Whittle, Wade and Hook

The Perfect Night Storm for Tropical Salt Water Fishing

2008-03-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

We’re Going Where?

“It’s better if you wear some sneakers”, Orlando said.

“Wear sneakers to where?” I was puzzled looking out into a pitch-black December night while seasonal storm rains pounded the roof like an angry mob.

“We’re going fishing”, he matter-of-factly responded.

“In THIS!” I snapped back incredulously.

“It’s the best time to go”

Photo: Orlando demonstrates his cast net form

The Wettest Region in the World
Three seconds after I stepped off of the porch into the rain I was soaked through to the skin. The Pacific coast Choco region of Colombia is one of the wettest areas in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. With more than 30 feet – that’s right feet – of rain accumulation per year. That’s enough to reach from the ground up to a building’s fourth floor. Probably only Noah has consistently seen rains like these.

It was so black out that I could just barely make out my locally-born-and-raised fishing buddy and guide just a few steps in front of me. A woven straw basket, called a “motete”, was slung over one shoulder. A six-foot diameter cast net, called an “atarraya” was draped over the other. My Baltimore Orioles baseball cap kept the chords of liquid from directly battering my eyes and face.

Forcing our way through sheets of water from the bamboo-walled house towards the crashing surf less than 200 yards away, we watched as bolts of lightning at sea lit our way. I felt the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean swell and surge around my calves. We had walked right into the ocean.

“Take this basket and wait here” Orlando yelled above the roar of the rain and pounding surf.

Cast Thy Net Upon the Waters
Steeling himself against the torrents from above and the salt water swells, he cast the net just in front of him. With effort, he now pulled the net’s tie line to close and draw the net back in. I moved in closer. A flash of lightning lit up the net as it seemingly “boiled” in the receding surf.

“Help me to get it up and dump it.” He hardly had to ask.

It took the both of us to lift the writhing mass and empty the dozens of fish into the basket. Less than a dozen casts later we had so many fish in the basket it took us both to half drag, half carry it back to the house. An hour passed as we sorted the more than 100 fish of eight or so different species.

It had been a perfect night storm for tropical salt water fishing.

p.s. Speaking of night fishing, check out this cool night fishing video at:http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=cDTKCZur1vM

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Want to know more about salt and fresh water fishing in the tropics? Visit: http://whittlewadeandhook.blogspot.com/ Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content, articles or photos, images and graphics for your fishing / outdoor blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

Salt Water Tropical Fishing in a Pristine Barrel

2007-11-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

A Short Wait
Flipping a short cast of mo more than 20 feet or so, my cut bait tipped lead head jig sank smoothly for a few seconds before a fish grabbed it. On light tackle I laughed and “played” with the pan-sized denizen of the not-so-deep for a bit before finally flipping the multi-hued trigger fish over the boat’s gunnels.

“Man that was quick” my local guide quipped.

“Nothing here, huh?” I teased as this time my rod suddenly banged the gunnels, jerked sharply downwards by an obvious friend or relative of the first fish.

“What’s That?”
I was the one who had insisted on a brief stop at this site. We’d been motoring north along the Pacific coast of Colombia’s Choco region. The rustic fishing village of Jurubida, where we were based, lay some 45 minutes behind us when I’d spotted a pristine sight. There it was; a two-meter wide fresh water stream flowing over a five meter high rock face before plummeting into the azure blue sea. Surrounded by emerald-green tropical rain forest, the sparkling “chorro” was situated in a tiny cove just visible from the small boat traffic channel we ran northward in.

“What’s that?” I’d asked, pointing landwards the tiny-looking waterfall.

“Just some little stream of rain water, I think” my guide responded without luster.

“Pull over there and let me take a look.”

“Why?” His response came in a more curios tone as he swung the 16-foot hand-crafted wooden launch to starboard.

A Closer Look
Up close it was even prettier. The brackish pool into which the torrent plunged was a clear dark blue. This was a good sign that it was at least 20 to 25 feet or more in depth.

“This looks like a good spot for some panfish” I translated into the best Spanish I could.

“Here?” My guide was surprised. “I don’t think there’s anything here” he continued.

I asked to “try out” the spot for 15 minutes or so. If there was no action, we’d move on and I’d have at least some memories of a beautiful spot along the coastal rain forest.

My Trusty Guide Was Wrong
One after another they came into the boat. All pan-sized, but attractive and unique in their shapes and colorings; Clown fish, Parrot fish, Trigger fish, spots, stripes and brilliant red fish with bright baby-blue eyes.

Even my trusty guide tried his hand at hooking a few, laughing with delight almost the whole time. We shipped anchor and resumed our voyage northward after about an hour or so. But that spot was about the closest I’ve ever come to catching fish in a barrel. And man let me tell you, it sure was a lot of fun.

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Want to know more about salt and fresh water fishing in the tropics? Visit: http://whittlewadeandhook.blogspot.com/ Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content, articles or photos, images and graphics for your fishing / outdoor blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

How To Take Fishing Photos You Can Publish Or Sell: On Location What Images to Shoot?

2007-11-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

On Location, What Images to Shoot?

On location at a salt water or fresh water fishing site, a range of images from close ups to scenic overviews will be useful. Try shooting at different angles and from different heights. Take portraits, group and individual shots of un-posed people. Photograph the food, facilities, products and people. Keep an eye out for splashes of color, interesting scenes, unusual clothing or situations. Don’t forget to get close-ups and images of species indigenous to your particular region. Remember the fish head in a bucket I posted earlier? Look for dynamic visual imagery that “grabs” your eye like that.

Inquiring minds want to know
In your enquiries to editors, if you offer a selection of photos and graphics, you’re going to start getting much more of the editor’s attention. Don’t send any photos yet, just mention that they’re available. You’ll know what format the publication uses from reading the Photographer’s Guidelines. Usually six or eight photos should do it. That means if you have around a dozen items available to send in for review and approval, you have an excellent chance of making the pitch sell. My first few months doing this more than tripled my success rate without changing anything else.

How, what and where
A Google search for “fishing magazines” will yield hundreds of titles and website locations. Go to their websites and look under photographer guidelines for more info on how and where to submit your pictures. Stop by a local newsstand or two for copies of fishing, outdoor and sports magazines you can contact for your area. Don’t forget the local and regional newspapers either. Some other Google – searchable themes include:

• Fishing publications both online and print
• Outdoor magazines, periodicals and websites
• vacation magazines, newsletters and websites
• travel websites, online and print publications
• blogs on fishing, nature, vacation travel and the outdoors
• e-zines from sporting goods suppliers and fishing, outdoor and travel specialists
• newsletters and web-content on fishing and any related themes
• websites for any fishing, nature, outdoor or related topic

If you need a virtual “kick-in-the-pants” to get you going in the right direction or have an additional question, please feel free to e-mail me.

So get out there and start taking a few shots with your next fishing trip already in mind. Dogs bark, birds fly, and fishermen fish – and offer their photos (and articles) to their local newspapers and favorite fishing, nature, outdoor and travel magazines for extra income. It’s what we do, right?

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content or articles for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

Traveling by Boat in South America? Read this First!

2007-11-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

Are you going to a South American destination that requires travel by local or regional boats? Then you’d better think twice or prepare really well. Along Colombia’s Pacific coast, as an example, for an ocean voyage of from several hours up to more than two days, you may well be obligated to take a boat on which there are not only NO creature comforts but also NO:

• Life vests or life preservers
• Life boats
• Toilets
• Chairs or seats
• Potable water
• interior lighting at night
• meals or food

More Caveats
There is likely to be poor ventilation and frequently passengers get seasick with no recourse or sanitation facilities of any kind. There might not be any reliable protection from elements like the broiling sun, cold, wind-swept rain or splashing waves, either. You could also be subjected to noxious fumes from cargo such as combustibles, solvents and other chemicals. We won't even go into animal "products" from livestock being transported. Yipes!

Photo: Forward cargo space for passengers and freight. Where’re you gonna sit?

Cargo Boats?
The cargo boat on which you’ll sail will likely have no night running lights, be poorly maintained, and have an uneducated, untrained crew who must work literally around the clock. The job of two or more crew members is to stand in nearly calf-deep water in the cargo hold of the vessel and manually bail water leaking in from the multitudinous cracks and loose seams in the wooden hull. As usual, the vessel will be dangerously overloaded. During vacation and holiday seasons, it’ll be overloaded with cargo and overcrowded.

Packed Like Sardines
For example, one ship, licensed to carry eight to ten passengers routinely crams more than 100 passengers aboard under conditions resembling those depicted during the transport of slaves during the slave trade. Many other passenger-carrying vessels aren’t licensed for passengers at all. Registering sea-going vessels as “cargo boats only” relieves boat owners of any responsibility for providing even the barest of humane conditions. Boats sail past armada inspection craft – without being inspected. Captains and crew just “hide” passengers inside and out of sight until they’re well away from the port (and the armada). Travelers are simply viewed as an “extra money” commodity with no consideration whatsoever as to comfort. Forget the idea of “pleasure” entirely. You can pretty much also forget English-speaking officials, captains or crew members.

No Alternatives
So why, you might ask, do travelers continue to put up with such archaic, unsanitary and perilous-at-best conditions that would be considered inhumane by any standards in the world? Simple. It’s because there are no alternatives. Cargo boat owners and captains are given “Carte Blanche” to revel in greed treating paying customers like cattle – or worse.

Yes, there are government regulations that mandate PFDs, life boats, sanitary facilities, having a potable water supply, ship to shore UHF / VHF radios and a satellite transceiver. Other essential equipment for ocean-going vessels including boats that ply the coastal waters from Panama to Peru include such items as night running lights after sunset, which can be as early as 4:30 pm, a compass, GPS locator and regular maintenance certificates in addition to crew and trip logs.

In the 1300 kilometers from Colombia’s southern region coastal city of Tumaco to Jurado, the northernmost port along Colombia’s Pacific coast, the sinking of fishing, cargo and passenger vessels with the resulting loss of life are all too common. During the past several months, a wave of sea-going vessel disappearances has stunned and dismayed populations of coastal communities in Colombia. We all grieve for these senseless deaths resulting from ignorance, apathy and avarice.

Think Twice or Prepare Well
So if you’re going to a South American destination along the Pacific coast that requires travel by local or regional boat, you’d better think twice or prepare really well.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content, articles or photos, images and graphics for your fishing / outdoor blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

Salt Water Fishermen: More of How to Fly at the Beach

2007-11-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

Get up, get active, and take to the skies. The usual old favorite beach activities are always loads of fun which is why they’re still popular. But in my last post we talked about flying at the beach. Flying kites, even fishing kites, that is. Still flying you can use other air-borne paraphernalia to extract maximum pleasure from a beach resort trip or vacation. Here’s more on how.

Model airplane photo: http://www.hobby-lobby.com/images/hla020.jpg

Fly a Model Airplane
Another popular beach front activity is flying a paper, balsa wood or model airplane. With wide open spaces and light to still breezes, virtually any design will soar like an albatross. If you fly paper designs then losing one won’t break your heart. Balsa wood or Styrofoam planes fly well in beach breezes too, just remember it’s possible to “lose” your craft to a stray or persistent breeze going the “wrong” way. Options for planes abound in Hobby shops, Toy stores, book stores, and of course, the internet. Radio-controlled model airplanes are a possibility too. Again, just be sure to check local regulations. To learn more about making paper airplanes check out these sites.

• www.paperairplanes.co.uk/ Alex's paper airplanes Cobra Paper Airplane the Planes - This is an index listing all the paper airplanes currently on the site ranked by how easy they are to make

• http://www.wannalearn.com/Just_for_Fun/Making_Paper_Airplanes/ Just for Fun: Making Paper Airplanes

• http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/paper.htm This page lists some of the best Web sites on how to make and fly paper airplanes.

• http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/paper/airplanes.html T he most amazing thing about a paper airplane is that all you need to make one is a sheet of paper—nothing more.

• http://paperplane.org/ Ken Blackburn, web site to share what he knows about paper airplanes. He holds the Guinness record for time aloft for paper airplanes.

So don’t just go to the beach and lay there like a fish out of water. Yes you can always go salt water fishing, but you can also take to the water or better yet, take to the skies. You’ll never look at a beach resort vacation the same again.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content, articles or photos, images and graphics for your fishing / outdoor blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

How to Fly at the Beach

2007-11-07T15:04:00.000-08:00

The beach isn’t just for kids and teenagers
Of course, as we said, the beach isn’t just for kids and teenagers. All the family can enjoy the shore provided there aren’t “elbow-to-elbow” tourists. You can also do more than just get a tan (or a sunburn). Get up, get active, and take to the skies. The usual old favorites are always fun which is why they’re still popular. For some suggestions on alternative beach front vacation activities see the article entitled “Unique Things to Do at the Beach”. Here are suggestions to consider for taking your beach time into the air.

Photo: Frazier Jones fishing kites at: http://www.fishingkites.co.nz/images/kitellimage/frazerjones.jpg

Fly a kite
Kite-flying is such a natural beach front activity that they are sold on or near many beaches. Mornings and late afternoons to evening there are usually good sea breezes along most beaches. But why wait until you get there to try your hand? You can comfortably bring one of your own and have a much different (or much better) kite than everyone else. You’ll also know how to launch and fly your own kite with a bit of practice before hand. It can also make for a good conversation generator. If you’re a kite-flying novice, check out these websites for more information and even plans for building and flying your own.

• http://www.skratch-pad.com/kites/make.html Have ever wanted to build a kite? Well, here is a simple kite you can make your self!

• http://www.aloha.net/~bigwind/20kidskites.html These are the complete time tested instructions to get 20 kids making their own kites and flying them in 20 minutes.

• http://www.planemath.com/activities/flykite/kiteplans.html

• http://www.cit.gu.edu.au/~anthony/kites/diamond/ Make a kite from BBQ skewers and White Kitchen tidy bag, with perhaps a bread bag cut into a long streamer for a tail.

• http://www.ehow.com/how_1288_make-kite.html How to make a kite. While kites are inexpensive to buy, making one adds to the fun. You'll be especially proud when your diamond-shaped creation takes to the sky.

• http://www.2020site.org/kite/ This site is about Kites - how to build kites, and includes plans for kites. Kite flying has been a popular hobby for hundreds of years and has evolved from the diamond figure and long tail the Victorian children enjoyed.

• http://scsc.essortment.com/howtobuilda_rlrf.htm Kites are fun for young and old alike. You can build your own kite, or help your kids build one by reading this article!

• http://www.cit.gu.edu.au/~anthony/kites/panflute/ The Panflute is a soft kite (no sticks) made of 7 connected windsock like tubes or cells. It has a good wind range and flies at an angle of 30-40 degrees. It flies with a side-to-side sway, or wobble, making this kite very pleasant to look at in the sky, particularly with a long ribbon tail, or other decoration. The kite is a great for families. It can be stuffed in a bag, and flown on the beach. Bury the handle in the sand and leave flying to mark your picnic spot.

So don’t just go to the beach and lay there like a fish out of water. Yes you can always go salt water fishing, but you can also take to the water or better yet, take to the skies. You’ll never look at a beach resort vacation the same again.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content, articles or photos, images and graphics for your fishing / outdoor blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

Preparing Piranha: Adventuresome Eating Colombian Amazon Style

2007-11-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Piranha: Deadly and Delicious
Say, how do you like your Piranha prepared? Not sure? Then follow these two easy-to-prepare recipes and be ready the next time you're fresh water fishing in Amazon River or Orinoco River tributaries. These can be found in the six South American countries of: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Venezuela and Peru. Since I live and work mostly in Colombia, a Piranha family variety called Cachama is a regular staple on our table at home. They grow up to 15 pounds in size but are better eating at around a pound to a pound and a half. I like mine a little bigger than that though. What? You thought these were "little" fish? Yeah, they are - in the movies. Be sure to check out the video versions of these recipe preparations online at my YouTube site. The YouTube address is: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=5KMeJeVearM

Fried Piranha (Colombia)

Ingredients:
A medium-sized whole Piranha for each serving
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
sprig of fresh parsley
whole lemon or lime
1 or 2 whole ripe tomatoes, sliced
small quantity of seasoned flour or corn meal

Directions:

Clean and scale the fish thoroughly. Make a series of diagonal cuts along both sides of the fish from top to belly. Crush the garlic cloves and mix with the salt and a little pepper. Rub this mixture into the cuts along the sides of the fish. (see YouTube video) Wrap with a damp banana leaf (or a moistened paper towel). Allow to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. Some Colombian cooks leave refrigerated overnight. Heat some fresh cooking oil to a high temperature in a large frying pan. Sprinkle the marinated fish lightly with seasoned flour or corn meal. Fry golden brown on each side, turning the fish carefully after browning. Serve hot garnished with sliced tomato and fresh lemon or lime juice squeezed over the fish.

Grilling Piranha Amazon Style

Grilling fresh-caught fish on an open fire is always a tasty way to enjoy a fresh catch. Use a whole cleaned and scaled fish, rub it lightly with oil, season it with salt and pepper or other available spices, then place it on a grill, about 4 – 6 inches from the heat. In the wild you can use a framework of small twigs and shaved saplings to position the fish over the fire. Cover the fish with a banana leaf (or foil), and cook until the fish is brown on the underside, approximately 6 - 8 minutes. Turn the fish carefully and continue until the flesh near the bone is (check with the tip of a small knife or long fork), in approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Smaller fish usually work best using this method, especially in the jungle.
Modifying these procedures slightly will allow you to adapt them for use with a barbeque grill. If you haven’t already, be sure to read the article post; “Piranha: Deadly and Delicious” which is online at: http//whittlewadeandhook.blogspot.com/under November 2005. So, as we say in Spanish, “Buen Provecho!”

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content, articles or photos, graphics and images for your fishing / outdoor blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

How to Take Fishing Photos You Can Publish or Sell: What kinds of photos to Take

2007-11-04T07:12:00.000-08:00

What Kinds of Salt Water and Fresh Water Fishing Photos to Take

To learn about photographic composition and types of photos, look at examples of what your target fishing, outdoors, vacation and travel publications are using. Take a short photography course. Many community colleges offer them. You could also check at local photo shops or try one of the several good ones online. Take photos of signs, nearby historic points, close-ups of your finny friends and good, tight shots of the day’s catch and the fishermen who got them. Be sure to get names and contact information for everyone in your photos. Okay, so go ahead and get the “usual” type of photos to have that out of your system, but then think and go for a few “extra” shots that will help round out your photos submissions.

Digital or film?
In today’s market there are a wide variety of choices for shooting your article photos. Films differ in format, speed and sensitivity. There are choices of from less than 100 ISA up to 1600 ISA or even faster for specialty films in 35mm format. Color, black and white, sepia tone and infrared films are also available for adding special effects. You needn’t chain your brain with these options if you’re not interested. Just stick with 100 to 400 ISA film in 35mm format. Shoot prints or slides depending on what the publication photography guidelines say. Another thing, use one of those “disposable” camera models or a special “all weather” or sports model camera if you’re worried about damaging your expensive 35mm out on the water.

Have it BOTH ways
Another point: film pictures can be scanned and digitized. Many photo shops offer to burn film negative photos onto a CD for a small additional fee, so you can have it both ways. Take them up on it. Find out from two or three different photo shops, what cross-media services they offer. Selling one good photograph can pay for months of photography.

The debate over digital vs. film cameras might rage on but the world is becoming an increasingly digital one. Call me a wimp, call me a cop out, call me whatever you want: I use both when shooting on location. So whether I find a market that asks for photographic prints, film negatives, photographic slide formats or high resolution digital images, I’m covered. So go ahead and snicker at me all you “purists”; you can follow me all the way to the bank.

In the next segment, we’ll look at exactly what kinds of scenes and images to shoot that will be saleable to potential fishing, outdoor, vacation and travel websites, blogs, e-zines, newsletters, and websites, to mention a few market possibilities. See you then.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content or articles for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

How To Take Fishing Photos You Can Publish Or Sell

2007-11-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Selling the Story and Photos

While walking along a busy dock on the Pacific coast of Colombia, I saw a teenage deckhand carrying a huge fish head in a bucket. The red head with its blue eyes and deadly-looking rows of dagger-like teeth made a stunning sight. I just had to take the shot. Waiting around a bit netted me a story about the unusual catch an elderly fisherman had made and the plans he had for the monster-sized Red Snapper head in the bucket. I sold the story and the photo. But the editor paid me more for the photos than he did for the story. A light went on in my head!

Dogs bark, birds fly, and fishermen fish. It’s what we do, right? So why should a dedicated salt water of fresh water fisherman now become a serious shutterbug? Well, how about to increase your exposure, boost your pride, improve your credibility and get a little extra income? Not to mention bragging rights for having your photo in a local, regional or national publication. Are any of those reasons that might interest you? Then read on Bunky, here’s the scoop.

Offer a complete package

Overworked editors will often jump at the chance for a complete package of text plus art. It means they don’t have to search for photos and graphics to accompany their articles, saving them time, costs and stress. If you can write up a short blurb of text to go along with your photos of Bass, Trout, catfish or shark, all the better. Most magazines also pay extra for photography as well giving what might be a mediocre rate for an article alone a stiff boost when the photo fees are added in. Again padding the pay envelope – and you don’t mind THAT now do you?

In the next post, "What Kinds of Photos to Take"

See you then.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content or articles for your blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

2007-10-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

More Beach Time Activities
Although, as we said earlier, the old favorites are always fun which is why they’re still popular. Still, the beach isn’t just for kids and teenagers. Even if you don't go salt water fishing all the family can enjoy the shore provided, of course, “elbow-to-elbow” tourists aren't the order of the day. You can also do more than just get that great tan or terrible sunburn. Get up and get active with these additional suggestions in part 2 of this article post.Let's pick up with:

6. Relax or get a “surf massage”

Soak and soothe those aching bones with a relaxing massage. In numerous resort areas there are locals who offer this service right at the beach. Be sure to negotiate prices before services are rendered to avoid any price gouging. Another alternative is to let the sea and surf “massage” you as you lay there. It’s free and the surf never gets tired or overcharges you. Sit facing the surf with your legs outstretched. Move forward until the surf covers you up to the belly button. Change positions forward, backwards or other variations as the surf changes.

photo: walking a surf-washed beach near Bahia Solano, Choco, Colombia

7. Go walking

Already identified as a “best” exercise activity, walking is almost always pleasant. Walking on dry sand gives you more of a “workout” than walking on sand that is still damp from the receded surf. For maximum huff and puff, try walking in the surf itself. A normal rate of walking is a mile and a half in fifteen minutes, so a thirty minute walk is a good workout for the day. Fifteen minutes out, fifteen minutes back to your starting point should do you nicely.

8. Nature watch or people watch

Okay so if you’re just in a “do nothing for awhile” mood then nature or people watch depending on where you are. Pick a good vantage point and note what happens all around you. Is that couple married or dating? What do you think they do for a living? What can you tell about them from watching? What animals, birds or sea life are common where you are? Are there sharks? Dolphins? Crabs? Squid or other unusual forms of marine life? What fauna frequents the area? What about snakes?

I was more than a little surprised to learn from a local resident that feral cats are a big problem in Acapulco. As I paid more attention during my comings and goings in and around the city I noticed the feral felines were almost everywhere. They could become especially troublesome late at night.

These and other imaginative activities can help turn a “lay in the sun and burn” day at the beach into a much more relaxing, creative or stimulating time for you and the family. Try some of these as an alternative to the usual “do nothing” day.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content or articles for your blog, newsletter or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

Unique Things to Do at the Beach

2007-10-31T17:39:00.000-07:00

Here You Are

If you're away from home at a beach or tropical resort with your family or children, perhaps everyone isn't a fisherman. Maybe they get "motion sick" easily. Or more likely you need some "downtime" to just relax and enjoy the ambience. That IS why you're on travel vacation in the first place, isn't it? Not to worry, the beach isn’t just for kids and teenagers. All the family can enjoy the shore provided, of course, there aren’t “elbow-to-elbow” tourists. You can also do more than just get a tan (or a sunburn). Get up and get active with some of these suggestions. The old favorites are always fun which is why they’re still popular. You can toss a foam rubber ball Frisbee, play with a beach ball (nice because they deflate for easy carrying and storage), go inner tube surfing (cheap and increasingly harder to get but you can also deflate them). Don’t forget your sand sculpture or sand castle building tools. Here are some additional suggestions to consider for enlivening your beach / resort vacation.

photo: A Sea Porcupine, from the Caribbean waters off San Andres Island, Colombia

1. Collect driftwood

Especially if you’re of a creative bent, this can be not only a unique, but profitable pastime as well. What figures or forms do the driftwood shapes conjure up in your mind? What might they look like when painted or polished? How might you mount or display them?

2. Collect shells

Long a popular beach pastime with children and adults alike, it can still serve as an interesting activity for the kids (or you). Even more so if you’re on a new, foreign or strange beach which may well offer up some unique surprises. Make a collage, a display or shadow bow of your best finds when you get back home.

3. Catch crabs and crustaceans

We used to walk along in the surf of the Chesapeake Bay with a framed meter-square piece of window screen to trap all kinds of small crabs, crustaceans, sand worms and even small fish. It made for an interesting series of “catches” and provided endless hours of simple fun for me and my siblings. With eleven younger brothers and sisters, it also kept us out of “trouble” or at least reasonably so. Sometimes a fisherman would buy our “catch” for use as live bait, much to the profit of the local ice cream vendors.

4. Surf fishing

There are all manner of collapsible of multiple piece rod and reel kits you can easily pack in a suitcase or store in a car trunk. Whip it out, local regulations and conditions permitting, and try your hand at whatever the regional waters offer. Some surprisingly large catches can be made in less than two feet of water. Just put on a snorkel and dive mask, wade out to waist-deep water, stand still for a few minutes with your face in the water. You’ll often be thrilled at the number and size of the fish and other sea creatures you’ll see all around you below the surface. In many tropical waters, it’s like standing in an aquarium.

5. Catch live bait

As was mentioned earlier, like bait can often be sold to local fishermen (or use it yourself). Use a cast net, walk along in knee-deep surf with an old window screen and bucket. Minnows, crustaceans, sand worms, small eels and crabs are all susceptible to this method. Be sure to check local regulations first. Keep them alive and fresh in a bucket partially filled with water.

We'll look at a few more unique activities for non- fishermen in another upcoming post. See you then.

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content or articles for your blog, newsletter or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

What You Should Know About Living in the Rain Forest - Part 2

2007-10-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Animals

The animals of the rain forest in Colombia are intriguing too. All around you every form of life awaits to pique your interest. Go ahead, walk along the beach. For miles there’s only you, the flora and fauna of an unspoiled earth. The scurrying and antics of the sand crabs will amuse you. Chirping and croaking of venomous, brilliant blue-skinned frogs with their starkly contrasting yellow markings will startle and amaze you.

Look closely in the streams and you’ll delight in the playfulness of royal purple colored crabs scampering over rocks and fallen tree limbs near the cool, crystal clear waters. Overhead in the networks of branches female green iguanas leap and crawl among the fresh green leaves that perfectly match their color. Male iguanas, striped dark brown and off black will be hard to spot against the tree trunks and branches until the slide gracefully from one to another.

Be Wary
Be wary of the spiders with three foot wide webs spun between low-lying tree limbs. Those green-mottled-with-white spiders will be off to one side. Spread the fingers of your hand as wide as you can, from the tip of your thumb to the end of your pinkie will be just about the span of the spider and its legs. Its body will be about the length of the first two segments of one of your fingers. If you spot a tablespoon-sized ball of white or yellow “cotton” attached to a limb near the edge of the web, that’ll be her eggs; another generation waiting to be hatched soon. Then the spider will be in a bad mood. Best to leave her and her brood alone.

When the sea mixes with the fresh waters of a rain forest stream, a tidewater swamp complete with mangrove trees and their over-grown, finger-like roots will surely be present. It is among these the fire engine red Tasquera crab with its snow-white claws and blackened back will bask, climb and hide. They’re quick, but you should be able to get a good close look before they bolt for cover. You’ll wonder how such a gaily colored creature can hide itself in such a dull, dark environment so completely that it cannot be seen or found. Speared, rinsed and cleaned, they make the most marvelous crab soup you could imagine.

Deep maroon and purple Mapara crabs (pictured) like moist, sandy soil and in typical crab family fashion, will eat whatever they can find or catch. Though small, their pincers are extremely powerful and most painful to experience. Watch out for them in the sandy soil of the yard, around animal pens or in the rainforest near the beach or fresh water sources. Claws removed, they make a fine salt or fresh water fishing bait that lunkers can’t resist.

At every turn, there are delights and a few dangers that could befall the unwary, but nature is at peace here with all who are conscious of the environment. It is here to nourish, care for and delight you. Come, enjoy it.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content or articles for your blog, newsletter or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

What You Should Know About Living in the Rain Forest - Part 1

2007-10-29T15:25:00.001-07:00

What's It Like?
What’s it like to live away from “civilization” in the arms of a beach front tropical rain forest? Here are some scenes from my time there.

Emerald-breasted hummingbirds flit in and out feeding from a tree of red and white tendriled flowers. Butterflies dart and dance among lush green foliage all around you. Their markings are a virtual explosion of colors; iridescent blues and greens, yellows with black designs, spotted oranges, yellows and purples on dark background wings.

Sunsets are spectacular panoramas of reds, pinks, purples, oranges and yellows tinged with patterns in grays, blues and purples. Jehovah God’s paintbrush creates a different scene each evening for your viewing pleasure.

photo: pulling fresh coconuts down from a tree in Jurubida, on Colombia's Pacific Coast

A Refreshing Drink
Would you like a refreshing drink? Along the beach are coconut groves with trees laden down with as many as 20 or more full, ripe coconuts each. Go ahead, take one or two. In a matter of minutes you can peel and open them. A full glass or two of “water” is inside each one. Drink it straight from the coconut. Then split the fruit open to scoop out and enjoy the soft, creamy white meat. It’s healthy, nutritious and all natural. It’s good for you too.

Rains are soft and warm. You can even collect and drink the water. There’s no pollution of any kind. Water from rain forest fed streams is used for drinking after filtration. No chemicals added. No boiling or sterilization required.

Go ahead, walk along the beach. For miles there’s only you, the flora and fauna of an unspoiled earth. The scurrying and antics of the sand crabs will amuse you. Chirping and croaking of brilliant blue-skinned frogs with their starkly contrasting yellow markings will startle and amaze you.

Cast your gaze across the multi-colored waters of the Pacific Ocean. You can see the dolphins playing in the water less than 50 yards from the beach. Go ahead, take a swim. In this part of the world where there are dolphins there are no sharks. The gentle surf is warm and clean. Your swim will refresh you. Fish are abundant in streams and rivers. Put on a mask and snorkel. Stick your face in the water and watch myriads of rainbow-hued fish dart around and between your legs.

Never Go Hungry
Few dangers pose a threat if you are aware of your surroundings and their significance in the eco-system of the tropical rain forest. Know the flora and fauna. Mesh into the flow of nature and wondrous, beautiful experiences will fill your existence. You will never go hungry. Care for your environment and it will sustain you. “Civilization” will gradually lose its luster and pull. Pleasures like these must have filled the Garden of Eden.

To view a video of a live Giant Rhinoceros Beetle as pictured above, go to:
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=iDw5P46VCe4

Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. For more information on the lucrative, fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign Language, get your copy of his no-cost, full multi-media, hypertext-linked pdf ebook, “If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here’s What You Need to Know” by sending an e-mail with "free ELT Ebook" in the subject line.

How to Get the World's Best Fishing Baits for Free

2007-10-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

Catching Fish

There are essentially three ways to catch fish:

• Use live, natural baits

• Use imitation or artificial baits and lures

• Use hardware such as traps, nets, etc.

One of the most efficient and productive of these three methods is to use live, natural baits. This is especially true if the waters and area you’re fishing are new or unknown to you. These live, natural baits are proven effective when acquired locally. Their price is right since they’re available for free. You “spend” only the time to gather them. Be sure to check local and regional regulations on the use of live baits.

photo: The author with one that didn't get away from his live minnow bait

Worms

The world’s all-time favorite. You can dig them up from your yard or garden or a wooded area near your fishing grounds. If you’re not that energetic, get some kids to do it for you. They’re available most of the year (winter might be tough), easy to find and gather. Leave the smaller ones. Use the larger earthworms or night crawlers.

Minnows

A technique I like involves using an old window screen. We used to walk along in the surf of the Chesapeake Bay with a framed meter-square piece of window screen to trap all kinds of small salt water fish, crustaceans, sand worms and even small crabs. It made for an interesting series of “catches” and provided endless hours of simple fun for me and my siblings. Minnows swim in fairly large schools so you can scoop up a bunch of them fairly quickly. Walk a few feet with the screen in the water. Lift it up quickly to scoop up your catch. Then dump it into a bucket. Repeat the procedure as you walk along the beach or shore. Keep them alive and fresh in a bucket partially filled with the same waters you collected them from.

Crabs

To catch crabs you can use a crab pot or home made traps. Be sure to check local regulations. These can be used in brackish and salt water shallows baited with a chicken wing tip or other bony meat. At a beach fronting a wooded area more than one kind of crab can be caught. I designed a simple “drop in” trap that I set into the sand near the edge of a coconut grove and caught hermit crabs, fiddler crabs and sand crabs. I even got a small snake once, but that’s another story.

Insects

Crickets, grasshoppers, beetles and other insects can be caught in a meadow, wooded area or park using a butterfly-type net. Lightning bugs (which flash their tail lights at night) are a good bet too. Crawling insects, grubs, maggots and larvae are good too. They are often found under rocks, fallen logs or other materials which have been on the ground for some time. Again, you could just get a bunch of kids to do it for you if you don’t have the time or need the exercise. Cockroaches make good live bait too if you can stomach using them. Not the small North American varieties that plague households mind you, but the large, three-inch long ones common here in South America and in Asia.

So, look into what live, natural baits are available locally near your favorite fishing grounds. It never hurts to have a variety of presentations for those “dog days” of fishing. Fishing with some new offerings can add an extra dimension to your next fishing trip. Getting them might even be a bit of fun too, especially if you “involve” the kids. On vacation, abroad or simply “away” from your usual fishing haunts, it’ll put more than an extra bit of enticement into your presentations.

Good luck.

Need professional, original salt or fresh water fishing related content or articles for your blog, newsletter or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and information mailing list? Then contact the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com/

Part 2 - Salt Water Fishing With All Your Five Senses

2007-10-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Why oh Why Didn’t I Wear Gloves?

We readied our gear and dropped lines, one line rigged with a white-feathered, lead-headed jig. My 40 pound test mono was rigged with my latest “secret weapon”, a home-made stainless steel, polished silver spoon and number 4 stainless single-barbed hook (pictured in photo). It hadn’t taken long for things to heat up. On a day off the coast of Colombia’s “La Ensenada” National Park, it almost never does.

I winced as the blue mono tightened around my naked palm. Something strong, wet and angry had grabbed ahold of my spoon. Now I was paying the price. Crimson dripped into the deep blue depths with each lunge. It’s illegal to fish with a rod and reel, long line, trotline or net in the park entrance waters, you see.

Fish On!

“Fish on!” I croaked still wincing, but Pepe was already ahead of me. He’d seen the strike as my whole arm jerked aft. It had to be a good-sized Tuna or Albacore, maybe a sizeable Sierra could strike and battle like that but my money was on an Albacore. These bullet-shaped fish have two speeds: over-the-speed-limit-fast and full-throttle-overdrive. These speedsters can topple an unsuspecting fisherman overboard in a flash. They hit your line like a runaway freight train. The sudden stress often just snaps the line. If your rod isn’t ready or heavy enough, they’ll snap that off too. On occasion small sharks would hit too, especially early morning, late afternoon and on darker, low-barometer days.

Dorado, Aguja, Tuna, Albacore, Sierra or Shark?

“What do you think, Dorado, Albacore or Aguja?” asked Pepe who was keenly watching the pattern of the fight.

That often told you what was on the other end of your line well before the fish ever came into view. If indeed it ever did come into view. Flexing my biceps against an unwilling guest, I thought about his words. A Dorado would take awhile to land if I didn’t want to risk a snapped line. These gold, blue and green, round-headed beauties were strong and could easily be heavier than my line strength. A steel-pipe-shaped Aguja (Needle Fish), would easily snip right through mono of up to 100-pound test if its rows razor-blades called teeth ever reached beyond the 18-inch stainless steel leader. Even the wire leader would shear if I took too long in landing “ole toothy”. Only sharks and Piranha have more fearsome jaws than an Aguja. The “swooshing” sound of the line through the soft swells told me that we were in deeper waters now. The change in color from greenish to deep blue only served to confirm this. Deeper water was darker as the sun’s rays didn’t reflect off the bottom. Minutes later, the nearly 15-pound Albacore was gaffed and swung aboard.

Your Senses Will Tell You

Your ears can tell you of splashing baitfish and the predators that are after them. Listen too for the sounds of other boats, waves crashing against hidden rocks and reefs far out from shore. Your eyes give you constant information on depth and bottom cover. The smell of the open ocean differs from near-shore grounds with their hints of rain forest vegetation and palm groves lining the sandy salt-water caressed shores. You can feel the movement of your quarry beneath the waves as it swirls, dives, circles, twists, thrashes and rises in efforts to free itself from an unknown enemy. Taste the salt spray, the cool freshwater rain and the refreshing chill of the well-deserved “cold one” you’ll have after a serious fight – no matter which of you wins it.

Try fishing using all five of your senses. You’ll be surprised at just how much the enjoyment of all your fishing experiences will improve.

Larry M. Lynch is an expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional quality, original Salt and Fresh water Fishing-related articles or content for your Blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? For more tropical fishing articles, information, or a no-obligation quote visit my tropical fishing and travel blog with photos at: http://whittlewadeandhook.blogspot.com/

Salt Water Fishing With All Your Five Senses - Part 1

2007-10-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

Sensing My Way
Leaning back and tilting my head upwards slightly, I felt the warmth of the sun’s invisible infrared rays on my face in contrast to the coolness of the waters swirling around my hand as it dangled over the port gunnels of our wooden launch. My eyes were closed but I could sense nearly everything around me. Gently the hand-hewn launch lurched and rocked as waves passed beneath the weather-beaten worn green painted prow. I tried not to let the roar of the 15 hp outboard distract me from the rhythmic “slap, slap, slap” from passing swells of brine.

Photo: My fishing guide Pepe gaffs and hauls in a Pacific Ocean coastal Albacore

Licking the spray from my moistened lips with my eyes still closed, I let the sides of my tongue try to identify the salty elements. It was warmer than my hands said it would be. It tasted good. In this part of Colombia’s Pacific coast there was no industry for miles so I never gave pollution a thought. There, I could just make it out now. Dolphins splashed and chattered just off the port side.

They Just Want to Play
I opened with salt-glazed eyes to try to catch sight of them. It wasn’t difficult to spot them at all as they crested and dove mere meters away. It was no problem for them to exactly match the speed of our boat. They were keeping up with us – or were we keeping up with them? Sleek gray and black they toyed with us passing us first on one side, then the other in a “tag” game of sorts that we were definitely losing.

“What do you think they want?” I asked aloud to Pepe, my locally-based fishing guide.

“They just want to play for a bit”, he answered in the Spanish of the region, glancing over at the still racing black and gray shapes now streaming off to port.

“Will they affect the fishing?”

“No, actually they’ll help.” This broke me from my trance. I sat bolt upright.

“What do you mean, they’ll help?”

“When they dive, I’ll power down and we’ll set up our first trolling run or drift.”

“You mean they’ll let us know where the fish are?” I asked incredulously.

“Yep. They sure will.”

And true to Pepe’s words, they did.

Five Senses Needed
With the coconut-palm-tree-lined coast just within sight, you needed to use all five of your senses whenever you fished. Each sense provides you with key information. Important information that helps in catching fish – all kinds of fish – under all kinds of conditions.

Our four finny friends dove. We cut power to troll, swinging in a lazy “U” to mark the area where they went down.

“We’re here”, Pepe announced.

… to be continued in part 2 of “Salt Water Fishing With All Your Five Senses” …

Larry M. Lynch is an expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional quality, original Salt and Fresh water Fishing-related articles or content for your Blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? For more tropical fishing articles, information, or a no-obligation quote visit my tropical fishing and travel blog with photos at: http://whittlewadeandhook.blogspot.com/

How I Went Tropical to Fish for Salt and Fresh Water Species

2007-10-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Fish Migrate Like Birds Do

The migration of different species along the eastern U.S. seaboard kept me going on regular trips throughout most of the year. Spring meant smaller Blues and Weakfish. Summer offered Tautog with their bait-stealing expertise and tasty fillets. Fall almost always meant big, “slammer” Blues. Early in December, I watched for the full moon. Why? Because that was my cue to go for night Whiting. Often, this would be my last trip of the year until the following spring when the annual cycle would start all over again. Then I went tropical.

Going Tropical
But those, for me were the “Good Ole’ Days” from more than a dozen years ago. Now my lines part the waters of the South American Pacific Ocean and the turgid depths of Amazon River and Orinoco River basins. Now the razor-sharp teeth of several species of the Piranha family greet me as the rise above the water’s surface. Or at other times I play a three and a half foot long Dorado on eight to twelve pound mono as it leaps, rocks and rolls along with all other type of aerial acrobatics in a sometimes successful bid for more time gorging on schools of small bait fish. At least you’ll have some great stories about “the ones that got away”.

A Freight Train
Yet again, a muscle-straining tug-of-war ensues when I’ve latched into an underwater, runaway freight train called an Albacore which hits your bait or deep-running lure with such force your rod can be snapped as you wince in pain while the line makes hamburger of your fingers and palm. They used to laugh at me for wearing gloves in tropical weather until the first time one of my mates nearly lost a hand like that. Now I chuckle each trip as I watch them put on their gloves. They look at me funny when I chuckle, but then they all know why I smirk.

Photo: My local guide, Pepe, holds up the average-sized slammer Albacore that nearly took off one of my fingers

The Sharks
Then, there are the sharks. The Bull Shark is the worst. They come up very near to the surface when you’ve hooked one. They want to look at you, you see. They size you and your boat up – and then the fight is on. They try to spin your boat if it’s small enough. Or flip it over with a casual “bump” or two. They’ll swim under you, around you, dive, surface, swim in patterns or make runs. They twist, roll and execute all manner of maneuvers to foul your line, tangle it, break it or cause your boat or you to capsize, flip or sink. If that happens, you’re dead – literally.

Savvy salt-water fishermen almost never fish alone and use the largest boat available. That way, at least, you’ll have a fighting chance at surviving a hookup with a Bull Shark. Heck, who knows, if you hang in there long enough, you’ll even have a fair shot at boating the shark. That is if you’re stupid enough or knowledgeable and brave enough to want to.

Don’t be put off though. A world of exciting adventure fishing awaits any hardy enough to tackle these dangerous denizens on their own turf. Prepare well, have a knowledgeable local guide and pack a water-proof video or digital camera. Then get set for enough thrills to last a lifetime.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional quality, original Salt and Fresh water Fishing-related articles or content for your Blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? For more fishing article samples, information, or a no-obligation quote e-mail the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

How I Fish for Salt and Fresh Water Species All Year Long

2007-10-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Salt Water Wanderlust

The truth is I’ve always been an inveterate fisherman. From my days on muddy rivers as a youth in Baltimore, Maryland through stints living in London, England, Paris, France, Barcelona, Spain and Colombia, South America, I’ve always sought a way to get a line in the water somehow.

Photo: My youngest son, Lamont holds up a summer flounder that didn’t get away!

An Annual Fishing Cycle
During my years living in the Philadelphia area, I regularly read the fishing reports pages in the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News tabloid for a hint of the action offshore in New Jersey from Brielle and Belmar to Cape May. When reports tended towards the more encouraging side, I’d saddle up and head for the mid-regional coast of New Jersey to get on a party boat. More often than not, the captain and I both did our jobs and once the fish were located I eagerly set to work on hooking my share of whatever schools of fish we were anchored over. Not a lot of skill was involved, but some knowledge of baits, rigs and tackle was frequently helpful.

The migration of different species along the eastern U.S. seaboard kept me going on regular trips throughout most of the year. Spring meant smaller Blues and Weakfish. Summer offered the occasional beach-caught flounder, noisy Croakers or Tautog with their bait-stealing expertise and tasty fillets. Fall almost always meant big, “slammer” Blues that could bury the line into your bleeding hands and fingers in a flash, the occasional small shark or sea Eel and a variety of ocean panfish like Spots, Sea Bass and Ling.

Winter Kill
Early in December, I watched for the full moon. Why? Because that was my cue to go for night Whiting. Not only do these one-pound average or so fish take the multiple hooks on your line in twos, threes and fours, but they’re a lot of fun to catch, make good eating and are plentiful. The only catch was the weather. Full moon nights in early winter brought temperatures so low they’d make an Eskimo blush. The wind cooperated with healthy gusts on a regular basis, requiring you to continually hold on with one hand or risk a swim with Davey Jones. The swells were murder. We all dressed for winter-kill.

I had so many layers of clothing on I practically lost count. A wool cap, hooded parka, ski-mask and scarf were all only for my head. The boat was full of fishermen with half-pints in their pockets. Virtually everyone on the night Whiting boat went home with a hundred or more fish. The terminal tackle was different too. No live cut bait here. A slender spoon rigged with a fluorescent plastic tube was all you needed for the busiest time of your fishing life. Often, this would be my last trip of the year until the following spring when the annual cycle would start all over again.

Fishing Year Round
As with just about anything, if you really want to be successful and become an expert, you need to practice or participate in the specialized activity as frequently and regularly as possible. Salt and fresh water fishing are no exception, find ways to go fishing as much of the year as you can. Fish all you can and your knowledge and success with grow by leaps and bounds.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free. Need professional quality, original, Salt and Fresh water Fishing-related articles or content for your Blog, newsletter, e-zine or website? For a no-obligation quote send an e-mail to lynchlarrym@gmail.com

A Few More Tropical Pacific Ocean Game Fish You Should Know About

2006-04-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

The warm, tropical waters off the Pacific coasts of Mexico to South America provide a treasure trove of opportunities for the “catch of a lifetime”. Even common food fish grow to tackle-busting size and ferocity in the teeming waters that beach Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. There’s truly something to keep every angler hookin’ and haulin’ denizens of the not-so-deep. Here are some sport favorites that’ll put a smirk on your face in no time. In the article, “Tropical Pacific Ocean Game Fish You Should Know” you met some tropical Pacific Ocean species you’re likely to encounter south of the border. These species are right there along with them south of the border too. Here are more of the “Pacific Coast Posse”. The common name is listed above the scientific name.

Jurel or Jurelillo
Caranx Caninus

Commonly sizing in at 25 to 40 cm in length and weighing in at 4 to 6 pounds, Jurel can get up to 12 or more line-busting pounds. They swim in fairly large schools near the surface over areas with sandy bottoms. They are most abundant during the months of December to March and are commonly fished for using live bait fish or lead head jigs. Crab and squid will also get you action from this dark-fleshed scrapper. In South America, the fish is often smoked or salted.

Burique or Cojinuda
Caranx Caballus

The pan-sized Burique is generally used as a bait fish. Ranging from 20 to 30 cm in length and weighing about a pound each. More abundant from May through the summer months, they can be jigged and are especially well caught at night from small boats and even canoes. They’ll hit squid, hermit crab and shrimp equally well and swim in large schools near the surface. The mouths of streams and estuaries that empty into the sea are good hot spots. Deep-fried they make a good meal on their own too. So be sure to save a couple or so to try out for yourself.

Bravo
Seriola Dorsalis

This deep-water denizen ranges from 50 to 60 cm in length and can weigh from 15 to 25 pounds. They swim in groups of 8 to 20 fish in deep waters near shore, frequenting rocky areas adjacent to sandy bottoms. Many caught during the months of June to November using live bait of small fish or squid. An excellent eating fish, its size usually requires it to be filleted. It’s good in soups and stews and the thick fillets grill nicely as well. Sharks are a natural predator of Bravo, so where there’s Bravo, there are often Bull sharks. Be careful. You might want to read the blog post entitled, “A Shark Tale”. You’ll see what I mean.

Good luck on your next fishing trip.

Tropical Pacific Ocean Game Fish You Should Know

2006-04-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

If you’re salt water fishing the Pacific Coast from Mexico, Central America to Ecuador, here are some species of game fish you’re likely to meet while trolling, long lining or jigging natural live baits in deep, warm waters near the coastline. The common names are listed above the scientific name.

Aguja (Needle fish or Dagger Fish)
Strongylura Scapularis

Aguja is a unique, green-boned predator that fights to the death. The long mouth is filled to the brim with rows of needle-sharp teeth and its slender, streamlined torso give it the name “Needles”. Seventy to one hundred cm in length and weighing up to 20 or more pounds, they can mate in as little as every 15 days. When they reach a meter or more in length, they can be quite dangerous to the inexperienced Aguja fisherman. I have the scars to prove it. They’ll go for a variety of live baits including flying fish or fresh cut bait on treble hooks and are abundant year-round. They’re best caught very early in the morning or at night near bait fish feeding grounds. Aguja is one of the most sought-after eating fish on the Pacific Coast. They’re absolutely delicious despite the strange-looking lime green bones.

Sierra, Common Sierra or Castilla
Scomberomorus Sierra

These fierce, voracious predators range from 20 to 40 cm in length and typically weigh from 6 to 8 pounds of lure-slamming, fighting fury. They’ll be more abundant during the months of June, July and August. Open waters near the coast or adjacent to coral formations are common hot spots these toothy targets that hit silver spoons with fish-catching regularity. Live bait of bait fish, squid or sardines work very well too. Their normal forage also includes shrimp and small crabs. Another of the most sought-after eating fish on the Pacific Coast.

Dorado (also known as Chimbila)
Coryphaena Hippurus

Most commonly caught in the length of 80 to 90 cm, weighing 12 to 15 pounds, they can measure one meter or more in length and weigh up to 30 pounds. They like tranquil waters near the surface and will hit top water plugs that imitate live bait fish. Extremely abundant during the months of December and January, they are often easily spotted feeding at or very near the surface. Watch for jumping, fleeing schools of panicked small fish. They’re normally loners, but can travel in small groups of up to eight fish. Their aerial acrobatics make them loads of fun to hook, but tricky to land.

Make a hookup with any of these denizens of the not-so-deep and I guarantee you won’t get bored. If you want to meet them all in a day or two, try some of their known “hangouts” near the Utria National Park waters at Ensenada off Colombia’s Pacific Coast. They’ll all be thereabouts from December through March. If you’d like to see some photos of members of this “Pacific Coast Posse”, e-mail the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com .

Good luck on your next fishing trip.

A Shark Tale

2006-01-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

Sweat erupted all over the fisherman’s body. The strain of pulling against the as yet unseen force below rippled the muscles in his arms and torso. Blood ran in trickles down the opaque monofilament line cutting into his hands dripping into the open Pacific Ocean as if to some instinctive ritual rhythm. The Bull shark rose towards the surface slowly. There was no hurry. It spun the hand hewn dugout canoe in a lazy circle like the hand of clock running backwards. He could see it now. It looked nearly as long as the canoe. He got to his knees for better leverage.

On the next pass a cold, unblinking left eye met his. Knowing it was hooked, it bolted for deeper water nearly capsizing the canoe. Warm bile-colored urine quietly ran down his leg in a soft stream to mix with the turquoise seawater that now half-filled the dugout. Minutes later it rose to just below the surface, still circling. Unafraid now, it stared at him pulling against the line. Salt water and tears stung his eyes. An eerie acrid smell assailed his nostrils. An icy grip clutched at his heart. He thought of his wife and children. Tomorrow would be Christmas.
But today, one of them was going to die.

This was a three week fishing vacation on the Pacific Coast of the Choco Region of Colombia. I'd moved up to do some salt water big game fishing in addition to pursuit of other species in freshwater rivers, like the Chori, Jurubida and Tribuga that empty their tropical rain forest fed waters into the Pacific. Fifty-pound plus catfish species and monster Red Snapper often fed just outside these river mouths. Other bragging-size predator fish like Sierra, Aguja, Tuna, Albacore, Wahoo and Dorado also frequently feed in these areas. Sharks frequent the area too, lots of sharks.

A Bull Shark

Fishing guide Pepe Lopez and I caught a two meter long Bull Shark on Saturday, the 24th of December 2005 that was harassing a local fisherman in a three and a half meter long dugout canoe just outside of Utria Ensenada National Park. The shark had already swallowed the fisherman’s bait: a whole, live 18-inch long Tuna and was circling the fisherman and his canoe. The shark still had the 120 pound test nylon line and double number four hook rig in its mouth and was spinning the canoe and fisherman in circles. The fisherman still had the other end of the line providing tension against the fish. The line could hold the fish but was no match for the razor-lined jaws. Soon the line would be bitten through or break from the strain and repeated abrasion of the shark’s sandpaper-like skin. Now if you’re thinking, “Just cut the line and the shark will go away”, then you don’t know Bull Sharks. No chance. It had just eaten a free, easy meal and was looking for the next course. That shark wasn’t going anywhere, at least not just yet.

You Do the Math

If the fisherman won, he could look forward to a hefty payday. The shark’s fins alone would command a tidy sum at regional markets, while the shark’s meat, called “Toyo”, is a highly-prized commodity on its own. The situation didn’t look too good for the home team at the point we joined in though. Two meter long Bull shark, one of the three most dangerous and aggressive shark species in the world, three and a half meter long wooden dugout canoe with no motor, just single-paddle manpower. No stun gun. No machete. No knife. The shark had just swallowed a free, easy meal and was on the make for yet another. They were miles from shore on the shark’s turf. You do the math.

If the Bull shark broke, capsized or sunk the canoe and won – well, the fisherman would never see home again. In this region of the world, “it happens all the time” said Doris Lopez a resident of Jurubida, a local fishing village. Fortunately, our boat was a seven meter long heavy wooden launch equipped with an outboard motor. We also happened to have a detachable head harpoon with 250 pound test braided line and a wooden float attached. As we approached the scene the fisherman frantically waved for help. The look of terror on his face spoke volumes. Salt spray stung our eyes and nostrils. Our lips tasted of brine. The wind-whipped, humid air reeked of death.

A Friendly Chat

Only an hour or so ago we had pulled alongside and chatted briefly with him. He was after Bravo and fished a single live-baited line with a double-hook rig weighted to a depth of about thirty feet. The live bait of choice was Tuna which run in schools of 40 or so and are from 14 to 20 inches long weighing six to ten pounds in these waters. Already he had two thirty-pound Bravo in his hand hewn dugout canoe and was going for the hat trick. A third Bravo had “just thrown the Tuna bait and broached the surface, apparently spooked by something else”, the fisherman related. He wasn’t sure what. The shark was worked up to a depth where he and it could see each other. That’s when all hell broke loose. It then became a fight in earnest but the home team was losing ground.

The Final Battle

We circled the scene and decided to harpoon the beast to aid in the battle to first tire, then subdue it. Three of us took nearly an hour to vanquish and land the menace. The fisherman’s original nylon line finally broke under the strain. I manned the gaff. Finally, we had to knock it out using an oar with repeated heavy blows to the gills and brain areas above and behind the eyes. We killed it and hauled the creature onboard our launch. The fisherman cut out his double-hook rig and took the shark's dorsal and front fins which were worth almost as much as all of the rest of the shark. He headed off in his battle scarred dugout to Bahia Solano. That was the last we saw him and never got his name. Pepe sold the shark carcass to a commercial fishing vessel, the “ARES”, whose captain took it south along Colombia’s Pacific coast to the port of Buenaventura for weighing and wholesale. Interestingly enough, my wife and I took this same boat ourselves back to Buenaventura on the return trip home the next day. On the same trip in fact, as the shark.

Prof Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He lives in Cali, Colombia, fishes the South American Pacific coast, Amazon and Orinoco River basins for exotic salt water and fresh water game and food fish. For no-obligation information on how to get original, exclusive Exotic fishing stories, fishing technique articles, fishing-action photography and one-of-a-kind content for your fishing-related newsletter, blog or website contact him today at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com for more free, action photo-packed, South American fishing adventure articles.

How to Hand Craft Your First Salt Water Fishing Lure

2005-11-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

The surface of the water explodes, adrenaline shoots through your body. Your muscles lock you into position for a fight against whatever has just smashed your top water plug. No doubt about it, you’re in for a scrap. You sweat, ache, curse and pray you’ll get the fish into the boat. Your heart pounds as you wonder, “Will my knots hold? Did I set the hooks deep enough? Will everything hold together long enough for me to get this fish in?” The eventual catch is made all the sweeter by one outstanding fact – YOU hand crafted this plug yourself. It was you who dreamed it, whittled it, sanded it, painted it, and fabricated its every facet. Now you have your dividends in spades. There’s a fish on. But first, let’s hand craft a minnow-imitation, Rapala type lure.

Hand Crafting a Lure

To hand craft wooden top water fishing plugs requires minimal equipment. Here’s what you basically need:

- 5” long Wooden plug blanks, sawed off from an old broom or mop handle You can also use wooden dowel stock

- A whittling knife or a box-cutter with break-off blades

- Small cans of white, red, yellow and blue enamel paint to color the lure

- Two Plastic doll eyes for each lure (the kind where the black eye part moves around)

- 3 or 4 Long-threaded screw eyes in brass or stainless to attach hooks and leaders

- A small spool of red or white sewing thread for wrapping on buck tails

- 3 or 4 number 5, 6 or 7 stainless steel split rings to attach hooks and leaders

- Barrel swivels to help prevent line twist above the leader

- A few 3” to 4” square pieces of medium to fine sandpaper to finish the lure surface

- 4” lengths of nylon ribbon or nylon rope to make the buck tail

- A tube of Super glue to cement in the screw eyes into the plug body

- Rubber cement to seal the thread wrapping of the buck tail

- A little love, patience and a sense of pride to add to the patina of your work

Lure Assembly Procedure

The procedure is simply to whittle down the wooden plug into a minnow-like shape, then sand the plug body to a smooth finish. Screw in the screw eyes, back them out, fill the holes with super glue then immediately screw them back in. You’ll need one screw eye in the head, one in the belly and a tail screw eye. Paint the lure with a color pattern of your choice. The lure assembly should thoroughly dry for at least a day in good sun. You want solvent odors and residue gone completely.

Make big, bug-eyed lures

Attach lure eyes with super glue. Use the largest doll eyes that you can for the lure size. Yes, the bigger, the better. They drive the fish nuts, so you want a big-eyed lure. Attach hooks to belly and tail screw eyes using split rings. Wrap a buck tail on to the tail hook shank using the sewing thread. I like red thread with a white buck tail. Coat the thread with rubber cement to seal it. Use a fine comb to “comb out” the buck tail so it’s nice and fluffy. It should be just a bit longer than the hook. I use a moustache comb and small scissors to trim it up just so.

Attaching Terminal Tackle

Clip or tie on your leader or leader material. For strictly salt water use, I always use stainless steel wire leaders which are wrapped or double-looped and hand-tied on. The lure assembly should thoroughly dry for at least a day in good sun. You want solvent odors and residue gone before its baptism in seawater.

The final step is to test your lure by trolling it a moderate speed about thirty yards behind your boat. Just be ready for an explosive strike. Then, the surface of the water explodes …

Prof Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He lives in Cali, Colombia, fishes the South American Pacific coast, Amazon and Orinoco River basins for exotic salt water and fresh water game and food fish. For no-obligation information on how to get original, exclusive Exotic fishing stories, fishing technique articles, fishing-action photography and one-of-a-kind content for your fishing-related newsletter, blog or website contact him today at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com for a free, action photo-packed, South American fishing adventure article.

"The Man Who Makes Little Fish from Sticks"

2005-11-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

Wearing only a green loincloth, a barefooted indian approached me. Lean and muscular, his straight black hair hung down past his ears in a “page boy” style cut typical of “Cholos” or straight-haired people. His flat, broad feet were caked with sand. A two and a half foot long machete was slung across his back by a braided vine thong. A small drawstring pouch hung by its cords under one arm. We looked at each other. Glancing down at the scattering of wood shavings around my feet, the Embera finally broke the silence.

“What are you doing?”, he asked in his native tongue.

“I’m making a fishing lure.”

Tipping his head curiously, he squinted at the near minnow-shaped blank of wood in my hands. I continued whittling. More wood shavings fell around his feet. He didn’t move. The Pacific Ocean surf roared and pounded like a lullaby no more than 100 yards away down the sand-paved street. Late afternoon had painted the sky with burnt orange and purple hues. A light breeze easily carried the salt scent to us and felt refreshing against the crushing humidity.

“It will be like one of these”, I said in Spanish, holding up another finished minnow-imitation top water plug. The Rapala-type fishing lure had been finished only yesterday.

Heavy rain and roiling seas had scuttled any fishing plans I’d had for earlier this morning. In the clear afternoon, I opted to work on a couple of lures to pass the sauna-like conditions of Colombia’s Pacific coast. The Choco region is one of the wettest regions in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. More than 43 and a half feet of rain fall each year – enough to flood a building above its fourth floor.

He took a lure from my hands and turned, holding it up, to show another more elderly Indian man who now approached. They spoke a bit between themselves, turning the lure over and over in their hands, mindful of the tail and mid-body stainless steel treble hooks. The first man undulated the lure in a swimming motion imitating a dancing, bobbing fish. Smiling, he handed it back to me.

“I’ve never seen anything like that”, the tan skinned man continued. “Do you have more?”

I nodded a response.

“Do you sell them?”

“Not these. I’ll be using these myself tomorrow.”

“The fish will really like these, especially this one”. He pointed to a red-headed five inch minnow imitation lure with a white body: Its treble hooks glinted in the evening sunlight.

“I hope so.” He proved right couple of days later as I fought a 14-pound Dorado to the gunnels of my boat. My hands cut and bleeding, it took two of us to sling the blue and gold, spotted scrapper up and into the locally built 25 foot wooden launch. I would sport a shameless, white-toothed grin all the way home that morning.

Showing off a few more of my finished lures, we conversed a bit more. They left in wonder at my ability to “make little fish from sticks”. So from that day on, I have been known by the Embera Indians of the Jurubida region of the Choco, as “The man who makes little fish from sticks”. Kinda of catchy, ain’t it? I still can’t quite say it correctly in the Embera’s language, but let me tell you, it’s a mouthful.

Prof Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He lives in Cali, Colombia, fishes the South American Pacific coast, Amazon and Orinoco River basins for exotic salt water and fresh water game and food fish. For no-obligation information on how to get original, exclusive Exotic fishing stories, fishing technique articles, fishing-action photography and one-of-a-kind content for your fishing-related newsletter, blog or website contact him today at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com for a free, action photo-packed, South American fishing adventure article.

Make Your Own Dynamite Salt Water Plugs for 75 cents or Less

2005-11-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

blue yellow treble hook plug

When I saw the price on a minnow-imitation lure I gasped. At those prices I’d have to take up needlepoint to be able to afford a hobby. But I practically have salt water in my blood having been raised on the Chesapeake Bay. I wasn’t about to give up the seemingly endless stream of days and nights on gently rolling seas fighting the adrenaline-pumping pull of Tautog, Striped Bass, Weakfish, slammer Blues, Spots, Croakers and the occasional eel or small shark. It didn’t take me long to exhaust a string of options leaving only one sensible answer: make my own salt water lures.

Now I’m about as handy as an elephant trying to crochet while wearing mittens. But the craft of lure making can be an amazingly simple one. Besides piquing my interest and developing some first rate manual skills, it really is a lot of fun and kept me out of trouble on many a cold, rainy weekend when they weren’t bitin’ anyway. Now an “old hand” at lure making, if I can produce fish-catching salt water lures, believe me, you can too.

Two of the easiest and most practical lures to make and use are spoons and top water plugs. Cheapskate that I can be, I’ve learned to make highly effective spoons and plugs that fish slam without hesitation out of materials available for free or at low cost. My arsenal of lures cost me less than the price of a big lunch. Here’s how:

Top Water Plugs
An old broom handle will make eight or nine good plugs 5 inches long.

Saw them off to length, then drill an eighth inch diameter hole through the center the length of the wooden blank. You’ll need a seven inch long piece of heavy wire to run through the length of the plug. A dismantled wire coat hanger snipped off to length makes through-wire for four or five plugs, depending on their length.

The wire is bent into a closed loop front and back to attach terminal tackle and the rear hook. Taper the plug’s front end to 45 degrees, use brass or non-corroding screw eyes to attach salt water treble hooks below and behind the body.

Add plastic doll eyes for a more realistic look. Eyes are available at craft supply shops. The solid, molded ones come in a variety of sizes and last forever.

Paint with acrylics. Follow the most common color schemes of commercial plugs or experiment with your own. A florescent orange body top water plug with bulging white / black eyes and a streamer of green hair around the rear treble hook nearly brought me to tears one trip. The fish just wouldn’t leave it alone!

Costs? Let’s see: a length of broom handle – free, wire coat hanger – free, doll’s eyes a nickel each, 8 ounce can of acrylic paint – one dollar seventy five cents, but one can will paint dozens of lures. Usually two colors are used. Terminal tackle about 30 cents per lure – tops. The whole thing totals out at less than 70 cents each lure when I’m spending "BIG".

Save a TON of money, have fun and catch more fish by making your own salt water lures. Lure making can soon change from a pastime into a profitable endeavor if you hit on a hot combination and start making them for your friends. If you have a child or grandchild who fishes, teaching them can add to the irresistible allure of the sport. A number of online and offline publications are available to deepen your lure-making knowledge and skills. Don’t cry if you lose a lure, you can easily fabricate its twin. Besides, by making your own lures, for the price of one commercial lure you can finance the fabrication of literally dozens of your own. Let me know how you make out. I’ve just finished a fresh batch I’m itching to try out.

See you later, I’ve gone fishin’

Piranha: Deadly and Delicious

2005-11-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Amazon

The Amazon is filled with danger. Soldier ants march by the millions devouring all life in their path. Submerged up to the eyes, Crocodiles lie in wait for the unwary – whatever or whoever that may be. Undulating its 20-foot length beneath the surface, the Anaconda, one of the world’s largest snakes, uses heat-seeking guidance to find its next meal. The barbed stinger in the tail of platter-sized stingrays can inflict a wound that takes months to heal. But none of these carry the fearsome mystique of the voracious Piranha, the perfect killing machine.

The Perfect Killing Machine

They had it even before we knew what was happening. My rod bowed in prayer to something below the tea-colored water’s surface. The six-pound test line danced like a cat on a hot pavement. All hell had broken loose. Beads of sweat rolled down Doris' back. Her clothes were now a second skin, clinging to her every move. We panted for breath. We had fish on. The silvery oval-shaped body and red belly of a Piranha broke the surface. I reached for it. "Don't let a finger get near their mouths or you'll lose it", our native guide barked.

Minutes earlier, I shuddered from a breeze escaping from somewhere up ahead despite 85 degree-plus heat. The double-digit humidity didn't help either. A maddening buzz filled my ears, but thanks my coating of Vick's Vapor Rub, the blood-suckers wouldn't feast on me. My eyes burned. My nose dripped. A coffee-table-sized leaf or hanging branch slapped into me every few steps. Curses burst from my lips even with my best efforts to become as one with the rainforest, as the indian had.

Our fishing rods extended from 18" to five and a half feet. I'd hoped the light mono would suffice, although I'd squirreled away spools of twelve and twenty pound test as an afterthought. If we tagged into a 50-plus pound Tambaqui even that wouldn’t be enough. Vines as thick as my wrist dipped into light coffee-colored waters making little ripples as it slid past roots and fallen branches. Tangled growth matted the gentle slope of the bank into tea-with-milk colored wetness. I’d flicked a thumbnail-sized chunk of bloody chicken liver on a barb-less hook with a split shot into a dinner plate-sized swirl just beside a snarl of mangrove roots jutting upwards through the surface.

Minutes later, his tanned skin gleaming with moisture, our guide demonstrated the efficiency of the scissor-like teeth. A green leaf held near the gaping mouth instantly sported a neat, crescent-shaped bite. Three heavy blows to the head prepared the killer for cleaning. After cleaning, the Embera made a series of diagonal cuts along each side of the fish. Into these he carefully rubbed a mixture of salt, garlic, and ground roots from a small gourd he carried. A simple shaved branch frame held the fish over a smoky fire of glowing coals. The firm toasted flesh tasted smooth and a bit earthy, like a seasoned and mellowed catfish. With a wink and a sly nod towards Doris he said. “Make these heads into soup and you will need many wives”. She glanced at me with a puzzled look. I smiled.

Like a shark

Ranging through South America from Brazil to the lowlands of Peru, they also inhabit waters in Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. In the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers of Brazil and the Orinoco River in Venezuela, no creature is safe from the Piranha’s razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaws. The serrated teeth fit together like scissors, enabling Piranha to cut the flesh from their prey. Like a shark, a Piranha’s teeth are replaceable, when one breaks off a new one grows in its place.

The Yagua Indians

The Yagua Indians of Peru often use the sharp edges between the teeth of a Piranha jawbone to sharpen the point of their blowgun darts. A fish that is dying or swimming erratically will be quickly attacked by a large school. Piranha will also attack without warning to defend their eggs and territory. A wounded animal that strays into the water will be stripped to the bone so quickly it seems almost to “dance” on the surface as it’s ravaged from beneath. A bird that falls into the water will be gone, feathers and all, in three minutes or less. A trapped fish struggling in a net will be chewed clean to the head in a matter of seconds. Attacks on large animals and humans are often dramatically portrayed, but are rare. In some regions Piranha are known as "donkey castrators".

A President Speaks

"They will rend and devour alive any wounded man or beast.” U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt said, adding, “Piranha are the most ferocious fish in the world." Piranha, also called Caribe or Piraya only furthered their fearsome mystique when Roosevelt encountered them during his exploits in 1914. There are about 35 known species of Piranha but only five species represent a danger to man. Species range from the Red-Belly Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) with its characteristic red belly to the largest of the carnivorous species, the Black Piranha with its demon-red eyes and a 17 and a half inch long dark body weighing up to ten pounds. It could remove a man’s hand in two or three bites.

Piranha Head Soup

Most species dine on fruit or seeds that fall into the water from overhanging trees. The fish are not always aggressive. Women wash clothes in knee-deep water where men spearfish while children bathe or swim in these same Piranha-infested waters without harm. Further adding to the Piranha’s mystique, Indian men with half a dozen wives and up to a score of children attribute their potency to Piranha-head soup, although no scientific justification for the soup’s potency yet exists.

Fishing for Piranha

Piranhas are usually part of indigenous peoples diet in the areas where the fish are found. All you need to go Piranha fishing are lines with a metal leader next to the hook so the fish doesn't bite through the line, a supply of red, raw meat (worms or cut-up fish will do too) and a bit of luck. Piranha swim in large schools and are attracted by movement and blood. In May of 1999, hundreds of anglers armed with rods, reels, and raw steak flocked to the Brazilian town of Aracatuba near Sao Paolo for a one-Sunday piranha fishing tournament. The townspeople had declared open season on the flesh-eating fish, which had decimated other species in the local river. The prize for the tournament was an outboard motor. But “most fishermen were content to go home with plenty of the reputedly aphrodisiac piranha”, claimed then town spokesman Nelson Custidio.

A Taste You're Sure to Enjoy

Piranha, earning their notorious reputation by reportedly killing 1,200 head of cattle every year in Brazil, is some of the best eating in South America. Whatever name you call them and no matter where you try them, when cooked in a variety of ways, their firm light flesh with its smooth, slightly nutty flavor, is a taste you’re sure to enjoy.