Hooked On Baja, By Tom Gatch, (The Countryman Press, Woodstock, Vermont, 2007, 206 pages.)
Book Review: By Dennis Moore
November 11, 2010 (San Diego) -- Tom Gatch, who has built a solid
reputation as one of the foremost writers and photographers focusing on
outdoor and recreational topics in Southern California and the Baja
Peninsula, has written the definitive book on where and how to fish
Mexico’s legendary waters, Hooked On Baja.
This book is chock-full of pictures and stories of anglers
navigating the waters of the Baja California peninsula for that “big
catch,” be it Pacific dog snapper or roosterfish (pez gallo), one of
the most coveted gamefish in all of Baja Sur.
The
book is much more than a fishing guide, as Gatch incorporates helpful
information on how to go about purchasing and legally securing real
estate property along the picturesque coast of the Baja California, as
well as deliciously authentic south-of-the-border recipes, such as
Ceviche La Fiesta and Scallop Ceviche. (see recipes in food section of
East County Magazine).
The Baja fishing maps that Gatch includes in Hooked On Baja
are valuable tools for fishermen desiring to navigate waters of the
Baja California peninsula, serving as guides for anglers to use as
starting points in their quest to find fish. One such map is for “Isla
Los Coronados,” located just below the border barely 18 miles southwest
of San Diego. The Coronado Islands are the closest fishing venues in
Baja for United States anglers who are targeting summer favorites such
as yellowtail, bonito, white sea bass, and occasionally, even bluefin
or yellowfin tuna.
In the introduction to his book, Gatch refers to “The Magic of Baja”
as “A magical place where the sun shines practically year-round and
squadrons of hungry pelicans cruise mere inches above the surface of
the ocean each morning in search of their breakfast. It is a land that
is almost completely surrounded by seas that range in color from light
turquoise to a deep, intense indigo.” The vivid pictures throughout the
book, some provided by Gatch’s wife Lynn, will attest to that.
Gatch indicates in Hooked On Baja that his love affair with
the Baja California peninsula began more than five decades ago when his
family used to go camping near the Punta Banda Estero south of
Ensenada. After a day of fishing and swimming on a sun-drenched beach,
he would reluctantly slip into his sleeping bag and allow himself to be
lulled to sleep under a blanket of stars by the sounds of the pounding
surf and the changing of the tides at the mouth of the sandy inlet. The
way the author describes it makes you feel as if you are actually there.
Tom and Lynn Gatch
In his book, Gatch speaks of driving down the highway from the famed
lobster village of Puerto Nuevo, which I myself had the pleasure of
partaking in a lobster dinner at, after leaving the Baja Book Festival
in Cantamar. Incidentally, it was at this book festival in Cantamar
where I obtained from the author this book rich in Mexican history and
points of interest.
The author has actually written a companion piece to this book in
the East County Magazine that further defines his experience in Baja
California: “Weekend Getaways: Up on the Hill.”
(October 25, 2010). It explores the beauty and tranquility of “Punta
Banda,” a narrow, mostly barren finger of land that pokes out into the
Pacific Ocean at the southern end of Bahia Todos Santos near the City
of Ensenada.
In addition to providing extensive information on how to get the
most out of your Baja California experience, this book will also focus
on the great fishing to be found along both coasts of the peninsula.
You will learn the best ways to take advantage of an opportunity to
experience the kind of angling and outdoor adventure that most people
only dream about.
The author sums up this picturesque and enlightening book by
indicating that by the time you finish reading it, his sincere hope is
that you will be “hooked on Baja” every bit as much he has been. I’m
definitely hooked!
Dennis Moore is a member of the San Diego
Writers/Editors Guild. He has written for LifeAfter50 Magazine in
Pasadena, California, and the Baja Times Newspaper in Rosarito Beach,
Mexico. Mr. Moore can be contacted at demoore21@sprint.blackberry.net.