 COUNTING YOUR CHICKENS ... In search of roosterfish on fly in Baja — By Andrew Ludwig
AS we looked out the window of the descending plane, we were amazed at the stark contrast of the arid terrain of the Baja Peninsula. We knew it was going to be dry, but this was a harsh, drought-filled environment with the beige of the land cut cleanly by the azure of the Sea of Cortez. Our driver met us in Cabo St Lucas and we headed north for the lodge through the Mexican “karoo”.
An hour-and-a-half later we were at the lodge, checked in and seated at the bar overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Here we enjoyed a few refreshing Coronas while gaining some insight on the fishing from the South African owner who has been running the operation for a decade and is well versed on the region’s fishing and tactics.
He was happy to have a few fellow countrymen at his lodge so far from home, but like many others was concerned about why we insisted on pursuing our quarry on fly. We were advised to head out to sea and put some points on the board through conventional means until such time as we were presented with tangible opportunities on fly … We agreed to abide by the local knowledge to begin with.
The following morning we rose at 5am, readied our equipment and headed for a breakfast while watching the sun rise over the ocean. The omelettes were washed down with good coffee, and then we boarded one of the pangas, a 23ft Mexican-designed boat, with our skipper, Rene, who had over 30 years experience under his belt. Indeed, on his face it showed!
After a short while, we deployed the lures and headed over the canyon shelf, a short distance from the lodge. Within 30 minutes the first ratchet sounded, scattering us into action. Grant got the rod into his bucket while line was spooling from his reel.
Read the full story in the October/November issue of FLYFISHING magazine ... |
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