Women can fish too, as Seattle duo proves near Cabo San Lucas

Who says women can't fish?

And apparently, not everybody is afraid of Mexico and its bloody drug war.

Seattle's Britney Coolidge and her mom, Michele, knocked the sierra mackerel and dorado dead during an excursion Sunday aboard Ginny of the Gordo Banks Pangas fleet out of San Jose del Cabo, which is located about an hour north of Cabo San Lucas.

Undoubtedly they enjoyed sierra ceviche and grilled dorado, or mahimahi, for their Sunday dinner.

Eric Brictson, who owns the fleet, reports "mostly sunny days, highs in the low to mid-80s, only moderate afternoon winds and all around great ocean conditions." He also says sardinas are dense along the shore north of town and luring not only sierra but roosterfish, jack crevalle, amberjack, yellowtail, pargo and cabrilla.

Offshore, the dorado bite remains good throughout a long stretch of the southern Sea of Cortez, basically from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz.  As I reported in a previous item, air fares are cheap to the region because of the poor economy and drug war hysteria.

"With the start of spring, we have noticed perhaps a slight increase in crowds visiting the Southern Baja, but still not in the numbers we would anticipate," Brictson said.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Britney Coolidge and her mom, Michele. Credit: Gordo Banks Pangas

Comments

[Freshwater lures]

Some weird looking fish, looks like the weather in nice and warm there.

[Adam Shipman]

Shane was a great friend of mine, and a good kid. He had moved to california because he wanted a fresh start and had always dreamed of CA. He moved out there, so he wasn't technically a tourist. He started driving a meat truck, selling door to door, and living either at a family friends house, or a hotel. The circumstances are still unclear about what happened, and his mom has flown out there from NC to try to return the body home, and get some answers. It's great people are concerned about others still. He was waiting to join the military, and wanted to attend college too. He loved it out there, and it's a shame to see a life end so soon and violently. The police are supposedly doing everything they can, but at this point they have no motive, or suspects. They don't even know if he was alive when he went to Mexico. Just keep the family in your prayers. I visited his mom the other day, and she's a strong woman. But it still takes alot to have to go retrieve your son after he was murdered so far away.

[Pete Thomas]

Jess: What I meant was that there seems to be an unusual set of circumstances here. Who says he was even a tourist? He delivered meat for an Anaheim company and borrowed the company truck on a Saturday to make an extra Sunday delivery and he and the truck went missing. That's somewhat curious, isn't it? Police on both sides of the border are trying to find leads but may not. At this point nobody knows what factors might have led to his murder.

[Jess]

Hmmm... I must've missed the part that said he "didn't seem like a typical tourist". Unless you know something the paper didn't publish. I did see the part that described him as a hardworking kid trying to pay his way through college. But I suppose you deem that irrelevant. In any case, I was wondering why you would assume we may never know the details surrounding his cold-blooded murder? I thought the police in Tijuana were doing everything they could to protect American tourists?

Not trying to sound overly negative or anything. I visit Baja(TJ, Rosarito, Puerto Nueve-Mmmm Lobster, Ensenada, etc) a few times a year. I'll admit I haven't been since last summer so I can't personally attest to the current atmosphere. But I won't pretend that the recent Civil War hasn't crossed my mind. Just calling it how I see it. And I'm not even a reporter!

[Pete Thomas]

Hey Jess: I saw the news about Shane Pennington last night. I'm trying to learn more but he did not seem like a typical tourist. People get killed everywhere. There was a murder yesterday in San Pedro and probably others in surrounding L.A.-area communities. The Pennington case is interesting and I'm as curious as you are, but we may never know the details. Sorry I don't have more info at this point... pete

[Jess]

C'mon Pete.. You know darn well an Orange County teenager was found stabbed to death on a beach near Tijuana. It's on the front page. Would be very telling if you don't report this news, especially since you've posted countless articles on how safe it is to travel to Baja.

As for this article, NICE FISH!!t The outstanding fishing and great rates around the East Cape region are calling!! Some friends and I are planning on taking a trip in a few months and they've mentioned Belize and Costa Rica, but I'm thinking Los Cabos might be the way to go. Can't beat the price..