JOINTED REBEL PANGA FISHING TO RANCHO LEONERO

Jan. 21, 2007, Torrance Eddy, East Cape, Buena Vista, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

I was in the States for four weeks and climbing the walls to get back to East Cape for three of them. While in the States, I bought a digital water thermometer at Target marketed by Minn Kota, the electric trolling motor folks.

This morning, my Mexican panguero friends Elias and Joaquin took me out fishing for Sierra and whatever else in their typical 18 foot tiller steered Panga.

We started fishing at 6:30 a.m., perhaps 20 minutes before sunrise and called it a morning at 9:30 a.m.

We trolled from here, just south of Palmas de Cortez, to Rancho Leonero and back at about 6 m.p.h.

When I go fishing on somebody else's boat, I never volunteer recommendations unless requested. Given that, we did not zigzag.

Fishing from here to perhaps a mile this side of Rancho Leonero, we stayed in water between 20 and 30 feet deep except when passing over the Rancho Buena Vista reef where I caught one Yellow Snapper.

The mile before reaching Rancho Leonero, we fished in about 100 foot water.

I trolled a black-and-silver Jointed Rebel Fastrac using 20-pound Spiderwire fishing line and a one-foot 27-pound braided wire leader.

Elias trolled a purple hoochy on an 80-pound mono handline.

Joaquin trolled a blue-silver Jointed Fastrac on 50-pound line.

I did not count the fish but figure we caught about a dozen Sierra, 6 small Bonita, and one Yellow Snapper. The Sierra varied from about 15 to 25 inches.

It isn't often I out catch either Joaquin or Elias, but today I think I caught three-quarters of the fish. And I think it's because the 20-pound Spiderwire allows the Rebel to run much deeper than the big diameter mono.

We trolled a Bonita half fillet on the surface hoping for some dorado but alas, nary a nip.

Since it was Elias' boat, I can't give you a water temperature while we were fishing, but at 4:30 a.m. this morning it was 50 degrees. It usually bottoms out at about the time we launch so I'm guessing the air temperature then was 48 or 49 degrees. At 11:15 a.m., at this writing, our temperature is 67 degrees and is forecasted to drop into the 40's again tonight. Down here in the Baja tropics are at least trying to do our part.