Fishing in Mexico

Trigger Fish from Isla Isabella - about 2 pounds each - they were big fighters with very tough teeth for eating sea urchins - they broke several hooks - delicious firm and white flesh.

Fishing in Mexico

Man - I just lost the big one. I am so sad. I felt worse than when I did not make that trade in time and lost $20,000 in the stock market - well - not that bad, but almost that bad….

I had gotten a bit cocky about my ability to catch and land fish here. I had caught quite a few fish, including a big dorado or mahi mahi, of about 25 pounds, a big yellowtail tuna of the same weight, a bunch of skipjack tuna, and triggerfish and snapper off the boat in Isla Isabela. I had the technique and touch, and was quick to tell fellow cruisers about how good I was. Oh, how the mighty have fallen - ‘cause I caught the big one and he got away - I am humbled.

Well - maybe not the truly big one - out here, there are really big fish, and really big boats full of very determined men willing to spend any amount of money to catch the big one. A marlin or spearfish of some type weighing in about 300 pounds or so. We think the fish I lost was a yellowfin tuna weighing about 30-40 pounds. It had a lot of fight - my medium weight pole - designed for 50-100 pound fish, was bent double…..

We were traveling between San Blas and Chacala - about five miles offshore, in under 100 feet of water. I was trolling a jet head squid called a Mexican flag because it is red, white and green - at about 6.5 knots. I was also towing a flasher hooked up to a weight to keep it in the water. The flasher makes a bit of noise and splash to help attract the fish. I had not had a bite all morning when the tuna struck. The line spun out of the reel like a freight train roaring down the pass, making that loud clickety sound you love to hear. I slowly set the drag as MS slowed the boat down, and I started fighting him in. This fish was very heavy, and put up a real fight. It took about 20 minutes and I had him next to the boat. He spun, twisted, dived under the hull, and used all of his wily tricks to lose the lure that seemed stuck in the corner of his mouth.. This fish had been caught before and had lived to tell the tale- he was smart, fast, and determined not to be sushi…

We moved him along side the boat, I had the gaff in hand, and was trying to keep tension on the pole so he would not shake the lure - about one more minute and I would have him landed. I was dripping with sweat and my hands were shaking from fighting the fish so long - what an experience - if I could land this fish I would pay myself $250 - which is what a day charter costs out here in a panga with three other guys…… I was just getting set to hand the pole off to MS when he had a big jump and twist and shook the lure - off he went down to the depths.

I was crushed, stunned - I almost had him. He was a monster - at least to land on a sailboat - we would have had tuna for a dozen boats - tuna sushi, tuna in coconut milk, tuna grilled, tuna jerky, tuna in wasabi cream, tuna with kalamata olives, capers, and green peppercorns, tuna ceviche - ahh, the list was endless, all that food snatched out of my hands by Neptune - my hubris had offended him and I was paying the price…

What did I do wrong - after anchoring I pored over my fishing books, examined my gear and my inner soul to see if I had the right stuff to catch such a big fish. Bad gear, bad technique - clearly I need a new pole, more reels, bigger line, more hooks and lures, and - oops, wait, the cost of the fish I have caught is down to about $50 a pound - better use what I HAVE GOT - and a bit more modesty - still I think I need some better hooks in PV, mine are getting a bit dull……

Later on - I found out that this fish was a jack crevalle - a good fighting sport fish that looks a lot like a yellowfin tuna -  I was crushed once again...

Comments

[Terence Sims]

Bad luck - this from the internet:

Jack Crevalle

Jack Crevalle The Jack Crevalle (Caranx hippos) or common jackfish of inshore waters can attain weights of over 40 pounds. It has dark red meat and is not considered to be very edible. It is most prized as a hard fighting game fish. Believe me when I tell you, when you’ve battled a beast like a Jack to the boat, you know you’ve been in a fight. Typically, fish over thirty pounds will still be pulling hard at the end of an hour. And forget about them laying over on their side and giving up. Surrender is not a word used in a big Jack's vocabulary.

Jacks are experts at cornering baitfish and then relentlessly hammering them, which produces a sight that resembles nothing else. Next time you see mullet scattering to the four winds and the water literally boiling from underneath them, chances are good that a Jack is to blame. Crevalle are voracious scavengers that will often follow shrimp boats around looking for an easy meal. Jacks are also suckers for a good chum-line. If your in a mode for keeping your rod bent, your arms tired and your reel smoking; the Jack Crevalle is just the ticket.

[patricio]

Jack Crevalle are similar to most other jacks and trevallys in being heavily bodied, with steeply rounded heads. They are generally silver to dark gray above, with silver sides, and are covered in assorted black spots with a large black spot or patch on its upper gill cover. They may or may not have an additional dark spot on the pectoral fin. Average size is 5-10 pounds with fish between 15-20 pounds being considered large. The IGFA All-Tackle record is 39 pounds.
Their reputation for being very gamy precedes them. In fact, they are probably the worst eating fish around.
check out more fish found in the costalegre area.

[sailnmuffin]

Patricio - you are totally spot-on. But the dude GB hooked? Fought so hard we never got to examine his fine points. Black spots? Ermm - no; GB was fighting to STAY ON BOARD. These Jack Crevalles are Street, man. They will take you into the water, and then they will cut you, man. For reals. They ain't playin'.

[Boat Ladder]

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