Gary Bulla Baja trips start early. Granny and I are visiting Gary while he has a group of 12 clients. He bases out of Baja Joes Hotel and his staff had coffee and breakfast on the table at 6 AM.
After breakfast Granny and I drove with Gary and his group to meet up with five pangas and his Mexican Captains. Gary has been working with these Captains for over twenty years and they specialize in teasing in dorado and roosterfish so clients can catch them on the fly.
Though Gary is booked solid this week, he generously offered to drop Granny off on a remote beach for a passing roosterfish and catch some fun fish off the rocks. I staked out a position on the beach for the roosters while Granny took my 9-weight and went to town fishing a flashy Clouser Minnow around the rocks. Here are a few of the neat fish she managed to catch.
Pacific dog snapper
Panama graysby
Cornetfish
An unusual fly rod catch, immature female Mexican hogfish.
Granny releases baby Jack!
Many of the fish I listed here Granny caught multiples of. She had a lot of action and a great time. If you find yourself on a roosterfish trip in tough conditions and slow fishing, hitting the rocks for a morning is an enjoyable way to get a tug. Just before Gary picked us up to return to civilization we kicked back with some lunch and a couple Pacificos.
Gary Bulla photo
Gary had us back to our truck around 2 PM. He and his group had a fantastic morning. Conditions were ideal with light wind and they teased in several roosters and some dorado. The dorado have been small this year but they are spectacularly colorful big or small.
Granny and I had a date with some big jacks that we saw yesterday. When we returned to the beach it was silent. Not a Pacific jack crevalle in sight. No roosters. Absolutely nothing. As you know, we stuck it out, but Granny took a nap. I went for a walk and without any warning, the jacks ambushed a school of mullet along the beach.
There’s no time in a situation like this to wake up Granny. As much as I would’ve preferred she catch this fish, if I waited they’d have been back out to sea. I fired a cast and in one strip with my roosterfish streamer I was on. And this fish was a beast!
For roosters and jacks I fish straight 30lb Scientific Anglers Fluorocarbon and after a sizzling run 50 yards into my backing I heaved back. When on the beach you need to avoid letting the fish get too far from you or else. At first it was inch by inch, then foot by foot. Then once I had the jack coming my way I reeled as fast as I could and pumped the fish in. I landed then released the largest jack crevalle I’ve ever seen in my life!
Tomorrow is our last day. . . .
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