The Other Brown Bass

[zthomas]

I know this belongs in a different forum, but I thought all you smallmouth aficionados might be interested. Just got back from a trip to Baja fishing for calico bass, which are one of my favorite fish anywhere—sort of like saltwater smallmouth.

They live only on the west coast of North America, from somewhere between Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara south to about halfway down the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula. You get them primarily in and around heavy kelp beds, wherever the current is strongest, but also on “boiler rocks”—rocks where the swells boil up and then recede. The biggest fish are often right up there in the whitewater.

Getting to them there requires long, precision casts, serious boat-handling and big cajones. It’s about as exciting as fishing gets. We use 8-foot, 20-lb. baitcasting outfits, but spool them up with 50- or 65-lb. braid to kelp cut through the kelp. And you still have to fish with your drag locked down completely because when you hook a big fish in there tight to the rocks, you have to turn it instantly or you’re done. They either break you off, or you out-muscle them—no room for drag.

The “holy grail” of calico fishing is a 10-pounder. There are a few caught every year, but even serious bass fishermen go all their lives without getting one. In California, the fish get too much pressure, and there aren’t a lot of big ones left—just swarms of 12- to 14-inchers. In Baja, where they get very little pressure, you get tons of 4- and 5-pounders. A 6 is a nice fish, and a 7 or 8 is worth getting excited about. I release every single calico and fish only artificials.

Anyway, before I moved east, I got to fish for them all the time, but until last week, it had been over two years. So I was pretty fired up. We went to San Quintin, about 200 driving miles south of San Diego on the Pacific coast of Baja. My boat has been in the backyard of my folks’ house in Reno since we moved, so my father hooked it up, towed it down to San Diego and met me at the airport. I flew in from Fort Smith. Then we loaded up on fuel and a little last-minute tackle and crossed the border. Stayed at a grubby but comfortable little place right on the water where I've been going for 15 years. Weather, you might be surprised to hear, was cold the whole time. Mid-50s to mid-60s during the day, windy and wet. Water temps were in the high 50s. But the bass were sure biting.

Any of you bass nuts interested in a seriously off-the-radar saltwater trip might really get a kick out of going after these guys. It’s a fishery that just doesn’t get much press anywhere but the west coast, but it’s about as fun and exciting as you can get. Anybody that wants to read more, there’s a copy of a longer article I wrote 6 or 7 years ago here: http://www.transpeninsularoutfitters.com/articles-pages/features/articles-features-bigbass.html

Here’s some photos of the place and the fishing:

[Trout Commander]

That looks like a blast!

[Ham]

I've known about Calico's for a few years, but never gotten to fish for them. That sounds like a hoot!

[Guest P. owensby]

Too cool!!!!!!

[Phil Lilley]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing!!!

[Danimal]

Cool pics.

[eric1978]

Awesome! Neat looking fish.