The Mexican panga fleet that runs out of Todos Santos launches off the beach each day as there is no marina or boat ramp in the area. The pickups tow the boat close, then nudge them from the back with the front bumper of the pickup.
The launch is choreographed so that each boat is pulled via a rope into the water by the one that launched before it.
They let the gringos jump in the boat before it takes off, but the real sportsmen keep the boat lined up and jump in as it is sliding down the beach. You cross your fingers that there isn't a big wave breaking just as your boat hits the water. That makes it a little more interesting.
The fishing wasn't as good as it had been recently, but we managed to land two nice 15-20 lb. dorado (aka mahi mahi). We missed a couple of larger 40-50 lb. fish that didn't stick on the hook and also missed a few wahoo. The strategy was similar to tuna fishing, troll real fast with big squid looking lures skipping along the surface.
The male dorado (bulls) are one of the prettiest fish - with colors of yellow, turquoise, green, and blue. We saw a ton of whales and saw many breach, jumping almost completely out of the water.
The process of getting the boat out of the water was almost as interesting as getting it in the water. You need to wait for a bigger than average swell and try to get the boat up on plane while getting to the beach at the same time as the wave. Too early and you "beat the wave" and the wave swamps the boat from the back. Too late and the same thing happens as the next wave swamps you.
Here's what it looks like if you do it right...drag the screw through the sand.
Our catch for the day. We had the Surf Colony cooks cook it up for us and it was fantastic!
Other folks try it different ways. These guys used a Ranger and trailer. Buried the tires once they had it loaded, but they got it out.
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