"It was crazy--they just exploded around the bait."

"Uh huh."

My understated response was more for me than them. I couldn't let myself get rattled by the prospect of getting into a dozen pez gallos.

Pez gallo.

"Pez" means fish.

"Gallo?" That means rooster.

Anil related the story of their first day and it went something like this:

"Blah blah blah. Blah blah dorado blah blah. Blah blah blah blah ROOSTER FISH. ROOSTERS blah blah everywhere. Blah and there were tons of them."

I'm pretty sure Steve heard it the same way because as soon as rooster fish entered the conversation his eyes lit up.

"I really want to catch one of those," he said, turning to me.

This was no longer another fish story.

It was a quest.

I took a drag on the cigar and smiled.

Exhaling the thick smoke, I replied with the only answer a fishing buddy should ever offer:

"We will."

But plans change and the gallos took a back seat to marlin.

The other Steve and I were to pair up and scout for more tuna and dorado while Rohrbach and Anil hunted for the big boys.

As the sun came up, I plotted to convince our panguero to find some roosters and ditch the dorado... :)

In clockwork fashion, they showed up like school buses.

To tell yesterday's fish stories.

As luck would have it, Antonio's bait tank was malfunctioning and he had to nix the marlin.

"Then I'll just fish with you today, Jon," Anil said.

"So roosters after all, huh?"

Our answer came in a nod and the panga throttling up.

But just like the night before, plans changed.

Skipjack and bonito porpoised in huge schools around us.

"Casting, casting!" Antonio said as we madly stripped line from our 8 weights.

"Here we go again," I thought.

It's hard to pass up little tuna!

The hook ups came from every direction and while we might have been content to stay, our preoccupation with roosters got the better of us.

Minutes later, Antonio lobbed sardinas into the shallows as we looked on, searching for the telltale explosions.

And there they were.

"Casting, casting!"

My shock & awe entered near the last boil and I stripped like crazy, remembering something that I read in a book years ago about that being a good thing.

It's a good thing I can read! :)

Like the tuna earlier, the pez gallos went on and on.

And the day was still young.

In an attempt to continue our lucky streak, I turned to our panguero.

"Dorado?"

"Si."

I had yet to land a dorado so the idea of catching one, on top of roosters and tuna, held great appeal.

But our luck seemed to peter out until at last, we found a willing and lit up participant.

Like a neon sign...

Whoops! I guess she's not ready yet!

Nope, not yet...

Trifecta!

More tuna, my first dorado AND my first pez gallo.

I guess it only gets better in Mexico. :)

Next: Baja Day Three: Mas!

Where: Puget Sound
When: Sunday
Conditions: Slightly breezy, overcast, chilly
Flies used: GITD and pink over white shock & awe, snot dart, olive over white clouser
Species caught: dogfish, greenling (I think), flounder, staghorn sculpin aka "bullhead," and a few coho

Song of the day: "Time," Hootie and the Blowfish

"When are you going to bring some salmon home again?"

It had been a long time and my dad apparently had a craving for salmon.

"When the fish show up, I'll get one for you."

-------------------------------------------

A week later, Don and I, awake since midnight, cast flies into the surprisingly calm, black sea under the pink sliver of light that signaled dawn.

10 minutes in I had missed two fish and managed to solidly hook up on one.

"This thing is weak!" I yelled as my friend came over to investigate.

"But it's a nice one." The silhouette of a 20+ inch fish came near the surface.

Before we could land it, however, it popped off.

"Oh well, let's get another." I sighed.

As I charged my fly, I noticed eyes glowing in the water from the headlamp's reflection.

"Dude! They're close!"

But something seemed strange--I thought salmon's eyes didn't reflect light like that. I moved closer to the water's surface and noticed their shapes.

"Wait. They're dogfish, not salmon!"

Then Don hooked one.

And lost it, courtesy of the little shark's teeth.

Not long after, I hooked up.

Hey, a tug is a tug!

It was time for a break.

We jumped in the car, changed venues and headed for the zoo.

As we arrived to a full parking lot, I looked around.

No fish.

We at least had to try, though.

But the waves wouldn't have it and after Don took a slight dunking from the surf, we took our intended break more seriously.

"It's OK, you guys cover those waves!" ;)

After a bit more fishing there, it was time to check on Steve.

"He should be there by now," I said as we shuffled back up the beach.

Sure enough, he was, as were three guys crowding around one of their freshly caught salmon.

As we waded in to greet Steve, I cocked my head in their direction and said, "That's a good sign."

And it was! :)

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the outgoing tide showed up with the salad bar, forcing a change in venue yet again.

"So I know this spot," Steve said.

Having been up for 8 hours already, we were ready for some Xbox but reconsidered. Steve had just gotten here, after all.

We nodded. "Okay, let's go."

I'm glad we did:

Isn't this a greenling?

So THIS is why we stayed! :)

Yup, this was a good idea.

We had gotten into a school of fish, all not far from the beach and still in feeding mode.

Steve raised his rod tip, followed by a silver rocket going ballistic on the surface.

"Nice job, Steve! That fish is--"

My line hand jolted and instinctively, I set.

"Double!"

My fish provided a clear contrast for sizing up Steve's monster.

A native fish, Steve's silver refused to give up, somersaulting and actually pulling off his rod tip as it wrapped line around one of the guides.

Maybe if I push it out a little more my fish will look as big... ;)

Shortly after our double, Don's rod dipped.

He was into his first migratory coho on a fly.

On a fly he tied himself, no less! Nice job, Don!

And then, just as quickly as it started, the fishing died off.

We waited through the slack and even cast to a couple of jumpers, but to no avail.

With no rest since midnight and a long walk ahead on an empty stomach, it was time to wrap it up.

All this because of a simple request... ;)

"Antonio and Luciano will meet you at 6:30 on the beach out back."

The next morning, rods in hand and boat bags slung, we trotted through the sand (okay, maybe I was the only one trotting) to meet our pangueros.

Buenos dias!

I inhaled the humid, tropical air and turned to Steve.

"Here we go..."

-----------------------------------------------

"Whoops, I just lost him."

My first hook up on a dorado and he spat it out.

"Oh well, we have one in the boat."

Steve had landed the first one I'd ever seen up close and it was beautiful.

Shamefully, I was optimistic and passed up the opportunity to photograph it, thinking we'd see more.

The rest of the day would prove me wrong.

-----------------------------------------------

"No tienen hambre." ("They're not hungry.")

"Tsk. Pues, podemos pescar para bonita?" ("Tsk. Can we fish for bonita, then?")

"Simon!"

FYI, tuna, both big and small, are the devil. :)

They are merciless foes that nature has perfectly designed to school you.

Case in point. That's a 10 weight, I believe.

This is what was on the other end. :)

Steve and I had gotten into a large group of skipjack and bonito and were having a ball playing them on our larger rods.

Being the idiot that I am, I turned to my boatmate and said, "I wonder what it'd be like on an 8..."

His response? He reeled in and grabbed his 9.

Soon enough, his new selection was bent to the cork.

"A skipjack?" I wondered.

I soon had my answer.

Bonito!

My turn came minutes later.

The bonito took me out, then took me down. Did I mention he took lots of backing, too? :)

In the 105-degree heat and under a mid-day sun, I short-stroked the little tunny up from the depths. Sweat poured down my face and into my eyes and my palms became slick with perspiration.

Foot by foot it begrudgingly conceded and I finally boated the cause of my impending dehydration.

They're not big, but they're strong!

"Man, I'm beat! It's time for a swim!"

Steve knew about a little white sand beach tucked away on the other side of one of the islands.

It sounded like heaven at the moment.

As it turns out, Luciano wanted to fish around that area and by day's end we were relaxing en la playa.

Not a bad way to end the first day...

Our panguero thought this was as good a place as any to empty the livewell so out the sardinias went and along came...

...our little friend here!

Steve thought it'd be fun to pretend this was Sea World and decided to feed the animals.

While practicing his free throw form! :)

But the show ended as soon as the bait ran out and in the blink of an eye we were back on the porch.

Tuna on an 8 weight and swimming on a white sand beach?

I'd say it was a good day. :)

Next: Baja, Day Two: Pez Gallo!

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now closed the cabin door..."

"Then let's go already!"

"...all portable electronic devices must be turned off and stowed..."

"Oh jeez," I thought to myself. The anticipation was starting to get to me.

"...please direct your attention to the front of the cabin..."

"Can we just go to Mexico already?"

A short (and yet unbearably long) time later, we were airborne and with the help of a Tylenol PM, I had reverted to a more relaxed, sane form.

--------------------------------------------

Hours later, we were finally there.

Baja.

"Pasaporte, por favor."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Here you go."

I handed my passport over as I eyed the luggage carousel.

"I hope my stuff made it."

Moments later, I had my answer. And all was good. :)

--------------------------------------------

I think all of us were shocked when we arrived at the hotel.

"This is La Pinta? Um...OK."

It was more than I had expected--it even had a pool, equipped with an outdoor bar.

I mean, can you imagine coming back from fishing with THIS tempting you each day?

And believe me, I was fully prepared to give in to temptation.

It was vacation time, after all.

But first things first.

"So I guess this is where we rig up for tomorrow, right?"

Anil nodded.

And our luggage exploded.

Reels, rods, flies, hooks, boat bags--everything we brought lay strewn about our back porch.

"Gee, I'm glad someone remembered to tie flies!" ;)

Yet from chaos springs order and before long, we had things squared away.

"Listos!" ("Ready!")

Next: Baja, Day One!

Just a reminder about tomorrow night's class at Puget Sound Fly Co. in Kent.

If you've ever wanted to try beach fishing out but have never gotten around to it, this is the time--the pinks are coming! :)

Give the guys at the shop a call at 253-839-4119 about getting into the class.

We'll cover all the basics and have a special segment for targeting pink salmon.

Hope to see you there,

Jon

Just got back from Baja, folks.

Here's a quick teaser--day-by-day reports are on the way.

A few words to summarize:

Calor (hot!)

Tacos pescados

Skipjack

Dorado

Pez Gallo

Marlin

Swimming pool

and...

Margarita!

Ummmmm...is my 8 weight supposed to bend like that?

My first dorado!

Pargo are not to be messed with...unless it involves tacos! :)

Pez gallo--or should I say "pez gallito?" :)

Pez manooook! Congrats, Steve, you earned it!

This what I was doing yesterday morning...

Many thanks to Puget Sound Fly Co. for hosting yet another awesome trip!

More to come!

Check out the the following thread on WashingtonFlyFishing.com:

http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/board/showthread.php?t=40926

It'll be prime time in about 2 weeks, folks.

If you've never tried the salt, this is the time to give it a shot.

In fact, I'll be teaching another Beach Fishing 101 class at Puget Sound Fly Co. on the 20th.

The first part of the class will consist of species, basic equipment, how to find the fish and then get them to eat, necessary casts and flies.

The second part will be time on the water--we'll primarily be attempting to find some early pinks but if all else fails, there are still resident coho, a few blackmouth and some cutties out there.

The class is almost full, so give the shop a call at 253-839-4119 and grab a spot. I'll be looking forward to seeing you there. :)

A few other things:

1) No blog entry this weekend, folks--I'm off to Mexico!

Baja, here I come!

This'll be my first time going down there--keep your fingers crossed for me!

2) No more music vids. :(

There's concern that music companies may crack down on the site.

No worries, I'll continue to post a song of the day, at the very least.

I'd love to hear your feedback on this--do you all enjoy the videos and are they a big reason why you visit? If so, let me know--I'll find a way to keep you all coming back! :)

Thanks and wish me luck!

Where: Cedar River
When: Wednesday morning
Conditions: Sunny, warm
Flies used: Pat's Blackwell

Song of the day: "Firestarter," Prodigy

Just a quick little video from fishing yesterday.

The suckers are still eating, folks. If you need to brush up on your moving water skills or just want to feel a tug, this is a good bet.

Enjoy the show. :)

Suckaaa!!!

Where: Puget Sound
When: Sunday
Conditions: Sunny, warm, slightly breezy later
Flies used: Clousers!

Song of the day: "Undone," Weezer

Quote: "Do you have a fast sinking line handy?"

Hit the beach with Tony, Steve and Dave, all guys who went to Friday's class.

All I'll say is this:

It was a great day to catch some rays and I don't mean the ones that swim around in the water. :)

What is it with good weather and slow fishing?

At least that was the case for me.

Everyone else seemed to be doing just fine.

Maybe YOU should teach the class next time! :)

Dave had the hot hand.

First with this sculpin...

Then with this herring...

By 10AM, he'd completed his small game trifecta with a little cuttie that threw the hook at the last second.

Not bad for a first-timer, wouldn't you say?

Steve, Dave's dad, also seems to live a charmed life seeing as how he landed his first rezzie and hooked another nice one soon afterward.

Their determination, good nature and willingness to try something new certainly paid off.

Steve, Dave and Tony: thanks for coming out on Sunday. Let's make sure to hook up for the pinks if not sooner.