Baja Reboot

The Sebile Magic swimmer were roosterfish candy.

Recently I shared time in Baja with friends, outdoor writers from California, some of whom were experiencing Baja for their first time. Their enthusiasm and excitement was infectious as they experienced one adventure after another. This awakened memories of my own and allowed me to consider my 40+ years of Baja experiences through fresh eyes.

Baja's main attraction is and always has been the fishing. But if you drill down a little further, you realize that it is the catching that counts. As in baseball, it is the play-by-play single base hits that keep you entertained as you hope for that home run.

To put this in perspective, Ray Cannon, first Baja Editor of Western Outdoor News, opened the floodgates of anglers to Baja. First a trickle that soon grew into a steady torrent of fishermen flocked to the area, thus feeding the growth of tourism.

I knew Ray and I can tell you that he was all about catching…not about riding around all day looking for that one trophy catch. He devoted a whole chapter of his book, Sea of Cortez, to catching what my friend, Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International, describes as "scaly snakes" or giant needlefish.

In a week that most of the fishing reports were marginal, my Baja ‘newbie’ friends rocked! When they boarded their respective boats in La Paz, they lacked any preconceived notions or expectations. Simply stated, they just wanted to catch fish. The odds were pretty good that whatever they caught would probably be a ‘first’ of a species for them.

Each evening when we gathered for dinner, they had a fish story to tell. The species list was everything from exotic to “you caught what”? To them, every fish was a trophy. They marveled over the strength, speed and acrobatics of their catches. Photos proved that none of their catches were huge, but size didn't seem to matter.
Over the next few days the species list grew; dorado, roosterfish, jack cravelle, bonito, pargo, cabrilla, triggerfish, trumpet fish and one angler even brought out his fly rod and said he had a great time landing, (yep you guessed it), six needlefish on the fly!

At the Fred Hall Show this year, Patrick Sebile, the innovative lure designer had given me some of his latest creation, the magic swimmer, to test-drive. I gave a couple of them to the gang to try. They worked successfully on the roosterfish and there are photos to prove it.

Like Ray Cannon the ‘newbie's’ focused their trip on catching and not intentionally seeking a catch of a lifetime or even worrying about a trophy sized fish. But this is not the end of the story.

Harry Morse, Public Information Officer with CDFG from Sacramento, fished out of Playa del Sol aboard the Maria II with Captain Martin and landed a swordfish weighing between 172 and 176 kilos. The huge fish was caught on a mackerel cast to it while it was finning on the surface.

The battle that ensued for nearly four hours almost ended at the mid-point when the monofilament line began to fray. When Captain Martin realized the fraying line might part, he asked the mate to bring out a second outfit to attach to the swivel on the 20 ft. leader. Between the second and third hour, Morse managed to bring the fish close to the boat but not close enough to attach to the second rod. Finally, on the third attempt, the second line was snapped to the swivel. With Bruce Ajari manning the second rod the seesaw battle continued for almost two more hours. Then, after untangling the flying gaff rope from the propeller, they landed the beast.

As I retold my story to some old gray-bearded Baja veterans, their smug expression reflected their disapproval. I saw the disdain they had over the needlefish and miscellaneous species the first-timers had been so excited over. Maybe the Baja veterans should do a Baja reboot and remember it’s the catching that counts not the fishing. It is easy to overlook an angler’s first trip but it may set the stage for a lifetime of Baja adventures.

In the end, the swordfish became one part of the newbie Baja stories that will be told and retold by all about their first Baja visit. Morse said this ends his desire to fight big bill fish. Every muscle in his body hurt and Ajari decided to go back to fly-fishing! But both are eager to return to Baja.

La Paz steps up!

Many personal bests or first-time catches of species were there for the taking for the fishermen in the group . photo by Greg Neiman


With only six months of planning, the city of La Paz successfully hosted the Outdoor Writers of California (OWAC) Spring Conference. The best of the best was brought out for the nearly 50 writers and their guests showcasing the city and the multitude of outdoor activities that are available in the city and the surrounding area. I cannot even begin to name all of the companies involved in making this a conference of such superb quality; only a few of them are mentioned below.

For four days, from early morning to late afternoon, the city's guests fished, snorkeled, dived, kayaked, golfed and explored offshore islands. Then at night they sampled some of the finest restaurants and retired to some of the best hotels in the city.

Each night Ricardo Garcia, Subdirector de Turismo and Relaciones International, and his team of five highly-efficient assistants arranged outstanding, mouth watering dinners at four different venues. Upon arrival, the writers were greeted by the team at Papa’s and Beer Restaurant, where they enjoyed casual outdoor dining on an open patio perched on the sandy shore of the Sea of Cortez where the colorful, gorgeous La Paz sunset welcomed many first-timers to Baja.

The following night, Ray Novelli owner of the five-star restaurant, Palermos, hosted the Awards Banquet in a room that could only be described as awesome, with a picture window waterfall and beautiful decor. The third night, a delicious array of hors d'œuvres, deserts and drinks were served at the outdoor bar of the Costa Baja Resort and Marina Beach Club where once again, we enjoyed the breathtaking sunset.

Our final night, we enjoyed a Fiesta Mexican at Playa El Coromuel hosted by the Chef Association of Baja Sur…special Baja dishes served while we enjoyed the artistic program with music, mariachis and folk dancing.

In spite of the recent reports of 'up and down' fishing, it was as though someone threw a switch and the fishing turned on! Many personal bests or first-time catches of species were there for the taking for the fishermen in the group who fished at both Las Arenas and out of La Paz with the Mosquito Fleet, the Baja Pirates and the Fishermen’s Fleet. Each night when the group gathered for cocktails, the anglers recounted their exploits on the tranquil waters of the Sea of Cortez. Dorado, roosterfish, jacks, grouper, and pargo were only some of the eighteen different species caught.

Even the whale sharks cooperated, and those that chose that activity with Tim Means of Baja Expeditions were not disappointed. Carrie Wilson, WON Columnist, described swimming along with the huge animals as an 'OMG' moment that she would never forget.
A dozen writers and guests described the day they spent at Balandra Bay as THE best kayaking experience ever. BOA, owned and operated by Ben Gilman and his wife Alexia, definitely delivered on the promise they have emblazoned on their business cards, “paddling in paradise".

Fourteen attendees were visiting Baja for the very first time. I asked each of them one question; with all the recent negative press that has appeared recently in the media, what compelled them to come to La Paz at this time?

Alexia Retallack: "The adventure of being outside of my personal comfort zone in Baja was intriguing. After I arrived, it was obvious many of the myths that had been circulated were just not true. Besides, I wanted to go diving."
J.J. Mays : " I was a little nervous but knew that most of the bad stories were near the border. Baja reminds me of the line from a Jimmie Buffet song about 'Latitudes and Attitudes'. I wanted to see the beautiful beaches. I found that it’s a kick back place that can be all you want it to be. Baja is great."
Keith Lair: "We travel quite a bit and crime is common in many places…even in our own backyard in South Los Angeles. We knew that most of the trouble has been along the border and we have felt safe in La Paz and have had a great time!"

John Burk: " I had some concerns but my research confirmed that the crime was no more an issue than at home."

Barbara Steinberg: "I had not heard about the crime problems until the trip was already planned. Friends' eyebrows rose when I told them about the trip, but I was never worried. I had heard so much about Baja and I was sure it would be a good fit…and it is! I feel like Baja is the other California."

A family town, La Paz has one of the lowest crime rates in the U.S. OR Mexico. The remarkable diversity and the surrounding areas offer outdoor opportunities for everyone. The people are friendly, helpful, and go out of their way to make sure the visitors' every need is met. To please half the writers, or even 75% would have been a very good ratio, but to a person, the attendees of this conference all agreed that while it was the first OWAC Conference ever held outside California, it was one of the best ever!

LLEVAME A PESCAR (Take me fishing)

We don't give prizes; we give kids a good time. That gift has to be for everybody.


All of the Mexican sport fishermen pitched in. They rigged tackle, baited hooks, and helped the children with their casting.

While at the Fred Hall Show in Del Mar recently, Juan Flores, Martin Banos and Eddie Rodriguez had a Tijuana story to share with me. Stop right there! This is not another doom and gloom story about the perils of Baja. Nope, this was about last year’s celebration of the annual El Día Del Niño (Children's Day). Customarily, kindergartens and elementary schools cancel regular classes and have big parties with piñatas and lots of candy. They play traditional games, like’ Pin the Tail on the Donkey’. But 50 Mexican sport fishermen based out of Tijuana and their families decided the celebration would be a family fishing adventure at Playas de Tijuana.

Last year, the first Llevame a Pescar (‘Take Me Fishing’) was held on April 26, 2009 and was hosted by approximately 100 adults and attended by 80 children. The group’s primary objective was to introduce the Mexican children to a positive and fun fishing experience on the beach.

Juan Flores and his friends dug deep into their own pockets to assure that there were plenty of fishing rods, tackle and bait for any child needing it. Plus, they provided special T-shirts for each participant commemorating the event’s special purpose.

It was a picture perfect day with a few clouds overhead. Ice chests were filled with cold drinks along with tables filled with plenty of food. It was a ‘pot luck’ kind of affair with everyone pitching in with their specialty. This resulted in a friendly competition for who made the best ceviche, which was the only contest of the day.

All of the Mexican sport fishermen pitched in. They rigged tackle, baited hooks, and helped the children with their casting. It was difficult to determine who was having the most fun, the fishermen or the children.

When the kids tired of fishing, they were able to draw pictures of their catch on tables beneath the tents set up for the day. Of course when the children put the rods aside, the adults would snatch them up and try their luck.

Speaking for the 50 Mexican sport fishermen who sponsored the event, Juan Flores said it best, " Recreational angling is not a well recognized activity in Baja. The purpose of the day was not to make the kids compete, but to introduce them to fishing as a sport to be enjoyed. We don't give prizes; we give kids a good time. That gift has to be for everybody. The event showcased how the entire family could enjoy a day at the beach while enjoying some fishing."

This year, they are expecting the event to be bigger and better, and The Second Annual Llevame a Pescar will be held at the same place on May 2nd with a very similar format. There is one primary difference, however; the Ceviche Competition will be official and the winner will be awarded an apron proclaiming his or her ceviche preparation prowess. The ‘Best Ceviche’ contest is open to all. Sounds like a challenge to me. Anyone up for a caravan to Playas de Tijuana? For more information contact Juan Flores, juan.j.flores@navy.mil 619 246 3627.

Out of curiosity, I searched to see what dominated the Tijuana newspapers that week last year and of course most of the stories were drug related. There was nothing about this ‘feel good’ story of good people donating their time to a good cause. No one can deny that the drug related incidents are real and scary. However there are many local residents who are attempting to make a positive difference in their community and should be recognized for their courageous efforts.

Vaya Con Dios, Amiga

Yvonne's fish turned out to be the only one caught, or even seen that day, winning the tournament.

Gary Graham
March 24, 2010

We lost a dear friend recently who many of you knew and loved as well…Shirley Miller. Our love of Baja and fishing was the foundation for an ongoing friendship that lasted over the years.

Our first encounter with Shirley Miller was at a Vagabundos del Mar event held in San Diego in the mid-seventies. Shirley and her husband, Tom Miller, introduced Yvonne and me to many of the Baja pioneers, including Ray Cannon who wrote about the rugged Baja peninsula, Western Outdoor News founder, Bob Twilliger and Fred and Gloria Jones, founders of the Vagabundos del Mar traveling club.

When Yvonne and I married in 1979, Tom and Shirley attended our wedding reception. They proudly and unpretentiously presented us with a gift wrapped in a brown paper shopping bag…a huge piece of brain coral discovered on an obscure Baja beach. It was one of our favorite pieces and it was displayed on a special shelf at our Baja home Rancho Deluxe.

Tom and Shirley signed on as the crew on our boat, the Watercloset for a Vagabundos del Mar marlin tournament in San Diego. With reports of no local marlin for the week preceding the event, I pointed our 30' Pacemaker south at midnight and headed out to sea. With everyone sleeping below, I enjoyed the smooth downhill ride, but as the dark faded into gray, the wind increased and the size of the swells grew.

By the time daylight settled in, it was obvious we were going to take a beating going uphill when we headed home. Mid-day, the rod bent and the clicker wailed; Tom, Shirley and I exchanged dubious looks as Yvonne reached for the rod. It was not pretty. The swell had built, the wind was ripping and salt spray cascaded over the stern as I backed the boat down toward the fleeing fish. Yvonne braced herself between the bait tank and gunnels with Shirley trying to help Yvonne remain upright. All three of them were wet from head to toe from the cold spray when Tom realized that the salt spray was building on Yvonne’s prescription glasses. Wanting to help, he removed the glasses to clean them before realizing that she is practically blind without them and the marlin was jumping closer and closer to the side of the boat. Needless to say, the cockpit was filled with laughter as Shirley tried to fit the glasses back on Yvonne’s head as the boat rocked from side to side.

Finally with the marlin secured on the swim step, we began the long slog uphill, with Shirley and Yvonne laying flat on salon floor bouncing a few feet off each time we hit another wave. Ever the consummate traveler, regardless of conditions, I could hear Shirley’s laughter from the bridge.

After barely making the weigh-in deadline, Yvonne's fish turned out to be the only one caught, or even seen that day, winning the tournament.

Shirley's love of Baja began at a family owned trailer, south of Ensenada on Corona Beach, where many lifelong friendships were formed. Later, she and Tom constantly traveled the back roads and beaches of Baja California, writing about their adventures. The two of them established the Mexico West Travel Club and Newsletter, with a member subscription of over 6,000, which offered helpful travel information about Baja. She enjoyed deep sea sport fishing and was a member of the Newport Harbor Lady Anglers. In addition, Shirley found time to be a freelance travel writer for numerous other sport fishing, travel and Mexico publications.

We remained friends with both Shirley and Tom even when their marriage ended in 1985. Shirley remained a close friend and with our love for Baja in common, our paths seemed to become more and more entwined.

Expanding her love of travel, she became fascinated with Costa Rica. Always the avid writer, she created and co-founded another successful travel newsletter, the Costa Rican Outlook.

In 2000, Shirley moved to Camas, Washington to be closer to her family. She continued to use her writing skills as an active member of the Outdoor Writers Association of California (OWAC) holding positions of treasurer and editor of their newsletter, where our bond of friendship deepened.

Over the years Shirley's influence has had significant impact on many. We are honored to be included in that group. Shirley was many things to us: Baja buddy, friend, confidant and protagonist and we will remember her infectious smile and love of life often.

Always the fighter, when she suffered a severe stroke in December of 2008, with grit and determination she managed to continue living independently. She and I spoke almost every week, and I could feel her struggle, and realized what a fighter Shirley was. It was Valentine's Day this year when she was taken to the hospital with an unknown illness. Less than a month later on Friday, March 12, 2010 with her family at her side, she passed away. A celebration of Shirley’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 3rd at Journey Community Church 304 4th Street in Camas, Washington.

The world was a brighter place with Shirley in it, and her loss will be felt by many, many people. Always a giver, her contributions to everyone whose life she touched was immense…whether it was a smile, a kind, encouraging word or support. There is an empty spot in our lives; Shirley will be missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made in her memory to Journey Community Church, PO Box 110, Camas, WA 98607 or Soroptimist International of Camas/Washougal, PO Box 621, Camas, WA 98607.

El Niño…quién sabe?

This chart reflects the warmer water caused by the El Niño.

Over the years the usual response to almost anything unusual occurring on or in the waters off Baja and southern California has been to blame it on El Niño…so it’s easy to understand why some of our eyes glaze over when El Niño is mentioned.

The name El Niño comes from the Spanish name for "the little boy”, but it can also refer to the Christ Child. It is so named because when the phenomenon of an El Niño happens, it is normally around Christmas time. Its full name is El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) but it is more commonly referred to as just El Niño. This global ocean-atmosphere phenomenon usually happens in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of South America when warm water spreads from the west Pacific and the Indian Ocean to the east Pacific.

At the recent, well-attended Long Beach Fred Hall show, the crowded aisles left some attendees feeling like a single sardine in a tightly formed bait ball. The entire Baja peninsula was well represented providing an ideal opportunity to review the waning winter and the expectations for the upcoming season as I visited with old and new friends.

Optimism and glowing reports of extraordinary fishing were a common theme in most booths and areas of the show where display tables were covered with photos and piled high with brochures and the ever-present televisions playing endlessly. Baja sunlight with fish of every imaginable description leaped about on the screen providing a barrier that protected the booths’ occupants.

Last summer it was predicted that El Niño would return for the winter season of 2009-2010. Of course last year's weather with eighteen named storms could not be ignored. Baja's mid-section suffered the brunt of their fury and is still struggling to return to normalcy. But the resiliency and courage to recover by both American and Mexican locals alike was reflected on my last few trips through that area in late 2009.

On the west coast of Baja, beginning just below the border and continuing all the way to Abreojos, the stories of mossback yellows was confirmed by Pat McDonell, WON Editor on his trip to the Coronado Islands. Farther down the Baja coast near Colonet, a few of the San Diego fleet boats reported good catches of reds and yellows, and the yellows were found by locals and trailer boaters still farther down the peninsula at San Quintin and Bahia Asuncion.

A constant stream of emails from Mulege about the great yellowtail, roosterfish and snook fishing continued throughout the winter but was overshadowed by the catch of a marlin putting an exclamation point on their unusual winter season.
Brandon Hayward, Saltwater Editor in the Western Outdoor News’ booth, was selling the third printing of his successful book, The Southern California Angler. Brandon was very excited about the yellowtail action that John Mestrin of Bluewater Tours had introduced him to down Loreto way. Another marlin landed at Loreto seems to confirm the sea temperatures are unseasonably warm.

Farther down the coast at La Paz, Jonathan and Jill Roldan's weekly Tailhunter Reports have confirmed that many of the fish usually associated with warmer water have remained in the area. Recently he commented, "the variety (of fish) we have had makes us wonder about the El Niño everyone says is upon us."
Not to be outdone, the inshore and beach fishing at East Cape has produced quality-sized jacks and roosterfish throughout the winter, while the larger grade of yellowfin tuna were still being caught offshore in early January at San Jose del Cabo.

According to Tim Barnett, Scripps Research Marine Physicist, the higher water temps are due to El Niño. During these events whole populations are shifted northward to keep up with their favorite temps. Scripps computer model which has done a great job predicting this event predicts that the effects should be completely gone by June.

The two fisheries that under-performed this winter was the striped marlin bite at the Golden Gate Bank and the dismal blue marlin bite which had occurred for the past few years.

However, the consensus of the Baja exhibitors at Fred Hall was that the excellent fishing enjoyed throughout the winter would continue through the upcoming spring and summer season and would be memorable, but quién sabe? To follow the progress of the El Niño go to this link: http://tiny.cc/elnino2010

February Frenzy

This rounded off A February frenzy in Baja that went unnoticed by many but was thoroughly enjoyed by some.

Wind, rain and cold are usually the common denominators in Baja fishing reports during the month of February. My emails plus Google search reflects an entirely different story this year. Like a seismograph reporting unfelt tremblers, there is a whole lot of fishing going on.

Last year in April's column ‘Snook Stirring’, I reported that the Santa Rosalia River, which runs through the middle of Mulegé, was producing some phenomenal snook catches after thirty years of MIA according to local resident Mike Reichner.

Eyebrows rose, “a fluke” some snorted, and others who were more mean spirited suggested that it was an outright lie. On February 8th this year Mike's email practically vibrated in my inbox: “They're back! Roz and I were fishing with jerk baits and catching pargo when we were busted off by a toad and lost another in the rocks. Then standing on a rock looking at my Rapala in the water, a huge snook appears and ALMOST engulfs my lure but he saw my high profile and spooked. I kept casting around me...a dozen or so more casts and I saw a huge wake coming toward my bait from about 50 feet away....a snook at least four feet long crashed into it and took off, rapidly emptying my reel, as luck would have it, he came unbuttoned after 50 yards or so.”

By the time you hear about snook they are usually gone...here is your chance. Since I couldn't get there myself I emailed this to a friend who was fishing at La Bocana.

He was there the following day trying to catch one on the fly.
His next email confirmed Mike's report. "In Mulege, no snook yet on fly, but Mike and Roz are doing well on spinning gear." For the rest of the month Mike’s emails kept coming. All had a similar theme, "catching the smaller variety”,” the big robalo have been thumping me daily, amigo. They're here!”....”hooked three monsters this morning and was busted off twice and came unbuttoned once...am I EVER gonna land of these toads?”

Farther south, Lance Peterson, well known East Cape fly-fishing guide, emailed, “I need to know the IGFA record for roosterfish. I may have caught a new world record on four pound.” By the end of the month, he had one rooster and one broomtail grouper, both potential world records! The paperwork is on its way to headquarters for review.

Mid-month, Lance and Brad Ellis took a quickie fishing trip to Magdalena Bay. "Our Magdalena trip was great. We really killed it on both days. Numerous species plus we brought fourteen snook to hand in two days and was broke off by a really good one.

The fishing was pretty impressive. Most were smaller fish but still cool as hell, I had never caught a snook on fly so I was stoked."

February Frenzy continued: Stacy Corbin fishing the beach with Grant Hartman, Baja Anglers in Cabo San Lucas, reported the results of his beach trip on the Pacific side. "I went up north with Grant Hartman on a snook hunting adventure to one of his secret snook spots. The place holds snook and snapper that exceed 50 pounds. Grant is convinced that it holds a world record, which is probably why I was blindfolded on the way in (grin). We went down arroyos, through Cardón Cactus forests, and loose beach sand and I was sure we would get stuck several times. But Grant is a long time beach bum and knew what his rig would do in certain situations. It was sandblast-your-legs windy, and believe it or not, really cold in the morning with the north winds blowing, but I did get my elusive first snook on the fly. I can now check snook on the fly off the bucket list!"

Late in the month, Steve Cushing, along with a couple of buddies from the Northwest, also reported on the February Frenzy at East Cape.
"We caught small dorado, two five to six-pound roosters, bonito, skip jacks, and one nice sierra. We also found a mako slowly swimming on the surface. We couldn't get him to take a fly.... but a dead mackerel worked. We also caught a few ladyfish from the beach, saw tons of whales breaching everywhere, along with huge schools of dolphin. We had calm seas and great weather. Fun trip and we'll be back in late June.”

Finally up north off of Colonet there was a serious whack on some quality yellows.
This rounded off the February frenzy in Baja that went unnoticed by many but was thoroughly enjoyed by some.

Baja's baddest bill collector

Martha Macnab, with five of the nine qualifying bills.


Martha Macnab, an outstanding angler, received official notification this week that she had qualified to become a member of one of International Game Fish Association's most prestigious clubs, the Royal Billfish Slam Club . The species required to become a member are Atlantic blue marlin, pacific blue marlin, Atlantic sail fish, pacific sail fish, white marlin, striped marlin, black marlin, swordfish and spearfish. Of the previous 89 members of the club who have managed to accomplish the catches, only six were women; Martha is now the seventh!

She literally traveled thousands of miles and fished two oceans to accomplish what many would consider an impossible feat…landing the nine (9) different species of billfish! Rebecca Wright, IGFA Records Coordinator, acknowledged receipt of the catches and assured Martha that she would be receiving a certificate attesting to her achievement shortly.

Martha, a friend and a resident of Buena Vista in Baja Sur, Mexico, began her journey many years ago with her first catch in the series, striped marlin. She has released well over 400 of them with her best single day's catch of 23 on the Finger Bank above Cabo San Lucas.

In 2007, she traveled all the way to Isla Mujeres to fish in one of the International Women Fishing Association’s Tournaments. Fishing on the yacht, Havin' a Ball, she landed several Atlantic sailfish.
Her white marlin was landed aboard her 58' boat, the Retriever, between Aruba and Cartagena, Columbia, on a voyage from Florida to the West Coast.

The Pacific sails she landed were in three different countries…Panama (Tropic Star), Guatemala (Fins 'N Feathers and Casa Viejo) and her home waters in Mexico. Her skipper in Guatemala was Mike Sheeder, younger brother of Captain Chris Sheeder, with whom she had fished in Midway Islands.
The waters off of Baja continued to live up to Martha's expectations as she landed a 645-pound black marlin on the Gordo Bank, and two more of the nine bills needed, a 530-pound Pacific blue marlin and a swordfish weighing in at a respectable 260 pounds near the Cabrillo Seamount. These were also taken aboard her own boat, the Retriever.

Ironically the smallest of the billfish is considered the rarest, and it was the most difficult for her to add to the list. Last year she travelled all the way to Kona, Hawaii, to catch a short billed spearfish (Tetrapturus angustirostiris). Locals call them 'Chuckers'. Six days on the water at the height of season produced six blue marlin and eight striped marlin, but disappointingly, Martha lost a 'Chucker' at the last moment right at the boat.

This year she returned to Hawaii to fish once again on the Northern Lights with Captain Kevin Nakamaru and crew Tracey Epstein. Hoping to get that 9th notch in her rod, she suffered five days through what could only be described as slow fishing. Until the last ten minutes of the trip, all that had occurred was a blue bite that broke off and one ahi (yellowfin tuna) which she caught!

Before the fat lady could sing, however, a pair of ‘Chuckers’ appeared in the wake and both struck the lures violently! Only one was hooked, but with that short-billed spearfish, Martha achieved the goal that had eluded her for a number of years!

Martha and her husband, Larry Warlaumont, who also maintain a home on Balboa Island, are well-known world-wide for their sport fishing exploits.
"I am pretty excited and proud to become the 90th member of IGFA's Royal Grand Slam Club and the seventh woman to achieve this goal and I am very thankful to Kevin Nakamaru and the other great Captains and crew members who found the fish." Martha Macnab.