What is Blue water?
Highly migratory game fish (the pelagic species) are found predominately in the blue water. World wide, when heading out in the morning, this is the destination where the big game fishermen know they are going. This is where they will have the best chance for hooking a marlin, sail fish, dorado, or large yellowfin tuna.
Blue water does not depend on depth. It is a current. For many parts of the world, it is true the blue water will usually be found far off shore, but on the West Coast of Mexico, it can also be on the beach.
Blue water is actually pure clean water with an absence of light. When pure water, which is clear, is deep enough to not get a reflection off the sea floor, the water appears as a very dark navy blue. The science for this, simply put, is the reds and greens of the sun light color spectrum are absorbed quickly by the water molecules. The shorter wave lengths of blues and violets are scattered, leaving only a deep blue color. This is the same principle as to why the sky is a light blue, but because the molecules are much denser in water, the blue water is almost violet.
Due to the fact most of their lives are spent in real deep water, the blue water species of game fish are typically independent of the bottom, and are far ranging. When close to the beach, and because there is bottom reflection, the water may not be blue, but it will be clear. Most importantly, when the blue water comes close to the beach, the game fish come with the water.
Pelagic game fish prefer the blue water, because it is an oxygen rich current, and is the highway in which they can make their long migratory trips on. Plus, even though blue water game fish detect bait fish by vibrations picked up through their lateral lines, they also depend very much on sight for finding their next meal of flying fish or mackerel. The clear water allows them to do that.
All pelagic game fish are not just highly migratory, but also have very large eyes, allowing them to feed about 50% of the time on their other favorite food; squid. Squid are lurkers of the depths below, stay only in the blue water current, and do not come near the surface until dark. The large eyes of the pelagic game fish allow them to see under very low light conditions, and feast on the tonnage of food several hundred feet below the surface. Plus, due to the fact of their large eyes, with no eye lids, is one of the reasons you will catch more game fish in the blue water when there is a bit of a wind creating a mild chop on the ocean. If the seas are dead calm, the sunlight is brutal to their eyes. A mild surface chop refracts the sunlight, and diffuses the intensity.
“A game fish is too valuable to catch only once” – Lee Wulff made this famous quote in 1939.
Inshore:
To most fishermen, the inshore species do not have has much charisma as say, catching a leaping sailfish. The inshore fish simply are often not considered as being as exotic, or as macho as their blue water cousins. However, when a person spends three days in the blue water, and does not even sample the inshore fishing, they are making a huge mistake. On the West Coast of Mexico, you really need to explore the wonders and bountiful game fish of the scenic inshore fishery.
What could possibly be more exciting than teasing 32 roosterfish from 5 to 30 feet of the boat in less than 4 hours? I did exactly that this last July. We were fly fishing down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero, and I was casting a hookless surface popper with a 9 foot spin outfit to tease the fish to the boat. There were a few small roosters from 7 to 10 pounds, but many were approaching the 50 pound mark, with most averaging about 35 pounds. Trust me; the only way you can get a shot at seeing 32 roosters in a day is by using a hookless lure. There is not enough time in the day to catch and fight that many. Have you ever seen the hole left in the ocean when a 50 pound rooster turns on a fly? It is incredible.
The roosterfish is my favorite of all the species, including the blue water species. Fishing for the inshore species is light line and salt water fly fishing at its best, especially when they are found on the surface, or very shallow in the water column.
The rooster, black skipjack tuna, and jack crevalle are all outstanding fighters, but have little table fare value. Good eating fish, and also excellent fighters, are the pargo (dog tooth snapper) and amberjack. Plus, to round out the list of what could be caught for table fare on any given day, there are always cabrilla, grouper, rainbow runners, red snapper, pompano, green jacks, snook (robalo), and many others too numerous to name.
One of the best fishermen I know has only a small car top boat with a 20hp four-stroke engine. He has it rigged with a decent GPS, depth finder, and down rigger. He rarely makes runs over 15 miles and always close to shore. But by trolling a Rapala on the downrigger, he catches an unbelievable amount of great eating fish.
About the Author:
In 1997, I moved from California to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Mexico. The purpose was to replace the word stress in my vocabulary with the word “manana”. I also knew I was too young (and not financially secure) to retire, so I wanted to start a sport fishing charter and fly fishing guide business. I was either very foolish, very determined, or very desperate.
I considered myself a better than average fisherman, and during the almost a year and a half it took me to get my Mexican permits and license to guide tourists, I came to know the area, methods, and the Mexican fishermen. It did not take me long to understand that these men are the real fishermen, and I set a goal to become a member of this select fraternity.
The sea is a very unforgiving mistress. She allows for few second chances. The Mexican fishermen, who earn their living from her abundance, have come to respect her religiously. They have been in her folds of power since they were very young. Most of the Mexican fishermen start out with a hand line in a panga as children, fishing with their Dad, Grandfather, and uncles. They then graduate to long liners, tuna seiners, shrimp boats, charter captains, or own their own boat. The sea gives them their formal education, and in return she allows them to make a decent living.
As time passed, I became 100% accepted by these fishermen and was considered “family”. Having attained my goal, I also realized that I had also accumulated a wealth of information that could be shared. The game fish and the methods used to catch them are just a small part of it. The best information is about real fishermen; the men themselves, their stories, and their bigger than life achievements.
Ed Kunze
IGFA Representative
755-553-8055 or [email protected]: Capt. Ed Kunze / Sportfishing-Ixtapa
