Wednesday, December 20, 2017

stick-to-it-a-tism

One thing they'll never say about me is " that guy was a quitter". One thing I know about life is this....if you know you're doing the right thing and if you just keep pushing, just keep trying good things will happen. My old creative writing Professor Dick Hugo used to say rewrite, rewrite and when you're tired of it rewrite 10 more times, that's success. So in that vain I pushed hard this week and had a couple fantastic mornings on the that big salty river. I walked up on the beach in the dark of course and was throwing my usual Mirrolure to find fish. Well as it got light I began to see many ultra small sardines laying on the beach from where they'd been chased by a predator. and then I see the obvious tell tale sign of fish....sardines making the water look like what I call nervous. Obviously my Mirrolure comes nowhere near to duplicating the look of these mini sardine so I put on a 'campion' that I tied up fifty of in Alaska and immediately had a Toro on the beach. That guy right there is 3/8 ounce jig head that I got at Sportsman's Warehouse and tied white with a little blue Mylar and walla. The beauty of the campion is that it is the right look AND it's light enough to just kinda float and swirl around the rocks without it getting stuck....and mind you the best fish are right on shore so casting long is not always the best.
I literally caught 20 to 30 small Toro, many of them chasing right onto the beach where I could see the bite. a couple felt a bit different so I took my time with them and got these two beautiful snappers, one in the Amarillo variety and the other the more common Cocanako (sp)....
And then....I got something powerful and I see a bit of a jump and as it hit so close I'm thinking Robalo. Yikes, the handmade campion I had on had already caught at least 25 fish and the thin wire hook I'd been closing back up with pliers....and....I'm alone. There's nobody to stand by with the gaff and maybe safe a spit hook like I did for Ernesto last year. So I go real easy, Once I know he's my Robalo I let him ride up and back down the beach waiting for just the right wave to pull him farther. I finally get one I like and give nice pull and he's entirely dry but I'm having trouble handling him....well the next wave must have been that huge 7th one we used to wait on back commercial set netting and it washed him way up the beach and left him waiting for this photo op. I got an oyster diver to snap the pics. The best Robalo yet for me, 7 to 8 Kilo.
The next day I got another nice snapper and it was fun for me to return the favor's and take plenty of fresh fish into town for my friend Slah to enjoy with his wife Maria. What a day. we brought home our favorite take out Chinese and I got a pic with a gorgeous girl at the Mercado. Remember last week I talked about the eyes being the window into your soul.....how's that for a couple windows eh ?
The other morning I was fishing close to the house and as Tony walked the dog he gave me the old Marine ' get your ass over here in a hurry' signal. So I sprint up the beach....well as fast as a 64 year old guy with a bad knee can sprint because I think something is wrong...and .....more @%&** turtles.
They're everywhere.  In Alaska they'd de-list these guys so they could harvest them for turtle soup or some darn thing, Turtle egg omelet's or something that is culturally important. Now this cadre, class of Dec 19 , 2017 was a bit different. The nest was way up on the flat part of the beach and unlike the others I've come across they had way to far to go and as the sun hit them they were losing gas....only one thing to do, help em along the way.  Connie said the salad bowl we had at that night's Pizza party used to be a turtle rescuer.

Last night found us once again at our favorite taco stand, can't stay away from that place. I bought this beer at the OXXO next door and wow.....Netherlands beer brewed in Mexico, it says ' Global beer partner" on it. So I seen the President today on CNN with his Tax plan celebrations and our Alaska people front and center and ya know it really didn't look to me like maybe those two Senators and the new StromThurmond, Don Young were really doing much....So I'm here to help in Mexico....really... I want to be and will be a ' global partner' for love, for fishing, for courtesy, for understanding, for music, for us....all of us....isn't that what Christmas is really about. Global Partners....I like it. Merry Christmas everybody.



1 comment:

  1. Mexican made Heineken, all I can say is Uffda! Fun to catch fish on your own baits, especially from Trustworthy. As long as that gal doesn't answer back your fine:-)

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