Phil Friedman Outdoors

Video: Pelican hooked and dragged by angler on the Redondo Pier

This is the kind of thing that gives fishermen a bad name everywhere.  A YouTube video posted on January 23 by AchromaticCosmos shows a man on the Redondo Pier swinging his fishing rod at several pelicans. 

During this shameful encounter, one of the pelicans swallows the mans bait with a hook in it: still attached to his rod and reel.  The man looks at the hooked bird for several moments presumably trying to figure out how to extract the hook  before dragging the helpless bird across the pier.

 

This whole incident could have been avoided if the man in question never started swinging his rod and the hungry fowl. Fishermen have to remember that they have entered these creatures world; a world that needs to be revered and respected. 

You never want to cut the line of a hooked pelican or any other bird as the trailing line may become entangled and result in further injury or death to the bird. Covering the birds head with a towel or blanket will calm the bird down and make it easier to remove the hook.

If you do hook a pelican locate the hook and push it through the skin until you can clearly see the barb. Cut the barb off and back the rest of the hook off. You never want to pull the hook out without first removing the barb as it can cause major injury. If the bird is not seriously wounded, release it immediately. 

If you are not sure what to do or you find that the hook has been swallowed or is deeply embedded, call for help. You local humane society is a good place to start while South Bay locals can call the Marine Animal Rescue in Marina del Rey at 310 560 6284 or the International Bird Rescue in Palos Verdes at 310 514 2573. 

While waiting for help to arrive, keep try to get the bird in to a large box with a towel at the bottom. Try to keep the bird calm by putting the box in a dark quiet place away from people and make sure you put holes in the box so the bird can breathe. 

 

 

 

Mexico Bureaucrats a.k.a. The Gang That Only Shoots Tequila by Will Ebersman

Will Ebersman is a graduate of Alfred University and co-host of Fish Talk Radio in Los Angles, California. He is a guest blogger on Phil Friedman Outdoors. 

  It's hard to stand up straight when you've shot yourself in both feet.  Once again, the country of Mexico has managed to do the wrong thing.  It's the timing that makes you wonder who's visited the tequila factory a few too many times.  If you're interested in traveling to Mexico, you might want to reconsider that trip until the various parties stop hopping around.  Please note, I didn't say boycott the country.  I'm just suggesting a short break until some of the more recent issues have been clarified.

 

Mexico, after just having recently sprung the requirement for a tourist visa on unsuspecting visitors with little or no warning, has decided to re-evaluate their plans after meeting a firestorm of complaints and outrage.  They organized a secret meeting on the visa issue.  Then they announced the meeting and had all attendees take a vow of silence regarding the meeting's outcome.  It sounds like either a really bad idea or a cover-up for something else.  I'm voting for the stupidity factor because I don't think they're organized enough to pull off a cover-up.

 

In case you think I'm being harsh, this is also the country whose navy vessel recently boarded the fishing boat Malahini.  Based out of San Diego, the Malahini captain took his crew and a number of passengers to fish the Coronado Islands.  While in Mexican waters, they were boarded for a document inspection.  After the passengers had shown their Mexican fishing licenses, and the boat had show all of their necessary paperwork, they were asked for their fishing permit.  They couldn't produce one and were ordered to leave.  The problem is that a boat fishing permit is not a requirement to fish in Mexican waters and hasn't been so for a number of years.  There was no language problem.  One of the Mexican navy men spoke excellent English.  I'm told a passenger, speaking Spanish, also participated in the discussion.

 

The Malahini was the only vessel boarded and instructed to leave Mexican waters.  The captain is out $1,500 for visas, the cost of his fuel, crew salary, bait, and rainchecks/refunds for his passengers.  In this economy, this is a significant hit.  I'm hoping this is just somebody not up to date on current Mexican regulations.  

 

I'm not sure what SAC, the Sportfishing Association of California, is doing for their 200+ members but if I were paying them some of my fare money for various services, I'd be asking myself what I had been getting in return for my membership.

 

Anybody remember NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement?  It was supposed to promote the trade of goods between the United States, Canada and Mexico.  Not much has been happening with it due to a lack of legislation and regulation.  I think that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Fast and Furious plan to track illegally-obtained weapons from Arizona and sold into Mexico shouldn't count.  I think we can also eliminate the U.S.-bound flow of illegal narcotics and Mexican citizenry without benefit of travel documents and work visas, as well.  The Canadians simply continue to be good neighbors to our north, eh?

 

It's no great surprise that tourism to Mexico is significantly down from years past.  The U.S. economy and the press and news coverage detailing a stream of sensational stories and murders surely has not helped.  It makes as much sense to get upset over a shooting in San Francisco as it does over an event near the Texas-Mexico border.  What sense does it make to put roadblocks to tourism in place with little warning, and few, if any benefits, to the tourists?

 

I'm not racist.  I love both Baja North and South.  The people are gracious hosts.  I love to travel fish and eat in the country.  I have no fears about traveling there.  I am concerned about the bureacrats down there and their next move.

 

The Mexicrats of Mexico are out of feet to shoot.  Hopefully, they'll come to their senses before somebody gets knee-capped.

 

 

Video: Rare triggerfish taken off the Southern California Coast

Sergio Fainsztein was red hot last Saturday on the Westerly out of Long Beach Sportfishing when he hooked what he thought was another nice wintertime sand bass. As the fish neared the surface, that it was not a sand bass at all. “Triggerfish,” yelled Fishing with Phil pro-staffer and Captain Ricky Perez.

Crew member Todd Lee netted the big trigger and lifted it over the rail. After watching the Patch Fishing video, Rick Feeney from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County further identified this unusual catch. “That's a nice finescale triggerfish, said Feeney. They are fairly rare up here, I would assume because of the cooler water. We have two in our collection from So. Cal.”

Feeney emphasized the importance of taking a photo or video when you catch something rare. “That's two (triggerfish) out of about 50 lots on our shelf. Most of our specimens have been collected in the last eighty years. Then there are other Museums, Scripps, Cal Acad. of Sciences. that may have some. And many catches were probably not preserved in a museum, just like the video. It is important, if you not sure about a rare fish, to take a least a picture of it and send it to a museum, just to have a record of it."

 

Another strange catch that could only be described as a slimy glob came over the rail on board the Westerly on Monday and that too was caught on video by Philip Friedman Outdoors. “I’ve been a Captain for 35-years and have never seen anything like that said Larry Moore. “I wouldn’t even want to touch that thing.” Jessica Lumpford caught the other worldly looking creature and had just one question. "I want to know what it is.?"

Turns out that the gooey glob was not as diabolical as many thought and was really a sea anemone. “The species is widely known as Metridium giganteus, but the correct name is M. farcimen,” said Gordon Hendler, Curator of Echinoderms at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Finally, novice angler Jacqueline Layson caught a 20-plus pound halibut for a real thrill. Perez was at her side coaching her all the way through the battle. You’ll also see some more great sand bass fishing too. 

 

Video: Excellent wintertime fishing entertaining So Cal anglers

Excellent local fishing continued as we head into the weekend for private boaters and sportboat anglers alike. A mild Southern California winter continues to provide angler with some outstanding local action.

 

It has been so good that a film crew from Patch joined us Thursday afternoon on the Westerly out of Long Beach Sportfishing to experience fishing and Felipe’s ceviche firsthand. Cecelia Smith, Aaron Selverston and Deanne Goodman came out to shoot a segment for a pilot TV show. It was the threesomes’ first sportfishing adventure and they loved it.

 

Sculpin and bass fishing was excellent using fresh dead squid with a one ounce leadhead for bait. Brandon Vaca got some great bass tips from Captain Jeff Jones and John Ackley and caught lots of fish. “They really taught me a lot,” said Vaca.

 

Captain Larry Moore hot one of the hottest sticks of the night catching and releasing lots of sculpin and bass. Todd Lee had a nice three pound sand bass while the Westerly crew led by skipper John Ackley were right there when you needed them.

 

Toward the end of the trip, yours truly put together a ceviche made from the nights freshly caught fish. It was a hit. Cecelia Smith had never had ceviche before. “This is the best; it tastes so delicious and fresh,” said Smith. Goodman and Silverston were equally impresses. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tried Felipe’s Ceviche,” said Selverston.

 

Besides the fun fishing, the great sights and sounds of the Eastern Pacific, and the great times, we all came back closer friends than when we left the docks just a few hours prior. It’s just another great reason for you to get out on the water soon. 

 

92.9-pound Albacore caught as tuna arrive in Japan by Captain Greg Vella

 

The Albacore,　called "tonbo" here in Japan, have arrived around the 34N Line.  This is a latitude line similar to LA Harbor...not way to the south as some may expect for blue water fish such as tuna.

Each year, the season starts off with BIG albacore (Thunnus alalunga)  and this year is no exception.

The fish have been found under the birds, and anglers have been connecting using saltwater poppers and pencil baits.  

Back at the port, the commercial tuna fleet had a good day on the albacore, mostly trolling boatlines with tuna feathers/jigs.

A 92 pound 9.5 ounce albacore was weighted in, which is well above the current IGFA world record, but the fish was caught on a commercial boatline, and is therefore not eligible.

This angler/author is tying to get out soon, before the fish move too far East/North.  If I get on the fish, I will report back to Philip Friedman Outdoors!

Photo: This lucky angler landed this 70 pound 8.7 ounce albacore on spinning tackle. Credit, Captain Greg Vella

 

San Diego sportfisher thrown out of Mexican waters by Mexican Navy

The 3/4 day boat Malahini out of H&M Landing in San Diego was fishing at the Coronado Islands in Mexican waters on Saturday when a rigid hull craft was launched from a Mexican Navy ship and sent speeding towards the fishing vessel and her passengers.

Captain Mike Schmidt was sure they were coming to check for the newly required visas that a new Mexican law now had obligated all fishermen to now have in their possession. Schmidt had purchased $1,500 worth of the visas for his passengers so he thought he had little to worry about.

The heavily armed soldiers arrived and boarded the fishing boat at 12:30pm. They started going through a check list of items that all checked out until they came to one item in particular; boat permits. The soldiers asked  Schmidt to produce his Mexican boat permit or he would have to leave Mexican waters.

Schmidt tried to explain with the help of a passenger who spoke fluent Spanish that the requirement for Mexican boat permits was done away with in 2008. The soldiers would have none of it and insisted that Schmidt either produce it or leave.

Don Ashley is on the Board of Directors for the Sportfishing Association of California and
confirmed that Mexican boat permits became obsolete several years ago. "No one has been required to have a permit since 2008," said Ashley.

 The commander of the larger Mexican Navy vessel spoke good English and told Schmidt via VHF radio that without the required boat permit, they would have to leave.

He further instructed Schmidt to inform his passengers that it was his fault that their fishing trip was being cut short. "He told me to tell our passengers that since I had not complied with Mexican law, they would have to suffer the consequences. 

So Schmidt and passengers pulled anchor around 1:30pm and pointed the Malahini's bow toward Point Loma. Schmidt issued rain checks redeemable for a free trip in the future to every angler on board. "We did everything right said Schmidt. "We had Mexican permits for fishing as well as the new visas for everyone on board. The funny thing is that they never even asked for our visas," said Schmidt. 

In an economy that has been especially hard on the San Diego Fleet, Schmidt lost the fuel burned, crew wages, and $1,500 in visa purchases. "Now I can't even run a trip until this all gets ironed out" said Schmidt.

The Mexican Navy was contacted by PFO and said the incident is under review. 

Photo: File photo of a Mexican Naval boat from www.DefenseTalk.com and the Malahini photo provided by H&M Landing. 

Mexican Fishing Visas? A Legalized Grab for Your Money

Will Ebersman is a graduate of Alfred University and co-host of Fish Talk Radio in Los Angles, California. He is a guest blogger on Phil Friedman Outdoors. 

Like to fish in Mexico? Need to have a proctology exam? Just go to Mexico and get both things done simultaneously. And you get to pay for the privilege. Gives a new meaning to multi-tasking.

In what I can only describe as a move designed to shut down US citizens fishing in the country of Mexico, some Mexican bureaucrat has enacted legislation that charges a US citizen anywhere from $33 to $250 for the right to fish in Mexican waters.

That doesn’t include the $11 for the Mexican fishing license fee or the handling fee. Depending on the value of the peso each month, the cost of the visa will change. Depending where and how you buy the visa, you’ll pay different amounts.

For a country that has seen a 70% drop in US tourists heading into the country, this statute can only be described as stupid. Other words come to mind but they’re not likely to get published.

Similar to the recent enforcement of the passport requirement, this act was dropped on the American fishing public with little warning. I guess that the Mexican government’s current view is that visitors to Mexico are walking ATM machines. Punch in the right ‘legislative PIN number’ and the tourists pay off faster than a loose slot machine in Vegas. Step right up and play, “Screw the Gringo”.

Let’s add up some numbers. Take the fee for a ¾ day trip to fish the Coronado Islands, say $65. Add $33 or more for the “visa”, $11 for the one-day Mexican fishing license, parking fee, galley tab, fish cleaning, crew tip and galley tip. I’m thinking that you’re looking at $140-150.

How about the $125 a San Diego boat typically charges for an overnight run to Colnett? Add $33 for the “visa” and the handling charge. Add $11 for the Mexican fishing license, a parking fee, crew tip, fish cleaning, food, and galley tip. How many of you are going to do an overnight trip for $230-240?

The math gets even scarier for a multi-day trip. Work your own numbers so you know I’m not exaggerating. Remember the Law of Supply and Demand? Fewer anglers means higher costs per person. How high is too much? After a while, even the most motivated fisherman will get tired of be the Human Pinata.

Try and guess how many San Diego sportfishing boats are likely to go out of business. How many landings can survive a hit like this? Say goodbye to some of your favorite tackle stores and restaurants. Make sure you have your favorite deckhand’s e-mail or cell phone number so you can stay in touch. The odds are good you won’t be doing it on a fishing boat.

I get the fact that Mexico needs dollars to improve their economy. I know that the US economy sucks and that there are not a whole lot of trickle-down dollars being sent to Mexico. So does it make any sense at all to cripple a significant part of the US tourism cash flow by enacting a law like this? Sorry, I don’t think so.

Remember the Erik based out of San Felipe? The boat sank July, 2011 in a bad windstorm. Seven U.S. anglers are still missing. The investigation promised by the Mexican government still hasn’t been issued. Still ongoing, no doubt. Maybe some of the dollars coming out of the U.S. tourist pocket can be spent for mandatory inspection and enforcement of some minimum safety items.

Please note, the fisherman gets nothing for the additional fees he pays. Let’s ask for something reasonable in return. How about a Mexican state-run inspection program for all boats that carry anglers for pay? Let’s ask for lifejackets, working Epirbs, safety flares, and maybe a good first aid kit on board. Hell, how about a inspection of the engines, drive shaft and other essential mechanical parts?

Here’s a prediction. I’ll bet in ten years a lot of your favorite San Diego-based boats will be running out of Ensenada. They ‘re not likely to make a living running from the U.S. If this is a plan to get U.S. anglers to spend money in Mexico, it might work. Hotels, restaurants, fuel sales, jobs. Some boats are likely to be owned by Mexican businessmen. It’s a potentially good way to bring tourism money into the country. The problem is that U.S. tourists aren’t likely to be on them. Oops!

I like Mexico. I travel by car to Baja Norte and South several times a year. The people are friendly. Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten has been served up by the side of the road in open-air restaurants. I fish up and down the coasts from pangas to 48’ foot top of the line cruisers. I just won’t be able to afford to do it as often as I used to. Tell me, Senor Legislator, how will that benefit the citizens and businesses of your country?

I’ll be waiting for your answer. But probably not with a fishing rod in one hand and a cold Modelo in the other.

Killer whales harass gray whale off Palos Verdes

On Wednesday, five of the ten transient orcas that have been seen every day of 2012 in Southern California waters harassed a gray whale about ½ mile off the Point Vicente Interpretive Center on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

 

Volunteer spotters for the ACS-LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project watched in awe from high a top the Palos lookout. Several boats were on scene getting an even more up close and personal look.

 

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, who runs the project, told Pete Thomas Outdoors that one adult and four younger killer whales were involved in the confrontation, but the incident ended when the gray whale entered the kelp zone. The researcher said the whale was not injured.

While whale watchers have enjoyed the treat of seeing orcas for the past several days, there is little doubt that the migrating gray whales and sea lions share their enthusiasm. On several occasions in the past four days, the pod of orcas has been seen feeding on or eating sea lions off Los Angeles and Orange County.

 

Diane Alps posted the following on Facebook. Alisa Shulman- Janiger is out on the water and witnessed the attack on the sea lion. Can't wait to hear from her later today.

 

Killer whales actually belong to the order, Delphinidae and are the largest dolphins. They can swim up to 30-mph and eat up to 5% of their body weight each day. For an average orca, that means about 500 pounds of food per day. That has a lot of Southern California sea lions that are used to being protected by law in the crosshairs of these apex predators.

 

After their run in with the gray whale, the five orcas joined the other five this afternoon where all 10 were spotted off El Segundo. Transient orcas are more often seen off Monterey but lately have been seen more frequently off Southern California, perhaps because of the abundance off sea lions. 

Whale watchers are hoping that the pod of killer whales are not headed north while the mammalian population may be breathing a sigh of relief for the time being. 

 

Photo: Two orcas swimming off Newport Beach, one with a a sea lion carcass in it's mouth.

 Thor Brisbin: from Newport Landing/Davy's Locker