Zihuatanejo has so many world class fishing captains, it would be impossible to pick out just one and say, "he is the best there is". I kind of compare it to the old adage in the National Football League: "On any given Sunday, no one team is better than any other". That is so true with our fishing captains. You have to understand that they all grew up together, they play soccer together, they fish together, and they party together. They are either related to each other or they are God Parents to each other’s children. No matter how you look at it, in a tightly knit community of fishermen, they are all friends. Their skills are honed to perfection by offering advice and helping each other.

However, when it is tournament time and you want the best possible chance of placing in the money. Who would you choose?

Consider the scenario of this month’s Fintastic Tag and Release Tournament*. It is not a "big money" tournament, yet it is respected enough to be among the top 100 tournaments in the world (there are hundreds). It is also an IGFA approved tournament, with the winner qualifying for the 87 team IGFA/Rolex Tournament of Champions. With Rolex qualification status, we are now talking about some serious fishing. Only 87 teams in the world can qualify for this annual event (to be held in Cabo San Lucas this next May).

Captain Jose (Pepino) Servin has sent two teams*, in the last two years, to this prestigious event. Pepino is one of Zihuatanejo’s shortest captains (hence the nickname), yet he stands very tall when compared to world class captains. When the tournament starting gun goes off, he is all business.

Just a couple of weeks ago Terry Melin, his wife Cheryl, and 17 year old son Brian, from the Big Bear Lake area of Southern California, were visiting with me. This was their first time on the Mexican mainland and they were eating their way through Zihuatanejo’s restaurants and cuisine like a plague of locusts (but, that is another story). They wanted to go fishing. Early October, unlike December through February, is not really considered a prime time for sailfish. Who do you turn to when a friend of 20 years has heard all the stories, and now demands the same prime time action? It was not a serious tournament, but I sure did not want egg on my face from all the bragging he has heard from me this last 5 years.

I called Angelica at Whisky Water World and found out the 38 foot Whisky II and Pepino were available the following Monday. At 6:30 we went to the Municipal Pier and found the Whisky II ready to go. Pepino’s life-long friend and 1^st mate, Alberto Reyes and deck hand Jamie Martinez sewed bait and set trolling lures out as we made a fast troll for where Pepino thought we would find the fish. Finding blue water at the 10 mile mark, Pepino slowed the troll down and the cut baits were set out on the down riggers and outriggers.

Imagine a day on the water with one of the best sailfish captains in the world, a hand picked crew, and the fish actually cooperating. This is exactly what happened to us. At 7:30 we had our first strike. One of the successful tricks Pepino uses to increase his catch is to not just shut the boat down after the first fish is solidly hooked. Knowing sailfish usually travel in pairs or small pods, he keeps the boat in gear and is often rewarded with a second hook-up. This time we had a real Chinese fire drill with a triple. All three Melins tagged and released their 1^st sailfish within just minutes of setting out the trolling baits.

Twenty minutes later we had a double. At 8:10 we finally missed one after the sailfish was hooked for a while and threw the hook on a spectacular jump. 8:14, and 8:34 yielded two more tagged and released fish and we went looking for a dorado for dinner. We never did find the dorado, but at 10:02 we tagged and released a huge sailfish Pepino estimated at approaching a tournament size of 100 pounds. We called it a day with a total of 9 sailfish by 10:30.

How does this quiet 34 year old man consistently produce for his clients? He started fishing from a panga, with his dad, when he was 11. This gives him 23 years of on-the-water experience. All of this experience is from right here in Zihuatanejo. Also, from what I observed, he has earned the ultimate confidence of his exceptional crew. Never did Pepino yell out an order. He just quietly tells his crew what he wants. That order always ends with a small laugh or a huge smile. Put a great boat like the Whisky II, and a fantastic crew, in the hands of a captain like Pepino and, if the fish cooperate, you too will have an incredible day on the water.

Ed Kunze

To contact Pepino or to charter the Whisky II, call Angelica at Whisky Water World (554-0147).