Fishing Mexico

As fishermen stopped between two islands to jig for bait, and as Venus faded slowly in the cool, dawn sky, the horizon glowed, and the clouds turned a fiery red. Another morning had broken in Loreto. For Arturo Sussarrey, 33, one of a few dozen panga skippers who operate from this economically struggling city of 7,300, it was another day at the office in an area sometimes called the yellowtail capital of the world.

There is considerable concern--and confusion--about the recent closing of all areas just north of Cabo San Lucas to vessels targeting yellowfin tuna. The action, enacted as part of a resolution drafted by the Inter-America Tropical Tuna Commission, went into effect last week when the 11-member-nation catch reached a quota of 240,000 metric tons of yellowfin, and will stay in effect until the end of the year.

There is considerable concern--and confusion--about the recent closing of all areas just north of Cabo San Lucas to vessels targeting yellowfin tuna. The action, enacted as part of a resolution drafted by the Inter-America Tropical Tuna Commission, went into effect last week when the 11-member-nation catch reached a quota of 240,000 metric tons of yellowfin, and will stay in effect until the end of the year.

The giant shark emerges from the green haze of the bay almost immediately after the diver has stepped off the boat. The diver has plunged directly into the path of the beast. It's swimming right at him . . . with its mouth wide open . . . and it's only a few feet away. The diver's reaction? Well, I recall cursing into my snorkel and remaining motionless, awed, as the enormous brown shark veered to my left and passed directly before my eyes, which no doubt were filling my mask.

The giant shark emerges from the green haze of the bay almost immediately after the diver has stepped off the boat. The diver has plunged directly into the path of the beast. It's swimming right at him . . . with its mouth wide open . . . and it's only a few feet away. The diver's reaction? Well, I recall cursing into my snorkel and remaining motionless, awed, as the enormous brown shark veered to my left and passed directly before my eyes, which no doubt were filling my mask.

Dell Primrose had fished for roosterfish before, but never "Pacific style," from shore with a 12-foot surf rod, a stiff westerly wind blowing in his face and cool waves crashing at his feet. But there he was, on a deserted stretch of beach north of town, with the locals who had taken him there, wet from the waist down, soaking a live mullet a few dozen yards from shore.

The first dolphin shot out of the sea and glistened in the sun for an instant, then splashed down. The second flew from its world as if possessed, twisting and tumbling before its re-entry, only a stone's throw from the stern of the cruiser La Brisa. Another took flight, and still another. Cabo's most colorful and flamboyant creature, the dolphin or dolphinfish--referred to around here as the dorado or golden one--had struck again. Four hookups within about four minutes.

Visitors to Cabo San Lucas, at the tip of Mexico's Baja California, hoping to charter an American fishing yacht, may find it difficult to locate one this year. The practice, although common, is illegal--Mexico wants Mexican skippers to get the charter business--and a recent Mexican crackdown has American yacht owners either elsewhere or lying low.

It wasn't any hotter than usual in this sun-baked region, but for George Rafalovich it was practically unbearable. His head throbbed, his back ached and he was drenched in sweat. The worst part, though, was the way time dragged on. Minutes to hours . . . "It was just a big stubborn fish that took a long time," Rafalovich said of that memorable day, Oct. 7, 1979. It was a day during which Rafalovich, now 66, made history.

Fishing in Cabo San Lucas has been only fair as of late, with hotel boats catching two to three striped marlin apiece on a daily basis, but mainland fishermen from Puerto Vallarta south to Zijuatanejo are finding an abundance of bigger and stronger billfish. According to J.D.

As fishermen stopped between two islands to jig for bait, and as Venus faded slowly in the cool, dawn sky, the horizon glowed, and the clouds turned a fiery red. Another morning had broken in Loreto. For Arturo Sussarrey, 33, one of a few dozen panga skippers who operate from this economically struggling city of 7,300, it was another day at the office in an area sometimes called the yellowtail capital of the world.

It wasn't any hotter than usual in this sun-baked region, but for George Rafalovich it was practically unbearable. His head throbbed, his back ached and he was drenched in sweat. The worst part, though, was the way time dragged on. Minutes to hours . . . "It was just a big stubborn fish that took a long time," Rafalovich said of that memorable day, Oct. 7, 1979. It was a day during which Rafalovich, now 66, made history.

The first dolphin shot out of the sea and glistened in the sun for an instant, then splashed down. The second flew from its world as if possessed, twisting and tumbling before its re-entry, only a stone's throw from the stern of the cruiser La Brisa. Another took flight, and still another. Cabo's most colorful and flamboyant creature, the dolphin or dolphinfish--referred to around here as the dorado or golden one--had struck again. Four hookups within about four minutes.

Dell Primrose had fished for roosterfish before, but never "Pacific style," from shore with a 12-foot surf rod, a stiff westerly wind blowing in his face and cool waves crashing at his feet. But there he was, on a deserted stretch of beach north of town, with the locals who had taken him there, wet from the waist down, soaking a live mullet a few dozen yards from shore.

Visitors to Cabo San Lucas, at the tip of Mexico's Baja California, hoping to charter an American fishing yacht, may find it difficult to locate one this year. The practice, although common, is illegal--Mexico wants Mexican skippers to get the charter business--and a recent Mexican crackdown has American yacht owners either elsewhere or lying low.

Fishing in Cabo San Lucas has been only fair as of late, with hotel boats catching two to three striped marlin apiece on a daily basis, but mainland fishermen from Puerto Vallarta south to Zijuatanejo are finding an abundance of bigger and stronger billfish. According to J.D.

DEAR SOS: A friend of mine just came back from fishing in Mexico and gave me a giant yellowtail fish head. But I can't find a recipe for fish head curry, a dish of Singapore. Is my 10-pound yellowtail appropriate for curry? Your assistance in this matter is appreciated since my wife is threatening to throw the fish head out of the freezer. PAUL HATCHER Oxnard * DEAR PAUL: I can't understand why your wife wouldn't be thrilled at having a 10-pound fish head in her freezer.

I don't see the need for the Malibu Marine Refuge ("A Line in the Sand," Aug. 6), or for a fishing ban in these waters. I have been diving in Malibu for five years and have found no evidence that there is an overfishing problem. The real environmental problems of the Malibu coast are sewage and encroaching development. Breakwaters contribute to the erosion that robs beaches of their sand. Houses are built on stilts all the way to the waterline. Malibu could be a place where people from Los Angeles enjoy the wonderful Pacific Coast ecosystem, if it were not for the eagerness of the local residents to block access to the beaches.