An Interview with Regis Cadena of Fishing Sayulita

Regis Cadena operates the aptly named Fishing Sayulita, though he provides several other additional services, on his charter panga boat, Thunnus.

How long have you been a fisherman? Well I grew up fishing with my dad. At the age of 9 I was taking time on the weekends to go commercial fishing...snapper, bottom fishing, and every once in awhile, we'd do long line fishing for Dorado. That's how we would make income for the family.

So your dad is a fisherman also? Yes

Is that why you became a fisherman? At the age of around 12, I started getting interested in surfing so it became more of a hobby to go fishing with my dad. It's a love for the ocean, I guess. Whenever I wasn't surfing, I'd be diving or fishing with my dad. Basically I was raised as a water man. I would get up at 4 in the morning and go fishing, and come back between 12 and 2 in the afternoon. First thing after getting all the fish off the boat, I wouldn't even eat lunch before I would grab my board and go surfing.

What kind of services do you offer? I have a sport fishing license, which only allows me to take out customers to fish. It does not allow me to sell the fish I catch. I also offer snorkeling trips out to the Marietta's Islands (including visits to two other caves not offered by competing companies), sightseeing, whale watching, and surf trips.

Why Sayulita? I started living here when I was 7 or 8, and ever since then there's only been one picture in my head and that's Sayulita. I know this town like the only one mother you've ever known in your life. It's the only place I've ever considered home.

How long have you had your own business? For 6 months now. Before that, I worked on my cousin's boat and my dad's boat. I started thinking about starting my own business when all my friends wanted to go fishing, and I was sending them to somebody else. I thought that's money I could be making so I want my own boat. I lived in California for a bit and saved some money, and that's pretty much how I put the business together.

What's a typical day like for you? I get up...it's a habit since I was 9, I get up at 4am. I load up the truck and then put all my gear on the boat around 6:30am, get organized, and then wait for the customers to show up around 8am. When we're going fishing, we launch the boat, go catch the live bait, and then head out and fish till about 1:30, maybe 2. If it's snorkeling, we leave around 11:30 or 12. Or we can do both, fish in the morning, and snorkel in the afternoon. Sometimes I have double bookings so I restock as necessary, go out, and come back around 6, put everything in storage, and every time we come in, I clean all the fish for the customers, so they can take it home and it's ready to dump in the frying pan. Then I go home and relax with my lady.

What do you like best about your job? I feel connected to the ocean. I enjoy it. If I'm not out in the boat, I still enjoy just sitting on the beach.

What's the biggest fish you've ever caught? I think it was a 360 pound yellow fin tuna right out here. I was just a little mutt, I was like 20.

What kind of fish do you normally catch around Sayulita? The most common are the Crevalle Jack (Toro), Spanish Mackerel (Sierra), Rooster Fish (Pezgallo), and Mahi Mahi (Dorado).

Anything else you'd like to add? I especially enjoy fishing with kids. To me, kids are one of the most important parts of the world. I would be more than glad to teach kids to fish. If there's any kid out there that's wants to know how to fish, I'm happy to help.