The Intrepid Baja Peninsula - In search of roosterfish on fly.

As we looked out the window of the descending plane, we were amazed at the stark contrast of the arid terrain of the Baja Peninsula. We knew it was going to be dry, but this was a harsh drought filled environment with the beige of the land cut cleanly by the azure of the Sea of Cortez. We were met by our driver and headed North for the lodge trough the Mexican "karoo". One and a half hours later we were at the lodge, checked in and seated at the bar overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Here we enjoyed a few refreshing Coronas while gaining some insight on the fishing from the owner (South African) who has been running the operation for a decade and well versed on the regions fishing and tactics. He was happy to have a few country men at his lodge so far from home and like many others was concerned why we insisted on pursuing our fishing on fly. We were advised to head out to sea and put some points on the board through conventional means until such time we were presented tangible opportunities on fly … we agreed with the local knowledge.

The following morning we rose at 05:00, readied our equipment and headed for a breakfast while watching the sun rise over the ocean. The house omelet was washed down with good coffee and then we boarded one of the pangas (a 23' Mexican designed boat) with our skipper Rene, who had over 30 years experience under his belt and on his face … it showed! After a short while, we deployed the lures and headed over the canyon shelf, a short distance from the lodge. Within 30 minutes the first ratchet sounded scattering us into action. Grant got the rod into his bucket while line was spooling from his reel. To his left the water erupted and a blue marlin began to tail walk on a journey that seemed to last 2 minutes. This reaction tired the beast and after 40 minutes, the blue was brought to the side of the boat for an easy release and some underwater photographs. 220 lbs of blue marlin on conventional tackle … points on the board! High fives erupted after we released the fish. This was a special moment for the tour and it was Grants first blue!

Again the gear was strung out the back of the panga and we continued on our course. The sea was flat while the water was clear and warm. According to our skipper the fishing had slowed down with the inshore fishing being most affected, thus putting pressure on our desire to target roosters. Clearly this concerned us as the sole purpose of traveling around the world was for us to target these notoriously picky fish on fly from the beach. As we tacked around the canyon, we kept an eye on the surface for activity and was amazed at the lack of birds, traditionally our tell tale sign. Apparently the birds don't frequently feed on bait in the Sea of Cortez. As the heat weighed down on us, we loaded up with sun block and rehydrated ourselves with water and cold beer. All of a sudden the ratchet sounded again, Pete was up and into another blue. Less acrobatics from this fish ensured a tough fight for Pete as the blue sounded, stripping line from the drum. After 45 minutes of changing arms and positions, in a desperate attempt to achieve some comfort, Pete finally brought the blue to the side. After a quick release his limp arms were met the high fives … another 220lb blue. The rest of the day included a large dorado of 45lbs and a hook up onto a blue referred to by the skipper a "El monstro", estimated at over 400 lbs …not a bad first day on the Cortez, but an end to our own contribution to this particular fishing storey. Such is fishing!

We unloaded the boat and made our way to the lodge, dropped off our gear and met up with the local guide / outfitter. We sipped our beers while planning for the afternoon onslaught of roosters on the beech. We had spent hours research this particular fish and were beyond excided to have an opportunity to "run down the man". It was only here with the guide that we realized how fortunate we had been earlier at sea, but were given the bad news and forecast for the roosters we had travel so far for. The water had become too warm and there had been little activity over the last week from the beach … "you should have been here last week" said Jeff!

Roosterfish (Nematistius pectoralis) are distributed throughout the waters off the Mexican coast and the Baja Peninsula. They are a prized game fish, renowned for its surface strikes and strength. While the I.G.F.A. Roosterfish world record is 114 lbs and reaching over 4 feet, anglers can still expect to land fish between 50 and 60 lbs on fly. Let's not make any false pretence here; these fish are extremely difficult to land by conventional means and even more so on fly. You will be happy with any size given the opportunity. The frustrated angler will see plenty of follows right up to the shore and left confused as to what was done wrong and why the lure was so actively pursued (often by more than one fish), only to be rejected at the last second. Roosters prefer an environment which consists of sandy beaches with some rocky structures for cover and food. Travelling in packs, they coerce their food (mullet and sardine) into bait balls while pushing them towards the shore. Like king fish, roosters will also work the heavy surf where the bait fish are disorientated. Typically they are found inshore along the beaches but will seek deeper water in the low season and during unfavourable conditions. Aside from the pursuit of roosters and the numerous billfish, one can expect to catch jack crevalle, pompano, ladyfish, pargo, sierra mackerel, yellowfin tuna and bonita to name a few.

Baja provides a truly spectacular destination for fly fishermen, who are able to use the elevation from the beach and good eyes to spot shoals and individuals. This is an exhausting and challenging method of fishing as anglers are expected to cover long stretches of coastline under extremely harsh conditions. During the peak seasons in May to July, the outside temperature is around 38°c with water temperatures being around 26°c. There is little wind and no relief from rain or cloud cover. You will be expected to scour the shore line for any sign of activity. Once you have spotted the feeding fish, assuming with in reach of a good cast, you run as fast as you can and get your line to the action zone. Crouching to reduce your profile, you strip you fly back as fast as you can. These fish are quick and like to attack fast moving objects. Do not be surprised to have a number of follows by inquisitive roosters. Some will reject your offering feet from the shore without ever seeing you. This can be a truly heart breaking ordeal or "teasing" roosters to the shore. If the conditions are not favourable to spotting fish, we recommend that you take a panga out for the day and target roosters from the boat as this provides you with a lot more mobility. This can be done by chasing the bait and sight fishing. When fishing is particularly bad, the skippers will encourage chumming for roosters with small sardines. Conventional anglers have great success with trawling live baits and one of the guests at the lodge landed a 50 lb rooster while we were there. As was the case with our recent trip, there are plenty of off shore options to keep you entertained if the roosters have lock-jaw.

Like any fishing trip, there are many factors that contribute to the over all success. The logistics of getting to this remote region need to be carefully planned. You will be required to fly via the USA or Mexico with connecting flights and transfers. Intrepid Fly's reservations department that can best advise you on prices and connections to ensure a smooth journey that can take up to 24 hours. When considering where you are going to stay, we recommend one particular lodge that has the best boats, skippers, accommodation, food and service all in close proximity to the fishing (inshore and offshore). There are a number of hotels you may consider, but after a various site inspections, visits to the region and advice from the guides we only recommend one lodge. Here you will be accommodated in their en-suite air-conditioned chalets overlooking the sea. The dining area is set around the pool next to the bar, overlooking the Sea of Cortez. While enjoying your breakfast you will watch the sun rise and the sea come alive while the bait fish are readily eaten up by roosters.

Intrepid Fly suggests the following items when planning a trip to fly fish this region. These items are simply suggestions of gear our guides have found useful and effective over the years in the region. If you do not have the rods, reels and lines in your arsenal, we can provide you with professional quality equipment during your stay with us at no charge simply contact us ahead of time and let us know so that we may reserve the right equipment for your stay. We recommend a fast action 8/9 weights for beach, inshore and boat casting for medium sized species around 20 lbs. 10 weight rods for inshore and offshore casting to larger dorado, jack crevalle, bonita, for football size tuna. 12/14 weights will be reserved for the larger dorado and bill fish. Fly reels should be matched to rods in weight and line capacity. Reels need to be saltwater quality with high performance drag features. All reels should have a minimum of 250 yards of 20/30 pound backing. Shooting head lines are used most of the time in our fly fishing pursuits. Integrated shooting head lines seamlessly mated to neutrally buoyant running lines cast and fish the best. 6 foot leaders should range from 20 - 100 lb depending on the size of fish you are targeting. Choosing flies for any trip is half the fun of the journey. These roosterfish are will take baitfish patterns such as large clousers, deceivers, ALFs, rastas and others. There are East Cape patterns and variations that have been developed specifically for fly fishing the area. Flies should range from size 4 for beach fishing up to 4/0 for offshore fishing. Call or contact us by email prior to the trip and we will provide a recent update of successful patterns, colours, materials and sizes.

For any further information on this destination and targeting rooster and bill fish in the Sea of Cortez, please contact us at www.intrepidfly.com.