While fishing through an 8-inch round hole cut in ice on Chesterfield Reservoir, I decided Mexico and sailfish were calling. Two weeks later, my fishing partner and I were bobbing in the Pacific along a pristine section of Southern Mexico’s Pacific coast, 100 miles south of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico, in 80-degree weather.
We were on a low-cost fishing trip to a top-rated sailfish destination. Rustic is the best way to describe the area. Puerto Vicente has solitude, no fishing pressure and a reputation for good sailfish in April. It was ranked No. 2 in the world for sailfish by Salt Water Magazine. It features a fishing village with mud streets, no high-rise hotels, chickens walking the roads and no other gringos.
This area is named Costa Grande, Mexico, a 150-mile stretch of pristine coastline. It is remote and too far from Zihuatanejo and Puerto Vallarta for the big cruisers to make day trips; thus it is under fished. We seldom saw another boat. The only small harbor there is Puerto Vicente, where fishing guides pick you up in a well-used 1980 Ford F150 and you climb in, sit on a wooden bench seat for a rough ride over a potholed dirt road to the marina and an ocean adventure.
My fishing partner John Jennings and I fished out of a 20-foot fiberglass boat called a ponga with a 60 horse power Mercury outboard motor. We hooked up with a guiding outfit named El Bandidio Del Mar. Yes, that translates to Bandit of the Sea. They have a package deal of room, board, guide and boat. A no-frills boat with a bench seat for each of us and a canvass top to keep the sunburn down. This little craft would take us up to 15 miles off shore to find marlin and sailfish. Skeptical of the fishing gear we might encounter we brought our own rods, reels and lures. The guides caught or bought fresh bait before sunrise and out we went.
Three miles off shore, our guide Manuel spotted a sailfish on top of the water and the hunt was on. We trolled two giant lures and a live flying fish in the sailfish’s direction. The sailfish turned and raced toward John’s live bait. It batted the bait with its long sword-like bill before inhaling it. The guide hit the throttle gunning the boat forward and flipped John’s reel into free spool. Seconds later, he said “hang on” and engaged the drag on the reel setting the hook firmly into the jaw of the sailfish and nearly jerking John’s arms out of their sockets.
The lined ripped out as the 100-pound fish bolted away. Tucking the butt of his fishing rod into the plastic holder he had strapped to his waist he let the fish run until it jumped. Then he started pumping the rod up and down trying to gain back the line he lost to the fish’s initially run. No luck; it took off again, this time going airborne three different times. Thirty minutes, later it came to the boat its colors shimmered beneath the waters.
With a skilled hand, our guide grabbed the 200-pound shock leader and hauled the fish forward until he could grab the sailfish’s bill. It looked like a life-and-death struggle between the guide and the sailfish until the sail stopped thrashing and shaking stopped and could be lifted out of the water for a picture and released. No extra deck hand to help; just one guide and us.
For the picture, the guide seated John next to him on the back bench seat and hoisted the sailfish up on to John’s lap as he held the bill. A good shake and the fish could have knocked both of them back and into the water. I took a quick picture and the sail went back into the Pacific.
Pods of dolphins delighted us as they played under our boat. When we sped up to 20 to 25 mph, the dolphins kept pace gracefully leaping out of the water in front of us. The number of sea turtles was astounding; we saw 50 to 100 a day. Most were small — the size of garbage can lid — but we saw some big ones that weighed over 100 pounds.
That night at the waterfront diner and hotel, we toasted John’s sailfish and three other marlin caught and released by other anglers at the small lodge. All of us had strikes and bill fish on. We ate fresh dorado served by our host/guide’s wife and looked out over the small bay. The accommodations were Motel 6-style, but the beds were comfortable, no bugs and area quiet. Except for the rooster that crowed from 2 to 5 a.m.
Fresh-squeezed orange juice, scrambled eggs and a homemade roll got us going, and we loaded up the Ford and rode to the dock in the dark. Morning dragged by without a strike; then we had a double hook up. A pair of marlin came out of nowhere smashing our lures. Mine leaped and came off almost immediately; meanwhile John’s headed to the bottom of the ocean. The battle would last nearly an hour, tiring John out and bring a beautiful fish to the boat.
The marlin was not a big one by “Old Man and The Sea” standards — around 120 pounds — but it was a magnificent fighter. And you could not see land, only ocean.
Over the next two days, luck was with me. I landed two sailfish and a marlin each similar in size to John’s. Then the seas turned rough with 6- to 8-foot waves and whitecaps. We stayed inland and fished for crevalle jack, rooster fish and dorado in the lee of the peninsula. Schools of jacks stretching the length of a football field were migrating north next to shore and provided constant action.
The last night we had a lobster, a dinner to remember. It was Easter Day and bands play off in the distance, the sun sank into the pacific and we feasted. Good memories to savor especially since all of us in Idaho are sheltering in place, dreaming of favorite adventures.
For information on Bandito Del Mar Fishing, look it up on Facebook or visit bandidodelmar.com.
The best flight we found to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico, was with Alaska Airlines.
Salt Water Magazine featured this area several years back and describes the fishing and area.
Harry Morse is currently a freelance writer living in Pocatello. His articles have appeared in national hunting and fishing magazines. The majority of his career he worked for Washington, Idaho and California Departments of Fish and Wildlife as an information officer. He has travel broadly an enjoys photography, fishing and hunting.
