FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

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(Please excuse any errors, or in the words of K.A. Conway, alternative facts.  So much information I could never get it all right but I will do the best I can from this old memory.)

Peru North

I read about the old Big Game Fishing Club that was established in Cabo Blanco on the north coast of Peru.  Ernest Hemingway and a group of hard core early offshore anglers opened a club after a world record blue marlin was caught that weighed over 700kgs, that is a big fish!  After a few years the ocean currents changed and the fish left and the club fell into disrepair.  Now there are reports of the return of the fish.  So I signed up for 2 days of fishing.

It was definitely not the “season’ but I gave it a go.  Unfortunately no marlin, not a bite.  So while that was a bummer, since we have boated 4 marlin in 6 days of fishing prior to this trip I was probably due to strike out.  But I sure enjoyed our time on the coast of Northern Peru.

So I wanted to make a trek to Cabo Blanco and see the old pictures and just like Australia, just revel in the history of the place.  As I grow older it is not all about the catching but all about the memories, and having dinner in Cabo Blanco was a highlight.  While my fishing luck was not that great there is so much potential.

Inkaterra, a resort we stayed at in the Amazon and the base of Machu Picchu. is building a new resort at Cabo Blanco.  The beaches are beautiful and stretch for miles.  On our walks we saw maybe one or 2 people at anytime.  And this area is famous for surfing so there were lots of backpackers.

The photographs on the wall of the old days, big tuna, marlin, swordfish, they caught it all.

We had a guide on our 2 days of fishing who was great.  A degree in Marine Science she added so much to the trip.  She is a whale shark expert who is working with the local fishermen to educate them on how the whole system works together.  They was initially resistant thinking she was out to take away their fish, now they trust here and help her whenever they can.

I did get the pleasure of seeing my first ocean sunfish, which was awesome.  The sea lions were breeding, and having her along to fill in all the details made a couple of slow fishing days just fine.  I really learned a lot about the local subsistence fishermen.  A few extra bucks in their pocket but basically they fish to feed their extended families.  Most fish out of a bamboo raft, and some were as far out as 5 miles.  It is a tough life and balancing their need for fish with the needs of the environment are complicated, but a little education is going a long way.

It is so interesting how they use other logs to roll their boat into the surf and then out to fish with their nets.  I spoke with a couple and like all Peruvians they were so nice and accommodating.

I watched the boatman re-sew his nets before he headed out.

********************Get inhaled!

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Our guide, Alejandra.  She liked to bend the elbow a little.

https://www.facebook.com/TiburonBallenaPeru/

This is her facebook page on her research, and while it is in Spanish there are some great pictures of the whale shark.  She was plain and simple an awesome person who is doing what she can to educate the local fisherman.  And she tells me that during the season it takes about 15 minutes to see a whale shark and it is possible to see many during a day.  And I am sure snorkeling with one has to be one the great adventures in the ocean.

Frigates everywhere, and sea lions doing the nasty.

Headed out.   A harpoon at the ready in case of a sunbathing swordfish.

Though the fishing left something to be desired on day 1 we stopped and caught some ground fish and made ceviche right on the boat.  They are sure proud of their ceviche on the North coast, and we had some at our resort.

It does not get any fresher than this!

So while the fishing was less than stellar the experience was worth it all.  Having Alejandra along with days was so nice, she was a wealth of information and knowledge.  I find the local fishermen so interesting, up early wand work hard all day to feed their family. a lifestyle so different than ours.  And the area is a happening waiting to boom.  When the fish are there it is possible to catch tuna, marlin, sailfish, and swords.  So who knows, maybe I will get back there during a season.

The North Coast

The Boss.  The resort.

We landed at Talara, an air force base turned into a civil airport after the war with Ecuador.  It has opened the north of Peru with flights everyday, while in the past there was only 3 flights a week.  The resort was stunning and the food both there and in town was great.  They had a dry summer and the land was arid.  It really reminded me of Big Bend.

A little octopus and ceviche 3 ways, along with a cool adult beverage.  It does not get much better than this.

This area is a big oil area, and Talara is the center.  We actually got lucky the day after we left to head to the Amazon the fishermen blocked the Pan American Highway, the only way to get around up here, letting no vehicles through for several days.  The dispute is over drilling.  Every where you go the people tell you how corrupt the government is, and the fishermen were protesting the new drilling deals the president make with the oil companies.  To bad.  This area is beautiful and could explode both in fishing and tourism, but all it will take is one big spill to ruin it all.  So it will be waiting game to see how it works out.

A beautiful way to end our visit to Northern Peru.

Peru

Sorry for the disjointed report, after 15 days it all runs together.  But I wanted to say a couple of words about the people and the country.  This may have been my favorite trip yet.  The people are so nice.  (In fact, I would not trade a day in Peru for a week in Italy.  The people here really do appreciate tourists and are a hell of lot nicer than many places we have visited.)  While the Boss had guides and translators waiting for us at each stop, if you have a basic Spanish vocabulary, and many Peruvians have a basic English vocabulary, you can easily get along.

Food and drinks are so freakin’ cheap and delicious.  Rainbow trout, guinea pig, alpaca, fish, chicken, there is something for everyone on the menu.  Coca tea and leaves are chewed and drank all over Peru.  Not sure if it helped with my touch of altitude sickness, but it sure could not have hurt.

That is all this morning.  I am recovering from a tough cold that of course I got when I got home.  It happens.  Today is packing and organizing for the trip to the Chandeleurs.  Tim from Wade Right just talked to the captain who is returning from a trip and he reports limits of 3 – 4lb trout.  Who could not be excited about that.  So I will be out of touch a few days but as soon as I get back there will be reports a plenty.  So keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines