Mexicans who fish

The cliff that will hold Arriba de la Roca is a portion of a large cliff that sits on the Pacific. For decades, possibly centuries, Mexicans have fished off this cliff. We see them daily. They climb up the cliff on the east side and traverse down the cliff on the west side, which is the Pacific side. There are three crosses on the land next to ours, going down the ocean. We assume these are the marks of fallen fishermen.


It is terrifying for me to watch them walk down. It is dangerous, steep, often slick from the mist of the waves, but down they go. Are they fishing to feed their families, or for pleasure? Not a clue, but catch fish they do. They do not have elaborate fishing poles. In fact they do not have poles at all. They have liter plastic bottles that in their past lives held Coke or Fanta. Around these bottles they wrap fishing line. We could never really figure out what happened after that. We know they have bait of some sort. We know they throw the line into the ocean, but that was all we know.

Today the tide was low and we were walking along the bottom of the cliff on the ocean side. Most of the year the sea is too high to do this, no matter where the tide is at, so this is something you can only do a certain time of year…now is that time. While poking about discovering caves and sea life stuck to newly exposed rocks, Maurice found part of a fishing contraption hooked on the cliff. It was about a 6 inch piece of rebar. Along the rebar, on all four sides were thick pieces of wire that were bound to the rebar with thinner pieces of wire. These thick pieces of wire were crudely rounded at the top into hooks. It resembled a claw. At the bottom of this claw was a fishing line, about 12 inches long with a normal fish hook at the end. It was rather rusted, but Maurice did not think it had been there all that long. How this is attached to the pop bottles remains a mystery. Obviously the weight of the claw allows them to throw it into the sea, and the claw may grab the bottom of the ocean floor....but we are only speculating here. We were excited to find it.

Later in the afternoon while we sat in our beach chairs, a family of 8 came to the beach...walking down just past us. There was a man, who appeared to be the father, a couple with a baby, and 5 teen aged boys…oh, and a very happy dog. They meandered around for a while and then they all, with the exception of the girl holding the baby, started digging into to the sand. The formed a straight line, along where the surf crashes on the beach and dug. Most had long sleeved shirts and jeans on, yet there they were digging with their hands. Like a dog uses its paws to quickly remove dirt in search of its buried bone, these people were digging. They were going deep into the holes that you see when you walk on the beach. You know the ones that bubble after the waves recede. They were digging for sand crabs. You do not eat these crabs. You fish with them. After a couple of plastic bags were about 1/3 full off they go. They all go back to their truck. 8 adults, a baby and a dog get into the truck. No seat belts. No baby seat. No shakedown…but than of course they do not have Ontario license plates...sorry just a reminder of our days in LaPaz!!!

About 20 minutes later I look up the cliff because I see movement and there is the whole family, again with the exception of the girl and the baby, climbing down the cliff to fish. Thank God they did not try to bring the baby down!! It is treacherous!!!


We have no idea if they got lucky. We do know a lot of time and effort was put forth so this family could fish. We have no idea if they were fishing for pleasure, or to feed themselves. Either way you have to feel a little guilty sitting on the beach, in beach chairs, with an umbrella, a cooler and a great set of binoculars!