Why you’ve got to go fishing in the Sea of Cortez

Trolling in the desert

With the bait over 100 feet back, we trolled at about two miles per hour, in six to 20 feet of crystal-clear water, just off jagged, forbidding [name withheld] island. The reel’s drag was set so low that the live bait occasionally pulled line. When a big one takes the bait, you have to let the fish run for an agonizing 10 to 20 seconds then tighten the drag to maximum and, because you can’t reel fast enough, the guide hammers the motor to set the hook. And now it… is… ON!