Loing the sport fishing industry in Costa Rica. It
is a fact that few people are willing to talk about. Costa Rica, once
known as the “Sailfish Capital of the World,” is under serious threat of
losing an industry that generates nearly $600 million annually and
supplies 4000 direct jobs and nearly 63,000 indirect jobs according to a
study done by the University of Costa Rica, sponsored by The Billfish
Foundation in 2009. But it is not too late to save it.
Sport
fishing operators in Costa Rica have seen the numbers decline year
after year but have not been very vocal about the problem for fear of
scaring off potential clients. A tourist fisherman that has been coming
for many years has seen the numbers drop also. They got used to raising
20 or more sails a day and have seen that number drop to 5 or less fish
up in the spread a day. As a result of this they are going elsewhere.
What has kept the industry hanging on by a thread is that first time
visitors who don’t know about the glory years are content to catch 2 or 3
fish a day.
ROSARITO BEACH, BAJA CALIFORNIA,
MEXICO---The words above the ornate lobby entrance to the Rosarito Beach Hotel
& Resort bear this message: Through this door pass the most beautiful women
in the world.
Millions of others have visited the
oceanfront hotel since it opened in May of 1925, an event heralded with in a
San Diego Union advertisement. This May,
the best known hotel in Baja celebrates its 88th year.
In those decades, the hotel has grown from
a 12-room hunting lodge with a communal bathroom to an almost 500-room resort
with restaurants, bars, ballroom, a pier and the elegant Casa Playa Spa.
“We are so grateful for those decades of
growth and support,” said former two-time Rosarito Mayor Hugo Torres, who has
been president of the family-owned hotel since 1974. “As we get closer to our
100th year, we plan to make this a grand occasion.”
Special promotions and gala events now
through May 23 will mark the anniversary.
Mondays through Thursdays, rooms in the
Coronado tower are $18.88 per night, and deluxe one-bedroom condos in the
Pacifico tower $88. An $88 weekend special in the Coronado includes two getaway
dinners, two margaritas and one 30-minute massage.
Eighty-eight free rooms will be given away
in contests on the hotel’s Facebook page.
Months of events also are planned,
culminating with a gala anniversary costume ball on May 18 in the Salon Mexicano.
Room and ball packages, including commemorative bottle of wine, are offered at
$149.
American investors opened the hotel in in
1925 as a 12-room lodge catering to the hunters who enjoyed the región, which
at the time was no more than a small village with no highway connecting it to
Tijuana or points south.
Manual Barbachano --- a visionary
eventually responsible for highways and a power company --- bought the hotel in
1929 and it began to flourish and expand.
Fifty more rooms were built, along with a
casino and ballroom. In 1937, Barbachano married actress Maria Luisa Chabert (Mr.
Torres’ aunt) and built an elegant family mansion, which is now home to the
luxurious Casa Playa Spa.
During prohibition, the hotel was a popular
stop for Americans looking to for a place to enjoy a drink or, until Mexico banned
gambling in 1937, a place to try their luck at the resort’s casino.
The Hollywood crowd fell in love with the
beautiful Mexion resort a short distance to the south. Stars flocked there. A
photo from the era shows the hotel encircled by small private planes. Some had
propellors but the Hollywood jet-set surely had arrived.
Plaques in the hotel’s restaurant now mark
favorite tables of John Wayne and others. Burgess Meredith and Paulette Goddard
were frequent guests, and Kirk Douglas visited.
Prince Ali Khan spent two weeks with Rita
Hayworth. He left a waiter a $100 bill for a 45-cent drink and said keep the
change. He enjoyed long walks on the beach with Hayworth. Servants used palm
leaves to erase the couple’s footprints
in the sand.
As decades passed, surfers replaced hunters
as frequent visitors. Rosarito grew. The hotel became an increasingly popular
spot for visitors from California and the southwest --- and it continued to
expand.
A three-story addition was built in 1984,
an eight-story tower in 1994, a pier in 2000 and a 17-story condo-hotel tower
in 2008.The región beame famous for the Puerto Nuevo lobster village, nearby
wine country and Baja Studios, where Titanic was filmed.
Today, the Rosarito Beach Hotel & resort
continues to expand while preserving some of the best architecture and artwork
from its past.
In 2012, the almost 500-room resort enjoyed
its busiest summer ever. And some of the most beutful women in the world
continue to pass through its door.
Read, see, and hear more on Phil Friedman Outdoors
Spearfishing expert and Phil Friedman Outdoors All Star Al
Schneppershoff made a bold prediction on the Phil Friedman Outdoors Radio Show
on Monday (20 minute mark). “I will spear a white seabass on Wednesday and Thursday and they
will be over 40-pounds.”
As Schneppershoff prepared to go in the water on Wednesday
morning near Palos Verdes in Southern California, he was feeling confident. “I
know I have put a lot of pressure on my shoulders but I’m going to pull this
off.
Schneppershoff has been free diving for decades. His love of
the sea and free diving came from his father who a free diving and fishing
fanatic. Al’s father was actually attacked by a great white shark at Guadalupe
Island when he was 9-years old. His father bled to the death while Al was on
the boat. “I could have stopped free-diving but I always thought that by
continuing, I could honor my father best.”
Al's larger goal this year is to spear a 100-pound white seabass. Schneppershoff conducts free diving and spearfishing classes as well as hosts several trips to Turtle Bay in Baja California. You can contact him direct at 310 595 4214.
Schneppershoff is in the water off Palos Verdes now. PFO
will keep you up to date on how his prediction fares.
No white seabass on either day for Schneppershoff; he will be at it soon again.
Read, see, and hear more on Phil Friedman Outdoors
It comes as no surprise for listeners
of the Phil Friedman Outdoors Radio Show that yellowtail have moved up the Baja
Coast and are biting at the Coronado Islands. For a few months now, our Baja
sources have been raving about some of the best wintertime yellowtail fishing
they have seen in several years.
On Tuesday, the ¾ day San Diego
out of Seaforth had 33-yellowtail in the 18-30 pound class while the Malahini
out of H & M Landing boated 13 of the hard fighting jacks. San Diego
skipper Ryan Bostinan said the Long Range skippers have been reporting copious
amounts of yellowtail up and down the Baja Coast for some time now.
Most of the fish were taken on
the yo-yo iron but there were times when “the fork” busted up the surface too.
Bill Wilkerson from the Malahini said that anglers want to fish with at least
40-pound test; Bostian agreed.
You can hear both Captains
interviews regarding this breaking news as well as hear more on our
Monday-Friday 2pm radio shows. No matter what the subject of the day is, we
have a breaking outdoor news segment when necessary so that you remain
informed.
Stay tuned for more news as PFO
keeps you in the know.
Read, see, and hear more on Phil Friedman Outdoors
The Rosarito Beach Hotel is
pleased to announce that the Mexican superstar, Jose Jose…celebrating his 50th
Anniversary as a universally acclaimed international performer…will be
returning as Celebrity Judge for the second season of its popular ‘Baja Idol’
competition. The event will be held in the hotel’s main showroom, the historic Salon
Mexicano, on Saturday evening, March 23rd, beginning promptly at 7:00 PM. In addition, the iconic Jose
will be honored as the 1st Inductee into Baja’s Salon de Fama (Hall
of Fame) of Mexican Music Performers…and for his 50 Years of Performing
Excellence… in a special ceremony that will take place on Friday evening, March
22nd, at 7:00 PM
in the Salon de Quixote.
The best vocal talent from northern Baja and southern California will be competing
for cash prizes, future live concert performances, & recording studio
opportunities. For all those who are interested in participating, please note
that the a cappella auditions at the hotel, limited to the first 100
registrants, will be held from 9:00 AM-6:00
PM on March 16th. Completed registration forms,
accompanied by a nominal registration fee of 250 mnpesos ($20 dlls), must be
received no later than March 2nd. Please contact Rosy Torres at [email protected] or (661)
850-1773 to receive a form and all the detailed information. The top fifteen
performers, as chosen by a panel of experts, will move on to the finals to be
held one week later.
Then two other highly qualified judges…Bo Bendana, the
accomplished professional vocalist who performed worldwide with her own group
and Gil Sperry, a music teacher and author of the ‘Mariachi for Gringos’ series
of books…will join the internationally acclaimed vocalist, whose recordings
have sold over 35 million copies worldwide, to determine the runner-up AND this year’s ‘Baja Idol!’
Your emcees for the evening’s festivities will be famous
Tijuana television host Juan Carlos Scolari and the beautiful Claudia Urias,
who handled similar duties at the 1st Baja Idol as well as at the 2nd
and 3rd Annual Rosarito Beach International Mariachi & Folklórico
Festivals.
The event will be filmed by the famed cinematographers from
RealArt Films….Samuel Paredes Valdespino and Michelle Hinojo Oceguera…for
future video syndication.
The finals of ‘Baja Idol’, featuring your top 15, will be
held on Saturday evening, March 23rd, in the Salon Mexicana, the main showroom
of the hotel. The doors will open for first come-first served seating at 6:00
PM with the actual competition set to begin at 7:00 PM. Tickets to enjoy all of
this exciting entertainment are priced at a very reasonable $100 mnpesos ($8 dlls)
each. Table service of botanas and
bebidas will be available for purchase.
A special feature will be an award to the best fan group, as
chosen by the judges, of a free ‘taquiza’ party for up to thirty people to be
held in one of the hotel’s major salons.
‘Baja Idol’ is one event that you won’t want to miss. Don’t
forget to bring your camera as there will be ample opportunities to get you and
your family pictured with Jose Jose!
For more information, audition registration, ticket sales,
and hotel reservations, please contact Rosy Torres at [email protected] or (661)
850-1773.
Read, see, and hear more on Phil Friedman Outdoors
Phil Friedman Outdoors Radio will be doing 4-hours of live broadcasts a day from the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach, March 6-10. It's the perfect way to be part of the show on the days you can't attend. You'll hear from exotic travel destinations, great fishing adventures, whale watching, BAJA, and so much more.
Ever wanted to swim with a 200-pound bluefin tuna? How about sky dive in Ensenada? Would you like to hook-up to a giant tuna or billfish? Want to catch a trophy bass or trout? HOw about a quiet weeekend at the Rosarito Beach Hotel. These are just a few of the scintillating topics that will be covered this week.
In addition, PFO listeners will be given a "SECRET WORD" which will make them eligible to win a trip for 4 from Tailhunter International in La Paz, Baja California.
"This is the greatest thing ever for the Outdoors enthusiast," said Don Ashley from Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach. "Fantastic" said Danny Salas from Harbor Breeze Cruises. "I'll be tuning in."
PFO Radio is normally on the air, Monday-Friday at 2pm with archived shows available upon completion of the live show. That means you can listen to Phil whenever you like.
In addition to the English language shows, the PFO Radio Spanish Show is gaining more and more steam and is gaining more and more listeners everyday. Friedman learned to speak Spanish working in Mexico and Costa Rica with the poor in his youth. He has continued his love and deep respect for latin culture and plans on doing more Spanish Radio. For now, you can tune in for the Spanish Show every Friday at 2pm.
The schedule for the live broadcasts is below. You just have to click on the link to hear the show live or archived. Hope you enjoy this years Fred Hall Show and hope you win the trip for 4 to La Paz, Baja California with PFO RADIO and Tailhunter International. "People are going to get hooked on the best Outdoor Radio Show on the air," said Jonathan Roldan from Tailhunter International.
SHOW SCHEDULE FOR LIVE PFO FRED HALL SHOW SHOWS Just CLICK to Listen to Phil
New
2013-2014 Ocean Sport Fishing Regulation booklets are now available at
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) offices and wherever
sport fishing
licenses are sold. Anglers and divers need to be aware of a number of
new fishing regulations that are in effect this year.
Regulation
changes include the following: new size and bag limits for kelp bass,
sand bass and spotted bass, and new at-sea fillet size requirements for
these basses
and ocean whitefish. Changes also include new regulations for
groundfish (including rockfish), northern California marine protected
areas, and sturgeon. Regulation changes are highlighted throughout the
booklet for quick reference.
Effective
March 1, 2013, new size, bag, and fillet size limits are in effect for
kelp bass, sand bass, and spotted sand bass. Bass must now be at least
14 inches
total length or 10 inches alternate length (measured from base of
foremost spine of dorsal fin to longest tip of tail), and fillets must
be at least 7 ½ inches long and retain a 1 inch square patch of skin
when filleted at sea. The new bag limit for these
basses is five fish in combination.
New
marine protected areas (MPAs) are now in effect in northern California,
from the California/Oregon border to Alder Creek, near Point Arena. For
more information,
visit www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa, or the MPA mobile website at
www.dfg.ca.gov/m/MPA, or a northern California CDFW office.
New
sturgeon fishing regulations established a new method of measuring
sturgeon and a new size limit of 40 to 60 inches fork length (not total
length, as before).
Barbless hooks are required when fishing for sturgeon and snares are
prohibited. Fish longer than 68 inches fork length may not be removed
from the water. For more information: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=58288&inline=1
New seasons, bag and size limits, and species allowed for take have been established for groundfish.
For more information:
http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/new-recreational-groundfish-regulations-effective-march-1/
Also effective March 1, 2013, fillets from ocean whitefish filleted at sea must now measure at least
6 ½ inches long, and the entire skin must remain intact.
For the
complete set of new and updated ocean sport fishing regulations, CDFW
recommends picking up a copy of the new 2013-2014 regulations booklet.
Booklets are also available
online at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/sportfishing_regs2013.asp.
Read, see, and hear more on Phil Friedman Outdoors
