___ ENSENADA:  Ivan Villarino Vonney's Fleet said pangas fishing the tip of Punta Banda were limiting on lingcod, rockfish, and olive rockfish (Johnny bass), in light breezes and partly cloudy weather in the high-60's.  Ocean swells were about 3 feet and water temperatures averaged 59 degrees, Villarino said.

Earlier, Steve and Gail Ross ran into some giant squid in Bahia Todos Santos aboard his boat the Bad Dog:
"We got called by Melody who said they were catching giant squid.  With a shot on the ADF, we headed right for her.  I positioned Bad Dog just up swell, and Gail and I both sent chrome PL68s down with frozen squids attached.
"I immediately got bit on the bottom and reeled up that night's dinner, a nice 3-pound red vermilion, and Gail brought up a nice lingcod, almost 4 pounds.  But no giant squid.
"The next drop, I hit the bottom and began reeling up when I got slammed right under the boat.  Then it fell off.  I was pretty close to the boat, so I left it at that depth, and wham, again, and again, and again.  Nothing was sticking.  And when Gail retrieved her iron and got to the same depth she got slammed, again, and again, and finally hers stuck.  I must have lost 12 of them.
"Sure enough, this ferocious squid came to the surface about 10 feet out, and Gail smoothly brought this monster within gaffing range, and I went down and brought the gaff through...nothing.  This giant squid inked right at the boat.  It was a huge cloud.  I went for him again and this time I hit solid head meat and dragged him on board and we both went high five and stared at this monster on the deck.  He was moving all over the place with his tentacles in the air trying to grab something to hold onto, and he was flashing his colors.
"I picked him off the deck and dropped him into the bait tank.  That wasn't easy as he was heavy and slippery.  Melody said they weighed 20 pounds, and ours was every bit of that.
"He flashed his colors from dark purple-red to fluorescent white.  The white was awesome.  Then he would turn and look at you with one of his huge eyes and turn dark red in anger, slashing around looking for someone to hurt.  Well, rock cod and calamari for dinner Saturday night and calamari tonight again."

Return to the main page