| The Still Sleeping Fishing Village of Jurubida | | | | We needed some bait, so we jigged light lines |
| Dawn broke about 5:30 am. For the first time in | | | | with three dropper hooks twenty feet or so |
| days, there wasn't pounding rain, unusual for the | | | | down. Results were immediate and we pulled four |
| Choco, one of the wettest regions in the world. | | | | inch long baitfish in by twos and threes for the |
| Instead, a lazy pink glow began growing in the | | | | next hour. Then, apparently noticing the |
| eastern sky above the rainforest behind the still | | | | commotion, predator schools of long-snouted |
| sleeping fishing village of Jurubida on Colombia's | | | | Champeta moved in and we were now pulling in |
| Pacific coast. Almost all the fishermen had long | | | | edible game fish. Then it got even more fun as |
| since braved the waves of the incoming tide and | | | | saw-toothed Sierra now moved in after the |
| headed out into the arms of the Pacific Ocean. | | | | Champeta and other baitfish. These tended to be |
| Sometimes fishermen like Heriberto*, never come | | | | smaller than we normally caught trolling, but were |
| back, locked in the sea's embrace forever. His | | | | a pan-sized pound or two pounds. We rode out |
| wife still waits to this day for news that will likely | | | | the flurries of action and lulls for more than two |
| never come. The sea doesn't like to give up its | | | | additional hours before moving on, trolling to the |
| secrets, you see. | | | | next couple of spots. Shouted conversations with |
| Gliding across the glazed surface of the Jurubida | | | | other fishermen guided us to a large swale of |
| River, I glanced over at the simple houses that | | | | mixed bag predators and other game fish. |
| lined the shore. They were mostly wood and | | | | My Penn Reel Sings |
| Cana Brava construction, typical of the region. | | | | My Penn reel sang as something different grabbed |
| The materials were relatively cheap, readily | | | | my scared live baitfish. My rod tip bowed until it |
| available and the most weather-resistant of the | | | | nearly touched the water. |
| regions nearly forty feet of rain annually. | | | | "What is that?" asked Pepe. |
| Looking for a Passage through the Waves | | | | I fought the fish to the surface and Pepe's son |
| My neighbor and local fishing guide, Pepe slid the | | | | whistled in astonishment. The fat, three-foot long |
| wooden launch back and forth across the shallows | | | | caramel-colored eel surprised me too. Fatter than |
| of the incoming waves, left and right, looking for | | | | my forearm, it was in a foul mood to boot. |
| a passage through the waves to the open sea. | | | | "We have to kill it right away" warned Pepe in his |
| Pausing the outboard for a few seconds at one | | | | excitement. |
| point, he then suddenly throttled up, breaking | | | | Not only was it a line-tangling menace, but the |
| through a low-riding wave front and we were | | | | teeth made it far too dangerous to be safely |
| free of the incoming tide's onslaught. Not more | | | | boated without first dispatching the creature with |
| than ten minutes across the blue green waters | | | | a couple of quick machete blows to serve the |
| low swells, we dropped in 40 lb. test mono trolling | | | | spine just behind the head. The cold, emotion-less |
| homemade stainless steel spoons with wire | | | | eyes said nothing of its thoughts or intentions, |
| leaders for saw-toothed Sierra. It didn't take long | | | | even after death. I'd no sooner bagged it and |
| for the first connection which violently jerked | | | | re-cast when its even larger mate again set my |
| Pepe's arm backwards, partly spinning him around | | | | reel to singing. |
| at the helm. He pulled in the first hit of the day | | | | Later action on the part of all netted us more |
| hand-over-hand, swinging the silver cigar-shaped | | | | than 50 fish, including several beautiful |
| predator into our 16-foot locally-carved wooden | | | | yellow-finned "Bobos", before we called it an early |
| launch. Half a dozen fish later the action slowed | | | | day and headed back to port. By now it was |
| and we moved on, circling the group of morrows | | | | nearly 11:00 am and the sun was starting to take |
| just over two miles off Jurubida's shoreline. The | | | | its toll. It never clouded up all morning and the |
| thousands of sea-going birds that inhabited | | | | tropical sun can fry you like a piece of bacon if |
| Morrow Pelau complained noisily at our disturbance | | | | you're not careful. By 11:30 were back in Jurubida, |
| flying low across the waters where they | | | | fish divided up amongst the three of us and |
| themselves fished. | | | | fish-cleaning, for a fresh seafood lunch, was |
| We anchored half an hour later on an undersea | | | | already underway. We had enjoyed yet another |
| plain about 60 feet deep. | | | | successful, typical fishing day in the tropical |
| Bottom Fishing for Roaming Schools | | | | waters off Colombia's Pacific coast. The region is |
| "Lets bottom fish for roaming schools" I | | | | one of abundance in its extensive variety of flora, |
| suggested. | | | | fauna and sea life. I marched triumphantly into the |
| Pepe reluctantly agreed. Were it up to him, we'd | | | | kitchen but was stopped short. They were |
| troll the whole outing. But gas prices had shot up | | | | everywhere. |
| and a day of trolling would be a costly one. | | | | They Were Everywhere |
| Better, I thought, to troll between fishing spots, | | | | Mud-covered legs were scurrying all over the |
| then let my Penn reel do its work. There were | | | | place. Scratching, clawing and climbing over any |
| actually three of us in the launch, Pepe's | | | | seeming obstacle. |
| early-twenties son was also along for the Day. | | | | "Where in the heck did all these come from?" I |
| Mute from birth, he had a sign language system | | | | asked my wife Doris. Looking up at me with |
| worked out so almost everyone in the village | | | | saddened eyes, she said, "They accidentally got |
| "understood" him when he "spoke". | | | | out". |