Best Day On The Water: Course Correction

A financial setback forced the sale of our twin engine 28-foot sportfisher that we kept at the local marina. Being “boatless” was never an option for me, though. The replacement, a used 15-foot Boston Whaler center-console, may have been humbling, but as Alexander Graham Bell said, “One door closes, another opens.”

For me, that open door was the open road. Asphalt was now my gateway to places I could only dream about. It led me to salmon in the Pacific Northwest, lingcod off Northern California, striped bass at the Colorado River, and many incredible fishing locations and experiences in between.

Then I discovered Mexico. Mexican Federal Highway 1 leads the adventurous angler from San Diego to Ensenada, San Quintin, Bahía de los Ángeles, Loreto, La Paz, and even Cabo San Lucas.

We towed the boat to Cabo for a dorado tournament, lining up at sunrise with several dozen (larger) boats before quickly running offshore to the fishing grounds. Immediately after setting the lures, a sailfish crashed an outside lure and an hour-long fight was on.

That day, every time we set the jigs, put out live bait, or tried anything to attract dorado, a sailfish would grab the line. Net result: zero dorado. But we caught and released seven sailfish in our little boat and had a fish story for all time.