Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa's Catch & Release Sportfishing Fleet
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Martin
This last November, after a great day of inshore fly-fishing, my clients Jim Helgemo and Rich Garland had asked me “what is a roosterfish”? Jim is a retired teacher who spends a lot of time on Michigan’s rivers fishing for steelhead and salmon. Rich is a Madison River drift boat guide in Montana. The previous day, we had gone offshore and were successful in tagging and releasing several sailfish. They wanted to sample a little of everything our area has to offer, so they wanted a Pez Gallo.
Even though they are experienced fishermen, that leading question was setting them up for a big time surprise. There are many captains who are very successful at getting roosters out of the surf line here in Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo, but only two or three really stand out. Capt. Adolpho on the Dos Hermanos and Orlando Hernandez on the Tequila are well known for their outstanding abilities, but I called Martin.
At 6:30 the next morning, we met Martin at the Puerto Mio dock. His panga, the Isamar, was ready. He had 2 dozen live bait, ice, sodas, and the right kind of tackle to do the job on these hard fighting exotics. From the second we saw Martin, he had a smile on his face, and that smile remained there as if it was something he was born with and could not get rid of if even if he wanted to.
With the throttle set at about 20 mph, we head up the coast to the Pantla / Troncones area. As we neared the shoreline, Martin had me run the boat while he got the outfits set up. The scenery was incredible. Not another boat in sight, not a single person on the beach, palm trees growing right to the edge of the sand and all of this was contrasted against the Sierra Madres in the background.
An old time Pangero once told me “when you fish alone with your client for pez gallo, it is not a question of if you roll your panga in the surf, it is only a question of when”. With that in mind, Martin or I were always at the tiller and keeping an eye out for the one wave that wanted the Isamar’s name painted across its face. One person would watch the rods, and the other would watch the waves.
Martin rigs his live baits in the most unusual and effective manner I have ever seen. Using rigging thread, I often bridle my large shipjack tuna in a similar way for marlin, but I had never seen this method used on a 6 inch goggle eye. Using a needle with a low profile hook at the blunt end, he inserts a rubber band in the hook. Running the needle in front of the eyes of the bait, he leaves the rubber band with a loop on each side of the bait’s head. A few twists with the hook to connect the two loops, and the bait is flipped over the side. The hook is riding in front of the nose and the live bait is free to swim unhampered.
By the time we were rigged, we had slow trolled over a sunken rock and one of the baits was instantly engulfed. The roosterfish prefers a sandy shoreline that is broken up periodically with rocks, because the structure oriented baitfish will congregate there. As Martin free spooled the line, he started a long 5 count with the fingers of his left hand. Engaging the reel and letting the line to come tight, he set the hook. When the rooster realized the enticing morsel he had just ambushed had been replaced with a hook in the corner of his mouth, he exploded.
The fast runs of a roosterfish, combined with brute strength and a bad attitude, soon made Rich realized he had something on the end of his line like he had never had in his lifetime. Actually, for a while, Rich was wondering who had whom. About the time Rich was realizing the enormity of his situation, the outrigger rod went off. Another long 5 count and Jim had his on for a double.
Some 40 minutes later, the silvery sides with the two diagonal black stripes became visible. As the 42 pound roosterfish was brought closer to the boat, the namesake dorsal fin cut through the water, showing its incredible strands of black comb. The 35 pounder was also boated and photos were taken of the mesmerized clients with their fish.
As we headed out to sea to look for some tuna, Martin kept us in stitches of his stories and experiences. I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard at his reenactment of trying to overpower a marlin, which had spooled him only a couple of weeks before at the Bisbee Tournament in Cabo San Lucas. He is not just a roosterfish man. A few wealthy Americans know his abilities and have him spend about 6 weeks each year in the Los Cabos area fishing the big tournaments as a crewmember. The huge marlin was caught on a brand new 130 pound outfit, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Martin’s smile, good humor, and his fish catching abilities, make him one of your best choices for a panga charter. For a pleasant day on the water, you can contact Martin at 044-755-558-1774, or though the author.
Ed Kunze
edkunze@prodigy.net.mx
011-52-755-554-4876