Ciguatera

 I named this post  that so if anybody were to Google that and then find this blog and it helps them I would be very gratified. If even one person finds this and because of it avoids the horrible health effects that I've had I would feel wonderful...AND, it wasn't really my idea. Years ago when I first began to think I might be suffering from this fish toxin I googled and found a blog of a Fishing Guide in Australia who's age, work and lifestyle mirrored mine and he suffered terribly form Ciguterra for years . So here goes .

That Robalo there is about the finest eating you fish you can catch here in Mazatlan. I caught that fish right there at low tide about 2:00 pm Sunday and filleted it and cleaned it immediately taking special care to get ALL the red and blood out of the fillet. MP fried it in batter as usual and because I had not eaten ANY fish from the waters of Mazatlan in 3 years because I suspected I had the Ciguterra Toxin in my system I ate only I/4 of a fillet....and oh boy was it ever good .  I slept well, got up and had my coffee and read my papers and was on the beach at 6:00 am to fish . I wandered and fished my way down to El Cid and visited with my friends a bit and then decided to fish the rocks on the other side of our building . As I got back right in front of my building I felt kinda weird, kinda light headed and then the next thing I knew I had falling forward and couldn't catch myself from falling down . Then I fell several times trying to stand but finally got upright and floundered up to the foot shower of my building. Even as I sat there I couldn't keep my balance, I thought I was having a stroke was petrified. I called MP and she came running and as I recovered she and Alan our maintenance guy held onto to me to our condo unit. I immediately had to go to the bathroom and had severe diarrhea. Within two hours I could walk without help. Now 3 days later I'm just a bit unsteady but still having G.I. issues.

Ciguterra is the most common of a few Fish Toxins, 50,000 cases a year of which 15,000 are in the USA.  There is no test for it and diagnosis is made by the process of elimination.  It occurs between the two tropics, Cancer and Capricorn at 35 degrees north and 35 degrees south Latitude. Small fish eat the coral and big fish eat the small fish and we eat the big fish. The fish most apt to carry the toxin are in shore predator fish like Barracuda, Snappers , Grouper and Sea Bass which are much akin to that Robalo ( snook ) . The Toxin accumulates in the human system being stored in your fat cells. It is rarely fatal and effects different people in different ways. The amount of toxin in your system depends on your exposure  to fish, so people like me who catch, handle and eat fish as a lifestyle can be most affected. Some people it doesn't effect at all. 

The top pic is a Corvina which is Sea Bass. The middle pic is a nice big Pargo, red Snapper and the 3rd pic is our fishing team with a load of Corvina, some really nice big ones...the bigger the fish the more toxin.

As the years went on we realized that often after eating fish I would get sick, usually vomiting the fish up during the night. Many a time we had fish with other couples and I'd be the only one sick. Many nights after dining I would just feel queasy. Years ago a renowned fisherman warned me of the Ciguatera. He told me I was the perfect person to become infected with the toxin. I eat it at least once a week and through the years of I've handled hundreds of these fish and thousands of fish in general. An interesting thing is that once you have the toxin in your system the fish that makes you sick usually won't have the toxin but any fish you might eat can trick your system into releasing the stored toxin into your bloodstream .

Ciguatoxins are lipid-soluble and can be stored in the body's tissues, including fat, for a long time (months or even years). The symptoms experienced by individuals who "carry" the toxin (meaning they have residual toxin from a previous exposure) can recur intermittently, especially when triggered by certain factors like consuming alcohol, nuts/nut oils, or even more fish. 

Gastrointestinal symptoms

Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain or cramps 

Neurological and sensory symptoms 

Tingling or numbness around the mouth, lips, and throat, spreading to hands and feet
Sore muscles
Tooth pain
Temperature reversal: A sensation where hot objects feel cold and cold objects feel hot. This is considered a hallmark symptom.
Itching, which can be extreme and worsened by alcohol
Headaches
Dizziness
Fatigue or weakness
Difficulty walking
In severe cases, hallucinations or coma 

Important considerations

Symptoms usually appear within minutes to 24 hours after eating the contaminated fish.
Most people recover fully within days or weeks, but some neurological symptoms can persist for months or even years in rare cases.
There is no antidote, and treatment is supportive, focusing on managing the specific symptoms. It is recommended to seek medical attention for diagnosis and treatment.
Avoid alcohol and vigorous exercise, as these can worsen the symptoms.
To prevent recurrence, some medical professionals advise avoiding fish, nuts, and alcohol for up to six months after recovery. 
So now I'm having neurological problems that you see in the info. I have a friend here who knows Mazatlan and is a true waterman. He swears that my condition can't be ciguatera because he's never seem coral around Mazatlan...Well, it's obvious now that he's wrong. I think the fact that fish have fins to take them wherever they'd like might have something to do with the riddle of no coral....
The internet is a wonderful thing. If you or somebody you know seems to get food poisoning a lot and fishes the tropics....look into and try to head it off before you get to the point that I have. But ya know me, Mr Bright side, if I had been anywhere else than the beach and fell that hard I could of been really hurt.....so....no pescador zarenado, no pescador entero, no pescador diablo....I'm done with that ! 

• Ciguatera Fish Poisoning

  The larger the fish, the more ciguatoxin it contains. Symptoms of ciguatera fish poisoning include: * **Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea...

  

  NYC.gov
• Naturally occurring seafood toxins | Health - Queensland Government

  Jun 8, 2021 — What are the symptoms? Symptoms usually start one to 24 hours after eating a toxic fish. The time before onset of illne...

  

  Queensland Government
• Ciguatera - Canada.ca

  Nov 16, 2022 — What are the symptoms? Symptoms can occur within minutes, but generally develop within 24 hours of eating contaminated...

  

  Canada.ca

Show all

And so it goes...

 In the History of Mile 14 you could always tell when the fishing was slow by how many Moose pictures I'd post. Well here at the Southern bureau of Mile 14 the sunsets fill in for the moose...ain't that purty ? wow, just to be out in nature...shut up Jeff !

My second morning on the Playa I saw the Roosterfish chasing bait onto the beach and having my small rod I cast at them anyway and instantly was hooked up with a large. I was alone on the beach and worked him for 20 minutes   to the least steep part of the beach and when he finally bottomed out the beach I got a really good look at about a 30 pounder just when the Kastmaster went flying....and that's no fish story. Us surf guys are always looking for the roosters, it's even one of the reasons we came a bit early so as it goes we finally find them and then can't handle them...or...We find a lot them which we have, really a lot of them and they're all like this. Kinda cute huh ?

or this

My friend Mario caught 4 of these little beauty's in one morning, I'm stalled at two. So we're left with the old theory game. You know how this thing we do lends itself to theories.

1. The waters to warm. The waters to cold. The waters to wet .

2. to much : commercial fishing. Sport fishing . Poor fishing technique.

3. I think : Tides are better tomorrow. Less waves tomorrow. Think I'll golf tomorrow.

4. Maybe I : Caught em all last year. My bio-rythme bottomed out. I need to call Slah.

One of our problems is the Playa itself. Hurricane Priscilla that we just missed 6 weeks ago took all of the sand off of most unprotected beaches making for waves  that flow farther up the beach onto all the sea walls. You can see the footers on this seawall at Las Gavias, normally the sand is up 4 feet over what you see here. These pics were taken at about 1/2 tide and there's  just no way you can time that between waves and dart up the beach, especially if you're a 72 year old trying to eeek out a few more years of the chase.

So then what are we doing ? good question . Well, we walk everyday . We go out for supper, usually right before sunset so we get home before to late because, well, just because. Been to the movies,  I'm on my 7th or 8th book. I'm working on new music and of course....I never, ever give up on the fishing. 

We were headed to El Mimen the other night to have the best coconut shrimp in town for MP, she loves them. Well we get to Valentino's and buy a couple road cokes at the tienda and sit down on the sea wall to share the sunset with a hundred of our neighbors. Well we come across this soccer team playing a very sophisticated version of kick the can and yes, those would be Pacifico's....carry on guys.

This a view from the cheap seats. It's always the best time and something is always going on.

El Mimen is about 4 blocks away and it's strictly Marisco's with what must have  Mazatlan's biggest screen showing Mazatlan's loudest Banda. We met a new friend named Pollo who talked me into Shrimp with Cilatnro sauce. Now I usually have a crab tostado and an order of fries but that night I felt like something different and holy moly was that good. The canned peaches on it kinda freaked me out but they kind of clean your pallet and add a nice freshness to the creamy sauce.

And in the T.I.M. department...who in the heck doesn't walk around after the first step of sinking in ? But on further review it is kinda absurdly artistic...I'll sing ya song on the next Mile 14....promise.

TIM

Thats an acronym my friend Dan Stewart invented for when things that are just different here and it's his way to explain it.... This Is Mexico....things like this picture of my last years fishing hat that I left on our custom built cedar hat rack. The moisture here in the summer works on everything and of course the hat had sweat on it and the so the perfect formula for this to occur....I really like the look of the little round  beanie on the top of the cap.

So I'll be needing a new fishing hat from our friends at Great Yellowstone Fly Fishing Outfitters. The humidity here is particularly hard on electronics. TV's only last a few years, appliances last a little longer but eventually the quit. In the 13 years we've been here we've gone through 3 TV's, 2 Air conditioners, 3 microwaves ( we actually had one that we rebought that we left in a unit we rented ), Several coffee makers and lamps, we have one right now that blinks in a kinda S.O.S, fashion and our pretty new Refrigerator makes a sound like a 737 take off every so often.....But...what we hadn't seen was this.

I barbecued Chicken and as we sat down for our first meal on the patio a piece of plastic came off my chair when I put my arm on the arm rest. So we discussed the UV rays and what they can do and it wasn't long before a leg collapsed and sent me floundering around the tile floor. MP sure got a kick out of that . Turns out all 4 had to go to the basura

 

So when we walked in this year and everything worked perfectly we were ecstatic. Instant and fast internet. Cold blowing air and we're happy campers...what's a few plastic chairs in exchange for this wonderful life style...Funny thing . In Moootana my guitars need vigilant hydration to make up for the dryness and to not damage expensive musical instruments but here in Mazatlan my guitar just loves it. I just clean it and put it away each season and every year it's ready to go with no neck adjustment or anything. In fact it's thriving here. Through the years the climate and humidity has it accepting the most beautiful and unique patina, a kinda of yellowing of the plastic binding and darkening of the spruce wood that I really like. So that makes three of us that love Mazatlan, me MPeasy and this guy.

So our first night we go out to sunset. we'd only been here for an hour and it was plum hot and humid, kinda uncomfortable really. But we visited each other as we seem to be the first of our group down this year and Walla....look how close I came to getting a ' naval assist ' on our first sunseta. We're off to the great start.

And if you're green flash watcher which I am also I'll say this...Ya can only get it by being here. I've taken hundreds...ok dozens of pictures trying to time it when it flash just as it drops off the horizon and it seems to be impossible....or....it could be that a camera can't capture what the human eye can...or...it doesn't really exist...now isn't that fun ? Some of you might say what in the hell is he talking about, he has that captured right there. Well, that looks kinda yellow to me, maybe a little green at the top so it could be....or.....or....?

And in the holy $^*& department how'a that for chompers on a fish. The waters warm so the guys who like to be in the water are loving it. This guy speared this slimey just 10 yards off our beach as we were resting under an umbrella. he also had a Pompano and 1 nice big lobster...and they tell me the fishing's slow, well, we'll see about that.

Moving on....

Now that's a lot of Deer. And these aren't your Choteau Street eat your flowers and trees variety, they're actually wild and here in Montana that distinction is sometimes kinda blurred.

So I have this theory....with our lifestyle of changing locations with the seasons like a lot of things in nature it helps you get perspective. What it does is that we always have newness . When you go from Alaska to Montana to Mexico to the lake, the river , the mountains you see it differently each time. unfortunately we also seem to get to looking at most things as they become routine....and there's the rub, we gotta see the wonder......so me and MP took a bit of a road trip yesterday to say adios for a few months to our new neighborhood. Unlike the road system in Alaska where you can go north or south and not for very far here there's county roads everywhere. new discoveries. We crossed the Lincoln road in the Helena Valley onto Chevilier Dr. and Walla,  as we drove along the Dearborn River for 20 miles we saw just two cars, er,,,,,trucks. It's gorgeous.

We louped over to Interstate 15 at the wayside of Sebian where we off ramped at Spring Creek and ran the recreation road up to the mighty Mo north of Wolf Creek...It was sunny but cool and the wind was bright . Even though it's off season there were maybe 50 boats floating this part of the river. As I snapped the pic of these three guys I actually shivered  knowing that feeling of being in an unprotected boat with every bit of clothing you have on and loving every minute of it and maybe even like these guys paying for it.

They call those drift boats here but they're really more like a pram developed and built for these type of rivers. Considering what they charge for guided fishing here if it were me I'd be looking at having one built for 4 people just as Willie Boats did for the Kasilof and Kenai....so then you take $350.00 X 4 , then throw in catch and release only and no fuel or sales Tax as well as no State Park fees or insurance requirements and by jiminy I think you could make some lettuce at this deal....just my perspective of course, the theme of this blog entry. And oh...the boat launch is free....unless, you're this guy.

Well , enough on that rambling commentary on the State of guided fishing here on the Mighty Mo. So, MPeasy and Measy will be jumping the jet real soon for our Mexico home and there's new stuff to experience for sure, the flows of life. For one thing it will be 85 degrees and sunny. We'll see how it goes but being there a little earlier this year with the warmer water I'll have a good chance of catching the roosterfish that surf fishermen like me are obsessed with. I'll carry my large road and throw the topwater the first week while I scout around.

That's my ' Mexico Pile ' from a few years back. I always put my gear out as I remember what I'll need as we get closer to traveling. This next pic is this years pile...it might be new but I guess it's comfortably familiar at the same time...

Hope ya all come back, I'm going to write more and fish harder so fish pics to come .....Adios.

MexiGo

 I absolutely LOVE these two sunset pics....and soooo the story .

In 5 weeks we'll be returning to Mazatlan for our 25th season, we missed just one during COVID and all the weirdness that was moving to Montana in that year of 2020. Our first visit was a week at the Mayan Palace not far from where we live now, I told Mp that we were going to add a week a year until we get up to 52. Well, that's a bit much but now we're invested and we go with one way tickets and return when it 'feels' right, usually 4 to 5 months.

We have friends all over the world and of course we have friends that travel all over the world but for us we just needed something different, something more permanent as I guess I've been moving on my entire life, I really have. One thing I've learned from Mazatlan is that there's a lot of people like me and MP in the world, people who don't want to just 'see' a place but want to be 'part' of a place. The being part of it is not tricky at all, in fact it's simple to follow these simple things that seem to work for me.

1. Be sincere

2. be honest, real, steady, be yourself.

3, Have fun.

4, Follow the music.

5. Be respectful.

6. Be generous with time ,with sharing,

7. Be inquisitive, want to learn.

8. Be confident and have trust.

9. Slow down...they say, "relax you're on the fun side of the border".

10.  Appreciate. Be thankful

#2 is kinda a biggy. If you're like me and become a person who is known as Pata Salada, well, that's a good thing. Literally it means ' Old Salt ' but figuratively it means ' I've been around ' or experienced '. what it doesn't do is make you Mexican. If you have many Mexican friends or have some pretty good Spanish speak that's a good thing but you're still American or Canadian or whatever part of the world that sent you to Mexico. Your Mexican friends feel as diverse having you as you do having them. We're all just temporary citizens of planet earth.

This is Sagrado Corazon , the Sacred Heart. The psychical heart of Jesus Christ as a symbol of his divine love for humanity. You will see this everywhere in Mexican culture originating in the Catholic church and now broadly representing the virtues of Love , fidelity, eternal hope as well as sacrifice and resilience . 

From my understanding the components of the sacred heart all represent different virtues such as reflection and recognizing the blend of Europe beliefs into the  indigenous cultures of the Americas. It's  very deeply rooted beliefs that are central to Mexican Families and their way of life where elders are deeply respected and children cherished. The family unit is one of many things we can learn from our neighbors south of the border.

And for me the big thing is comfort, feeling belonged. I have friends up and down the beach, in old town, at the tackle store and at restaurants. The gringo population comes and goes at different times of the season and you get to know when so and so is ' coming in'  etc...I love that.  

We've been hanging out with these guys for a lot of years. Mac and Denise are wonderfully fun and interesting....see ya guys soon.

Me and Tim have caught just a few fish together since  the day I met him on the beach. This year he's getting promoted to be kinda or D.O.G.E. guy here at Team X...he'll be our officer in charge of pescatorial efficiency,

Alejandro and have been friends for at least 20 years...we've giggled like children and cried like babies. We've caught large, we've caught air. 

Before I met Kurt his wife told me ' you're going to like him, he's a lot like you '....mmmm....well it's a good thing I didn't meet him when I was 20 cause I might not have liked him but she's right, we're sympatico.

MP and Connie....them girls can flat communicate.

My buddy Kiki....how many people do you know that started playing music at middle age has just ...well...simply has it. If you think I can sing a little ya gotta hear Kiki.

Willy, one of the coolest guys I've ever known. After just another skunk day he said ' today it was not for the stomach but for the mind '....and thanks Willy for diagnosing my O.D.D. , I shoulda known there was a clinical excuse for being me.

Keith and me share big ju - ju....many fishing memories in Alaska where he and I are always really home.

That's how my fishing buddy gets it done. He reads the water and when he see's something big moving it gets athletic...how's that for a sweet way to put it..... 

And the Sunsets where we gather and discuss....we're lucky, we're a little different...but we're certainly Pata Salada......see you soon Mazatlan. 

And oooops I forgot the most important person of all...My conscious, my motivator, our financier and the most talented person I know and love....let's go baby !