By Dave Dolan
On the last week of April, a group of 27 anglers boarded the boat Tony Reyes for the annual 6 day Lets Talk Hookup, Sea of Cortez fishing adventure. For the Southern California angler, six days usually means a long range fishing trip.But the Tony Reyes mother ship operation is a whole different ballgame, and the only trip of it’s kind that you could ever drive to.
You board the boat in San Felipe, a friendly town at the north end of the Sea of Cortez. Most everyone arrives the day before departure and stays the extra night on the return. The boat schedule is always a Sunday departure and a Friday evening return. There may be a question about traveling on a Mexican boat. I was once told you can judge a boat by the condition of the heads. This boat has six heads, four with showers. The were all clean and well maintained as was the galley and overall boat.There is safety equipment thru out the boat. The crew is as hard working as I’ve seen on any other operation.
The captain, Tony Reyes Jr., is a mild mannered, friendly guy. It does not take long for him to know the names of all the anglers. You can always count on a “buenas dias” from him every morning. Tony’s father, Tony Reyes senior was a Baja fishing legend. I’ve seen pictures of him with giant totoaba from days past. He is no longer with us, but his tradition is carried on by Tony Jr. After an all night run, you wake up Monday morning among the Midriff Islands. The morning sunrise around these desert islands is spectacular. The rock color scenery rivals what you see in the Grand Canyon. If in the U.S., these islands would probably be a national park. There are all of these side perks. But this is a fishing trip.
And plenty of fishing you will do. Everyone is divided in groups of three to go out with your pangero for fishing. The nine pangas go out every morning, fish until noon and return to the big boat for lunch and siesta. Often, the big boat makes a move and then everyone has an afternoon fish-till-dark session.
The fishing on this trip lived up to it’s usual “nothing short of excellent”. The bulk of the catch was equally divided between yellowtail and cabrilla. The tails were up to 36 lbs., and cabrilla to 18 lbs. Yellowtail were the fighters they are known for. But these cabrillas are under rated fighters. Just think calico bass on steroids. There were seven other variety of fish caught for a nice mix.
I want to recognize a special person on this trip, Hector Mancide. Hector drove to San Felipe by himself.He teamed up with two others for fishing partners on a panga. He fished long and hard every day. What set him apart is that Hector is an 88 year old World War II veteran.What an inspiration to see a “Greatest Generation” person on a trip like this.
This Tony Reyes trip is probably the best fishing value out there. The price includes the fishing permits, delicious food, fish cleaning and all your beer (try to find THAT anywhere else!!!). The whole operation is first rate. Next years’s The Lets Talk Hookup trip is May 1-6, 2016. The trip is already almost half full. Contact The Longfin at 714-538-9300 or on the web at tonyreyes.com and thelongfin.com.
For the Baja and Sea of Cortez angler this is the best trip out there.
