When I left for Cabo two weeks ago the world, at least as I knew it, was in somewhat of a predictable order. Turmoil overseas didn't really register on my radar, none of my friends had been to prison recently, and people certainly weren't kicking in my door at four o'clock in the morning screaming "GET OUT OF FREAKING BED THERE'S A TSUNAMI ON THE GODDAMN WAY!!!!"
Suffice it to say a lot has gone down outside of JT's happy, comfortable bubble in the last little while.
One of my life-long friends and former co-captains from BC flew down to PV a few weeks ago for the first time. He's from a remote Native village in northern British Columbia, and had never been to Mexico before. When I went to the airport to pick Andy up, it was hard to miss his brilliant smile from across the parking lot. He was obviously stoked to get out of the cold, nasty weather and hit the beach for a week. We didn't waste any time.
We hit the surf with Cath and Kalum that same afternoon and immediately fried Andy's skin from head to toe. So much for Indians not needing sunscreen.
Later, that same night, we continued to punish our old friend by taking him for a welcome to Mexico dinner at Margaritas. We all know what happened from there.
The rest of the week went by in a hurry and after several days of surfing, beach combing, and fishing, it was eventually time for Andy to head home, and Oren and I to head to Cabo. The last afternoon before we left, we headed out with Lora and Largo on the Fortuna to take advantage of the roosterfish that were chewing just outside of Punta Mita. I brought my son Kalum with us, and we agreed that we were going to stick to the poppers and jigs in hopes of nailing some roosters on the topwater gear. Lora, who we all know is by far one of the best all-around fishermen in Puerto Vallarta, didn't take long to put us on the fish.
Shortly into our trip Lora spotted a giant school of roosters feeding on the surface and quickly maneuvered his panga towards the melee. Kalum grabbed a spinning rod armed with a Stella and one of Lora's favorite topwater poppers and let fly a perfect cast in the direction of the fish. Four or five seconds later as he skittered his popper across the surface two roosterfish popped up behind his lure and proceeded to shoulder each other out of the way in effort to get to the popper first. WHOAH! screamed Kalum as one fish hammered his popper in a massive explosion and jumped and ran toward the horizon. He held on with everything he had as line melted from the reel.
To be there first hand and watch your son cast, crank, and hook a fish like that all on his own was a definitive moment for me as a father. A lot of things went through my mind during the fight. All of the years of craziness and adventure we've shared together since he was born, the good times, the bad times, but through it all we've stuck together. I felt like i was growing up right along with him as he sat there pulling with everything he had against a fish determined to test his limits and challenge his determination. I thought about what a great metaphor this afternoon of fishing was in terms of an eleven year old's life, and how much I still had to learn about being a father.
It's amazing how your outlook on life can change during a few hours of fishing. How much you can learn about yourself, your goals, and your ambitions. It sounds corny, but those few hours of fishing with friends and family were amongst the best moments of my life. Congrats to my boy Kalum, who beat his first rooster all on his own.
Shortly after my tears dried (awwwww), Lora was at it again. We roared off towards another school of busting fish and this time Andy got his chance and BOOM! nailed his first rooster on the very next stop. What a way to end a perfect week in Mexico. Check out the pics below and you'll see what i mean. Smiles for miles and miles, and more importantly not a damn care in the world.
The next morning Oren and I boarded our Aero Calafia flight for Cabo, completely oblivious to most of what was going on in the "real" world, opting instead to focus on our mission to the Regillagigedo Islands, and the remarkable fishing and adventures that certainly lay ahead. We met Tony B and the Gladiator boys when we arrived, and commenced to get ourselves in the proper attitude for the trip. The weather looked perfect, and our boys Nate, Jess, Dan, Dave, and Jim were set to show up. The Gladiator was anxiously pulling on her moorings, and a scant few hours were all that separated us from our imminent departure.
We spent the night with friends in Cabo aboard their yacht and enjoyed a fairly tame evening by Cabo standards. Unfortunately we were awoken the next morning with screams of "There's a tsunami coming!!!" permeating the pre-dawn air. The marina became a mess of activity in very short order. Boats were hastily untied and steamed out of the harbor in hopes of saving themselves should a serious wave or current appear.
Oren and I stuck it out at the marina as major current surges turned the harbor into a swirling mess of muddy waters. We both agreed that we'd never seen anything like it. One second the water was rushing inland, and the next it was disappearing back offshore. I secretly thought to myself what kind of effect this was going to have on the fishing over the next week, still quite oblivious to the damage and catastrophe that was unfolding half a world away.
With Cabo in varying degrees of chaos we collected the rest of our passengers, untied the Gladiator, and rode the last surges of the tsunami out of the harbor at sunset, literally deeking out the port captain who had closed the marina just hours before. I think all of us breathed a collective sigh of relief when the arches finally disappeared below the horizon. Lucky, once again, to make it out of Cabo relatively unscathed.
Whenever I head off on a week of adventure like this I'm always overcome with a deep sense of relief, an almost unbearable feeling of excitement, and a profound respect and gratitude for the wild workings of fate and all of her mysterious ways therein. I often climb up to the tower to be alone for a while. I'll spend a few moments appreciating all of the many things that we have to be thankful for during a voyage of this nature. And then, when I feel that I've sufficiently acknowledged these gifts that our select few finds ourselves privy to, I'll wander down, join the rest of the group, run through an orientation, and officially let the adventure begin.
I have to say that each one of these trips to the Rev's has succeeded in surpassing all of my expectations. For two and a half years we have enjoyed a truly remarkable journey of discovery, knowledge, and adventure. The boats and crews that I've run or fished with out there have all been incredible in one way or another. And the people that have made the jump and joined one of these excursions have truly ended up making the trips. The fishing, while remarkable as always, has really become just a part of the equation. I think i speak for everyone when i say that the entire program has truly opened our eyes to the extent of what is possible when you aren't afraid to strive for something remarkable. I have certainly learned that it never pays to sit on the sidelines and wonder just what might have happened if you had had the courage to play the game.
On this particular trip we took some aspects of big tuna fishing to entirely new levels. Literally refining a system to hand-feed giant yellowfin at the side of the boat while outsmarting a veritable shark-like defense that threatened to ruin or advances around every turn. I'm not going to go into details, because this system is extremely unique, but i will say that everyone onboard will vouch for it's effectiveness. Not to mention it is probably one of the most exciting ways ever invented to entice giant fish and triggering a bite. This kind of fishing is all about teamwork, and I must say that we, once again, had one hell of a team.
I'll let the pictures speak largely for themselves, as I just don't want to divulge too many details. If you want to experience this kind of fishing, and verify what I'm talking about, then you're going to have to come and witness it first hand, and swear not to tell anybody about what you see.
The world has many secrets left to discover amigos, some of which must truly be witnessed to believe.
********Also, I wanted to give a special shout-out and thanks to Capt Anthony from http://www.mexico-offshore.com/ who kept us updated on conditions out at the islands and basically put us on the exact spot we needed to be. There is something to be said for accurate intel. Thanks a MILLION Anthony!!! And of course to Ari and Danny, Arturo, Pepe, and Manuel of the Gladiator crew. Muchas gracias amigos!!!!
Suffice it to say a lot has gone down outside of JT's happy, comfortable bubble in the last little while.
One of my life-long friends and former co-captains from BC flew down to PV a few weeks ago for the first time. He's from a remote Native village in northern British Columbia, and had never been to Mexico before. When I went to the airport to pick Andy up, it was hard to miss his brilliant smile from across the parking lot. He was obviously stoked to get out of the cold, nasty weather and hit the beach for a week. We didn't waste any time.
We hit the surf with Cath and Kalum that same afternoon and immediately fried Andy's skin from head to toe. So much for Indians not needing sunscreen.
Later, that same night, we continued to punish our old friend by taking him for a welcome to Mexico dinner at Margaritas. We all know what happened from there.
The rest of the week went by in a hurry and after several days of surfing, beach combing, and fishing, it was eventually time for Andy to head home, and Oren and I to head to Cabo. The last afternoon before we left, we headed out with Lora and Largo on the Fortuna to take advantage of the roosterfish that were chewing just outside of Punta Mita. I brought my son Kalum with us, and we agreed that we were going to stick to the poppers and jigs in hopes of nailing some roosters on the topwater gear. Lora, who we all know is by far one of the best all-around fishermen in Puerto Vallarta, didn't take long to put us on the fish.
Shortly into our trip Lora spotted a giant school of roosters feeding on the surface and quickly maneuvered his panga towards the melee. Kalum grabbed a spinning rod armed with a Stella and one of Lora's favorite topwater poppers and let fly a perfect cast in the direction of the fish. Four or five seconds later as he skittered his popper across the surface two roosterfish popped up behind his lure and proceeded to shoulder each other out of the way in effort to get to the popper first. WHOAH! screamed Kalum as one fish hammered his popper in a massive explosion and jumped and ran toward the horizon. He held on with everything he had as line melted from the reel.
To be there first hand and watch your son cast, crank, and hook a fish like that all on his own was a definitive moment for me as a father. A lot of things went through my mind during the fight. All of the years of craziness and adventure we've shared together since he was born, the good times, the bad times, but through it all we've stuck together. I felt like i was growing up right along with him as he sat there pulling with everything he had against a fish determined to test his limits and challenge his determination. I thought about what a great metaphor this afternoon of fishing was in terms of an eleven year old's life, and how much I still had to learn about being a father.
It's amazing how your outlook on life can change during a few hours of fishing. How much you can learn about yourself, your goals, and your ambitions. It sounds corny, but those few hours of fishing with friends and family were amongst the best moments of my life. Congrats to my boy Kalum, who beat his first rooster all on his own.
Shortly after my tears dried (awwwww), Lora was at it again. We roared off towards another school of busting fish and this time Andy got his chance and BOOM! nailed his first rooster on the very next stop. What a way to end a perfect week in Mexico. Check out the pics below and you'll see what i mean. Smiles for miles and miles, and more importantly not a damn care in the world.
The next morning Oren and I boarded our Aero Calafia flight for Cabo, completely oblivious to most of what was going on in the "real" world, opting instead to focus on our mission to the Regillagigedo Islands, and the remarkable fishing and adventures that certainly lay ahead. We met Tony B and the Gladiator boys when we arrived, and commenced to get ourselves in the proper attitude for the trip. The weather looked perfect, and our boys Nate, Jess, Dan, Dave, and Jim were set to show up. The Gladiator was anxiously pulling on her moorings, and a scant few hours were all that separated us from our imminent departure.
We spent the night with friends in Cabo aboard their yacht and enjoyed a fairly tame evening by Cabo standards. Unfortunately we were awoken the next morning with screams of "There's a tsunami coming!!!" permeating the pre-dawn air. The marina became a mess of activity in very short order. Boats were hastily untied and steamed out of the harbor in hopes of saving themselves should a serious wave or current appear.
Oren and I stuck it out at the marina as major current surges turned the harbor into a swirling mess of muddy waters. We both agreed that we'd never seen anything like it. One second the water was rushing inland, and the next it was disappearing back offshore. I secretly thought to myself what kind of effect this was going to have on the fishing over the next week, still quite oblivious to the damage and catastrophe that was unfolding half a world away.
With Cabo in varying degrees of chaos we collected the rest of our passengers, untied the Gladiator, and rode the last surges of the tsunami out of the harbor at sunset, literally deeking out the port captain who had closed the marina just hours before. I think all of us breathed a collective sigh of relief when the arches finally disappeared below the horizon. Lucky, once again, to make it out of Cabo relatively unscathed.
Whenever I head off on a week of adventure like this I'm always overcome with a deep sense of relief, an almost unbearable feeling of excitement, and a profound respect and gratitude for the wild workings of fate and all of her mysterious ways therein. I often climb up to the tower to be alone for a while. I'll spend a few moments appreciating all of the many things that we have to be thankful for during a voyage of this nature. And then, when I feel that I've sufficiently acknowledged these gifts that our select few finds ourselves privy to, I'll wander down, join the rest of the group, run through an orientation, and officially let the adventure begin.
I have to say that each one of these trips to the Rev's has succeeded in surpassing all of my expectations. For two and a half years we have enjoyed a truly remarkable journey of discovery, knowledge, and adventure. The boats and crews that I've run or fished with out there have all been incredible in one way or another. And the people that have made the jump and joined one of these excursions have truly ended up making the trips. The fishing, while remarkable as always, has really become just a part of the equation. I think i speak for everyone when i say that the entire program has truly opened our eyes to the extent of what is possible when you aren't afraid to strive for something remarkable. I have certainly learned that it never pays to sit on the sidelines and wonder just what might have happened if you had had the courage to play the game.
On this particular trip we took some aspects of big tuna fishing to entirely new levels. Literally refining a system to hand-feed giant yellowfin at the side of the boat while outsmarting a veritable shark-like defense that threatened to ruin or advances around every turn. I'm not going to go into details, because this system is extremely unique, but i will say that everyone onboard will vouch for it's effectiveness. Not to mention it is probably one of the most exciting ways ever invented to entice giant fish and triggering a bite. This kind of fishing is all about teamwork, and I must say that we, once again, had one hell of a team.
I'll let the pictures speak largely for themselves, as I just don't want to divulge too many details. If you want to experience this kind of fishing, and verify what I'm talking about, then you're going to have to come and witness it first hand, and swear not to tell anybody about what you see.
The world has many secrets left to discover amigos, some of which must truly be witnessed to believe.
********Also, I wanted to give a special shout-out and thanks to Capt Anthony from http://www.mexico-offshore.com/ who kept us updated on conditions out at the islands and basically put us on the exact spot we needed to be. There is something to be said for accurate intel. Thanks a MILLION Anthony!!! And of course to Ari and Danny, Arturo, Pepe, and Manuel of the Gladiator crew. Muchas gracias amigos!!!!
