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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The Birth of a Deadly Shallow Water Fishing Method

"In the early 1950s, I heard through the grapevine that the Sea of Cortez was an angler's paradise. As reference material to prepare for my first trip to Baja during Easter of 1978, I bought a copy of the Cortez bible, Ray Cannon's Sea of Cortez, and I read it minutely to get a feel for Baja. Wow! I got the idea that the waters down there were teeming with 50-pounders--and then there were the big ones!

"I tailored my tackle accordingly. I rigged up with six-and-a-half-foot heavy-duty rods, Penn star drag reels, 40-pound monofilament line with lots of spares, three- and six-foot wire leaders, 4/0 to 7/0 hooks, iron jigs, albacore feathers of all sizes, and chrome spoons. I was R-E-A-D-Y.

"For kicks, I brought along a light, nine-foot spinning rod with a small saltwater skirted spinning reel filled with 15-pound mono. I planned to use this for shore casting around camp to loosen up after wrestling with the big ones all day.

"I also had a few quarter-ounce mackerel feathers, and by oversight, a four-and-a-half-inch Jointed Rebel minnow-type lure tucked in the corner of my huge tackle box.

"We found the Cortez at our Puertecitos fishing destination to be like a large calm lake.

Neil Kelly discovered the fantastic saltwater fish catching ability of Jointed Rebel lures while fishing at Puertecitos, Baja California, Mexico, in 1978. Photo reprinted with permission from The Baja Catch.

"Unfortunately, the fishing was zilch using the Cannon approach. After three days of hard fishing, with our four boats trolling the water to a froth, all our group had to show for it was sore arms from casting, a couple of six-pound corvinas and a few small bass.

"On the fourth day, three of our boats gave up and stayed at camp, and the guys and gals enjoyed swimming and 'kicking back with a cool beer.'

"My buddy, Nate Waddington, and I, being old diehards, stuck with the fishing, and we were now down to using just our spinning gear to toss those small quarter-ounce feathers up along the shoreline rocks for small bass and triggerfish. Those sharp Baja rocks soon ate up the last of our feathers, so Nate and I, scrounging around for any small lure, tied on the one and only Rebel each of us had brought along.

"While we were tying these on, the boat drifted in almost to shore. As I engaged the motor, I could plainly see the rocky bottom. I headed out into deeper water, and we cast our lures back 30 or 40 feet toward the shore and closed the bails.

"I hadn't even settled down to run the motor when Nate's rod tip arched, dancing into the water as he hung a big, 17-pound, red seabass-type fish that looked quite a bit like a freshwater Florida bass, except it was red with a pinkish white belly--our first red snapper.

"Then, in rapid succession, we caught big spotted bass, our first Cortez-type "fat" barracudas and our first sierras. Then, a very large 10-pound triggerfish destroyed Nate's lure with its powerful jaws.

"I continued on my merry way, catching fish after fish on our only remaining Rebel (my Rebel), while Nate drew blanks on every other jig, spoon, and feather in both of our tackle boxes.

"Hey! We may not be 'smart,' but we learn quick.

"We now knew two things:

"1. The fishes of the Cortez, though of strange types, were mostly of normal sizes, and;

"2. They loved small Jointed Rebel lures.

"After this experience I feverishly made repeat trips to all parts of the Sea of Cortez reachable by car, from the border all the way to the tip at Cabo San Lucas. I tried different styles and sizes of various minnow-type lures along the shorelines and way out over blue water, catching thousands and thousands of fish of over 50 different kinds.

"Today, almost all of my shallow water fishing both in the Sea of Cortez and in the Pacific is done by trolling and casting Rebel or Rebel-type minnow-shaped lures.

"The reason I fish this way is that by trial and error I have found that this method produces more strikes from fish of more different kinds, quicker, than any other lure or bait." --Neil Kelly

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Since that long ago day in Puertecitos, we have tried all sorts of lures, baits, and fishing methods in Baja, and we have found that on average you will catch more fish and more kinds of fish by trolling small, minnow-type lures.

By trolling these lures, we are able to cover a lot of water during the fishing day, and by using them in small sizes, we invite strikes from a broad spectrum of game fish.

When the action gets really hot, we stop and cast these same artificials.

Does using small lures result in catching only small fish?

Absolutely not!

Have you ever watched an elephant eat? He can knock off a bale of hay in no time, but what he really loves is a tiny little peanut so small you'd think he couldn't even see it. Small lures are like "tiny little peanuts" to big fish. They love 'em. All of the fish listed in Chapter 4, Proof Of The Pudding [in The Baja Catch], were caught with lures less than six inches long. Many hit offerings less than five inches long.

You will also be amazed at what small fish will sometimes attack a lure. You will occasionally catch a fish that has hit a lure larger than itself! Using small artificials, you will catch everything from "itty bitty" juniors, up to big fish that you will never even get turned around--and everything in between.

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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 < BIRTH OF A DEADLY SHALLOW WATER FISHING METHOD