THE BIG ONE NEVER GETS AWAY

THE native fishermen around Bacochibampo Bay near the port of Guaymas in Sonora, Old Mexico, will tell you that the big one never gets away, because there are so many big ones and they bite so well that you never worry about losing the prize beauty.

That sounds like a fisherman's paradise. To tell the truth it is, and if that staid English squire, Isaac Walton, who wrote so well about fishing, were alive, his angling soliloquy would have more spice and verve than it has now, if it ever became his good fortune to go fishing at Guaymas.

People who have fished in waters all over this hurrying mudball, the Earth contend that the fishing at Guaymas is the best in the world. The reason for that is that there are so many fish of so many species that no matter what your tastes are the bay will accommodate you. Also fishing is an all-the-year round sport at Guaymas and each season has its particular highlight. Bacochibampo bay is a part of the Gulf of California, and the Gulf is sheltered and offers refuge for almost every game fish that flits about the briny deep.

many species that no matter what your tastes are the bay will accommodate you. Also fishing is an all-the-year round sport at Guaymas and each season has its particular highlight. Bacochibampo bay is a part of the Gulf of California, and the Gulf is sheltered and offers refuge for almost every game fish that flits about the briny deep.

As a part of accurately reporting this center of game fishing, we give you a seasonal list of fish caught in large quantities off the port of Guaymas; so you can grasp in a brief glance what you can expect when your travels take you down the west coast of Mexico in the vicinity of the emerald waters of Bacochibampo:

WINTER

November to March 31With Av. Wts.

Giant White Sea Bass (Totoaba), 160 lbs.; November 15 to MayGiant Ray (Manta Raya), 1500 lbs.; Gulf Sea Trout (Curbina Golfina) 60 lbs.; Jewfish (Mero) 250 lbs.; Red Snapper (Pargo Colorado) 8 lbs.; Rock Bass (Cabrilla) 15 lbs.; Shark (Tiburon) 300 lbs.; Silver Sea Trout (Curbina) 10 lbs.; Spanish Mackerel (Sierra) 8 lbs.; Spotted Rock Bass (Baya) 60 lbs.; Yellow Tail (Jurel) 20 lbs.

SUMMER

May 1 to August 15Broadbill Swordfish (Pez Espada) 200 lbs.; Marlin Swordfish (Pez Espada) 250 lbs.; Sailfish (Pez Vela) 175 lbs. May to NovemberAlbacore (Albacora) 75 lbs.; Bonita (Bonita) 15 lbs.; Bull Fish (Toro) 40

GEORGE W. CHAMBERS

Following the birds to the fish is something every fisherman should know. On a good day, dozens of boats will be in the bay. Both the birds and the big fish follow the schools of small fish, and when any particular flurry occurs among the birds, it's a race among all boats to get to the spot.

lbs.; Dolphin (Dorado) 75 lbs.; Halibut (Lenguado) 35 lbs.; Jewfish (Mero) 250 lbs.; Moon Fish (Palometa) 30 lbs.; Red Snapper (Pargo Colorado) 8 lbs.; Rock Bass (Cabrilla) 15 lbs.; Rooster Fish (Gallo) 40 lbs.; Skipjack (Barrelete) 8 lbs.; Spanish Mackerel (Sierra) 8 lbs.; Spotted Rock Bass (Baya) 60 lbs.; Trigger Fish (Pez Puerco) 10 lbs.; Tuna (Atun) 40 lbs.; Yellowtail (Jurel) 40 lbs.; Giant Ray, Shark, etc.

Choice beauties for every taste. Worthy finny foes for you whatever dexterity you may have with the rod and reel. Noble adversaries for the most ambitious.

For the smaller fish, Spanish mackerel proves interesting fishing, as do the cabrilla and the pampano. The rooster fish is the small battler. This fish will weigh up to forty pounds and at such weights you can't sit about dozing in the sun if you want to make your catch. Variety of smaller fish can be caught from the shore or from row boats a short distance from the shore.

If you aspire for larger fish you will rent a launch (very reasonably, tro) and have your Mexican skipper lead you to the battle grounds for the bigger fish. Nine times out of ten your skipper will have spent his whole life fishing in the Gulf and he knows the signs. He'll show you how and when and where. And when you leave your boat after a full day of combat with noble denizens of the deep you'll take leave of your skipper as a good companion and vow you'll return again soon.

Considered the most noble of all the big fish for you to battle in the Gulf is the white sea bass and the marlin swordfish. The former is caught in the fall and winter, and is a courageous fish, big, of great stamina, and delightful to eat. The marlin sworfish, the most gallant fighter of them all, flourishes in the deep summer. The fisherman gets the same thrill and delight of meeting and conquering the marlin as the hunter gets in shooting big game in the densest African jungle. Marlin have been landed at Guayams weighing as much as 500 pounds.

Travel directions are very simple. The best thing to do is to go to Nogales, Arizona, call upon the charming people at the chamber of commerce and your journey has begun. They'll help you get your passport, give you travel instructions, and inform you as to accommodations. Such is the fame of Guaymas and so numerous are the sportsmen going and coming from the states that Nogales can well claim the title "city by the sea."

From Nogales you can travel by automobile or by train (Southern Pacific of Mexico.) You will find both ways charming and pleasant. Leave Nogales in the morning, you will have lunch at Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, 185 miles from the border. A distance of 85 miles south by west from Hermosillo and you'll be in Guaymas for dinner, for a dip in the bay, and for fishing the next day.

Reservations at Guaymas are ample and commodious You can stay at Hotel Playa de Cortez, one of the most beautiful resort hotels on the continent, and enjoy sumptuous surroundings and service. You can enjoy commodious cabins at Miramar Beach, a clean, modern travel community, or you can find modest hotel reservations in Guaymas.

GEORGE W. CHAMBERS

It's no easy task to land a fair sized totoaba, or white sea bass. This one has been played out and has turned over on his side. A good smart rap on the head with a stout mesquite club will make him manageable. Mexican fishermen, plain old practical fishing experts, use throw lines. American fishermen, in it for sport, use rod and reel and expensive gadgets, catch less fish.

We are tempted to tell you how interesting you will find this northern state of Mexico, how picturesque and charming, how pleasant you will find the people. You will like the small towns you drive through, the quaint churches, the old world atmosphere.

We'll do that some other time. This is, after all, a fish story-R. C..