Kayak fishing is generally a serene endeavor, similar to float-tube fishing.
But when you attach a marlin to the end of your line, it becomes more of a sleigh ride, during which you hold on for dear life and hope the beast you've hooked doesn't take it personally.
"I never took up water skiing, but it must be a little like that," says Jon Schwartz, who last week off Cabo San Lucas caught and released eight marlin from aboard a rented yellow kayak.
"Because when the marlin turns in one direction, you pull your rod in the other and that points your kayak toward the line. So you're actually steering."
Some might regard the Carlsbad schoolteacher, a husband and father of three, as irresponsible. Or just plain crazy.
Hooked marlin have turned on their pursuers, attacking and even leaping into boats.
But "Bluewater Jon," as he refers to himself, says there are far more dangerous activities and acknowledges only being "a bit of a goofball."
Schwartz had received reports of dense marlin concentrations at the Golden Gate and Finger Bank north of Cabo San Lucas at Baja California's tip.
So he chartered a Pisces Sportfishing cruiser and was deposited at the less-crowded Finger Bank.
A big-game specialist, he uses a short, stand-up-style rod because it's easier to handle aboard a kayak. He also uses circle hooks, which can be set merely by tightening the lever drag as the tough-mouthed billfish make their run.
Plus, circle hooks usually set in the corner of a fish's mouth, making for easier releases.
The cruiser's crew and a videographer -- check out bluewaterjon.com -- were kept entertained as Schwartz streaked across the Pacific, powered by greyhounds of the sea.
He battled each marlin for about 30 minutes, and with a gloved hand he held their bills while using pliers to free the hook.
"Some towed me several miles, and some much less than that because they jumped so much," Schwartz recalls. "One must have jumped 12 times in a circle around me, no more than 20 feet away."
Asked if he had to check his body for holes afterward, he replied, "I haven't been skewered yet."
Bass anglers 'in arms'
The Casitas Municipal Water District is considering banning private boats from Lake Casitas in an attempt to thwart an invasion of quagga mussels.
The tiny mussels multiply rapidly, compete with native critters for food and can be devastating to water systems and fisheries.
