32 Mar/Apr

VARIETY IS ONE of the definingcharacteristics of a saltwater fly-fishing trip to the East Cape re-

gion of Baja California. While doradosand roosterfish are arguably the region’smost popular inshore targets, many otherspecies are also taken near the coast, in-cluding jack crevalles, sierras, pargos, lady-fish, skipjacks, and yellowtail, as well as theoccasional dog snapper, bonefish, andpompano. In the deeper, blue-water loca-tions, sailfish, marlins, tuna, and wahoosare also targeted with fly rods. Although itis known for this piscatorial bounty, theEast Cape of the Baja peninsula is oftenchosen as a fishing destination because it isalso economical, safe, and scenic. Travel toBaja tourist destinations does not requireSpanish language skills, although knowinga bit of “fishing Spanish” can be helpful.The region offers a long fishing seasonwith the opportunity for fly fishers ofmany different skill levels to catch exoticgame fish that are not readily availableelsewhere.

We recently joined two other fly-fish-ing buddies on a five-day, six-night guidedfishing trip to Baja for about $2,100 perperson, including nonstop airfare fromSan Francisco and all expenses except per-sonal gear and flies. This economical pricepoint still bought us first-rate guides forboth boat and beach, very comfortablebeachside accommodations in two differ-ent locations, and good opportunities forlanding the primary targets of our trip, do-rados and roosterfish.

The East Cape Fishing GroundsThe East Cape extends from north of

San Jose del Cabo to south of La Paz.Therichness of the East Cape’s fishery owesmuch to Cerralvo Island (also known as

Jacques Cousteau Island), roughly 10 milesoff the mainland. Because of its ideal un-derwater topography and favorable cur-rents, the Cerralvo Channel acts as a mag-net and migratory highway for the diversefish species found in the Sea of Cortez.Areas just off the island offer excellentfishing, weather permitting.

If you buy a package fishing trip froman outfitter, it will be convenient, but youwill generally be limited to fishing the areaof the East Cape favored by that guide.Those who are comfortable with organiz-ing trips on their own and driving in Mex-ico can build a bit more variety into theirouting.That’s what we did.

If you want to follow in our footsteps,it helps to pick your destination(s) fromthree groups of beaches on the East Cape.The southern beaches, beginning about 60miles up the coast f rom Cabo, includePunta Arena, Punta Colorada, La Ribera,Rancho Leonero, and Rancho BuenaVista. The central beaches include LosBarilles (the largest town between Caboand La Paz) and north to Punta Pesca-dero, El Cardonal, and Boca del Alamo.The best northern beaches are aroundBahia de los Muertos (sometimes calledBahia de los Sueños), Punta Arena de laVentana (its lighthouse being a landmark),and El Sargento. See Gary Graham’s FlyFishing Southern Baja (David Communi-cations, 1999) for more information abouteach location.

By law, all beaches in the area areopen to the public. They can be accessedvia gravel roads that can occasionally berough. Be sure to have a good map, andcheck with local residents about the cur-rent condition of your planned route.Roads occasionally sustain storm damageor may be blocked by the actions of local

landowners. Also, it is wise to use a well-maintained high-clearance vehicle.

Another alternative is to fish thebeach in an all-terrain vehicle — an ATV.Compared with fishing on foot from anSUV, an ATV gives you more versatilebeach access, the ability to chase fish downthe shore, and additional elevation fromwhich to spot fish or see bait activity. It’salso fun. Rhino ATVs, which are availablein some locations, can carry four people.When you rent an ATV, be sure to askabout access and routes, because occasion-ally you may have to take detours aroundcertain beaches.

If fishing from a boat, your optionsinclude well-appointed cruisers with pow-erful engines and long-range cruising ca-pabilities or the traditional local fishingboat, called a panga. Pangas are generally20 to 25 feet long and have a raised plat-form for casting in the bow, a live-baitwell, simple seats, and a single 50-to-90-horsepower engine. Pangas with guidescan be hired through resorts or by contact-ing a boat captain who launches from a lo-cal beach, such as Los Muertos. Be awarethat most local captains can find thespecies of fish you wish to target, but onlya few are experienced at guiding fly fish-ers. A final option, when the sea is verycalm, is to fish from a kayak.

Our Baja ExperienceIt was mid-October, and as the four

of us awaited our three-hour flight fromSan Francisco to Cabo, we were filled withanticipation and excitement. Collectively,we had been on about 70 other saltwater-destination trips, but fly fishing Baja wasvirgin territory. Our plans included threedifferent ways to fish: casting in coastalwaters from a panga, using an SUV to fish

road-accessible beaches on foot, and rent-ing ATVs to reach additional beach areas.We talked of sight fishing for large roost-erfish, being awed by the electric colors offeeding dorados, and having the opportu-nity to catch many different species.Roosters and dorados are bizarre fish in-deed, with shapes and colors that give theappearance of having been designed by acommittee of modern artists.

The coast of the East Cape is notyour typical mangrove-jungle or coral-flatssaltwater environment. Verdant mountainsdrop down into a rain-shadow desert thatwas awash in new blooms when we ar-rived, providing ample eye candy duringour drive northeast from the airport.

Panga FishingOur first day was bright, but overcast,

and our guides, Israel and Jhonny, werewaiting beside their pangas when we ar-rived just after dawn at the beach on Bahiade los Muertos. We quickly loaded ourgear, food, and beverages, with two flyfishers to a boat. Each of us was preriggedwith at least two rods, and we brought alarge assortment of our own flies.

The first order of business when flyfishing from pangas on the East Cape is toobtain hundreds of flatiron herring, knownas sardinas. This live bait is used through-out the area for chumming where fish aresuspected to be present. The sardinas aresometimes caught by your guide using tra-ditional throw nets, but buying your chumfrom a commercial fisherman (for $20U.S.) gives you more fishing time.

Dorados, which are attracted to anykind of floating cover, are often found nearthe buoys strategically placed by commer-cial shark fishermen. These buoys also at-tract game fish, not only because they are

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B Y K I R S T O N K O T H SA N D B O B M A R S H A K

Fly Fishing Baja fromBoat and Beach

Mar/Apr 33

baited with fish carcasses, but becausebaitfish thrive on the algae that grow upthe side of the anchored stakes. We fishedwhile drifting past a few shark buoys, butat first, all we caught were giant needlefish.Then Jhonny pulled close to another buoy,dipped his net into the live well, and beganhis routine of tossing single sardines. Thistime, when the chum hit the water, boilsfollowed instantly. Soon our panga wassurrounding by slashing dorados whoseneon colors lit up the clear water.

The first cast of a tan-and-whiteClouser toward this activity was rewardedwith an instant grab, followed by a solidstrip strike. Fifteen minutes later, after sev-eral rod-doubling trips around the stern ofthe boat, we boated a nice dorado, over 15pounds. Smiles, high fives, and photos fol-lowed. All the while, Jhonny continuedtossing chum, a tactic designed to keep theschool around the boat, and we enjoyedseveral more hookups. Schools of doradosoften have fish in the 10-to-25-poundrange, whereas bulls (mature males) some-times are more solitary and can reach over50 pounds.

Our second panga had success withdorados around the shark buoys, but alsofished some crystal-clear water in a covethat was not reachable by casting fromshore. Juvenile roosters, identified by theirdistinctive dorsal “combs” as they attackedthe chum, could be hooked if you present-ed a Clouser with a fast and steady strip.We also caught an astounding variety ofother species, including the aptly namedMexican lookdown and even a bonefish.

By 2:00 P.M., we were worn out, andwe headed back to the launch area. Over

beer and chips at the beachside Restaurant1535, we determined that we had boatedabout 40 fish, including two dorados andfour juvenile roosters, as well as many jacksand giant needlefish.

Subsequent days were like the first.We picked up a few fish in the bay and

then probed the buoys. We were fortunateto have hired the top local panga guides,Israel and Efren Lucero, whose family wastaught fly fishing in the 1990s by Ameri-can fly fishers Gary Bulla and Jay Mu-rakoshi. We complained a bit about thepesky needlefish we frequently were catch-ing, but our guides assured us that theirpresence was a good sign — needlefishmean nearby baitfish, and baitfish meandorados.

Sure enough, dorados suddenly start-ed to appear, and a Crease Fly disappearedinto the mouth of the first fish on thescene. As a light rain fell, the dorado head-

ed for the next area code, greyhoundingtoward the horizon, then stopping toshake several times. The fight lasted near-ly 15 minutes, and when the 15-pound do-rado was finally boated, we had good evi-dence for one rule of thumb: for everypound that a dorado weighs, it will take

one minute to land it, and it will give youone round of aerial acrobatics. As our well-traveled fly fisher landed his first dorado,he remarked that it had the power of apermit and the jumping skills of a tarpon.The dorado is truly an ideal fly-rod target.

On a day with calmer seas, we wouldhave rounded the point of the bay andheaded north toward Cerralvo Island tofish some spots up the coast and perhapssome blue water. Instead, we went southand stayed close to shore, rotating fromone shark buoy to another. By early after-noon, we had caught another two to threedozen fish and even had seen a jumping

sailfish and marlin hooked by a nearbycharter boat.

Beach FishingTo begin the beach-fishing part of

our adventure, we drove from our comfort-able beachside house in El Sargento to thelarger town of Los Barilles. On the patioof our beachside room at Hotel Playa delSol, we met guides Mike Rieser and MaryWaugh from the Baja Flyfishing Compa-ny. (See “If You Go . . .” for details.) Wehad arranged for two days of guided beachfishing, which included three nights at ahotel and three meals a day. As it turnedout, it also included a much appreciatedfact-filled fishing orientation from Mikeand Mary on the evening we arrived.

Early the next morning, we headednorth in two SUVs to Boca de Alamo, anenchanting beach where we had the goodfortune to put the first footprints of theday into the pristine sands. The typicalEast Cape beach is sandy and punctuatedby occasional rocky areas, with a troughthat extends out about 10 to 30 feet, fol-lowed by a steep drop. Standing either onthe beach or calf-deep in the water, youcast to sighted fish or schools of bait. Ifneither is present, you cast blindly as far asyou can. Fast strips and animated flies arethe keys to success. The beach catch isdominated by jacks, ladyfish, needlefish,roosters, pompanos, and sierras, but on theEast Cape, you never know when a doradoor something large will make an appear-ance in shallow water.

With fairly gentle waves and no signsof big roosters, we were comfortable fish-ing 8-weight and 9-weight rods with

SMALL ROOSTERFISH SOMETIMES COME AGGRESSIVELY TO YOUR FLY.

THIS COLORFUL DORADO GRABBED A CREASE FLY OFF THE COAST NEAR LOS MUERTES.

34 Mar/Apr

either floating or intermediate lines. Thecasting was not overly difficult, and thecatching was brisk. We enjoyed several in-stances of doubles, with jacks and ladyfishbeing the predominant species landed.

Mike Rieser is a big proponent of

matching the hatch, Baja style. He notedthat the shoreline bait that morning wassmall, and he wisely encouraged us todownsize our Clouser-style flies. As Maryspotted balls of sardinas, she would point,and we would move up or down the beach

as necessary and place our flies in themidst of the bait. Often, it would take on-ly a strip or two to hook up. Occasionallywe saw explosions of flying bait shootinginto the air and falling back into the waterlike raindrops. There was even a moment

when a school of jacks drove a ball of sar-dinas onto the beach, and the terrified preyliterally splashed down all around our feet.

A break for lunch allowed us to pauseand enjoy one defining characteristic ofthe East Cape, the intersection of desertand sea. In certain locations, it might justbe possible to hook a saguaro cactus onyour back cast! In the afternoon, we drovesouth and fished another scenic area, Pun-ta Pescadero. We picked up a few fish, butin what seemed to be a recurring pattern,both the fishing and the fishermen sloweddown a bit in the afternoon.

Our last day was spent on four-personATVs called Rhinos. We headed south,with each ATV carrying a guide, two fish-ermen, and a fair bit of gear. Our plan wasto work down the coast toward Punta Col-orada and Punta Arena, well-regardedrooster destinations that are somewhatsheltered from the north winds. With theadditional range and speed afforded by thevehicles, we had high hopes of gettingsome shots at big roosters. As we under-stood it, keeping up with grandes cruisingthe beach would be difficult to do on foot.The ATVs also offered the advantage of ahigher vantage point. In our caravan,Mary, who was a fish-spotting machine,stood on the back seat of one of the vehi-cles and called out when she eyed some-thing. The caravan would then stop, andthe rods would come out quickly.

Guides on the beach will often use aspinning rod rigged with a hookless plugthat is cast out and retrieved as a teaserbait, the beach equivalent of chumming.The guide casts first, and then the fly fish-er times a cast to intersect with the path ofany fish lured in from deeper water by theteaser. On this particular morning, wespotted a lot of ballyhoo baitfish, which atabout five inches long were much largerthan the sardinas. Ballyhoos have a blue-toned back and are distinguished by theirlong, needlelike noses. We imitated the“beak”on this baitfish by using long Cock-roach-style flies.

Despite all of the advantages of usingATVs, we did not spot any large roostersthat day. The early morning fishing wasgood, and our catch included some smallroosters. Mary spotted a big fish out in thesurf, and we ran down the beach to cast toit. The well-muscled fish not only took afly, but also a whole lot of backing beforeslowing. After a 10-minute battle, the mo-mentum of the incoming surf helped usland the fish, a big jack, which was revivedand released. Our final thrill was the ap-pearance of a large Pacific amberjack, pos-sibly in the 40-to-50-pound range. As itcruised along the drop-off, it refused our

MIKE RIESER, author of an excellent resource, Fly Fishingthe Baja and Beyond (Baja Time Publications, 2011), was

our guide and outfitter for the beach-fishing part of our trip. Hecan be reached at bajaflyfish@yahoo.com and at (877) 572-5012. His Baja Flyfishing Company is at http://www.bajafly-fish.com. Gary Bulla (http://www.garybulla.com), Al Smatsky(http://www.excellentadventures.org), and Jay Murakoshi(http://www.bajaflyfishingadventures.com) helped to pioneerfly fishing opportunities on the Sea of Cortez and are good re-sources for technique and trip options. Other sources for Bajafishing information or guiding include Jeff deBrown of TheReel Baja (http://www.thereelbaja.com), Mike Copithorne ofOff the Hook Fly Fishing (http:offthehookflyfishing.com),Gary and Yvonne Graham of Baja on the Fly (http://www.ba-jafly.com), and James Shaugnessy (http://www.flyrodtravel.com).

Finding a panga guide who understands the needs of flyfishers is not necessarily easy. We recommend our panga guides,Israel and Efren Lucero, who are based in Agua Amarga. Wemade arrangements with them by e-mailing their brother, Fred-dy, at freddylo75@hotmail.com. You can also telephone Israel,who speaks some English, at 011521-612-153-2170.

To get to Baja’s East Cape, fly into either Los Cabos Inter-national Airport (SJD) or La Paz. Nonstop flights are availablefrom San Francisco and Los Angeles to SJD via Alaska, Amer-ican (Los Angeles only), United, and Virgin (San Francisco on-ly) Airlines. La Paz is served by several airlines, but they cur-rently offer no direct flights.

Renting a car in Mexico can be problematic. Hiddencharges and high-mileage cars with mechanical challenges arenot uncommon. When you make your reservation, be careful tofind out what is covered. If you plan to use your own insurance,do so at the time that you make your reservation. If you’re goingto travel beach roads, be sure to rent a high-clearance vehicle.Renting a four-wheel-drive vehicle also may be important whendirt roads are susceptible to being washed out during rain-storms. Be sure your vehicle has a jack and a spare tire. Beforeyou go, try to get the Baja California map put out by AAA.

Accommodation options include beach camping, RVparks, hotels, resorts, and private homes. Quality hotels can befound in La Paz, Los Barilles, and La Ventana. Another optionis to rent a private home, many of which are right on the beach.VRBO is a good Web source for finding such rentals. That iswhat we did for part of our trip. Our rental home in La Ventana(http://www.vrbo.com/195778) was conveniently located forfishing out of Los Muertos or Punta Arena de la Ventana, andthe English-speaking homeowner met us and helped us settle in.

If you need to provide some of your own food and bever-ages, you can expect to find bare essentials in minimarkets in allsmall towns. The larger markets are in Cabo, La Paz, and LosBarilles, and you should stock up at the beginning of your trip. Itis a good idea to buy a cheap cooler at the market. Baja’s drink-ing water comes from deep mineral springs in the mountains,tastes good, and is considered safe. Still, many people prefer bot-tled water.

Most resorts, hotels, and even small stores accept creditcards. Nonetheless, you will need cash. Many people, includingthe local fishing guides, prefer U.S. dollars to Mexican pesos.While on the East Cape, you can get U.S. dollars only at the air-ports or at ATMs found only in Cabo, Los Barilles, and La Paz.

For do-it-yourself panga fishing, do not expect the guide toprovide anything. Bring food, drinks, and all of your fishing ne-cessities, including stripping-finger guards and protection fromthe sun, such as hats, sun gloves, and buffs. Bring U.S. dollars($20/day) to pay for the chum that is used to keep fish withincasting range of the boat. Finally, you may want to bring theguides small gifts of supplies they cannot easily obtain downthere — a few flies, tying materials, a baseball cap, and so on.

Consider bringing your own personal floatation device.The manually inflatable kind are easy to travel with and com-fortable to wear.

You can rent ATVs from the Quadman in Los Barilles(http://www.quadman.net). Rates range from $75 to $100 perperson per day.

East Cape air temperatures range from warm to very hot,and there is a substantial seasonality to the fishing year. Primeseason occurs when the water is warmest, generally from Aprilto mid-November. For giant roosters (grandes), the peak is Mayand June. July offers excellent fishing, but extreme heat. Augustand September can fish well, but are often avoided because ofthe heat and occasional tropical storms.

From October until the prevailing northerly winds of win-ter settle in, conditions can be prime for both the variety and thequality of fish, as well as for physical comfort. While big roostersare less accessible during that period, smaller ones are moreabundant, and dorado fishing is normally excellent. Thenortherly winds typically arrive from mid-November to earlyDecember and begin to abate around March, at which time thecycle starts anew. Although winter is not prime fishing time, it’swell worth a try, particularly if you find yourself in Baja for rea-sons other than a fishing excursion. The winter catch is domi-nated by the hard-fighting, toothy sierra and the brutally power-ful yellowtail, supplemented by an occasional dorado or rooster.Local weather and wind forecasts are available at http://-www.iwindsurf.com/windandwhere.iws?siteI-D=1369&Isec-tion=Forecast+Graphs&regionID=130.

The sea is the central attraction of the lower Baja and offersappealing activities for nonfishers. Baja is a magnet for water-sports enthusiasts, including surfers, kite boarders, snorkelers,and whale watchers. Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park encom-passes a renowned coral reef and has some fantastic diving andsnorkeling.The Sierra de la Laguna Mountains rise steeply fromthe sea to 7,000 feet and offer opportunities to hike, explorecaves, swim, and study nature. Urban attractions include La Paz,which has a well-preserved waterfront district, and Todos San-tos, an artsy town on the Pacific side of the peninsula. Unlikemany other saltwater fly-fishing destinations, the East Cape ofBaja has something for everyone in the family.

Kirston Koths and Bob Marshak

If You Go...

Mar/Apr 35

offerings, but reminded us of the promise,sometimes fulfilled and sometimes not, ofBaja’s bountiful waters.

Techniques and TacticsBy saltwater standards, the East

Cape’s surf is normally fairly gentle duringfishing season. Still, for those not accus-tomed to fishing the surf zone or on theplatform of a rocking boat, line manage-ment can be challenging. Unlike with Pa-cific Coast surf-zone fishing, a strippingbasket is not normally used when fishingBaja beaches. Standing on the beach,rather than in the surf, tends to minimizeline tangling where long casts are notneeded. When you do fish in the surf,move slightly away from the fly line andthe angle of the waves as you retrieve.Whether on the beach or in a boat, bare orsock-covered feet can help you detectwhen you are stepping on your line.

If you have at least average castingskills, including knowing how to doublehaul on larger rods, you will feel comfort-able fishing Baja. When it comes to tech-nique, the speed and manner of your re-trieve are generally the most important,followed by the length of your cast, andthen its accuracy. One very notable excep-tion is when fishing for grande roosters,which demands accuracy and more ad-vanced saltwater fishing skills, includingcasting for distance in the wind. You prob-ably can’t retrieve too fast for large roost-ers. Whether you choose to strip with onehand or two, with the rod held under yourarm, is a matter of skill and preference. Inaddition to making fast strips, you shouldtry to keep the fly moving at all times, aseemingly impossible skill, when you thinkabout it. Our guide, Mike Rieser, encour-aged us to sweep the rod to the side be-tween strips (or to back up onto the beach)to avoid pauses in the fly’s swimming mo-tion. It is especially important to make astrong, final sweep of your rod if a fish isfollowing. If you miss a fish that has fol-lowed your fly, you should always get yourfly back in the water quickly, no matterhow awkward the cast.

Your beach-fishing skills should alsoinclude sight fishing, as well as bait spot-ting, although guides are generally expertsat spotting bait. Signs of bait activity in-clude diving birds and “nervous water.”Bait balls often reveal themselves as dark,moving patches over a lighter-colored bot-tom. You can also sometimes spot feedingfish as brief flashes, in addition to theirmore obvious splashes. Fortunately, manyof the East Cape’s species are bright orcolorful and contrast with their surround-ings when feeding. Of course, no sight is

more welcome or unmistakable than theraised comb of a roosterfish in feedingmode as it herds bait in the shallows.

Sighted roosters need to be fished asambush predators. You want to anticipatethe direction in which they are moving,position yourself ahead of them, cast at a20-to-30-degree angle in front of them,start retrieving as soon as (or even before)the fly hits the water, and never allow thefly to stop. Smaller roosters may be fooledby marginal technique, but with largerroosters, often all you will get is the dread-ed “curious follow.” Such behavior is whathas earned roosters the nickname “the per-mit of Baja.”There are few loftier goals infly fishing than landing a large roosterfrom the beach.

Fishing from a panga is fairly straight-forward, especially for those with goodbalance. Unlike when fishing for bonefishfrom a boat, two skilled casters can fish atthe same time from opposite ends of theboat when dorados are present. Floatingdebris such as logs, Sargasso grass, andshark buoys attract dorados. Your guidewill throw a few live sardinas close to thedebris, and if any feeding occurs, a fly castnearby will often elicit an immediate grab.If feeding dorados are spotted while mo-toring, the boat will be positioned in frontof the moving school, and live chum willbe tossed out to keep the fish near theboat. Ultralong casts are not needed dur-ing such feeding frenzies. If the fish arenot responding to flies near the surface, al-lowing your fly to sink beneath the bait ona sinking line will sometimes rekindletheir interest.

Set the hook well with a solid strip

strike and raise your rod to the side onlywhen the well-hooked fish begins its run.After clearing all of the free line and get-ting the fish on the reel, you may want toadd drag by carefully palming the reel. Tobring the fish in, pull up, lower the rod tip,and retrieve line quickly. Repeat thisprocess until the fish nears the boat. Becareful about exerting too much pressurestraight up, especially if a big dorado headsunder the boat. This is how rods get shat-tered. Your guide will handle the fish, bytailing it, if it is to be released, or by gaffing

it, if you intend to have it for dinner. Dora-dos reproduce rapidly in these waters, soharvesting one for a delicious meal is fair-ly common. All roosters definitely shouldbe released, however.

Rods, Reels, Lines, Leaders, Flies The type and number of rods you

should bring will be determined by therange of species you plan to target.You willwant to bring more than one rod, in caseyou break one and to match the variety of

Continued on page 44

CHUM FROM THE LIVE WELL IS USED BY THE GUIDES TO KEEP FISH WITHIN CASTING RANGE OF THE BOAT.

GUIDE MARY WAUGH SCANS THE SEA FOR ROOSTERFISH AND BAITFISH ACTIVITY.

fish species and wind conditions that youwill encounter.

Saltwater rods that are 9 feet long andhave a fighting butt will be useful inweights ranging from 8 or 9 to over 12. An8-weight rod might be a sporting choicefor smaller species in low-wind conditions,but a 9-weight or 10-weight likely will beyour main rod and will be adequate in av-erage winds when casting smaller flies tofish ranging up to midsized dorados androosters. When fishing offshore or for bulldorados and grande roosters in the 20-to-50-pound range, a 10-weight or 11-weightwould be a better choice. Blue-water fish-ing for the powerful yellowfin, you mightbe underpowered with anything less than a12-weight. For billfish, you will want to goeven heavier.

Saltwater reels with up to 300 yards of30-pound backing will be the workhorsesof your Baja excursion. Large-arbor reelshave a decided advantage in both their rateof line retrieval and their ability to main-tain consistent drag pressure. Open rimswill allow palming the reel to slow fishduring their runs. Most Baja fly fishershave at least two rods (and reels) withthem as they fish, rigged for the two mostlikely species they will spot. Remember torinse reels and all gear, including the fliesyou have used, in fresh water at the end ofeach day.

Clear, intermediate sinking lines orintermediate-tip floating lines will workfor most of your fishing from both boatand beach. Although some companiesmake specialty fly lines designed to per-form best in tropical heat, lines that youmay already own, such as a clear interme-diate striper line, will also work. In situa-tions where fish are busting bait on thesurface, popper fishing with a floating linemay be a good choice. Sinking lines orshooting-head systems (sink rates IV toVI) may be required to reach deeperspecies, such as tuna and big dorados thatlurk below bait balls.

Keep your leader systems simple: 3-to-4-foot butt sections of 30-to-40-poundsoft mono looped to a class tippet of 17 to22 pounds for a total length of 7 feet foroffshore fishing and 9 feet on the beach.Consider using fluorocarbon for your tip-pet. Although the Baja fish are not partic-ularly leader shy, the abrasion resistance offluorocarbon helps stand up to toothymouths, rocky shorelines, and the in-evitable dropped back cast that hits thebeach.Tying on your flies with a loop knot

such as Lefty’s Non-Slip Mono Loop al-lows them to move more naturally duringthe retrieve. Some toothy species, such assierras, require use of a short section ofheavy bite tippet (or wire).

The best fly patterns imitate the mainfood source, baitfish, in both size and col-or. Flatiron herring (sardinas) range fromtwo to four inches in length, dependingupon the season. Clousers in olive or tanover white on size 2 to 3/0 hooks are ef-fective for many target species, includingroosters, dorados, and jacks. Tie your flieswith eyes and flashtails, and color the tailtips black with a Magic Marker.The bally-hoo, another baitfish species, is imitated byCockroach-style flies whose unadornedhook shanks imitate the long “beak”of thisbait. Crease Flies and other poppers areoften effective when natural bait has beendriven to the surface. Larger roosters willwant larger flies, such as bucktail Deceiversup to five or even eight inches long. Theseimitate small ladyfish and needlefish.Sometimes dorados will key on squid, andyou will wish you had a white squid pat-tern when that happens. When there is nonatural bait present to match, try large at-tractor patterns in red and white, purpleand black, or yellow and green.

Summing It UpLong-anticipated fishing trips tend to

get discussed thoroughly before, during,and after the trip. Some reminiscing oftenbegins during the last meal of the trip it-self. As we sat in the old town of Santiagoin the Palomar Restaurant with our platesof chicken mole and dorado, there wasunanimous agreement that it had been anoutstanding experience and that the EastCape had earned a place in our future fish-ing lives. We raved about many things: thevariety of fish, their unique visual appeal,and their decathletelike speed, strength,and jumping traits. And we would notsoon forget the beauty of the sea-meets-desert ecosystem and the opportunity todo boat, beach, and ATV fishing on thesame trip, not to mention the warm hospi-tality of the locals.

Predictably, we also lamented thethings we didn’t experience, such as land-ing a big rooster and having some calmerdays when casting would be easy and ourpangas could safely venture farther off-shore.This unfinished business, along withour desire to reexperience the things weloved about our first fly fishing trip to theBaja, will surely draw us back again.

(For additional photos, as well as video,of fishing the Baja’s East Cape, visit the Website http://www.shootinglineproductions.-smugmug.com).

JAY MURAKOSHI

BAJA FLY FISHING ADVENTURES

667 E. COLE AVE FRESNO, CA. 93720 (559) 449-0679

www.bajaflyfishingadventures.com

SPECIALIZING IN FLY FISHING FOR ROOSTERS, DORADO, JACK CREVALLE AND OTHER SPECIES DOWN IN THE BAJA.

Baja’s East CapeContinued from page 35---------------------------------------------

Mar/Apr 45

Truckee Tahoe Trout FundA donor-advised fund of the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation

The Truckee RegionCould Use Your Help

If you fish the Truckee/Tahoe region,please consider making a donation tothe Truckee Tahoe Trout Foundation.

Support better angling for your children,your grandchildren...and yourself.

Help build our capital fund tofinance fisheries protection,enhancement, and research.

We’ve given out $3,000 ingrants to study the health ofaquatic insect populations in

the Little Truckee, lowerMartis Creek, and Bear Creek,

and financed delivery ofspawning gravel for lower

Prossser Creek.

Send your tax-deductible donation to:P.O. Box 366, Truckee, CA 96160

For information,phone 587-1776

or 587-8702

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anVolunteers sampling a creek for aquatic insects.

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See page 57 fordetails.