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This day we decided to switch to
Sea of Cortez side of
cape and concentrate our efforts on some of
in-shore species that Los Cabos waters offer up. One of
benefits of a pre-dawn start is
experience of viewing some of
most spectacular sunrises you’re likely to find anywhere in
world. The skies here light up with all
colors of an artists canvas with
endless reflection of
ocean surface. Everything is bathed in reds, oranges and yellows and
sky appears to be on fire. The sight alone makes
trip worthwhile.
The Guerita II cut through
calmer waters of
Sea of Cortez with ease by benefit of
natural windbreak that
East Cape coast provides. We set out a mix of CD 4 Rapalas in a sardine pattern and started to work
underwater ledges and rock piles in search of sierra or Spanish mackerel, dorado or tuna. We ran across pods of porpoise working bait schools to
surface. These working pods often hold schools of tuna just below that pick off bait from
edges of
bait ball but today, we found just
porpoise. Off in
distance, Captain Efren spotted surface activity and turned
Guerita towards it.
Within minutes we were surrounded by thousands of Humboldt squid. Denizens of
northern most portion of
Sea of Cortez, these alien looking creatures have slowly made their way down to
southern tip of
Baja in recent years. With tentacles reaching up out of
water like some kind of extra terrestrial meat eating flower, we watched in awe as they fed on floating red crab. Just about anything we tossed into
water was immediately engulfed by
toothy tentacles of
squid and with constant pressure and slow pumps and reeling, we brought them to
gaff.
Legends abound about
ferocity and strength of
Humboldt squid and while many of these tales are true “fish stories”, there is ample credible evidence of
potential for injury and even death from these marine cephalopods. Recently, a Discovery program featured an in-depth study of
Humboldt squid in
Sea of Cortez. During times of agitation, such as when these animals are being fished by fleets of pangeros who make a significant share of their income from
sale of
tasty beasts, they can and do become very aggressive. One pangero spoke of his encounter with
squid with fear and respect. While working a large school, he lost his balance and fell into
water. Within seconds, several five to six footers locked onto him and began to pull him under, all
while biting into his flesh with their impressive and powerful beaks. He managed to free himself and make his way back to
surface and into his panga, scared and exhausted. The scars that he showed tell
tale all to well. He also told of others that did not fair so well, never making back to
surface.
While events like those have occurred,
squid are usually no more than curious about visitors to their domain. It is
frenzied activity caused by fishing these creatures that creates
aggressive and often cannibalistic behavior. Divers have been able to get up close and personal with
Humboldt squid when no fishing pressure was present, all without being attacked or harmed in any way. The aggressive behavior and flashing of colors associated with a feeding frenzy brought on by fishing pressure is simply not a normal occurrence, but more a reaction to
situation at hand. You need not fear
squid but make sure to stay away from
business end. Tentacles with hundreds of toothed suction cups lead to a bird-like beak with incredible power. Ink on
other hand can reach you from astonishing distances as my partner, Dolores, can testify.
While fighting a squid estimated at about fifty pounds, she experienced
jet blast of a Humboldt squid firsthand. As
squid was gaffed, Alfredo jumped off to
side leaving Dolores directly in
path of what seemed to be gallons of ink shooting from out of
squid. In a split second she was covered head to toe in
slimy, dark liquid. Being
trooper that she is, she laughed it off, wiped herself clean and tossed her line back out to catch another one. By that time we had been joined by over a dozen other charter boats and pangas and everywhere you looked, people were battling these impressive animals. Great fun, an awesome sight and great table fare was
end result. We left
spot having boated 3 squid and cleaning
ink from
deck of
boat.
Our next area of focus was just a few hundred feet from shore working
reef structures that line
coast. Catching eight to ten pound sierra on light tackle is an experience I recommend highly. We picked off a few sierra and even landed a small mako shark before we called it a day and headed back in, all
while amazed at
beauty of
azure blue and turquoise green waters of
Sea of Cortez.
So if you are one to enjoy
ocean and
surprises that such a aquatic paradise promises, fishing
waters of
Pacific ocean and
Sea of Cortez in Los Cabos is a dream come true. Finding
right boat and crew is of
utmost importance in ensuring a successful and memorable charter. When it comes to making that choice, we can’t recommend Jacqueline Lee’s Guerita II and
knowledge and hospitality of Captain Efren Beron Zamora and crewman Jesus Alfredo Espinoza enough.
To book your trip, visit their site at www.gueritasportfishing.com or call 011-52-624-143-4465 and tell them Cabo’s Best told you all about them.
