Blow Blow, But We Got The Gordo...

[Capt Josh]

Well as if the blow jobs around Cabo weren't legendary already, the wind this weekend is trying reeeeaaal hard to establish it's own ball bursting reputation and add it's own spin on the mix. With over thirty knots of North Westerlies howling down the Pacific side, and solid twenty - thirty Northerlies howling down the eastern cape, she's been a little sporty out there amigos. A little Walleye Chop on the water to say the least.

Thank god we've got the Salty, and the Gordo Bank not twenty miles away. Sixty three feet of weather beating opulence to take us at pre-dawn thirty, racing up the Sea of Cortez towards the only spot within thousands of miles in any direction to have produced a near world record tuna of 383 pounds this week. Long live the Gordo...and the monsters that she keeps.

With this kind of weather berating the coast, and Cabo's voluptuous fleet of charter boats, the Gordo Bank becomes ground zero for all manner of swashbuckler and craft. After nine in the morning it's an international zoo out there, Canadians, Mexicans, Americans, and Asians vying for opportunity in a circus of chaos. Tiny 14' car-toppers making the run in snotty conditions from San Jose, 63 feet battlewagons, and all manner of "vessel" in between. Everyone frantically chasing a lone dipping frigate, puddling tunas, hell i saw two boats give a sea lion an all-out chase. Lines get tangled, kite baits bounce of the faces of wayward panga clients, dogs and cats living together. My kind of madness - I GUESS?!?!?!

Yes...it's a chit-show on the Gordo, but guess what? The big fish are still there.

In the past two days we've counted seven tuna hook-ups, landed four up to one hundred pounds, and lost two real good ones including one mean, nasty sonofabitch.

I ran to the bow with a fresh caballito as we neared the high-spot on the inner Gordo this morning, tossed a bait out and upswell in the four foot seas, watched as it raced off fifty feet of line before it disappeared down the maw of a massive crater in a large and messy way. Sonofa...

"HOOK-UP!!!! FUUUUUUUUUCKSOMEBODYHEYHEEEEEEEEYHEYHEY!!!!" As i raced down the port gunnel, pointing the screaming Accurate 30W in the direction of the monster, then, seeing the Colonel, "HEYCOLONEL....COOOOOLONEL!!! TAKETHISGODDAMNRODNOWNOWNOWNOWNOW!!!"

I barely made the hand-off to the Colonel before the last of the line left the reel, raced over rod belts, a mountain of underwater camera gear, and dove for the ladder leading to the helm. I was screaming for everyone else to clear lines, pull in the kite, as i frantically fired up the motors, hammered them in reverse, and started the chase. There couldn't have been 50 yards left on the reel.

Suddenly, heartbreakingly - SNAP!!!

No...Nonononononononononooooooooooooooooooooooooo....

Yup, it happens. Unfortunately i had picked up the rod with only eighty pound fluorocarbon leader and when the large and vacuum-like jaw of the giant tuna opened to engulf the bait, so went the hook and leader, deep, deep down to the belly of the beast. He cut us off on the corner of his jaw, the lucky sonofabitch.

On the next drift SteveD hooked a good one on the chunk that later wrapped us up and broke us off on some kind of submerged buoy or net, goddamnit.

Finally on the fifth or sixth drift after that, Steve goes bendo on another live caballito and we finally manage to land something today, a nice 100 pounder. WHEW.

The boats, the weather, it's Cabo combat fishing at it's best.

Thankfully yesterday we faired better, landing three nice tunas and a brace of dorados. Ron and Mike from Pelagic both catching good ones, and Tony Ludovico getting the shots we were hoping for from the water with some of his marvelous toys.

With blow jobs like this pounding Cabo, it's good advice to take what you get. Manana is another day amigos, and i can guarantee you we'll be looking for another giant sonofabitch.

[squirtis]

Helluva story sans the happy ending

you wouldn't love it as much without that kind of challenge!

looking forward to the next report!

Curto

[marlin_mike_]

hey kiddo thank ben for the tour it was good to see you in our element. i could not if asked for a better deal to happen the big fish paying 9 team's hope to see your name on the list next year. good to have seen you bro give me a call at the shop i need to talk at you ok.
big mike @melton's

[lilharcher]

Hope you are getting em today.....glad to see Salty Steve getting to pull on a nice fish.

[Captain Fred Archer]

Sobrino,

If you get tired of the Gordo Zoo (disliked it intensely), and the charts look right, don't forget about Cabrillo Seamount and the thousand line above and below it. It can be utterly awesome out there, especially on the bank itself and there's rarely any traffic at all. Not far, but too far for most of the charterboats. We got a double on swords out there one day too and we hooked, fought for 3 1/2 hours, and finally popped off the biggest sword I have ever seen in my entire life out there. Broke her off on the boat. The angler was a good one. The gear was 130!

Don't forget, those big tooners aren't born on the Gordos...they get there by swimming from elsewhere, including the Cabrillo.

Another heads up. Not too many years ago a monster yellowfin, a world record weight fish, was caught by a visiting Florida pro boat on "the line up" a short distance off the old lighthouse. The fish did not qualify due to the deckhand handling the rod. They were trolling a large football for a big blue one. Can't remember the actual weight, but it was a huge fish.

Just thinkin', is all.

Man, it must be a howlin' hell due south, what with those two winds meeting there, done that, almost rolled my 36 once in that stuff. No friggin' bueno, amigo!

Gotta go lay down just thinking about that day.

Suerte!

[Capt Josh]

Oh yes boys, we got them once again. Loooong live the Gordo.

First boat on the scene and boy does that kind of dedication pay off. The Colonel quickly nailed a nice one on the kite, then SteveD picked one up on the flatline, then the Colonel countered with one on the chunk. By 9 am it was all over, much to the chagrin of most of the fleet who were only just arriving.

Once the circus started we pointed our noses SW and deployed the marlin spread. Mike was in the cockpit with Benji, the Colonel and i were at the helm. I was listening to a funny story as told by the Colonel, staring at the left corner lure, and laughing away. All of a sudden SMASHWHOOSH!!! a nice 300 # class blue detonates on the lure in a hurry, coming from the outside-in to demolish the green/black Bahama.

"MARLIN!!! BLUUUUUEEEE MARLIN SHORT LEFT!!!" i scream as the Avet 50W goes ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....

Mike lept to the rod as the boys cleared the remaining lines, but just when things were about to get interesting the fish abruptly, and unceremoniously, shook the hook. SONOFA....(squared)

C'est la vie.

All in all it was a great two and a half days with the usual suspects. Tony Ludovico captured some incredible images of the tunas, from all perspectives, and the rest of us enjoyed some great fishing considering the conditions.

Thanks to SteveD, Ben, Dr Colonel, Mike and Ron of Pelagic, and a big happy b-day to Gerald.

I'm off to PV for a week on the Maximo, and then right back here for another crack at the islands shortly thereafter.

"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

[Capt Josh]

Thanks for the info Fred. We've been pounding the Cabrillo every day and well to the east and south of it looking for porpoise. In actuality the Gordo was the best place to fish considering the weather, it wasn't really tuna spotting conditions any further offshore, but we gave it the old college try anyhow.

Considering what we saw most of the other boats do, none of us are complaining about what we were lucky to have thumped on the deck!

[marlin_mike_]

12# boney is the trick kiddo. hey good to here your still on that bite there's still some dozer'z in the mix. like i said before tell benji many thank's for the tour and the story we talked PLEASE get ahold of me i need to yack at you ok.
big mike @ melton's