Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Rough around the edges

If you ever spent time at the now-defunct Hotel Rancho Buena Vista back in its heyday, the 1970s and ’80s, sooner or later you would you were bound to meet Theodore (Ted) Bonney. Either a playful puppy or a walking train wreck, that first encounter would etch an impression of Ted that would last a lifetime.

Don't get me wrong, this Boston native could be a charmer if he chose to be, but if he was rubbed the wrong way, he would dismiss the person with a withering glance peppered with a stream of profanity for which he became famous during his nearly four decades at East Cape.

A brash MIT graduate, Bonney became an entrepreneur, building a steel company in Southern California which subsequently foundered in the early 1960s. He was left owing massive amounts of money to the IRS. He and his wife, Virginia, loaded up their 30-foot, gas-powered wood cruiser and fled the country, cruising down the west coast of Baja, around the tip of Cabo and up into the Sea of Cortez before his boat failed in almost every way imaginable. He beached it in front of Rancho Buena Vista Hotel.

tedbonney

TED BONNEY AND YVONNE GRAHAM.

His arrival was memorable and set the stage for the rest of his life in Baja.

Little is known about the trip itself except for the conclusion on the beach in front of the fledging fish camp.

"With steam and smoke pouring out of the engine box, the bilge was rapidly filling with saltwater," Bonney related the story to me years ago. "I had no other choice than beaching the boat quickly. At full throttle, I hit the beach in front of a group of Mexicans surrounding a gringo who seemed to be in charge."

Bonney and his wife leaped from the still smoking boat, feet crunching on the damp sand and walked up to a bewildered Col. Gene Walters and thrusting out his hand.

"My name is Ted Bonney and I need a job." Thus he closed one life chapter and opened another. Virginia returned to the United States, but Rancho Buena Vista became home to Bonney.

Capitalizing on skills he had acquired while serving on pit crews for trans-continental road races, Bonney was first hired as a mechanic to repair the gasoline engines that powered RBV's fishing fleet at the time. His major handicap was the language. In order to communicate with the employees, he needed to learn to speak Spanish quickly. He turned to Mexican television and spent hours teaching himself Spanish by watching cartoons.

His engineering degree from MIT served him well at the Ranch. He applied his knowledge to renovating the quaint fish camp into one of the most popular hotels in the area.

Rancho Buena Vista's fame grew with the help of Ray Cannon, who visited often enough that Col. Gene Walters and his Mexican partners, the Hermosillo family from mainland Mexico, constructed a separate circular suite overlooking the Sea of Cortez for Cannon's frequent visits where he could write away from the other guests of the hotel.

Over the years not only did Bonney build a home for himself, but he also oversaw the construction of the airstrip, the bar, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, a growing number of guests' rooms, a new two story home for the Hermosillos as well as upgrades to the Colonel's home.

His contribution to the infrastructure was huge. But topping it all was his design and construction of the first sewage treatment plant in the area. That became the model for future plants built at surrounding hotels.

When California Department of Fish and Game and Mr. James Squire approached the hotel about instituting a program to encourage tag and release to gather more data about billfish, Bonney became an enthusiastic supporter of the T&R concept and Rancho Buena Vista became one of the first hotels in East Cape to embrace the program. Annual awards were given to the skipper who tagged and released the most marlin. One of RBV's Captains, Jesus Araiza, was awarded the High Skipper Award 19 different years during his career!

Over the years, Bonney's cranky disposition with guests and employees alike became the basis for many stories by complaining guests, employees and even friends. Many had been summarily dismissed from the Ranch in a hail of expletives and forbidden to ever return.

However, his generosity often overshadowed those outbursts … smoothing out those rough edges while earning him admiration and friendships and making a lasting impact on the East Cape community with his personal kindness to those that he cared for.

Like the world he inhabited, Ted Bonney was as prickly as the cactus that surrounded him, and often as dry and unforgiving as that same environment. Yet for many who came to him for help or advice, he could be the oasis that helped them survive in a harsh, foreign country.

Posted By Sally On 06/05/2013 At 9:26 AM Comments (0) TrackBacks (0)

Monday, May 20, 2013

Baja Beach Revolution

Four decades ago on one of my first road trips to Baja, the paint dividing the two-lane Mex 1 highway was barely dry. With two friends and lots of fishing gear crammed into an old van commandeered from my fledgling janitorial business, we spent several weeks exploring and fishing from the beaches that dotted the peninsula along the way. Aside from a few locals, we had the beaches to ourselves.

After a week of spit showers and sleeping bags, we were ready for "luxury" and decided to visit Hotel Rancho Buena Vista in an area that became known as East Cape we had read about in Ray Cannon’s WON column. By definition, "luxury" in this case simply meant four walls, a bathroom with running water and a hot meal.

graham_wesleybrough

WESLEY BROUGH USES a 13-foot rod with an elaborate high-tech spinning reel filled with hundreds of yards of thin braided line to reach the fish.

The next morning, we were sitting on the palapa-shaded flagstone porch, gazing out at the grease-slick Sea of Cortez exposed by the rising hot Baja sun marred by dimples of bait as it skittered across the surface only to disappear in swirls as larger fish decided it was breakfast time.

I asked Chuck Walters, owner and manager of RBV, also out enjoying the early morning, if anyone fished from the beach. He assured me that they did. A little later, he returned with a casting rod to prove it. First he caught a needlefish and then a sierra which he smugly handed to one of the waiters, commenting it would be great for a bowl of cerviche.

Since then, over the years it became clear that most hotels preferred to promote the more lucrative method of fishing from their boats … using the beaches was simply a pathway to board the boats.

It wasn't until the 1990s that Baja on the Fly, soon followed by many others, began offering beach trips. Ultimately, the fly-flingers dominated the beach scene for many years as the word spread about this fishery. Clients flocked to the area to cruise the beaches in search of adventure and excitement that the trophy fish provided.

In addition, more and more locals began to have family outings at the beach and of course some would fish. Old boat tackle and poorly designed spinning reels still produced some good catches and food for their tables.

Slowly – it’s remarkable how slowly – some of the same hotels and fleets that ignored the beach began to offer guided beach trips coinciding with the advent of much improved tackle and techniques. Today, locals and visitors alike frequent remote beaches using sophisticated spinning tackle especially designed to fish the beaches.

Much of the tackle used today on Baja beaches evolved from the incredible striped bass beach fishery on the East Coast of the U.S. The long traditional whippy flyrods have been overshadowed by spinning outfits that may reach 13-feet in length, matched with elaborate high-tech spinning reels costing hundreds of dollars filled with hundreds of yards of thin braided lines with an amazing array of surface and swimming lures that yield jaw-dropping catches for this growing group of anglers.

Underscoring the popularity the beach fishing is enjoying these days is the annual sierra tournament that attracts hundreds of anglers for the one day event which has not gone unnoticed by some. Felipe Valdez, manager of Buenavista Beach Hotel, began offering his guests both day and night beach fishing trips with impressive results. In Cabo San Lucas, Tracey Ehrenberg, Pisces Sportfishing, offers trips with beach guide Wesley Brough, Cabo surfcaster, that have produced exciting catches for her clients according to her weekly reports. Stephen Jansen's Jansen Inshore Tackle located next to Mar de Cortez Hotel, while not offering guide service, does carry a complete line of beach tackle and lures. In this fast growing sport, there may be others that I am unaware of at this time and I apologize if I have overlooked any of them.

While it's clear that Baja beaches are beginning to gain the respect that many believed they deserved, thus far most of the information about the beaches has been shared on social media. I suspect this will change. The size and variety of fish being caught only assures that the best is yet to come.

Posted By Sally On 05/20/2013 At 4:23 PM Comments (1) TrackBacks (0)

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Baja Playbook, Part One

As the Southern California fishing show season comes to a close, my thoughts shift to being back on the road, more specifically Mex 1.

The four fishing shows, including the granddaddy of them all, Fred Hall Long Beach, followed by Del Mar in March, then in April, San Diego's Day at the Docks and the relative newcomer, Pacific Coast Sportfishing Festival all are must-attend events for me; they set the stage for the balance of my year in Baja.

Scurrying from booth to booth, I gather information on new destinations as well as a few revitalized old ones to add to my list for the rest of the year. I also gather information on everything from the latest must-have tackle, lures, etc., to discussions on the fishing techniques and innovations of some of the top anglers — all information that helps me assemble my personal Baja Playbook.

graham_thisyearsbaja

THIS YEAR'S BAJA SEASON will commence with my fishing with Captain Mark Rayor of Team JenWren and his buddy Jack Nielson of Accurate Reel fame at East Cape aboard the Jen Wren.

And of course there are old friends to catch up with and new acquaintances who share a few stories. Some have achieved legendary status while others are legends in the making. But more importantly we share common interests.

By the time the last booth at the last show of the season is torn down, my Roadtrek is loaded with gear and I'm eager to hit the road with my laundry list of places to go and things to see.

Each year is different; last year my Baja season began with the trip on a large ocean research vessel…a trip of lifetime.

This year's Baja season will commence with my fishing with Captain Mark Rayor of Team JenWren and his buddy Jack Nielsen of Accurate Reel fame at East Cape aboard the Jen Wren. What an opportunity to practice what well-known photographer, William Boyce calls CPR (catch, photograph, release)! According to recent reports of excellent billfish action, our timing seems to be ‘spot on’.

The next stop will be Loreto, the oldest permanent settlement in Baja, for the Outdoor Writers of California Conference where the local officials have been planning activities to showcase the area, everything from fishing, kayaking to the Coronado Islands, ATV trips to tours to San Javier Mission, one of the oldest in Baja.

Next is the Vagabundos del Mar's board meeting in Lodi, California followed by the 36th Annual Crab Feed, a four-day Feast Extravaganza at the posh Stockton Delta KOA Campground which attracts several hundred of the thousands of club members and their guests who share a common interest rooted in Baja. It’s seldom that one can find that many Baja aficionados in one campground. What fun!

After a few weeks of catching up, I fly back to Baja to go back on the road. Next stop, Punta Chivato for the popular Bulls Only Dorado Tournament, June 21, 22 and 23 — a popular event enjoying its 17th year. For the uninitiated, Punta Chivato, while not exactly off-the-grid is located on the Eastern side of Baja California Sur on the Sea of Cortez. By car, the turn off to Punta Chivato is about 20 miles South of Santa Rosalia and 15 miles North of Mulege. Once on the dirt road, you have about 10 miles more before you arrive.

To be honest, our last visit was many years ago with good friends Don and Shirley Blackman of Blackman Boats and Don and Peggy Sloan. At that time Punta Chivato Hotel was owned by Bill Alvarado.

It was after Thanksgiving and we pulled in for the night. The place was infested with some wild tailless Manx cats that were some of the orneriest we had ever seen. At dinner that evening Alvarado introduced himself. Recognizing Blackman's name, he commented, "You all fish striped marlin a lot?" We nodded and he continued, "We are catching them right now."

We looked at each other in amazement. Our season had ended earlier in the month. Striped marlin in the upper Sea of Cortez was unheard of (to us) at that time. Since then occasional stories have surfaced confirming Alvarado's claim. The most recent, at one of the shows, both Bill Boyce and Ali Hussainy confirmed that the stripers are still there late in the year.

Alvarado is long gone, the hotel has closed and opened several times, and rumor has it the current owners are not exactly fishermen-friendly. However, I'm told there is another hotel inland a few miles that is.

Dang. I can't write about traveling in Baja without a tale or two. My intention was to outline the remaining 2013 Baja Playbook, not just the first month and a half…stay tuned, there’s more to come for July, September, October and November…

Posted By Sally On 05/09/2013 At 3:20 AM Comments (0) TrackBacks (0)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Beach blast omen?

April fool's day and all the associated silliness that goes with it had barely subsided before a wave of emails and web posts began to surface that were so patently over the top that for a while I simple dismissed them as late-arriving, mischievous missives designed to fool folks.

By the beginning of April's second week, like April showers, the reports flooded in. "The roosterfish are back! Some very nice fish in the 15- to 40-pound range are being released, best south of the Lighthouse. Most taken this week were by fly fishermen," declared John Ireland, Rancho Leonero. Almost immediately this was confirmed by Jeff DeBrown, Reel Baja, “Large concentration of ballyhoo in front of the lighthouse and the roosterfish are chasing bait balls near the beaches.”

graham_matchingcatches

MATCHING CATCHES THAT normally could be expected on an inshore trip aboard a panga, but here is a dorado caught from the beach by local Guide Lance Peterson.

Bear in mind that, although sporadically, the notorious north wind was still making its presence known…so it seemed unlikely that anything of any consequence would be going on. Then Mark Rayor of Jen Wren Sportfishing, commented on his Facebook page. “Took a walk on the beach this morning and ran across a fellow casting from the shore. As I strolled in his direction to tell him he was fishing in the wrong spot to catch anything, he hooked a nice rooster. I decided to resume my walk and leave him alone.”

Hmmm, maybe those posts and emails weren't bum-dope after all.

While guided fly fishing beach trips with groups of fly-flingers prowling the shore are a common sight at East Cape, more guides offering similar trips with more tackle options have recently begun to spring up. Pisces Sportfishing Fleet has began offering beach trips with their surf-fishing expert, Wesley Brough, according to Tracy Ehrenberg whose reports confirmed that the current beach phenomena was not restricted to a few beaches at East Cape. Brough's clients have been enjoying extraordinary action in one of his undisclosed spots, catching and releasing many sierra, jacks and even a red snapper on his trips last week.

Watching anglers with thirteen-foot-long spinning rods outfitted with spinning reels costing hundreds of dollars flinging lures the length of a football field from the shore would be reminiscent of striper fishing on the East Coast except unlike their eastern brothers, anglers here in Baja are clad only in bathing suits.

Using a variety of surface poppers, along with one of my personal favorites, the Sebile Magic swimmer, the results have been impressive. Catches along the shore of the Pacific with its booming surf all the way up the coast along the calmer Sea of Cortez to Las Arenas where most of the surf is reduced to wind waves, are impressive matching catches that normally would be expected on an inshore trip aboard a panga. As an example, during the past week local guides and anglers, Stephan Jansen, Jansen Inshore Tackle, Dave Maynard, 5th Day Productions, Grant Hartman, Baja Anglers, Lance Peterson, Guide and Jeff DeBrown, Reel Baja all had remarkable success beach fishing catching roosters, jacks, sierra, pargo and dorado.

Underscoring the beach action at the Lighthouse, another East Cape resident described excellent fishing for his family from the shore. His grandson along with some other friends using light spinning tackle landed several nice-sized roosters that roamed in from the deep in schools at the Lighthouse…little wolf packs and solitary prowling monsters right on the edge of the sand.

The volume of reports and catches these days, thanks to Facebook and YouTube, are the most informative I personally have ever seen, allowing any interested angler, even one who has never felt the coarse sand of a Baja beach between their toes, to see some catches that are seldom even mentioned and certainly never seen by most. Thanks to Dave Maynard, “Snook of the Baja” filmed last year is an example of what is available on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/tellyawards?x=sOPE75SjQjU How many of you have seen a snook caught from shore? Cool stuff.

Omen…a phenomenon supposed to portend good. All the recent Beach activity seems to do just that and I can't wait to see what May will bring!

Posted By Sally On 04/23/2013 At 8:56 AM Comments (1) TrackBacks (0)

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Loreto Yellowtail

The unofficial kickoff to the Loreto sportfishing season — the Great Loreto Yellowtail Tournament — is slated for April 18-20 with an interesting mix of local and visiting fishermen. The bi-lingual (Spanish and English) tourney will offer captains and pangueros, many second and third generation fishermen with a remarkable degree of local knowledge, who have been fishing since they were children.

The event features yellowtail, cabrilla and pargo eligible for payout and prizes with an additional catch-and-release incentive.

Two of the Tournament Committee members are personal friends who were featured in my recent "Baja Business Babes" article.

graham_pamsreport

THE GREAT LORETO YELLOWTAIL TOURNAMENT is a two day tournament to be held from April 18 – 20 in Loreto, Baja California Sur. Prizes pay down to third place.

Pamela Pelger Bolles, a budding California scientist with a degree in science and chemistry, has accomplished a lot since 1996 when she arrived in Loreto. Today, she is raising two children, speaks fluent Spanish, owns “The Baja Big Fish Company,” books fishing trips, manages one of Baja’s most popular sportfishing websites and is one of the most influential female entrepreneurs in Baja. She is also the former treasurer of the sportfishing cooperativa and Loreto Hotel Association.

“I came here and assimilated. I speak the lingo, unlike some ‘expats’ who have been here for 25 years and still can’t order a cold beer in a bar,” she smiles.

Another Tournament Committee member, Minerva Saenz, agreed to serve on the organizing committee of The Great Loreto Yellowtail Tournament, joining her friends Adrian Gonzalez, HOMEX, Distrito Federal, Mexico and Juan Acereto Cervera, Sinaloa Sportfishing Association, Culiacán, Sinaloa in the undertaking.

Minerva and her husband Bob arrived in Cabo San Lucas in 1976 from Riverside, Calif. and started their Sportfishing Charter business, opening Minerva's Tackle shop in 1989. Today, their business has grown into the most respected of its kind in Cabo.

Throughout her career, Minerva has been a voice representing sportfishing and conservation throughout Baja and Mexico. The International Game Fish Association and Billfish Foundation both honored her with awards for her conservation efforts. She has served as President of the Syndicate of Owners of Fishing Vessels for Los Cabos, the board of Seawatch Mexico, A.C., as well as on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce.

“Bob and I lived and learned together from square one to the present. You could consider us pioneers in the Cabo sport fishing world. I am especially proud of everything my family has achieved here, starting the business and raising a family of three children,” Minerva said.

I contacted Pam to check on how the conditions were shaping up after a windy winter. Her assessment of fish and fishing :

— The yellowtail bite is just ahead of where it was last year; there have been lots of fish in the usual places since December, with plenty of bait on the bottom that they've been gorging on through the winter, they're not so interested in biting yet.

— The sportfishing boats are finding them from Isla San Ildefonso to Catalana. Carmen Island is starting to get good. But so far the bite is just starting for us and it's still inconsistent; one day lots of fish, limits – the next day one on the boat if you're lucky.

— The yellowtail are being hooked throughout the water column … on or near the bottom with live mackerel in some places or more near the surface on free swimming or fly-lined mackerel in others. Sometimes they'll ignore bait and hit only jigs.

— This will all improve and in 15 days we'll be knee-deep in fish for the tournament. The cabrilla and pargo are starting to get good, too, and those are also part of the tournament and part of why fishermen come to Loreto to fish. Sardina schools are appearing in coves on the islands and the captains always say, “En donde hay sardina, hay cabrilla" … “Where there are sardina, there are cabrilla."

— So far, we have 30 teams signed up, all accomplished fishermen and ready to compete. It will be fun seeing the results of these teams fishing over two days. The VHF is buzzing about the event and so is the fishing community. – Pam

— Pam’s report, coupled with all the recent yellowtail action from the border to tip and up into the Sea of Cortez, sounds promising for a successful event from a fishing aspect.

Breaking through the “scaly” glass ceiling, these two Baja businesswomen have met the challenge of building successful sportfishing businesses in what was considered a “man's world” … and they have successfully raised their families and become influential respected members of their communities in a country far from their birth. Now, they are actively involved in the organization of The Great Loreto Yellowtail Tournament. With these two at the helm, it should be even better than last year's successful outing.

Posted By Sally On 04/09/2013 At 9:25 AM Comments (0) TrackBacks (0)

CALIFORNIA'S ONLY SPORTSMAN'S NEWS SINCE 1953

Most Recent

Gary Graham's Blog