I finally got around to reading through the latest issue of This Is Fly. As usual, this issue is top-notch and may just be my favourite issue yet. It features some incredible action from the Sea of Cortez and epic adventure from my fellow Canadians, team Hooke. Enjoy.
The next issue is due out in January!
It’s that day of the week where we go back through our archives and dust off some old gems. This is more than just housekeeping. We’re adding new content and images you’ve never seen before! This week we have two fantastic fishing reports from 2005 when Clive and I were both living and fishing in La Paz, Mexico. Stay tuned for more throwback updates in the coming weeks!
Beginner’s Luck, Gracefully Out-Fished by a Novice
It’s been difficult finding fishing partners in La Paz since Clive left for the British Virgin Islands. I’ve some found people willing to go, but not after they find out we leave Fishermen’s Fleet at 5am. There’s not many people interested in waking up hours before the sun in the land of cheap cerveza, but I managed to convince Mike Brum and Philip Barbosa. Promising them an unforgettable experience before they went to bed, I set the alarm for 4AM.
I made sure to find out how much time they needed to get ready since I’m generally awake and out the door in 5 minutes for any situation. To my surprise everyone was sticking to the plan. I thought for sure I would lose at least one of them since there are only two chairs in the panga boat, but they were both awake and ready in no time. We arrived at Fishermen’s Fleet and headed upstairs for some coffee and breakfast. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw how many people were waiting. It would take four huge vans to shuttle us to La Ventana.
My First Marlin by Rachel Larratt
As all deep-sea fishing trips begin, we were up bright and early. It was almost 10 am as we reached the dock carrying loads of beer, margarita supplies and ample amounts of sandwich ingredients. The plan for the day was to head out from Marina Palmira in La Paz out to the area around Espirito Santo. We’d spend some of the day fishing and then a few hours snorkeling with the Sea Lions at the north end of the island.
Our boat for the day was the 38 foot Mediterranean “El Ganador†that we rented from Desea Adventures. It came crewed with our Capitan and our deck hand David. We settled in on the bow with our breakfast for the 45 minutes ride out to the open water.
Catch Magazine is back again with yet another great edition! There’s also an editorial about fly fishing on the Baja. They even mention La Paz, the city Clive and I lived for a year. We didn’t do any fly fishing, but we did catch Wahoo, Tuna, Snapper, Roosterfish, even a marlin! The story and photos of blue skies, green water, and red salsa really take me back. Enjoy!
We’ve featured some Mike Savlen’s traditional paintings here in the past, and now we’ll feature his digital illustrations. I’d love to see a few of the prints on my wall!
more via Savlen Studios