VERMILION ROCKFISH CAUGHT BY THE BAJA FISHING BOAT BAD DOG

Dec. 10, 2005, Steve Ross, Bad Dog, Marina Coral, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico:

Alex, our Marinero, Juan Lu, Ensenada local and guest, and I departed Marina Coral at 0500 in literally flat glass conditions with no or little wind and headed for the Banda Bank.

With the sun rising over the mountains at first light we found an abundance of red vermiion, chopas, and white fish. We caught our easy Mexican limits in one hour. We were fishing between 350 and 400 feet of water stopping on fish covered spires and moving on to the next one. They were eagerly eating our frozen squid for bait. Chunks of squid were more productive than whole squid, I guess they got hooked better.

This week the fish at Ensenada were a pound smaller than our last trip two weeks ago with the largest jackpot caught by Juan Lu being a huge whitefish at about 5 pounds. All the others were from three pounds each and up. We lost a few to seals as one seal attracted another until we had 4 chasing us.

Ensenada's Banda Bank was swarming in mackerel for miles. Porpoise were feeding on the masses with thousands of birds crashing everywhere in 62 degree green water. We took 50 pieces for our live bait receiver back at the dock.

On the way back we stopped at La Bufadora for Juan Lu's secret shallow water lingcod hole. We were almost on the beach. I managed to get a live mackerel to the bottom first and immediately got bit and reeled up a nice 4 pound ling. We were to be denied any more and returned with a boat load of rockcod.

Alex cut the largest red and my ling sarandeado style which sufficed for dinner that night.

With encouraging Ensenada fishing reports of offshore swordfish continually coming our way and with such ideal conditions we are planning to target the two finners on Friday December 23rd hoping that we will get lucky with the weather again. A lot of preparation is going into this trip.

Just one more comment on the weather at Ensenada. This day was totally unbelievable. It was flat like a lake without a ripple as far as you could see all day and the wind never came up. It was tempting to go swimming.

The ultimate report everyone is waiting for will be from next Thursday when we venture out into the Mexican longline fleet and join them alongside for a night of swordfish fishing.

Preparing for this fishing trip has been like getting ready for an African lion safari. From the rods and reels, the lines, the leaders, the baits, the generator, the cyalumes, the sinkers, knowledge of tactics, and I have talked to my commercial longline buddies for advice. I just hope that the weather will cooperate.