Granny Gets Hooked - Fishing Cabo
We just returned from fishing San Jose del Cabo. We stayed the weekend at the Presidente Intercontintal, two days of panga fishing out of La Playita - cocktails and fun at the swim up bar - great food - great company and lots of big fish - What a BLAST!
This was a weekend of firsts for both my husband and me.
This being our first time doing this type of fishing, I felt like a wide-eyed child. Would I be able to communicate with the pangadero? Would I be able to reel in my catch? Would I be able to stay in the boat?
I never used a conventional reel before, and as easy as it looked, I wondered if I would know how to set the drags right or if I would be able to keep from ending up with a tangled mess in my hands.
My concerns were quickly relieved once out on the water. The pangadero quickly went to work getting our lines in the water and almost immediately we have a double hook up on Wahoo. Unfortunately, the fish weren't boated, a combination of our newbiness and their sharp teeth cutting right through the line. I wasn't quite so disappointed once I heard that a few others had the same problem, even using steel leaders.
Next hook up, my reel screams and I see a dorado leap four feet out of the water about 50 yards off the back of the boat and the fight is on. I was amazed as I watched the dorado swimming up around the boat to catch the chum we were throwing off the side. At least five bull dorado were swarming the boat at top water. I've seen pictures of this, but that day I experienced it and what an awesome sight it was! I boat the dorado with help from the pandadero and its a beautiful bull about 20#. This is probably one of the biggest fish I have ever caught up to now. I was very pleased and thought to myself "how much better could fishing be?" My husband would catch one the next day at least 30#.
A few hours on the water in the heat and humidity, a fish hold full of dorado and now, a full bladder, I'm suddenly anxious to get in. I begin to wonder how everyone else's fishing went and what was caught. We arrive back to find tables full of mostly dorado, a few tuna and someone caught a 300 black marlin! We all stand around talking about fishing and taking pictures while our fish was filleted for us. I loved watching all the activity and the quick work the men made of the filleting process. Everyone eating fresh fish, drinking beer, telling fish stories of the one that got away and other soaking in the glory of the best catches of their life. Two of the highlights of the first day was Duc's wife's catch of a large wahoo that I didn't get to see and a couple of marlin caught that day. Seeing that marlin up close was a sight to behold. What a beautiful animal!
Back at the hotel, after getting cleaned up its cocktails in the pool at the swim up bar. Everyone is excited about the day, more fishing talk, joking around, playing volleyball and fun times. Everyone is anxious for the next day of fishing. Some of us went in to town for the night and the rest of us hit the sack early. 5 AM seemed to be only a moment away!
Next morning, getting on the pangas was more organized; everyone already knew which pangadero they would fish with and where to meet. It was WFO on dorado and tuna. The skipjack seem to be plaguing everyone. Our pangadero spots a marlin on top water. He starts chumming and circles around as we troll our live sardina.
Unfortunately no marlin strikes so we settle down for some drift fishing and I get my first yellow fin tuna within minutes. Even though it wasn't huge, maybe about 15# I was happy to get my first tuna reeled in, especially after reeling in eight skippies just before that. My arm was cramping up pretty bad, but there would be time to complain later. I just wanted to catch fish.
Back at the hotel... more fun and stories at the pool bar.
The weekend ended all too soon. Unfortunately; I realized about an hour before leaving that I was missing my camera with all the pictures of the weekend. I'm disappointed that I have no pictures of our first dorado, my first yellow fin or the beautiful sunrise on the first day. Those memories will live forever in my mind. I can hardly wait to go back and do it all again!
Synopsis:
First day 4 dorado up to 25#
Second day 15 dorado up to 30 plus pounds, 10 skipjack, 1 smaller variety yellow fin tuna.
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Originally Posted by Funjunkie74
