There's no question that a variety of fish species have been moving north for some time now Stuart, and I think I remember you making that obsevation yourself a few years ago. It's not called Al Gore, it's called science.

Science is science. Al Gore's carbon tax credits and proclamations of doom and gloom concerning global warming is NOT science. It's all about putting money in Al Gore's pockets. Why, Kenny, would you even defend him? Oh! Because he invented the internet, that's right!

My original comment WAS A JOKE. So was this one. uff:

Not joking, it is good to see some of these species moving north. Some of it is cyclical and seasonal, some not. The roosterfish have always been around Penasco in summer. Pangas have had them when we've approached them to buy bait. Not very big, but no denying, roosterfish. The northern Sea of Cortez is a great nursery and incubator for all kind of species because the water is so shallow. Can you imagine how good the fishing would be if the Colorado still flowed into it as it used to?

If I had a Way-back Machine (thank-you Sherman and Mr. Peabody, not Al Gore), that's the era I'd zap myself back to -- the days before they built the damns (sic) on the Colorado so I could wrestle with some 200 lb. plus totuava!

 

[Stuart]

I'm willing to bet ol' Allen there would have released them had he caught them today. Does my heart no good seeing them blacken in a panga.

Then again, I make custom big game trolling lures and am a card-carrying member of TBF (The Billfish Foundation). To me, there's really no sense in keeping sails or marlin. Yes, some people (who shall remain nameless) swear that smoked marlin is great to eat. But with dorado, grouper, snapper and so many other better eating fish out there, why slay billfish to eat, make catfood out of, or put on somebody's wall?

Goes along with my old saying, I suppose. "One man's bait is another man's gamefish!"

 

[Kenny]

Why, Kenny, would you even defend him?

My point was not to defend Gore Stuart. I was trying to point you in the right direction, but with without much hope.strich: Whatever Gore does or doesn't do is irrelevant, it's what is happening to our climate thats important.

 

[Stuart]

Kenny, I was "Blinded by Science" back in the 80's! :rofl:

[video=youtube;2IlHgbOWj4o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IlHgbOWj4o[/video]

 

[Stuart]

Still screwed up by today's standards, although I understand the whole aspect of it being a promotion and knowledge of billfish conservation at the time (essentially none) being what it was.

I've caught sails on 20 and 30 lb. line. But most often, I fish with much heavier - 50 to 60 lb. Sailfish and marlin will usually make a blistering run after being hooked. Or, they may decide to go deep. With light line, you are letting the fish control the fight. They will fight until they die. With heavier line, you are controlling the fight. You can get them to the boat faster, get them unhooked, and revive them for a successful release. Personally, I've been very successful in releasing every billfish I've caught and have never had one die during the fight.

PS - Nobody I know uses 100 lb. line with electric reels for billfish. Those I know that use electrics use them strictly for deep-drop bottom fishing or for kite fishing. The electric reel is used to manage the kite (or teaser), which has a release clip to a normal rod/reel setup when the sailfish hits the kited bait.

 

[Stuart]

As far as I know all electric reel fishing is illegal in Mex unless you have a special disability permit.

There's lots of things in Mexico that are illegal, yet widely ignored. Longlining for dorado is a perfect example. Catch limits is another. Fishing licenses yet another. Ask a Mexican sometime if he has a fishing license. He'll look at you and laugh and tell you he doesn't need a license. I've been told (in the past by Mexicans) that I didn't need a fishing license because it is the "free zone." Yeah, right. The "free zone" has nothing to do with fishing licenses whatsoever.

However, I wouldn't advertise the fact in the Rocky Point Times.

 

[moore_rb]

No Kidding...

The rules are ok to ignore- only until the guy in your face (with the other two camo'd guys with SR47's standing behind him) says that they are NOT ok to ignore...

I'll hedge my bets by simply following the rules as written.