| Meet the Captains - Captain Calixto (Cali) Juarez Abazan |
by Ed Kunze
Sacrificing his body, the goalkeeper made yet another incredible save. I thought to myself “there was no way he will get back up after that one”. But, the league championship was on the line. Players from both sides were pushing themselves beyond their endurance levels, and still reaching deep to find more. As Cali slowly got up, blood appeared as a big blotch on his cheekbone, and his ankle had more of the vermilion stuff. Shaken and staggering, he managed to make a couple of more saves before the whistle blew and the championship was in the bag.
Cali limped over to me with a big grin spread across his face, showing a huge set of white teeth. He was bleeding from three locations and his ankle had a knot the size of a golf ball. I handed him a well deserved Corona. His comment to me was so understated; I do not remember exactly what he said. It was something like “Did you see how I faked the ref into thinking I was hurt”. I do remember laughing and thinking “Cali, you’ve done it again”.
On another occasion I was eating lunch on the malacon with the ESPN television crew. They were here to do a special on fly fishing for sailfish for the Cabelas weekly program. The lead cameraman stood up and literally toppled his chair over as he called out to Cali walking by. He was not fishing with Cali for this show, but from previous film shoots, he was so impressed by Calis’s abilities and charm, he had to talk to him. I just sat back and watched the whole thing and thinking, “Cali, you’ve done it again”.
Captain Calixto (Cali) Juarez Abazan has one of the best senses of humor in the entire fishing fleet. At just 24 years old, he lives life to the fullest, yet enjoys and sees the humor of it in every moment of the day. When on a boat with Capt. Cali, he is not just a pure joy to be with, but his sense of humor and love of life is actually surpassed by his fishing abilities.
Cali is the captain of the Vamonos II, a 34 foot Bertram cruiser with a worldwide reputation. The Vamonos II is the flagship of the Vamonos Fleet, owned by Captain Jamie Morales. I remember one day in particular. We were with clients and about 15 miles out, with Cali up in the fly bridge. We had previously caught a couple of barrilettes (black skipjack tuna) because he had said he wanted a marlin today. Cali had the deckhand take the helm while he meticulously prepared the bait with a big number 12 stainless steel marlin hook. After testing it a couple of times in the water, he was satisfied. As Cali let the line off from the reel, I noticed how his mastery of the art of stitching and rigging the 3 pound bait allowed it to swim as if it was alive. Once he had the bait back far enough to satisfy him, he attached the line to the diving plane and went back up on the bridge.
After an hour and a half, we had fairly well settled into the routine of trolling. I was talking to the clients as we watched for sea turtles and porpoise. We were enjoying a calm day on the water. All of a sudden Cali lands on the deck of the cockpit. He had literally leaped off the first step of the fly bridge and had the marlin rod in his hand before we had recovered from the shock of him leaping down among us. He had seen a subtle ½ inch dip in the rod tip that did not correlate to the wave action of the boat or seas. It was a billfish making a swipe at the bait, and had not connected completely. Telling the deck hand to get up on the fly bridge and accelerate at his signal, Cali free spooled the line off the 50w International. He then waited till the line came tight. Setting the hook 5 hard times, the 250 pound marlin broke water with a series of leaps. With the boat accelerating and Cali skillfully handling the reel, the hook stayed firm. Flashing his signature smile, he passed the rod to the client waiting in the fighting chair and went back to the job of maneuvering the boat. One hour later the big blue was released.
Two years ago, Cali placed very high in the Fintastic Total Tag and Release Tournament. Because sailfish were targeted, they caught nothing but sailfish for three days. They actually had one day this past November tournament when they had tagged and released 11. When the tournament was over, the angler, Richard Spielman, wanted just the two of them to go out and try for a marlin. Cali borrowed the panga Tequila from Gordo Hernandez, and they headed out early the next morning. They were back at the dock by 11:00, with a 275 pound blue marlin.
Last January (2002), Cali had a day on the Vamonos II where they tagged and released 20 sailfish. And, this last November (2002), under very tough fishing conditions, he won the offshore division of the Total Tag and Release Tournament. The list just keeps going.
Whether he is playing soccer or fishing, Cali will give it his all. He is intense, but a consummate professional, and most of all he enjoys what he is doing. There is no doubt in my mind, “he will do it again and again”.
Ed Kunze is a charter boat captain himself and writes this column from his own expertise and personal knowledge of the captains and their boats. He lives in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo year round and can be reached at 554-4876 or sportfishing@cdnet.com.mx
For more information on Captain Ed and his boats go to www.sportfishing-ixtapa.com or www.zihuatanejo.net/seaandsand
January 2003
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