Reprinted with permission from The Baja Catch: A Fishing, Travel & Remote Camping Manual for Baja California (Mexico), 3rd Edition, by Neil Kelly and Gene Kira. See complete information on The Baja Catch and Jointed Rebel lures, as well as online ordering from our BajaDestinations.com secure shopping cart.

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Alternatives to Fishing With Jointed Rebel Lures

To be honest, we very rarely stop the boat when fishing, preferring to stick to our Jointed Rebel trolling technique.

However, we know how to spell "ox." Stopping the boat, and casting or jigging the following classic, proven lures will work for you if you ever find yourself in an area of Baja with no surface game fish around. (This almost never happens, though.)

The most effective and versatile "non-trolling" lures are medium-dark-colored rubbertail leadheads (Scampis), chrome spoons such as Krocodiles, and the heavy "iron" jigs such as the Salas 6X, the smaller Tady A1, or the even smaller Luhr Jensen Stinger. For iron, white-and-blue or chrome are the most consistent colors, but experiment.

• Run out about 100 feet or so from a steep cliff or an isla where the water is 50 to 200 feet deep and stop the motor to drift. Using 40-pound conventional gear or heavier, with 12-inch wire leaders, set the drag for 20 to 30 pounds. You want to snub the fish as soon as it hits.

• Snap on the chosen lure and let it free spool to the bottom. Then, to avoid getting hung up, quickly lift it free of the bottom, and reel it up a foot or two. Raise the rod tip briskly upward three or four feet, and then lower it gently, allowing the lure to resettle, fluttering, to within a foot of the bottom.

• Fish can hit at any time during the drop, lift or resettle, and when they do, sock it to 'em and get them coming up fast, before they "rock" you.

• Yo-yoing is a specialized type of jigging for yellowtail. If you get no action after 20 or so "jigs" a few seconds apart, switch to yo-yoing, and reel up as fast as your arms will go all the way up until you see the lure at the surface.

Speed is important. Usually, the faster you reel, the more fish you will catch. A conventional reel with a gear ratio of 1:5 or greater is good for yo-yoing. Expect a hard yellowtail strike just off the bottom or on the way up. Chrome spoons to three-and-a-half-inches, and small three- to six-inch iron jigs are effective for yo-yoing.

If no action, lower the lure to the bottom again and repeat the whole process. Keep moving around. A few yards can make all the difference. Many of the fish caught on the bottom are large, but the drawback is that many lures are hooked on the rocks and must be broken off.

Scampi-type rubber-tail leadhead lures are also excellent on all bass types and many other species when cast or drifted over the bottom. A small piece of squid hung on the hook multiplies its effectiveness. Best colors are green-flecked, red, and root beer.

• All of these lures and plugs can also be used when shore casting from the beach.

Over rocky areas use a large shallow running lure retrieved fast. Over sandy areas, use mid-depth Rebels, or Krocodiles retrieved slowly and wobbling, or Scampis cast out settled to the bottom and then "crawled" in very slowly, very s-l-o-w-l-y. With a nickle-sized piece of cut squid on the hook, this is deadly.

Keep moving until you hit fish. Vary the depth and the speed of your retrieve, and fan your casts out at all angles from the beach. Try casting to different depths of water, and don't be afraid to go way down the beach. The more distance you cover, the greater your odds of finding fish. What you are really doing when shore fishing is "trolling" a stretch of coastline on foot.

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Reprinted from The Baja Catch: A Fishing, Travel & Remote Camping Manual for Baja California (Mexico), 3rd Edition. May not be copied or reproduced without written permission. Important warning, notice, and disclaimer about the information contained in The Baja Catch.

MEXICO FISHING < REBEL LURES < ALTERNATIVES TO FISHING WITH JOINTED REBEL LURES IN SHALLOW SALTWATER