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Outdoors: Kayak fly
fishing a rush
By
Bill Becher
Special to the Daily News
Fly
fishing aficionado and guide Gary Bulla 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 ti Isla Partida, just north of Isla Espiritu Santo, 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, stand on the cliff tops as sentinels watching for
Cortez while pelicans cruise a few feet above the turquoise water
looking for 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, a formal tuxedo black and white without much flash.
Bulla and John Graham, a professor of literature at the
University of Colorado, were fishing off a point near our camp when
they saw tuna boiling on top of the water near a panga. Two
commercial fishermen were hand lining from the panga and had putout
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
game 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 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, 12 yellowtail and barred Pargo, 53 Black
Skipjacks, 14 Needlefish, nine Ladyfish, 42 Sierra Mackerel, four
Bonita and a Mexican Barracuda.
Pam Chandler celebrates a World Record size Sierra mackerel
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 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.
Jose spotted blue-footed boobies, osprey 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 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 lagoons. Nonfly fishers are welcome and can paddle,
view wildlife, hike, bird watch or snorkel. 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
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