HOW LOW CAN YOU FLY? TRY TUNA HOOKUP IN KAYAK.Byline: Bill Becher Special to the Daily News Fly fishing afficionado and guide Gary Bulla bulla /bul·la/ (bul´ah) pl. bul´lae [L.] 1. a blister; a circumscribed, fluid-containing, elevated lesion of the skin, usually more than 5 mm in diameter. 2. a rounded, projecting anatomical structure. has tuna fever. He had never caught a yellow fin tuna on a fly rod from a kayak before our trip to Baja California. We were on a seven-day expedition to Isla Partida north of La Paz in the Sea of Cortez. Bulla has led Baja sea kayak fishing and camping trips in the fall and spring for the last five years. This time, 10 of us paddled from a base camp on the beach of the uninhabited island to test skill and tackle against yellow fin tuna, along with other species. Some are here for the week; others are doing the Quick Escape half-week program. We flew to La Paz where we embarked on a two-hour panga (motor skiff) ride to Isla Partida, just north of Isla Espiritu Santo Isla Espiritu Santo (meaning Holy Spirit Island in Spanish) is an island in the Sea of Cortez, off Baja California Sur in Mexico. It also consists of Isla Partida, connected by a narrow isthmus. , where the kayaks and our crew were waiting. Desert meets tropical sea best describes this part of the world. Cardon cactus, similar to Arizona's saguaro saguaro: see cactus. saguaro Large, candelabra-shaped, branched cactus (Cereus giganteus, or Carnegiea gigantea) native to Mexico, Arizona, and California. Slow-growing at first, mature saguaros may eventually reach 50 ft (15 m) in height. , stand on the cliff tops as sentinels watching for Cortez while pelicans cruise a few feet above the turquoise water looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. fish. They wheel and cannon ball, beak first into the water in a move that gives me headaches just watching. But they catch fish; will we? These waters are chock full of marine life: scientists have identified more than 800 species of fish in the Sea of Cortez. But we were after one species in particular. Yellow fin tuna are like black footballs with fins - solid muscle and highly prized as game fish and food. Bulla has developed a new tuna fly, which he calls the Lucero, which means light, , after the family of fishermen at Las Arenas who helped him design it. Unlike the flashy and colorful salt water flies that other fish seem to favor, the Lucero is a bit sedate se·date v. To administer a sedative to; calm or relieve by means of a sedative drug. , a formal tuxedo black and white without much flash. Bulla and John Graham, a professor of literature at the University of Colorado University of Colorado may refer to:
n. Baseball Abbr. PO A play in which a batter or a baserunner is retired. Noun 1. putout - an out resulting from a fielding play (not a strikeout); "the first baseman made 15 putouts" some chum, which brought the tuna to the surface. ``As I approached the feeding tuna, the adrenaline was pumping,'' recalled Bulla. ``I didn't want to troll. If I was going to catch my first tuna fly fishing from a kayak, I wanted to do it with a proper presentation, not by trolling. Also, I was afraid a tuna hooked trolling could rip the rod out of my hand.'' Graham and Bulla cast and both soon hooked up. The first yellow fin landed weighed 19 1/2 pounds. Graham fought it for about 25 minutes. Bulla tailed the fish and says it almost pulled him out of the kayak as he landed it. To thank the commercial fishermen for bringing up the fish, Bulla gave them a tuna. He says he never dreamed he could hook and land a yellow fin tuna from a kayak on a fly rod and hadn't heard of anyone else doing it. That night, in a weird but wonderful convergence of cultures and technology, out lead guide Jose Sanchez, filleted the fish by the light of a high-tech xenon xenon (zē`nŏn) [Gr.,=strange], gaseous chemical element; symbol Xe; at. no. 54; at. wt. 131.29; m.p. −111.9°C;; b.p. −107.1°C;; density 5.86 grams per liter at STP; valence usually 0. headlamp with a knife made on the Mexican mainland by craftsmen using the leaf springs from abandoned cars, and spread wasabi from Japan on the plate. Delicious. Fly-fishing for tuna proved to be a real test - trip members broke four fly rods trying to land them, though my Abel rod and reel, made in Southern California, stood up well. We hooked 14 tuna and landed seven of them. Mechanical engineer Aaron Taylor hooked his first tuna just after dark as we were about to go in. Not having caught a big fish before, it was difficult for him to play and land the powerful yellow tail. It towed him a quarter of a mile on what we dubbed the ``Baja Sleigh Ride.'' Our group managed to bring in over 185 fish during the week. Eight species were landed - and most released - including seven yellow fin, 25 Cabrilla ca·bril·la n. Any of various sea basses, especially Epinephelus guttatus of tropical waters, such as the Mediterranean. [Spanish, diminutive of cabra, she-goat; see cabretta.] , 12 yellowtail and barred Pargo, 53 Black Skipjacks, 14 Needlefish needlefish, common name for members of the family Belonidae, which comprises 50 species of elongated, surface-swimming predaceous fish abundant in warm seas. , nine Ladyfish ladyfish: see bonefish. ladyfish or tenpounder Species (Elops saurus, family Elopidae) of primarily tropical coastal marine fish. , 42 Sierra Mackerel mackerel, common name for members of the family Scombridae, 60 species of open-sea fishes, including the albacore, bonito, and tuna. They are characterized by deeply forked tails that narrow greatly where they join the body; small finlets behind both the dorsal and , four Bonita Bonita (Spanish and Portuguese for "beautiful") is the name of:
One of the Sierras, caught by Pam Chandler, a nurse practitioner from Colorado Springs on her first salt water fly-fishing trip, would have easily qualified as a woman's fly rod world record. I helped land the fish and weighed it at 4 1/2 pounds. The fish made great cerveche, too, thanks to our cook and panga driver, Alvero. We frequently encountered large manta rays jumping high out of the water and landing with a resounding re·sound v. re·sound·ed, re·sound·ing, re·sounds v.intr. 1. To be filled with sound; reverberate: The schoolyard resounded with the laughter of children. 2. smack, which echoed like a rifle shot from the red cliffs of Isla Partida. The five rays jumped together and a sound like a machine gun as they landed. Our group included several experienced salt water fly-rod anglers, though some were new to kayaking. They included brother and sister fly- fishing guides from Colorado, a bookstore owner, a yacht captain and wife, a movie-lighting company executive, a Hollywood cameraman, a contractor, a mechanical engineer and fly-reel designer, a professor of literature and a nurse practitioner. Sanchez, our lead local guide, is a marine biologist who spent five years studying marine mammal behavior on Los Islotes, the sea lion rookery where some of us snorkeled with the sea lions. Jose told us that Isla Partida and Isla Espiritu Santo are privately owned by a farmer group that had ``accidentally'' received the land many years ago after petitioning the Mexican government. The islands are now to be preserved as a bioreserve bi·o·re·serve n. An area containing a wildlife preserve bordered by a buffer zone in which more frequent use is permitted to the public, established as a way of integrating habitat conservation with the interests of the local community. . Jose spotted blue-footed boobies, osprey osprey (ŏs`prē), common name for a bird of prey related to the hawk and the New World vulture and found near water in most parts of the world. and other birds for us. He led my wife and I on a hike through the desert, and a paddle along the shoreline where we watched tropical fish in the clear water and the Sally Lighfoot crabs scurrying scur·ry intr.v. scur·ried, scur·ry·ing, scur·ries 1. To go with light running steps; scamper. 2. To flurry or swirl about. n. pl. scur·ries 1. The act of scurrying. over the rocks. So even if you didn't have tuna fever, there was plenty to do on the trip. ON THE GO A week-long trip through Gary Bulla's Fly Fishing Adventures cost $920, and the Quick Escape is $590, not including airfare. Trips are fully catered and include first and last night's stay at a hotel in La Paz. Also included are the use of kayaks, basic kayaking instruction, food, Mexican fishing license and panga support. You need to bring a tent, sleeping bag and pad, although some can be rented, along with snorkeling gear and fishing tackle if you want. The best all-around fly rod for this trip is a 10 weight with a good salt water reel and a 300-grain sink tip line. But if you go for tuna, a stout 11- or 12-weight rod is best. And don't forget to send the warranty card in before you go. A six- or seven0weight with a floating line is great for fishing poppers in the mangrove mangrove, large tropical evergreen tree, genus Rhizophora, that grows on muddy tidal flats and along protected ocean shorelines. Mangroves are most abundant in tropical Asia, Africa, and the islands of the SW Pacific. lagoons. Nonfly fishers are welcome and can paddle, view wildlife, hike, bird watch or snorkel snorkel, tube through which a submarine or diver can draw air while underwater. When in use, the top of the snorkel tube extends above the water surface into the air. . Local outfitting is provided by Baja Outdoor Adventures in La Paz. A tourist card, available at the airport, is required to travel in Mexico. Along with the tourist card and a picture ID, you will also need a certified copy of your birth certificate or valid passport as proof of citizenship. Minors, under age 18, must have two notarized copies of both parents' consent when traveling alone or with one parent. If you are sensitive to motion sickness, bring one of the many prescription or over- the-counter medications. A complete list of gear is furnished, but don't forget the sunscreen and a hat for sun protection. Being in reasonable physical shape and having some kayaking familiarity wouldn't hurt, although several people were having their first kayak experience and they did fine. Spring and fall are best for fishing, summer is hot and winter is whale- watching time. Aero California, Mexicana and Alaska Airlines fly from LAX to La Paz. Gary Bulla also guides kayak and surf fly fishing trips in Southern California. For more information, call 805-933-1366 or visit Bulla's Web site at www.garybulla.com. CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Fly fishing for tuna in a kayak can seem a little bit like water skiing to La Paz anglers who have been towed as much as a quarter of a mile in the Sea of Cortez. Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News (2 -- color) Pamela Chandler of Colorado Springs, Colo., celebrates landing a world-record-sized Sierra mackerel in the Sea of Cortez. Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News (3) Kayak anglers pose with a yellowfin tuna they caught fly fishing off the coast of Baja California. Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News Box: ON THE GO (see text) |
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