Help! I have been kidnapped and am being held captive in Puerto Peñasco! No ransom note, or call, so how can I get loose? I must think of an escape plan. Impossible you say? Then what do I do to maintain my sanity? I’ve picked on my 2 dogs until they gave up and laid down. I thought of picking on my wife, of course, in fun, but she is not here. She got out of here in time and is captive in Missouri and can’t get back. They keep canceling her flight to Phoenix is what she is saying. I think that is a lame excuse. She is having too much fun with daughter and 2 adult granddaughters. I guess I’ll have to stick it out because it is this way or worse elsewhere.

Today, I posted on Facebook that I needed some inspiration because I can’t think of what to write about. See what happens when I don’t have anything? I know a lot of you haven’t seen some of my earlier stories so I am picking out one so you will have something to read or use as bathroom wipes. Here we go…

I have been fishing since I was 5 years old. My dad was a fisherman nut. He would go fishing whenever he could. I was his only son, so he started me young. I have a lot of memories wading down a creek or sitting on rock fishing for trout in Montana. I have written stories titled Fish Tails and Beer here in the Rocky Point Times describing my adventures with him. I always think of him when I am out there fishing. He would never go on a boat and I think it was because he couldn’t swim.

I remember fishing with him, and he was catching fish right and left and a fellow down the river ask him what kind of bait he was using and how was he doing it.

He used to start a sentence with, “well you see, I am using Hellgrammites” (they are an aquatic insect that you get from kicking the rocks over and trapping them) and the guy says, “I am too”. My dad then said, are you keeping them warm enough? What do you mean? Well you see you need to put them under your lower lip and then take them out and bait your hook and they will be lively and that is what the fish like.

The fisherman did it and didn’t catch anything. Well it must have been the tobacco my dad was chewing that lured the fish. The bait was real wiggly.

We would catch a bunch of the Hellgrammites and put them in a Band-Aid can with oatmeal and put then inside our shirt because it was cold and we needed to keep them warm. I was standing in water up past my knees and I felt something crawling on my face. Oh, no, the can came open and they were loose under my shirt! You think a speedboat has a wake? They would have a hard time rivaling mine.

Since moving here in 2011 I have been actively seeking the elusive Grouper fish and have been unsuccessful. We charter a boat a few times a month and catch a lot of fish, but no Grouper for me. Sea bass, Trigger fish, Covina, shark, 1 octopus and several pelicans that were trying to get my hooked fish before I could get them out of the water.

We have used 2 Capitan’s over the years, depending which one was available and they fish also. We use strips of fish or calamari for bait. Why is it they seem to catch the biggest fish? Using the same bait and their lines are rigged the same as ours. “Wait a minute here! I’m not putting the bait in my mouth even though I chew tobacco”.

According to the Internet there are ten species of Grouper here in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California). Why do they keep changing the names of things like land masses or seas? Do you know the difference between an Ocean and a Sea? The answer is a Sea has more salt content. See by reading my articles you have learned something today. In the 1950’s they used to catch Giant Covina up to 350 pounds. They would go out in a small rowboat and use a hand line and when they caught a big one, they would let it tow them into shore. Just kidding. They since have fished them out and all that is left are the smaller ones. Good fighters though.

There is a public boat launching area on the way to the Malecon, and if you want to go fishing, go there around 7am and book a trip with a licensed guide. It is safer that way and they know where the fish are. Of course, be ready to go because they might have an opening that day. The usual trip is 5 hours and you only need to take a cooler of snacks, lunch, water or other libations and a motion sickness pill. Don’t want to spend your time “chumming” and feeling sick. I still take one even though I really don’t get sick just to be safe. The boats all have Porta Potties and a top for shade. They have the equipment and the bait and will bait your hook and take the fish off. The Capitan’s all speak enough English, so that isn’t a problem.

Fishing has been around since the caveman. So Happy Fishing and watch the next issue for another lesson.

Thanks for taking the time to read my articles and maybe I will get some good ideas for articles from the readers.