STEVE ABEL TO HOST BLUEWATER BONANZA

CAMARILLO, Calif. - Marlin, wahoo, dorado and tuna will be the featured attraction when Steve Abel hosts an early December bluewater fly-fishing excursion to the waters of Magdalena Bay, Baja California. The trip is scheduled for Dec. 6-14 with anglers meeting the 92-foot sportfisher Shogun by flying to LaPaz, Mexico.

Bluewater fly-fishers will arrive in LaPaz on the Sea of Cortez side of the 1,000-mile long Baja Peninsula. Chartered coach will then transport them across the peninsula to Puerto San Carlos on the Pacific Coast to meet the Shogun upon its arrival from Fishermen's Landing in San Diego. Those not wishing to fly may ride the boat both ways.

Abel pioneered bluewater Baja fishing in 1991 in a storied and much heralded trip aboard the Royal Polaris. On that and subsequent voyages, he perfected the techniques for catch-and-release big game fly-fishing.

The Shogun, with a crew of seven, will cruise through Magdalena Bay and out into the ocean in search of the marlin schools that populate the Thetis Bank region from late fall into winter, feeding on masses of sardines. With the marlin come the other predators: yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dorado, and varieties of skipjack tuna.

The Shogun is equipped with 12 air-conditioned staterooms, 5 heads and 3 showers. Each stateroom has a full lavatory with hot water. The boat's two chefs will alternate meal service.

"Our intent on this bluewater trip is to have the fly-fishing experience of a lifetime and have a load of fun. Incidental will be the chance to break as many International Game Fish Association records as we can," said Abel, who manufacturers rods, reels, other tackle and fishing accessories
"We chose the Shogun for our 2002 bluewater trip because of the boat's massive 30-foot beam, making it an incredibly stable casting and fish-fighting platform. Additionally, the boat has a huge capacity for carrying the live chum needed to keep tuna schools churning near us," said the California tackle manufacturer. The boat will carry ocean-going skiffs, giving the bluewater fly-fishers an opportunity to fight a fish "eyeball-to-eyeball."

Ship's crew will "tease" striped marlin to the boat's transom with hookless lures. When the billfish get within casting range, the skipper will put the engines into neutral, the teaser will be jerked from the water and the angler will cast into the fish's line of sight. "If all goes according to plan, the fish will gobble the fly and the game begins," said Abel. "With the help of the Shogun's crew and electronics, we can target the larger striped marlin in world record class; we also have a good shot at record-size wahoo, black and white skipjack," he said.

The trip is limited to 16 bluewater fly-fishers. Cost is $3,800 all-inclusive except for gratuities to the crew. That does not include the cost of transportation to and from LaPaz.

For information and reservations, call Abel at (805) 484-8789 or email info@abelreels.com.