Roosterfish!

The last time I tangled with the Giant Trevally (GT) was many years ago when I was stationed in Guam.   Many times I've lost the battle as unexpectedly the GTs would tend to hit when I'm surf fishing for the smaller species of jack crevalles using light tackle. We're not blessed to have GTs here in California.  But, if you go down Baja Mexico you'll have the next best thing, the Roosterfish!  Indeed, it's one of the most exotic looking, and beautiful  fish in the ocean.  It almost has the same body shape as that of a GT, and it could make explosive drag screaming runs like a GT.  It's the fish that I've had on my wish list to catch for a long time.  For the longest, I've only read about it in sportfishing mags, and have seen jaw dropping pics of it on fishing forums.  But last year, on my trip to Cabo, the stars aligned, and the ocean gods finally answered my wish.  I met and did battle with a couple of roosters, and the rest is history.  We were already on our way back to the docks late afternoon that day.  We've already caught our limits of dorados, and my wife had caught and released her first ever sailfish. It's amazing how the boat captain, Ramon, was so in tune with what anglers on his boat are saying.  Just in our conversation on our way out that morning , we kind of brushed the subject about rooster fish, and I mentioned that I've never caught one yet.  So on our way back, he stayed close to the shoreline and told us to fly line some leftover cabalitos we still had. Then it all just happened, two hookups one after the other!  The roosterfish definitely will always be on my list to play with everytime I go to Cabo, either on the surf or on a boat. So if you're down in Baja Mexico, don't forget the magnificent roosterfish and have a blast!

Below is the video shot by my wife, and life-long fishing buddy of my first ever tango with Mr. Rooster.  It bit on a fly-lined cabalito hooked to my Van Staal 500gm jigging rod, and VSB250 reel.  The VS 500gm jigging rod is a short beefy rod designed more for vertical jigging, and dropping heavy jigs deep for monsters.  This is why you'll hardly see the rod bend as the fish made its explosive runs.  Lastly, thanks to Melton Tackle for my gears, and to Dream Weaver sportfishing charters (Capt Ramon Montano) Cabo San Lucas Mexico. Enjoy!

My Rod and Reel Cleaning Ritual

I made some videos awhile back of my rod and reel cleaning ritual after a day of fishing. I figure since I was going to clean my rods and reels that day, why not make a video about it and share it with my fellow anglers. Just to be clear, I'm not saying that this is the absolute and only way of cleaning your rod and reels. I'm no expert. This is just my way of doing it, and like you, I've picked up a few tips from other seasoned anglers and applied it,  What's important is to properly clean and maintain your gears to ensure many years of dependable service.  Especially when you're out there and hooked to a fish on your wish list, the last thing you want to happen is gear failure due to corrosion. The videos feature spinning rod and reels. It's just that I'm more of a spinning gear angler. But I think you can pretty much apply some of the procedures here to conventional  reels. The lubricants I used here might not be readily available where you're located.  Worst case is you live in a remote area where there's not a single tackle shop, and the cost of shipping will cost significantly more than the cost of the lubricants. If there are car shops or automotive shops in your area, my advice is to get some synthetic motor oil to wipe down and lube your reels, and synthetic automotive bearing grease to grease your reels and drag washers. Choose the lowest viscosity synthetic oil you can find like Mobile 1 0W-20.  Hey, if it could protect Formula 1 engines at extreme temps and pressures, protecting fishing reels is a piece of cake.  Hope this helps and fish on bros!

                                         Materials Used

 

                                          Cleaning and lubing reels

                                          Cleaning rods

Jigging and Popping Gears

This is what happens when you leave an angler all alone and bored at home.  Don't tell my wifey!  Enjoy!

                                      
                                       

 

                                     

Kelp Paddy Hopping for California Yellowtail

I got on a 12 hour offshore day trip yesterday fishing for Yellowtails to shake the cabin fever.  It was also a chance to finally test my Major Craft KG Evolution shore jigging rod, and my Shimano Stella 8000PG that has been sitting in my drawer feeling neglected.  I hopped on the Seasons Sportfishing out of San Diego with max of 4 anglers.  Plan is to fish offshore in Mexican waters searching for kelp paddies holding Yellowtails fly-lining live sardines. In between kelp paddies, we were also trolling a five spread hoping to run across some Albacore tuna or Dodos. Well, fishing was pretty tough.  Most kelp paddies we ran into were empty, the rest were only holding one or two Yellowtails. We even fished between tuna pens we ran across during our search for kelp paddies and fly-lined some live sardines; still no takers. Our five spread troll didn't result in any hookups either. We only managed to boat 3 Yellowtails, and lost 4 that ran back into the kelp paddy and snagged our lines. Despite the not so good fishing conditions, I was still stoked happy that my MC KG Evolution rod and Stella finally got the chance to haul in a nice Yellowtail.

The Shimano Stella 8000PG

The Shimano Stella line of reels needs no further introduction.  It is one of the top reels in the market today.  The 8000PG (Power Gear) has a low gear ratio designed more for vertical jigging.  Despite the small size of the 8000PG model, it's more than capable of tangling big fish, and is used by jiggers worldwide.

The Major CRaft KG Evolution Shore Jigging Rod

Closeup video of the MC KG Evolution Shore Jigging rod

The MC KG Evolution was designed for shore based jigging. With a length of 10 feet, it was designed primarily for casting light jigs at great distances.  It is a 2 piece rod joined at the middle.with spigot type connection. The blank is made from Toray high grade carbon fibers.  The first time I inspected this rod, I knew that it's capable of being a boat rod.slinging lures, jigs, and live bait. Unlike most popping and casting rods that are too stiff and require heavier lures and poppers to cast at a distance, the KG Evolution rod's upper portion is not too stiff (as you'll see in the video later on).  Since the chance of hooking a big fish from the surf here in Southern California is very slim, I decided to test this rod offshore. Fact is, I've discovered during this trip that it's perfect for fly-lining live bait. This rod is rated for 1-3 PE.  When I compared this rod with my PE5 rated Ocean Revolution casting rod, I noticed that the lower half of the KG's blank is more beefier. I came to the conclusion that this rod's rating is a bit on the conservative side.  I was very satisfied with its performance on this trip. To sum it up, I'm quite impressed with this rod.  The action is awesome, and easier on the body. I'd surely take this rod out again slinging for Yellowtails, Albacore Tuna, and Dorados. Would I recommend this rod? Absolutely!  It's an awesome rod!

Lastly, mad props to Seasons Sportfishing Owner/Captain Jamie Thinnes. He tried real hard to put us on some fish despite the slow pickings. If you like to avoid the usual crowded offshore charters here in Southern California, then his 4 pax ops is the way to go. His website: http://www.seasonssportfishing.com.

Video of my Yellowtail tug-o-war using the Shimano Stella/MC KG Evolution combo.  Pay particular attention to the upper part of the rod. Thanks for looking and fish on!

 

Fish Magnet - Daiwa Bala Jig

 

The Bala jig is another deadly jig for bottom critters.  It's equipped with two assist hooks and a squid skirt.  Like the Lucanus, I like tipping the hooks with cut squid; although the Bala jig is still deadly even without squid strips.  I prefer casting the Bala jig, let it sink, and retrieve it slowly while making sure the jig is bouncing off the bottom.  Unlike the Lucanus, the Bala's plastic squid skirt is more durable and easy to replace.  Squid skirts are available at most tackle shops.  Replacing the squid skirt with glow in the dark skirts will make this jig more deadly when fishing at night.  We've hooked various species of fish with it.  So on your next bottom fishing trip, add one to your tackle box and give it a shot.

                                            Shark on a Bala jig!