Pacific Jack Crevalle Saves the Day

by | May 10, 2017 | Uncategorized | 3 comments

Granny and I woke up at our beautiful campsite on a remote Baja beach with high hopes of her landing a roosterfish today. Maybe even a big one. But as we finished off breakfast during sunrise the wind started. And this wind would be more serious than yesterdays.

There were a few roosters around. I spotted her several before noon. Granny got down in the surf and did the best she could to present a fly. She made good casts but roosters aren’t only hard to reach with a cast from the beach, but also finicky. Granny had a monster fish follow her fly to the rod tip but didn’t eat. It was no doubt the most exciting fish follow of her life.

By noon the wind was so horrendous Granny decided to chill out again like yesterday afternoon. The rooster seeing went down the tubes. From noon till 2 not a one. The sand pelting wind began to settle by 3 but still no roosters. About that time a bait ball appeared and without thinking twice I ripped a Jason Burris popper over the top. That crazy looking fly, originally designed for a 2008 taimen trip, was soon zipping out to sea.

I was pretty sure what lifted from the bait ball was a Pacific jack crevalle. Roosterfish usually show their combs when they eat a popper and also at the beginning of every fight. This fish took off light lightening for the deep blue and it was all I could do to wrench him back in on my 9-weight Winston.

It’s amazing what you can do with 25lb SA Fluorocarbon tippet. I heaved on this fish with all my might for the better part of five minutes and soon had Mr. Crevalle on the beach. This species of fish doesn’t get the respect they deserve. I love them and always have. Today this big boy made the day!

It was another one fish day for us and today not even a rooster. But anytime you pull a 20lb fish off the beach with a fly is a good day. Once again Granny made magic food from nothing and we sipped beers around the campfire. A full moon rose tonight. Life doesn’t get any better than this.

We will fish this beach hard again tomorrow.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing

3 Comments

  1. Dave Harper

    It snowed in Victor this morning……….. love the East Cape!

  2. Jeff

    I hope that snow is gone when we get home!

  3. Kevin

    love it Jeff, can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. Jack Crevalle…. sound class! that’s another species onto my bucket list. Good luck

Welcome to the Blog of Jeff Currier!

Contact Jeff

I started fly fishing at age 7 in the lakes and ponds of New England cutting my teeth on various sunfish, bass, crappie and stocked trout. I went to Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, where I graduated with a Naturalist Degree while I discovered new fishing opportunities for pike, muskellunge, walleyes and various salmonids found in Lake Superior and its tributaries.

From there I headed west to work a few years in the Yellowstone region to simply work as much as most people fish and fish as much as most people work. I did just that, only it lasted over 20 years working at the Jack Dennis Fly Shop in Jackson, WY where I departed in 2009. Now it’s time to work for "The Man", working for myself that is.

I pursue my love to paint fish, lecture on every aspect of fly fishing you can imagine and host a few trips to some of the most exotic places you can think of. My ultimate goal is to catch as many species of fish on fly possible from freshwater to saltwater, throughout the world. I presently have taken over 440 species from over 60 countries!

Subscribe to the Blog

Archives

Sponsors