Hooked Up?

In addition to the dangers of line burns (see this post from last February) and Tequila overdoses, Baja flyfishing has other risks.

Casting big, weighted flies from the bow of a small boat in the never cooperative wind has its dangers. I have only been hooked by smaller trout flies but have been smacked in the face by big saltwater patterns. I think it's just a matter of time before tragedy strikes.

I always wear eye protection, including clear polarized lenses for low light situations, and try to remember to pinch down the barbs on my flies. Fortunately, even in the smaller communities there is at least one medical person who has PLENTY of experience removing hooks.

I found this article on the web that summarizes the basics of hook removal quite well.

Fish Hook Removal

¡VIVA MEXICO!

Today is Mexican Independence Day. México is 1999 years old. Last night President Calderon gave the traditional cry of ¡VIVA MEXICO! and rings the bell at the National Palace remembering Padre Miguel Hidalgo's call to revolution September 16, 2009.

Today is a huge national holiday and many businesses will be closed.

Enjoy the party everyone!

Recovery efforts in the Bahia Magdalena Region

I am forwarding the following message from ProPenisula. This group has done much great conservation work in the Bahía Magdalena region and is worthy of your support.

Your Help is Needed to Rebuild Baja Sea Turtle Communities Destroyed by Hurricane Jimena

Last Monday Hurricane Jimena slammed into the Bahía Magdalena region of the Baja California peninsula. There were no fatalities, but the majority of homes and infrastructure in the region were destroyed or severely damaged.

The Bahía Magdalena region is critical for sea turtle conservation as a hotspot for both loggerhead and black sea turtles. Conservation heroes from the communities of San Carlos, Puerto Magdalena, Puerto López Mateos, and San Lázaro have been our conservation partners for many years and have made great progress in protecting sea turtles. Many of these friends and their families lost their homes to Hurricane Jimena and they now need our help.

Victor de la Toba, lighthouse keeper of Cabo San Lazaro, and veritable loggerhead conservation hero, hunkered down with his wife Maricel and their children in their home in Lopez Mateos during Hurricane Jimena. Soon after the hurricane’s eye passed their roof was torn off – while they were inside. They took refuge in the Proyecto Caguama research station for the rest of the storm and came away unscathed. Their house, though still standing, is unlivable.

Julio Solís, a local fisherman who founded and now directs Magdalena Baykeeper in San Carlos, and his family have also been uprooted. Two thirds of Julio’s home was torn apart when Jimena made landfall.

A new roof for Victor costs $500. Rebuilding Julio’s house will cost $2,000. Our target is to swiftly raise funds to help these and other families rebuild their lives.

You can help by making a tax-deductible donation to the Pro Peninsula Fund at The Ocean Foundation today. Click here

and please note ‘Hurricane Fund’ in the comments section of the donation form. If you would like the funds to go to any family in particular please contact us directly.

Many thanks,
Mark Spalding, President, The Ocean Foundation
Kama Dean, Program Officer, Pro Peninsula Fund at The Ocean Foundation
Aarón Esliman,Executive Director, Grupo Tortuguero
Hoyt Peckham, Director, Proyecto Caguama
Wallace J. Nichols, Co-Director, Ocean Revolution

More information on Hurricane Jimena and the destruction:
http://www.mexidata.info/id2402.html
http://www.oem.com.mx/elmexicano/notas/n1310350.htm

Please note: all funds raised will go to Jimena relief for families in affected areas.

Jimena Relief Efforts

There are a lot of photos and other information on Jimena's damage out there on the web but I did want to share a few things.

EcoMujeres in Mulege supports a bunch of good projects but my favorite is EcoAmigos kids group. They have posted a good summary of the hurricane's imapcts on Mulege and a how you can help page.

J Nichols has a first hand report from Puerto Lopez Mateos from Chris Pesenti and Chuy Lucero on his blog.

This video shot along the Malecon in Loreto shows the force of the hurricane. Note that these waves are only from the outer bands of the hurricane and Loreto is relatively protected by the islands.

Jimena's Aftermath

This satellite image taken as Hurricane Jimena passed over Mulege says it all. On the Pacific side Puerto San Carlos and Puerto Lopez Mateos were badly damaged with many homes destroyed. Some reports say as many as 90% of the buildings in Puerto Lopez Mateos were destroyed. For the thrid time in four years Mulege is badly damaged by flooding from a hurricane with a "J" name (John in 2006, Julietta in 2008, and now Jimena in 2009). Santa Rosalia is also badly damaged.

Comondu and San Carlos Hit Hard

Unfortunately, San Carlos and the Municipo of Comondu have been severely affected by Hurricane Jimena. According to El Sud Californiano, Ciudad Constitution was hit by strong winds that lasted for seven hours.

Photos

From El Sud Californiano:
El huracán Jimena devasta Comondú

As of 2:00pm PDT today the eye is over the mountains east of Conception Bay and appears headed for Mulege. Expect major flooding in all the arroyos. I hope the people that live in the mountains made it to shelter. I have heard nothing from Loreto and Mulege - with the damage at San Carlos where the electricity is produced I'm sure the power is out.

Good News / Bad News - Jimena

Well the good news is that Huricane Jimena went up the Pacific side and spared the towns along the Gulf of California and has lost a lot of strength. The sustained winds have dropped to 90 miles/hour with stronger gusts. The bad news is that it made land fall as a category 2 storm near Puerto San Carlos. Hopefully, the fish camps on the barrier islands around Magdalena Bay were evacuated. The current prediction is for the storm to make landfall again near San Juanico. I have not seen any reports for the Pacific Coast yet. The many small communities along the coast are likely badly impacted. I will report more as I get information.

¡Jimena Se Acerca!

Here's the front page of today's El Sud Californiano. This storm looks serious. The current projection has the center of the hurricane coming very close to Bahia Magdelena early tomorrow morning and making landfall near Laguna San Ignacio on Thursday morning.

A small shift to the east could send the storm into Todos Santos or a shift to the west could make things a lot easier. Either way this storm will bring much needed rain - likely too much rain that will cause widespread flooding. Roads will not be passable for sometime after the storm passes.

Stay out of the arroyos!!!