It's not just about the fishing

Its not just about the fishing, it's about the whole Cabo experience...pictured here are Jane and Chris Malone from Greenbrook, New Jersey...newlyweds. Jane, seen here, is feeding a left over bait, to the resident marina sea lion that the crews have christened "Paco", who happens to be a pretty big boy, probably equally or surpassing the weight of the two striped marlin they caught aboard "Andrea" on May 27th...they also lost a third fish. Great job by Captain Orlando, especially for landing Jane her first ever fish; she started out big, no trout for her!
You may want to know what the difference is between a sea lion and a seal and my method is very unscientific but easy...seals have holes for ears, sea-lions have tiny ears.

Great day for Tom McClocklin and son.

Pictured here is 74 year old Tom McClocklin from Saskatoon, Canada, with a beautiful wahoo that will make several tasty meals. The wahoo was just shy of 30 lbs. He also released a striped marlin that was 200 lbs and his son fought an early season sailfish that he released, approximately 90 lbs.

So it goes to show, even in later years you can have fun in Cabo.

All fish were caught on May 25th aboard "Valerie" captained by Roberto Sandez.

Our friend Mike Conolly shares with us his trip to Georgetown Lake.

Friends,

Georgetown Lake yesterday. This area is closed until July. With no moving water to carry their eggs the trout go through a false spawn and it seems as if every big trout in the lake is in 3 feet of water. The rest of the lake is open to fishing and yesterday was the first time the ice melted away from the shoreline enough to fish. I was waiting. The big trout were there. Sight casting to them is about as good as it gets. I was able to watch nice rainbows attack and take my flys for four hours.
There were no other fishermen. Zero.
Saw elk, antelope, whitetails, mule deer and bighorn sheep on the way home.
Wanted to share this.

Mike.

As a follow up yesterday to the strange fish that caused a sensation, we now have more information. Firstly the fish has been identified by local marine biologists as a Ratfish also known as a Chimaera or Quimera in Spanish. None of the local fisherman had any idea of what it was, not even those that have spent their whole lives on the sea. The crew of Minerva IV were fishing eleven miles south of Cabo yeserday around 1.00 pm, when they spotted a red stain in the water, thinking it was a squid they drew nearer to it and when they saw the odd creature, they exchanged puzzled looks not knowing what it was. The fish would flip belly up and then try to dive.
They decided to bring it on board and easily managed to pluck it from the water, then put it in the bait tank where it remained alive until just before they got back to the dock.
There are differnt kinds of Ratish though we have still not identified exactly which kind this is. Most of the information availalbe refers to the Spotted Ratfish, which this one obviously isn't.
They are found in deep water:
Biology Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Bathydemersal to benthopelagic generally between 300 and 500 m depth. Found in the upper continental slope. Usually found in deeper waters in southern latitudes, while making a summer inshore migration up to 40-100 m in the northern areas. Sluggish, usually occurring in small groups. Feeds mainly on bottom-living invertebrates. The single dorsal spine is sharp and pointed, and although only mildly venomous can inflict a painful wound. Oviparous. Males have a clasper on the forehead that is probably used to hold on to the female during copulation. Egg capsules are about 17 cm long; young look alike adults and hatch when 10 cm long. Common by-catch when trawling for shrimps in the North Sea or Skaggerak.

Any guesses on what this is? we don have the answer yet, but as soon as we find out, we'll let you know.

This fish was caught today by Captain Agustin "Guty" Dozal and deckhand Edgar Chong aboard the Minerva IV close to La Herradura, they thought it was a big squid as when they saw the fish, it was red, it looked like it was trying to dive deep but couldn’t make it, so they took it out thinking it was squid.

I looked on the internet under weird fish and rare fish but couldn’t find a match, maybe you guys know what it is.

Testimonial from Glenn Hook and friends

Hello Francisco,

Thanks for your reply. First let me say that was the best fishing trip ever, and my wife and I, along with other family members are hoping to come again this year. It was one of my most memorable experiences. My wife Dawn Hook caught one, and I caught two. Unfortunately the second one got tail rapped and we could not revive it. I was told it was a release, but I don't know the specifics. I surely would have let it go. The captain said the meat would be of some value to the men at the dock. I can't remember the name of those two off hand, but if you know who captained the LaBrisa then, they were wonderful. We had two other boats in our trip for other people, we were the first at the gate that morning, and the only to catch marlin that first day. We also got our fill of dorado on the way in. Next time maybe some tuna, or bottom fish in the Sea of Cortez. Paul Koch worked with me then, and recommended you, I would recommend Pisces to everyone going to Los Cabos.

Thanks so much for the memory, hope to see you again soon.

Glenn Hook, Deerfield Beach, FL.

Post on the La Times Blog

The owner of Pisces Sportfishing in Cabo San Lucas e-mailed me the accompanying photo of her crew with the caption: "Come on down, everything is fine here, weather is fantastic and we are waiting to catch you some fish.”

Everything is not fine. The mega-resort community at the tip of Baja California is in dire straits, thanks to the same factors that affect tourism in all of Mexico: global recession, drug-related violence and the swine flu scare.

It doesn't matter that the latter two issues are localized in other areas. As far as many non-Mexicans are concerned, because of what they've seen on TV or read, the entire country has plague.

In Cabo, which was built initially around sportfishing, the main drag is all but deserted. Hotels are nearly empty. Cruise ships aren't coming. The number of flights have been reduced. Tracy Ehrenberg, longtime Pisces fleet owner and wife of a prominent politician, said the town is emptier than it was in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist strikes and a subsequent devastating hurricane.

But tourist destinations throughout Mexico, as the worst of a flu-related heath crisis seems to have passed, are begging people to come back--and some are doing so imaginatively.

According to a story in the Latin American Herald Tribune, eight hotels in Cancun and the Riviera Maya are offering full refunds and free vacations for up to three years to anyone who contracts the swine flu virus during their vacation.

While there have been cases of the virus in Cancun, there have been none reported in Pacific coastal destinations such as Cabo San Lucas and the entire Los Cabos region; Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlan, according to Jose Angel Cordova, Mexico's health secretary.


In Cabo and throughout Baja California Sur's East Cape region, locals occasionally make fun of a swine flu issue that they believe was blown out of proportion by the media (see photo). But in reality, anyone who makes a living off visiting fishermen or other tourists is feeling a major pinch and knows this is no joke.

This will pass, however, and tourists will regain confidence and resume traveling to Mexico and elsewhere abroad; but when it will pass is anyone's guess.

-- Pete Thomas

Photos: Pisces Sportfishing crew in front of waterfront Cabo San Lucas office. Courtesy of Pisces. In second photo, East Cape anglers poke fun at the swine flu reports after catching, and masking, a large dorado. Courtesy of Mark Rayor

Salsa lesson

Hi guys,

As you know, this blog is not entirely about fishing, and as Ady, our reservations manager is taking salsa lessons and getting pretty good at it, I though I'd show you what I think she will dance like very soon.

Great catch for our British friends

We had a couple of geat guys from England fishing with us this week, Peter Garnder from Hereford and Jack Lester from Cheshire had a great time, catching fish from a panga and also from the beach. They caught a sierra and two beautiful snappers up to 40 lbs aboard a panga.

Pisces Interact with you

Hi Anglers,

If you wish to interact with us and keep updated on everything we do at Pisces, follow us on:

Twitter - www.twitter.com/piscescabo

FaceBook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1468092827

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/piscessportfishing

Come and have drop a line!!

Swine Flu? Not in Cabo

Rare fish: Oarfish

The Oarfish is the longest bony fish. It normally measures 16 to 35 feet (5 to 11 meters) long. However, people have reported seeing oarfish more than 55 feet (17 meters) in length. The fish live in temperate (mild) and warm seas, normally at depths of 1,000 to 2,000 feet (300 to 610 meters). They have flat-sided, silvery bodies with bright red fins. On the underside of an adult's body, two long pelvic fins end in blade-shaped swellings. These fins resemble the oars of a rowboat, giving the fish its name. The Oarfish is very rare and has only been captured on film alive a handful of times.
At the end of their life cycle they come into shallow water to die, which is usually the only time we see them.

Testimonial

Adriana and the Pisces Staff,

Virginia Thompson and I, Dave Sharninghouse, want to thank you and your staff for making our first Cabo fishing trip on 4/22/09 a big success! From the sweet rolls at the dock in the morning to the cleaning of our catch on the return, it was a great experience. Speaking of experience, Captain Julia and first mate Ernesto on the TRACY ANN, did an outstanding job of getting us on fish and talking us through the landing of the fish. We ended up with 1 marlin, 2 dorado, and 7 yellow fin tuna. The dinner at Alexander's with our fresh catch was awesome!
When we left the dock Ernesto was great at explaining what to expect and was very professional in his dealings with us. He kept the boat immaculate and neat. I told my friends that you could have eaten off of the floor it was so clean!! Please relay my thanks to the crew of the TRACY ANN and give Fernando a nod too.
Thanks for everything and being more than gracious with all of my inquires. Dave Sharninghouse/Virginia Thompson

BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR REMAINS FREE OF INFLUENZA

La Paz, B.C. Sur, April 28, 2009

BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR REMAINS FREE OF INFLUENZA. THERE IS NO RECORD OF CONFIRMED CASES, AND NOT EVEN THE SLIGHTEST SUSPICION OF THE PRESENCE OF THIS VIRUS.

The Secretary of Tourism in Baja California Sur, Alberto Treviño Angulo, informed that the State is free from this virus.

Baja California Sur is free from the swine flu virus; to this date there are no records whatsoever of confirmed cases, and not even the slightest suspicion of the presence of the virus in this State.

The Secretary of Tourism in Baja California Sur, Alberto Treviño Angulo, added that local residents, as well as all national and international visitors, may remain in and travel to the tourism centers in the State with the assurance that there are no influenza cases in this area.

He stated that those tourists who are planning to visit our resort destinations may do so with the complete certainty that in Baja California Sur there are no cases of swine flu that may pose a risk to their health, and that the health authorities are working to keep this situation under control.

During the Tourism Expo held here, Alberto Treviño informed that the tourism sector in Baja California is working with the certainty that there is no record whatsoever of the presence of this virus in the State: from Guerrero Negro to Ciudad Constitución; from La Paz to Todos Santos and from Los Barriles to Cabo San Lucas.

Treviño Angulo added that the tourism industry in Baja California Sur undoubtedly represents one of the main engines of the economy in the State, and this is in great part the result of the joint efforts of businessmen in the field, the society in general, and the government.

In consequence, today more than ever, in Baja California Sur we are all working together, and will continue to do so in a responsible manner in furtherance of a better tourism development in our State.

The Secretary of Tourism reiterated that in the State of Baja California Sur there is not even the slightest suspicion of the presence of this virus, and added that the health authorities actually sent ten samples of patients undergoing a common cold to laboratories in Mexico City for their respective analysis, and in every one of said cases the results were negative.

However, Alberto Treviño explained that general precautions are being taken as a preventive measure, this being the reason why there are preventive supervision activities in the maritime, terrestrial and airport terminals.

In addition, activities have been suspended in all private and public schools, and it is recommended to avoid attending massive events in enclosed places.

Alberto Treviño commented that as a precaution measure, the health sector has sufficient medication to cure this disease and 120 special reagents in health centers and hospitals in Baja California Sur, and reiterated that the State of Baja California is free from the virus.