East Cape Classic raises
LOS BARILLES
LOS BARRILES, BCS-As the more than 160 anglers participating in the annual 2008 Lynn Rose East Cape Classics began arriving here Oct. 22, the quiet and calm Sea of Cortez got hit with the beginning of a major north wind.
This writer was out in it, aboard the cruiser Don Antonio out of Palmas de Cortez with skipper Raul, his son Raul, and a second deckhand we have fished with before, Danny. Things were looking good at first, as the boats all lined out watching for porpoises, but when we found them, the quick-feeding tuna didn't hang around to be caught, and we had no hookups at all. Neither did many of the other boats.
So we resorted to blind trolling, and by the time the building north wind had us ready to holler "no mas", we only had two dorado to show for the days efforts, and one more lost one at the boat. The next 3 days were dedicated to photo-taking and the tournament itself, and we were hoping for the best.
The flare-gun start, fired by Lynn Rose and Chucky VanWormer, was at 7:30 Thursday morning, and the 51 boats took off amid already-blowing winds, heading in all directions of the compass. By 2 p.m. they were already straggling back in, and results weren't bad at all, although some boats came back empty.
A few of the boats came back with plenty of fish, and the Don Antonio managed a 79-pound yellowfin for young Max Klein of Los Angeles and his dad, Steve, but his bid for the daily tuna jackpot was put to rest by Mike Huff aboard the Senorita Bonita, with an 81-pound tuna. The Balli Hoo with Chip Plomteaux of Las Vegas and Bo Nelson of San Diego did well, though, with a 75-pound sailfish, 110-pound striper, 150-pound blue, 43-pound dorado and two other dodos.
Phil Thure of Riverside and Bruce Campbell came in with a sailfish, a blue, a 43-pound wahoo and a 44-pound dorado aboard the El Borracho, and the Dorado came in with 11 dorado to 23 pounds fishing north towards Cerralvo Island. The first day saw 8 blue marlin, 5 stripers and 18 sailfish caught for a total of 31 billfish. The return trip was tough on all the boats in the wind.
Day two began with wind again, and again there were a number of boats with no or little action, but Derek Barnes of Boerne, Texas, did manage a 115-pound big-shouldered yellowfin aboard the Rude Boy that turned out to be the biggest of the derby, and Los Amigos landed two blues estimated at 250 and 350 pounds, plus a dorado.
The J & B really got into the dorado, landing 29 of them, but not one big enough to win, plus two tuna to 25 pounds. Gregory Connick of Riveside aboard the Boracho II caught a 61-pound wahoo, and the Malintini traveled to the north end of Cerralvo Island towards the 88 bank for 13 tuna, 2 dorado and a sailfish for anglers John Stein of San Diego and Ed Watt of Hemet. The tuna were almost all in the 30- to 45-pound range. On day 2 there was 1 black marlin landed, along with 6 blues, 5 stripers and 11 saild for a total of 23.
Day 3 began calmer than the day before, but with the promise of more wind. Again, it wasn't a great day for many of the boats, but some of the highlights were the Fresh Catch coming in with Wally Nachman of San Diego landing a 67-pound tuna and three others of 41, 42 and 46 pounds.
Some boats, like the El Dorado with Phil Caldera Jr. of Norco, Phil Sr. and Dick Delacy of Upland went outside over 50 miles for a 72-pound tuna and a few others, finding it quieter outside than inside.
Final results of the derby ended up with Chip Plomteaux and Bo Nelson coming in first aboard the Balihoo, even though they didn't add any points on the final day. A total of 87 billfish were landed by the 51 boats.
Second place went to Team NHRA with Dave McClelland, Herman Peterson, Marvin Graham and Steve Gibbs aboard the Jul-Kate, and third place went to Carl Olsom and Siep Bueneker aboard the Mahi Mahi.
The largest tuna went to Derek Barnes for his 115 pounder, and Bruce Campbell caught the largest dorado at 44 pounds. Derby winners each pocketed about $2000 apiece, and they were Bruce Campbell for his dorado on day one, Derek Barnes for his 115-pound tuna on day two, and Carl Olson for his dorado on day three. The Super Derby winner was Phil Caldera Jr.
The approximately $20,000 netted from the event was turned over to the city of Los Barriles with the intent of creating drainage for a season swampy area near town that has harbored dengue disease each year during the rainy season. Another successful tournament where the winnings went to the locals, and the participants all had a great time.
The VanWormers, through Palmas de Cortez and Playa del Sol, and their staff were once again the best of hosts, providing excellent accommodations and meals, including the first night Italian Feast put on by Dante, who brought much of the preparation material down with him. He also won the Shoreline Derby with a 6-pound pompano.
Next year, the La Paz Classic, where anglers fish both the La Paz side and the Las Arenas side and the money goes toward the old folks home in town, will be June 3-7, and the 20th Annual East Cape Classic with be held Oct. 21-25. "This will be a big one," said Rose.
For more information on booking trips to the Sea of Cortez or elsewhere, and for information on the two Classics, contact Lynn Rose Tours at 1 (800) 525-9527 or online at lynnrose@msn.com or visit their website at lynnrosetours.com.
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