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However, when they occur, one expected bonus is all of the
debris that has been washed out of the arroyos into the Sea of Cortez.
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Although they created some unwanted flooding, the recent
torrential rains were a welcome relief to locals from the drought-like
conditions that have persisted in Baja Sur for several years. Some of the negative
effects of the downpours, however, were a few lost fishing days for both resident
and visiting anglers and some unhappy tourists. What went unnoticed by many were
the possibilities created by the racing runoff that flowed out to sea along the
beaches, creating deep cuts that became shelter for bait of every description
and very fishable after a few days.
In addition
to sheltering the bait, another bonus is the debris built up over years in the arroyos
that is washed out into the Sea of Cortez. This trash and flotsam provide
excellent cover for plankton, bringing a variety of bait fish that attracts
everything from “schoolie” dorado to billfish. It's not unusual to see boats
racing from pile to pile, similar to their Southern California neighbors doing
the “kelp patty scramble” . . . a popular and exciting way to find fish.
In the 1970s,
within a few weeks after a big rain, my friend Tom Miller, Western Outdoor
News' Baja Editor, described a wild scene of pargo, pompano, roosterfish,
jacks, sierra and even dorado piled up in a feeding frenzy around one arroyo.
Being in
the right place at the right time, anglers may witness epic feeding frenzies
not unlike those experienced at a potluck dinner or a tailgate party. Big fish, little fish – all hardly selective –
slash and snap at anything that moves, suckers for anything offered . . . dead
or live bait, spoons, topwater poppers or even flies.
This phenomenon attracts a cast of
characters including locals and visiting anglers alike – garbed in everything
from barefoot and shorts to official name-brand fly clothing, full dress wading
gear right down to the boots.
One of the
most fascinating elements of the beach action is the mix of tackle and
techniques used by anglers all fishing in the same stretch of beach: catching
fish with handlines wrapped around a beer can; conventional bait casting gear;
spinning gear with rods twice the height of the angler flinging spoons and
poppers easily the length of a football field into the Sea and frantically
retrieving them, while their fly-flinging counterparts wade out in chest high
water to reach the zone.
This
exhibition allows anyone interested to compare the various tackle and
techniques and how they perform under similar conditions . . . the different
live and dead bait along with the various types of spoons and surface poppers
that produce the best results. It’s all here: The advantages of spinning or
conventional tackle; and for fly-fishers, the rod and reel choices, as well as
choices of lines including floating, intermediate and sinking.
It’s sort
of what might be considered an impromptu clinic on how to fish Baja Beaches
with a variety of different tackle by those who do it often! It’s all available by simply showing up and
paying attention.
This year's
rainy season has already produced plenty of success stories including jacks,
roosters and pargo on spinning tackle near the tip; snook on bait at San Jose;
pompano on surface poppers at Punta Arena; and small bonefish on flies at Las
Arenas. It all Indicates that in
addition to the improving offshore fishing, the feeding frenzy fraternity is on
the way to a great late summer and fall.
