“Trip of the Week” – 1957
“If you would like to surf cast for yellowtail,
roosterfish, sierra, jack crevalle or a dozen other first-class game
fish; or like to boat a 100-pound yellowfin tuna, record-size sailfish
or marlin, or fight it out with my favorite of all, the jumping
dolphinfish, then it’s Rancho Buena Vista – where they say the weather
is mild and fishing is hot all the time.”
“Although Herb Tansey, owner of the Lodge, may not
realize it, he has a diamond mine in that place, and it is safe to
predict that he will be needing a couple of dozen more cabañas as soon
as the word gets around.”
“I had somehow a complete previous mistaken idea of the
Lodge. I had expected a typical thatched and dingy ranch house but was
surprised to find it on a par with the U.S. hunting lodge-showers,
toilets, hot and cold water in every cabin, a very large dining
clubroom, with bar and spacious veranda facing the Gulf. But more
important, a happy, congenial atmosphere and delicious food. “
“Rancho Buena Vista on Bahía de Palmas; 76 miles good
road from La Paz. Taxi for five people or less, $25. Lodge; Meals and
room $10 per person. Weekly and family rates. Manned boats; $5-$35 per
day. Heavy tackle, guns, horses, guides available.”
Ed note: Reservations were handled by the Enrique Ortega
International Travel Service, the first to book fishing trips to Baja
California.
Challenging Big Yellowfin Tuna
Written by Ray Cannon
Rancho Buena Vista, 1960: “The few yellowfin decked by
anglers has nothing to do with the number of fish available. Anglers
hooked hundreds of the monstrous tuna and not only lost the fish but
whole spools of line with them. To handle a hooked heavyweight in
shallow water, a fisherman needs to be mentally prepared, have good
tackle, a fast boat, and a skipper as alert as a flyweight boxer. In
500-fathom water a couple of miles off shore, stopping one, where it
always heads for the bottom, is about like trying to halt a diving
torpedo.”
“Anglers new to the region rarely know what kind of a
bolt struck. The few split seconds from the time the tuna strikes and
the reel end of the line pops gives the newcomer no time at all to
adjust his scattered brain cells. I wouldn’t help anyway. If Zane Grey’s
14/0 reel, loaded with 800 yards of 100-pound test line wouldn’t stop a
sounding yellowfin, what would? According to the tackle builder at the
lodge, such fishing cost Gene Walters, the owner, more than $200 for
line last season alone.”
“I boarded one of the large pursers at anchor near a
deep basin we call Tuna Canyon in the Buena Vista region. Its captain
told me he was quitting the business and turning his ship into an angler
carrier. The reason: he had made the mistake of netting a school of tuna
so big they tore up a $20,000 nylon net. He weighed one of the
half-dozen that did not escape. Its weight – 252 pounds.”
“Except for the black marlin, more large yellowfin are
hooked and lost than any fish I know of. The percentage decked by expert
anglers in shallow water is about one in two-hundred. In deep 800-fathom
water, it is nil, for the simple reason that those above 45 pounds head
straight down at full speed and keep right on going after all the
angler’s line is played out and snapped off.”
“Although the Pacific yellowfin tuna, Neothunnus
macropterus, is in the true tuna family with the Atlantic yellowfin
(Allison tuna), the two are not in the same genus. The anal and soft
dorsal fins of the Allison are especially long, while those of the
Pacific yellowfin are noticeable shorter. The Pacific species are found
in most of its warm waters. Those migrating up the Mexican coast move
all the way from Panama and perhaps from Peru. A yellowfin tagged off El
Salvador, Central America, was recovered off Manzanillo, Mexico. Air
scouts and boats have followed migrations on into the Sea of Cortez. For
the past three years, at least, a sizeable population has remained
around Buena Vista. The life span of this tuna is believed to be five or
six years. Otherwise little is known of the life history.”
Ed Note: Boy have things changed since 1960, es verdad?
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Good Days at Rancho Buena Vista – 1961
“....Fish crowded the water from Punta Pescadero
to Cabo Pulmo...as many as eight marlin were seen at a time working a
small school of sardines. All but four of the 28 guests were catching
their first marlin in this region. Most of them the first ever. You can
imagine the whooping-it-up ruckus as they exchanged exciting
experiences.”
“ To make the festive spirit complete, lodge
operator, Gene Walters, ordered a ‘roast goat’ fiesta. This is actually
a barbecued kid and is one of the most delectable foods ever, the way
the natives prepare it.”
“It was unfortunate that a number of notables
visiting here got away just before the big marlin run. Ex-President
Eisenhower did get some out-of-this-world dove hunting while here ...”
The 130-year-old Woman – 1965
“Stop at most any of the backcountry ranch houses and
you will likely find one or two people of great ages.....A briefing by
Buena Vista’s Colonel Eugene Walters was a case in point. He wrote that,
‘A small colony living up in the hills back of the resort make all of
the hammocks used and sold at the lodge. Among the best of the workers
is a woman 100 years old.’ With this report the colonel enclosed a photo
of this woman spending her spare time with her mother who was 130!”
Cooking with Ann Hazard
Rancho Buena Vista is a 10 minute walk down the beach
from my house. In 1959, when Tansey passed away, Colonel Eugene Walters
bought Rancho. His grandson Mark, who is about my age, runs the resort
these days and it hasn’t changed much from my first visit there in 1970.
Mark told me that for as long as he can remember, their guests’
favorite ways to have their catch of the day prepared is empanizado or
al mojo de ajo. Both recipes serve four.
Pescado Empanizado a la Plancha
4 fillets of freshly caught white fish
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup corn or canola oil
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
Dip the fish fillets into the eggs, coating thoroughly.
Heat oil in large skillet to medium high heat. Dredge fish with flour
and lightly salt. Fry in a skillet or on a flat grill about 3 minutes on
each side until crispy and the fish is flaky. Serve immediately.
Pescado al Mojo de Ajo
6 tbsp butter
4 fillets of freshly caught fish (white or marlin)
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
In a large skillet, heat butter at medium heat. Add
minced garlic and salt. Fry fish about 3 minutes on each side until
cooked through and flaky. Serve immediately
Ed Note: You can find more delicious Baja recipes In Ann
Hazard’s new cookbook, Cooking With Baja Magic Dos. Ann will be at the
April 2 Festival de Artes with her books, but if you just can’t wait
until then try the Baja Beach Company or Tio’s Tienda in Los Barriles.
Learning to Fish at the Ranch
(In 1976 Ray Cannon recalls his early days of learning
big game fishing at Rancho Buena Vista)
January 28, 1976: “My best chance for learning and
developing techniques came at Rancho Buena Vista where a long list of
people spent much time and energy fishing, diving and assisting me in
testing every wild theory we could get from angling guests...or whatever
fishing ideas we could dream up. Among the contributors were the late
Herb Tansey, the first operator, and his assistant, Bobby Van Wormer,
enthusiastic diver. All skippers, especially José (Little José) Cota,
Jesús Araiza Ruiz, and the most knowledgeable of all, Laborio Cosio
Cosio, spent much overtime freely, testing new ideas.”
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