Pete Thomas Outdoors

Bizarre-looking catch off Cabo San Lucas is a Pacific stargazer

The great thing about fishing is that you never know what you might catch.

The problem is, there are types of fish you probably would be better off not catching.

The Pacific stargazer is one of them.

On Thursday off Cabo San Lucas, one of the bizzarre-looking specimens was reeled in aboard the panga Gloria.

Mario Bañaga, who has fished southern Baja California waters for 18 years, had never seen a stargazer and did not know what it was. The "mystery fish" had an upturned face, like that of a bulldog, and an enormous mouth.

It wasn't until Bañaga, who charters boats via the Cabo San Lucas Marlin Club, posted photos of the 7-pound fish on Facebook that a correct identification was produced.

"Dang, that's out of Star Wars," one comment read.

It turns out, Pacific stargazers are bottom-dwelling, ambush denizens that live at 50 feet or deeper and are seldom seen by humans.

They're capable of delivering an electrical shock of about 50 volts--not enough to harm a human, but a jolt nonetheless.

(If you look closely at the top photo, you can see the electric organs bulging behind the eyes.)

Bañaga and his friends did not know this fish was electric, or that Pacific stargazers possess Poisonous spines above their pectoral fins and behind their gill covers.

Reads a passage in a species profile on Mexfish.com: "Caution! Venom from this fish has been reported to cause death in humans and therefore it should not be handled."

Nobody was harmed during the handling of the stargazer caught Thursday, but Bañaga stated via email: "Something told me to handle this fish very carefully."

--Pete Thomas

--Photos are courtesy of Mario Bañaga

Another two-headed shark photo surfaces, but one-eyed Cyclops shark may still reign supreme in realm of the bizarre

Another photo of a two-headed shark has surfaced. The first was that of a bull shark found recently by fishermen in the Florida Keys. The second, published Thursday by National Geographic, shows a baby blue shark with two heads (pictured at right).

Very bizarre, since only about a half-dozen cases of two-headed sharks have been documented.

But based purely on appearance, many will agree that when it comes to bizarre-looking specimens the one-eyed Cyclops shark captured in 2011 in Mexico's Sea of Cortez still reigns supreme.

The two-headed blue shark was found in 2008 by Christopher Johnston, during a longlining expedition in the Indian Ocean. He supplied the accompanying image to National Geographic.

"We pulled up a pregnant blue shark, cut it open, and there was the two-headed one," he said. "It was about two-thirds the size of the rest of the pups in length. I put it in the tank on the deck. It swam a little while, but it couldn’t swim properly, it just swam in one spot as if it were on a treadmill. I tried feeding it squid but it wasn’t interested."

It's believed that two-headed sharks would be vulnerable to predation and would not survive in the wild. This one eventually died.

After this website broke the story about the one-eyed cyclops shark, thanks to a tip from Pisces Sportfishing, the image went viral and lots of people didn't believe the shark was real.

 

The story became more believable, however, after Felipe Galván-Magaña, a prominent Mexican scientist, acknowledged that he had inspected the shark and had even written a paper on the discovery.

That albino shark fetus, with what appeared to be a single eye perfectly centered on its forehead, was one of 10 babies removed from a pregnant bull shark by fishermen near La Paz.

The shark, which was caught via a baited line beneath a buoy, was dead when it was pulled up by commercial fishermen.

To read more about the two-headed blue shark, click on the National Geographic link atop this post or see David Strege's story on the GrindTv Big Blue blog.

--Pete Thomas

--Blue shark image is courtesy of Christopher Johnston, via National Geographic

Killer whale's sudden appearance behind boat startles anglers

Imagine cruising along in a fishing boat and turning to gaze off the stern and spotting not a sunning marlin, leaping tuna or ray--which anglers might not be too surprised to see--but a large killer whale riding in the boat's wake only a few feet away.

This was Bryan MacGowan's experience recently in the Sea of Cortez, in Baja California's East Cape region.

MacGowan on Saturday was fishing farther south off Cabo San Lucas and showed the photo to Pisces Sportfishing general manager Tracy Ehrenberg.

She posted the photo to the Pisces Facebook page in late afternoon, and by about 7:30 p.m. it had been viewed by 30,000 people and shared more than 300 times.

Ehrenberg's post reads:

Look very carefully at this photo, sent to us by Brian MacGowan from Newport Beach, California, who is out today on the Tracy Ann. He was fishing at the East Cape recently, when the captain yelled for him to look back... he did, glad the lures were not in the water, he could have had the fight of a life time on his hands.

--Editor's note: Pete Thomas Outdoors tried reaching MacGowan by telephone, to obtain more details, but at the time of this post he had not returned the call.

Cabo San Lucas anglers kick off Super Bowl weekend by landing 987-pound blue marlin

The most remarkable catch on Super Bowl weekend might have been made before the big game: That of a 987-pound blue marlin by four anglers who were at least in their 80s. (The anglers are not pictured in this post.)

Capt. Manuel Dominguez said he was led to believe that the youngest angler in his charter group, which embarked from the Mexican resort city Saturday morning on what it hoped would be a brief and relaxing tuna-fishing excursion, was 82.

The excursion lasted more than 16 hours.

While aboard the 32-foot cruiser, Ziggy,  Arizona anglers Sergent and Sandy Sergei Snegireff, and John and Edie Rayno, had caught several tuna before deciding to call it quits.

It was 1:20 p.m.

But then something large and mighty struck the line attached to the right outrigger. At the end of the line was a lure resembling a flying fish.

(Note: A version of this post also appears on the GrindTv.com Outdoor blog.)

An epic battle was at hand, whether the old-timers liked it or not. All took turns with the rod but none could make significant headway.

The crew members helped but even they could not turn the head of the valiant billfish.

Capt. Dominguez initially thought the fish was a giant tuna, but after 40 minutes it jumped. "I thought it was around 800 pounds because I've caught two around that size before," he told Tracy Ehrenberg, general manager of Pisces Sportfishing, which was first to blog about the catch.

They were still fighting the fish as the sun began to set over the Pacific.

Would they be able to bring the behemoth to the boat before sharks moved in?

Dominguez was more worried about fuel; the marlin had towed the yacht several miles offshore and showed no signs of tiring.

Thank goodness for cellphones.

Dominguez phoned Pisces Capt. Julio Castro, who gathered some friends on shore and made a run to the nearest gas station. They then voyaged out aboard Tracy Ann and met up with Ziggy.

The new crew helped battle the marlin for two more hours before realizing they were supposed to play in a soccer match later that night, so they scurried back aboard Tracy Ann and sped toward shore.

Finally, Capt. Dominguez took the rod and fought the marlin until it was alongside the boat. His crew promptly gaffed and secured the billfish with ropes, but determined it was much too large to be brought aboard, or even draped across the stern swim step.

(It remains unclear why this group chose to kill, rather than release the fish.)

With no other recourse, they simply tied the head of the marlin to the swim step and left the body dangling in the water during the 16-mile, four-hour ride to port. Everyone was too tired to weigh the fish that night, so they hired a watchman to keep tabs on the catch until morning.

At 8:30 a.m. Sunday, the marlin tipped the marina scale at 987 pounds. Many wondered how much weight it lost while lying on the concrete dock overnight. The best estimate was 10% of its body weight, meaning it would have easily topped 1,000 pounds if weighed when it had arrived.

Regardless, it remains one of the top five or six heaviest marlin ever caught at Cabo San Lucas, and it's undoubtedly the heaviest ever caught by four senior citizens from Arizona.

Top photo: Left to right: Deckhand Alejandro Suarez, Captain Manuel "El Chichi" Dominguez and Jaime Dominguez. Credit: Pisces Sportfishing

Giant wahoo (114 pounds) caught off Baja's East Cape

A 114-pound wahoo was landed Tuesday in the Sea of Cortez off Baja California's East Cape region.

Hotel Palmas de Cortez spokesman Eddie Dalmau said the fish was caught just north of the resort near Punta Pescadero aboard Borraccho y Amigos, captained by Oscar Verdugo.

Dalmau did not name the angler but said the fish, caught on a ballyhoo, was one of four wahoo hooked by a team of anglers, and the only one landed.

Wahoo, known in Hawaii and by sushi and sashimi aficionados as ono, are caught seasonally and somewhat sporadically in the Sea of Cortez.

They're prized both for the sizzling runs they make when hooked, and for their firm and delectable flesh.

They're also known for their razor-sharp teeth.

While this was an impressive specimen, the International Game Fish Assn. lists a 184-pound wahoo, caught off Cabo San Lucas in 2005, as the all-tackle world record. 

--Pete Thomas

--Image showing the 114-pound wahoo is courtesy of Hotel Palmas de Cortez

Hurricane Paul a major storm, may threaten Baja California

Hurricane Paul on Monday was upgraded to major hurricane status (Category 3), with sustained winds of 120 mph as the storm, which at 2 p.m. was located 415 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, plots toward the north-northeast.

Cabo San Lucas has received abundant rainfall, but is not in the path of the storm.

However, a hurricane warning has been issued by the government of Mexico from Santa Fe northward to Puerto San Andresito on the wast coast of the Baja California peninsula (just north of Magdalena Bay).

A tropical storm warning is in effect north of Puerto San Andresito to Punta Abreojos.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Paul will weaken as it approaches land but is expected to remain at hurricane strength until possibly making landfall early Wednesday morning.

--Graphic showing Paul's projected path is courtesy of the Weather Channel

Oarfish measuring 15 feet washes ashore in Cabo San Lucas

Those who discovered a 15-foot-long oarfish washed onto a popular Cabo San Lucas beach on Friday must have wondered whether it was some sort of sea monster.

Oarfish, after all, are believed to have spawned myths of sea serpents among ancient mariners. This is because of their slender, ribbon-like bodies and the bright-orange coloration and peculiar shape of their dorsal fins.

They're rarely seen because they reside in depths of between 600 and 3,000 feet. But dead or dying oarfish, measuring to 30-plus feet, occasionally wash ashore. 

The oarfish found on Medano Beach was barely alive and ultimately perished. According to the Pisces Sportfishing blog, the oarfish, which could have been kept for scientific study, was instead taken offshore by marine park wardens and dumped at sea. 

The Pisces blog reports that an employee from Pisces Real Estate was among those who first spotted the oarfish.

"He was right in front of Villa 2 when he saw a commotion on the beach and a small crowd gathered at the water's edge," states the blog. "His first thought was, 'There's been an accident.' Then he saw three locals supporting what appeared to him as a monster from the deep. He ran down to get a closer look and saw three locals assisting the strange creature, which appeared to be in distress as it struggled for air."

There were reports of another oarfish floundering nearby, but they could not be verified.

--Oarfish image is courtesy of Pisces Sportfishing

Angler catches 722-pound blue marlin off Cabo San Lucas

A 722-pound blue marlin was caught Saturday off Cabo San Lucas, the latest in a series of huge game fish pulled from the waters off Baja California's tip.

Last week it was a 427-pound yellowfin tuna, which is expected to become an all-tackle world record. On Thursday a 75-pound roosterfish was caught just beyond the surf zone.

The marlin, believed to be the largest of the summer-fall season, was caught by Dave Smith of Atlanta, Ga., aboard Attitude Adjustment. The 46-foot yacht books through Pisces Sportfishing.

The catch is sure to pique the interest of big-money anglers entered in the Bisbee's Black & Blue Marlin Tournament, scheduled Oct. 23-27. A marlin of this size could be worth $1 million or more if caught during the competition.

Smith, 58, hooked the marlin on a Zuker lure about 11 miles straight out from Land's End, and his reel was almost spooled by the fleeing billfish.

He's quoted in a Pisces blog post as saying, "This fish came out of nowhere. It almost spooled us but we recovered line; it was a brute--every time we would get it as close as 20 feet, it would take off at full speed and rip off line."

Asked whether he considered releasing the marlin, Smith said the billfish turned sideways and died close to the end of the battle. "I think its heart exploded," the angler said.

Pisces also reports that a 600-pound marlin was caught off the Punta Lobos area a day earlier, by commercial fishermen aboard a panga.

Most billfish are released off Cabo, whenever possible, except during the tournaments, which require the release only of smaller marlin. The Bisbee's event penalizes anglers for bringing in fish weighing less than 300 pounds.

--Pete Thomas

--Image showing Smith with his catch is courtesy of Pisces Sportfishing

Angler catches 75-pound roosterfish off Cabo San Lucas

Palm Springs angler John Sato caught a 75-pound roosterfish out of Cabo San Lucas on Thursday morning, while fishing along the shoreline with Capt. Ivan aboard the panga Gloria.

Roosterfish are not considered good-eating and most anglers release them, but this giant specimen appears to have been kept for a photo opportunity, and perhaps for food.

Pisces Sportfishing's Mario Bañaga answered Ivan's request to come down with his camera and a brief story and two photos are posted on the Pisces blog.

The blog post states: "Captain Ivan got an early start, despite the rain aboard his 22 ft panga 'Gloria' with angler John Sato from Palm Springs, Ca. [Sato] hooked up this beauty just fifteen feet from shore, on a live caballito at Cerros de Arena. John took 40 minutes to subdue this huge rooster on a Shimano TLD 15 spooled withe 30 lb test line. The fish weighed 75 lbs."

It's among the largest roosterfish caught in years off Baja California Sur, but still pales to the all-tackle world record 114-pound specimen that was landed in 1960 in the Sea of Cortez near La Paz.

-- Image showing Capt. Ivan with roosterfish is courtesy of Mario Bañaga

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Potential world record yellowfin tuna caught off Cabo San Lucas, could be worth $1 million

A giant yellowfin tuna, a potential world record possibly worth $1 million, was caught Tuesday off Cabo San Lucas.

Guy Yocom of Dana Point, Calif., landed the  behemoth aboard his 61-foot yacht, El Suertudo (The Lucky One), about 180 miles south of the resort city at Baja California's tip.

Yocom, 55, said in a phone interview that the fish was weighed twice on certified scales. One weight was 421 pounds and the other was 427.5 pounds. The angler is having the scales delivered to San Diego for calibration to determine an official weight.

Both weights are heavier than the current all-tackle world record, a 405-pound yellowfin caught in 2010 off Magdalena Bay, north of Cabo San Lucas.

That angler was Mike Livingston, who was aboard the San Diego-based long-range vessel Vagabond. Livingston's record broke a record that had stood for 33 years.

Tracy Ehrenberg, who runs Pisces Sportfishing in Cabo San Lucas, was first to break the story about Yocom's catch with quotes and precise details. She was in touch with Yocom shortly after El Suertudo, skippered by Greg DiStefano, pulled into port Wednesday morning.

Yocom said his group of seven anglers and crew had been targeting huge tuna in the hope of winning a prize in the "Hook a Million" contest offered by Mustad hook company. The contest, which runs through the end of September, pays $1 million to the angler who sets the first new International Game Fish Assn. record during the contest window.

Of course, the record still has to be approved but Yocom said his group followed IGFA regulations to the letter. Also, since the $1 million is paid over a 50-year period, the prestigious all-tackle world record, if approved, is the most rewarding aspect of his catch.

"I didn't realize what a big deal it was till now," he said. "Because I've been getting phone calls from people I haven't heard from in a while, telling me what a big deal it is."

The fight, on 100-pound-test line, was a surprisingly short 55 minutes.  The giant tuna was among several smaller tuna that had been swimming with dolphins.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Guy Yocom (with rod and reel) and group pose with yellowfin tuna that could become a new IGFA all-tackle world record. Credit Mario Banaga / Pisces Sportfishing

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