Sent: January 2, 2009
Subject: Bloody Hook trip on 12/25/08

Stan,

Thank you so much for setting us up with an incredible fishing trip last Thursday. Here's a photo of my son Ben with one of seven sailfish (and two mahi mahi) he caught that day.

Before we left for Ixtapa, a neighbor of ours recommended that, if we wanted our kids to have an unforgettable time fishing, we should do some research before leaving and find the best captain we could. Turns out he was absolutely right. Chiro found so many fish that I'm still sore from helping Ben reel them in. It absolutely was a day that Ben will never forget.

And I won't either, even though I'm not as keen on ruining a fish's day as much as Ben is. That current Chiro found, the one that carried countless sea turtles, many with birds catching free rides atop their shells -- it'll take me awhile to forget that.

Ben's only complaint was that he couldn't stuff all the sailfish into the cab to take them back to Club Med. Hopefully all those beautiful critters are happily cruising around with only sore lips to show for their encounter with the Slosbergs.

Happy New Year,

Daniel Slosberg (cruzatte @ cruzatte.com)

Sent: February 28, 2008

Hey Stan,

I never took the time to tell you what an awesome time our group had in Zihuat. The fishing was better than expected and the captains were very professional in every sense. Cheva and Arturo where super guides to spend the days with. We will be back.

Jason (jason @ packin.com)

Sent: February 28, 2008

Our fishing expedition was great! The two captains you picked were the greatest thing since sliced cake. We caught our share of fish and enjoyed every moment of the trip.

Al Matczak (matczakalexander @ att.net)

Sent: February 28, 2008

Stan,

Here's a picture of the fish I caught.  It's the biggest fish I've ever caught so I was very happy.  As you said the water is cold so the action was slow but credit goes to Captain Chiro for trying really hard to get us on the fish.  He was very professional and showed us all a great time.

Thanks, Eric (eric.pryor @ sbcglobal.net)

Sent: January 28, 2008
Subject: Capt Chiro and Bloody Hook

Dear Stan:

THANK YOU for the most wonderful fishing experience possible. Captain Chiro Bannigan and "The Bloody Hook" did a fabulous job of making our fishing experience a truly memorable one. Even though it was almost a full moon, and the tides could have been against us, we were able to bring in two Dorado within one hour of hitting the water. It was exciting and action packed. The next several hours were very quiet from a fishing standpoint, but Capt Chiro did his best to entertain us by making sure the bait was always fresh and the lines were attended to. He was incredibly thoughtful on filleting the fish and keeping the vessel incredibly clean!!! And, we were one of the lucky ones. Our trip was rounded off with catching a 8 1/2 Sail Fish! We had many conversations on the "catch and release" part of the experience, and we were all for someone else having the opportunity to catch that sailfish. Unfortunately, the hook had gone to deep, and did too much damage, and though tragic, we had the fun of seeing the fish hanging on shore on one of those fish display racks. We donated the fish to the community and left with a lifetime memory.

Please thank Capt Chiro and crew for this fabulous memory!

Sincerely, Susan Bastian (sbastian @ teamsterslocal320.org)

Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 12:21 PM
Subject: Zihuatanejo

Stan and Susan, I just wanted to drop a quick note of thanks. Our group had a fantastic time fishing on the Vamanos III and Dos Hermanos I.  While I didn't personally fish on the Vamanos III, Ray Simpson who co-owns an offshore boat with me said the professionalism of the crew was top notch.  I must say the same for Capt. Espinosa and mate Jesus on the Dos Hermanos.  Ray and I fish all over the world and your people were among the finest we've fished with.  Definitely the best in Mexico to date.  The fishing was also very good for being the slow season.  9 sailfish caught and one marlin lost due to a flaw in a reel we brought on day one.

Day 2 on the one panga brought some nice, solid roosters for myself, Chris and Rick Stewart.  They were our first Roosters. 

In addition to the great job done on Vamanos III on day one, the Vamanos II wasn't available but the Intruza was substituted. I fished on this boat and the crew was fantastic.  We will definitely return and fish with Ixtapa Sportfishing again.  As a business owner, I want some positive feedback to help smooth the rough days.  I figure that you are the same.

Congratulations on a fine outfit.

Regards,  Tom (tom.pattillo.j49i @ statefarm.com)

Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 5:43 PM
Subject: Fishing Report

Stan,

I found a PC and thought I'd drop a note before I get home.

My son Daniel and I went out with Jose Vargas on La Bamba on Sunday as planned. We caught 2 very beautiful sailfish - a 7 footer and an 8 footer. I foul hooked my 7' 4" sail and decided to mount it since we couldn't put it back.

We fished with Capt Adolfo on Monday and again today. We caught 3 roosters (46, 40 and 20 pounds). Adolfo talked me into mounting the biggest one. We also caught 5 Jureles - 2 big ones over 25 pounds, 5 Bonitos about 5 pounds each and a Needlefish - just weird.

Your captains are a joy. They are friendly, professional and easy going. We had to move our Tuesday date to Friday with Capt Vargas due to weather, so we still have 2 days to go on La Bamba.

In just the first 3 days alone, the trip has been well worth it! My only regret so far is that I didn't lift weights and get into better shape for the battles with the fish.

Thank you!

Dan Yates (and son Daniel) (danyates3 @ earthlink.net)

Sent: Monday, June 06, 2005 9:02 PM
Subject: Thank you

Stan - I just wanted to thank you for the AWESOME fishing experience that I had on the Marlin Azul. I caught 2 sailfish and another smaller fish but forgot to ask what it was. I'm 32 and I've waited 20 years for a fight like that from the sailfish. Javier and his crewmate Frederico were fantastic. Poor Frederico worked his A@@ off to make sure we landed those two big sailfish. Javier's all business, very professional. Frederico is a total workhorse. Thanks SO MUCH for suggesting the larger boat.

Again, it was a fishing experience of a lifetime and I'm already thinking about the next trip down there as soon as we can swing it again. This was my first trip to anywhere in Mexico and knowing what I know, I really have no interest in anywhere else but Ix/Zi. We stayed at the Pacifica in Ixtapa and it was a dream.

Thank you very much once again. I look forward to a possible return trip next year. Have a great day.

Richard K.

Sent: Monday, May 16, 2005 1:57 PM
Subject: Re: sportfishing deposit received

I returned yesterday from my successful fishing trip to Ixtapa and felt it was necessary to immediately let you know how much I enjoyed my fishing. I went out Friday morning with Captain Adolfo Espinoso and mate Jesus and within one hour had already landed about six tuna. Of course they fought so hard I was completely worn out and was praying for a break. It's the first time I ever remember wanting the fish to stop biting for a while. Captain Adolfo decided it was time to hook up the live bait and within about 15 minutes we snagged a beautiful sailfish. After a good but steady tussle we landed the sailfish, all 8 ft., 3 inches and 110 lbs. I was estatic, Jesus was taking pictures, I was ready to go home, what could be better? Of course it was only 9:00 a.m. so we had a lot more time to go. In about an hour, boom! another big strike, another sailfish!! It took 30-45 minutes to get him in and he was almost identical, later we measured this fish at two inches shorter than the first. Adolfo said that was our limit, we were done---I agreed and we were back at the dock by 11:00. I met the "trophy maker" there and contracted to have the first fish mounted---a continual memory of my finest fishing expedition ever.

Please express my deepest and sincere appreciation to Captain Espinoso for the excellent job he did in getting us to the right spot, using the right equipment, giving me the best advice, sticking with me when I couldn't reel it very well and sharing happily in my triumph as though it were his own. I'll be back next year with my son-in-laws to do it again.

Charlie Jones (charlie.r.jones @ exxonmobil.com)

Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2005 2:28 PM
Subject: My recent trip to Zihuat

Hi Stan:

Just wanted to drop you a quick note about my 2 days of fishing with Adolfo on the Dos Hermanos II.  4/29/05 was a great day (and a line class personal best in my angling career).  After releasing 2 sailfish and landing one yellowfin tuna (which I would have considered a good day), I hooked a very nice blue marlin at approx 1:20pm (18 miles offshore), on a very light weight outfit (20lb mono with a 10' 90lb leader).

Adolfo and his mate did a truly fantastic job of handling the boat, keeping the position just right, and chasing this very strong marlin for two hours to keep at least a few wraps of line on the spool.  In all my years of panga fishing, I have never seen such dedicated effort.  Its fair to say that you can expect me to request Adolfo on any/all future fishing trips to Ixtapa.  By the way, the second day (5/1) produced two more sailfish on light tackle (one a nice 130-140 pounder).

For the record, here are the stats (Adolfo suggested I provide these, since there was talk that this catch might be a local line class record for Ixtapa/Zihuat):

Fish: Blue Marlin
Weight: 151 kg or 332lbs (We returned to the dock late so the fish could not be weighed at the dock.  Adolfo told me on 5/1 that it was weighed at the fish market on 4/30, coming in at "a little over 150kg").
Fight Time: 2.5 hrs (One hour of which was at leader.  That is a whole story in itself.  Suffice to say, it was a very good thing Adolpho was able to hail one of his commercial panga buddies to help lend a hand on the leader, or we quite possibly would still be out there driving around in little circles).
Rod: Sabre Californian, CA8710C, 7', 10-30lb (at least 20 yrs old)
Reel: Shimano TLD-5 (20 years old, but with fresh drag washers.  I love this little reel, and have landed many sailfish and tuna on it over the years.  Unfortunately, Shimano no longer makes this model/size)
Line: 20lb clear P-Line
Leader: 90lb clear mono, approx. 10' (mfr unknown)
Hook: Unknown (belonged to Adolfo)
Bait: Rigged Dead Spanish Mack (expertly rigged by Adolfo's mate)

Thanks again for another great booking.  And, please forward my thanks and regards onto Adolfo.

Regards,

Kevin Ross (kross @ powerlight.com)

Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2005 1:05 PM

Hola Stan and Susan!

My husband David went out on the Dos Hermanos with Adolfo and the Dos Hermanos II with Chavez a couple weeks ago. On Sunday 2/20 he caught 5 sailfish and 4 bonita, on Monday they hooked into 3 sails, and on Wednesday, his companion Ray brought in a 9' sail and Dave brought in a 9 1/2" sail. Both of these fish will be joining the walls of our homes shortly!

We just wanted to tell you that my husband has been out on many charters and felt by far these two captains worked the hardest and were the most experienced of any that he has been out with. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and we fully intend to set up another 3 days of fishing (or more if he can talk me into it!) next year.

Thanks again for a wonderful experience, and thanks for the advice on booking early. He would have been very disappointed to have missed this experience.

Andrea & Dave Tibaudo (andrea @ scraps-n-stamps.com)
Clinton Township, MI

Sent: Fri 1/28/2005

Stan,

Really nice talking with you last night. We had a super trip to Zihuatanejo. The Vamanos 3 was great, Captain Chiro and Rafael were the best, Abel Cortez Zepada was there to help, etc.

Our total count for the three days of fishing was 17 sailfish landed (all released), 19 hooked, and 29 raised. We were the top producing boat two out of the three days. When you figure that you have roughly 6 hours of fishing per day that works out to a sailfish every hour. The frozen ballyhoo I took with us turned out to be the key to our success with 60% of the fish taking them.

I've attached quite a few shots of the fish for you to see including that 120lb monster which I landed. Once I saw him I made sure I brought him fast and didn't let him take a second run. He really kept his colors for the photo.

Thank you again for setting this up for us. It couldn't have been better. You and Susan were so nice to me I really appreciate it. I'll definitely be going down again. Please, if you ever have a slot open for a tournament please consider contacting me. My tackle and bait helped a lot and I'm sure that I could help contribute. Also, I don't farm fish. This trip I hooked six sails and landed all of them.

I really look forward to going fishing in Zihuatanejo again. Hopefully, we'll be able to do it together sometime.

We are a group of very grateful fisherman and my personal thanks for an absolutely wonderful time. It's people like you and Susan with your honesty, integrity and caring that are so special in the world.

Mike Anderson

Stan and Susan

Just a quick report on my experience in Ixtapa. You have earned my repeat business. Your captains and equipment are all first rate. Adolfo especially was a joy to fish with. Standing on the front deck casting for roosterfish was memorable and will be repeated many times in the future. I have fished in six different Mexican ports and prefer Ixtapa over all of them. Thanks Again!

Jeff Lindberg

Dear Stan and Susan,

Thank you very much for all the guidance and expertise you provided in setting up our fishing trip.

We had a great time fishing with Adolfo, Arturo and Salvando. Jesus and Demetre were top notch mates as well. All captains were great guys and great fishermen. We caught Roosters everyday (and lost some Roosters as well) we also caught Needlefish, Pompano, Jack, Mackeral and Dorado and a cooler full of small grouper, snapper and various bottomfish.

Overall, it was a top notch set-up you provided and each captain had his own style and personality - but all caught Roosters and provided great fishing. Our biggest was a 61 lb. Rooster that I caught and will be mounting (Larry caught a 55 lb. Rooster that he will be mounting) We had a terriffic time and will recommend your services to others.

FYI, if you have some clients that want a first class hotel, the 5 suite Amuleto in the mountain above La Ropa beach is incredible. Open just 5 months, it is relatively unknown - very private, absolutely beautiful. All room rates are negotiated with the owner, Ricardo, who lives in LA and can be reached at 213-280-1037 - email at reservations@amuleto.net - mention my name - Michael Kaplan from Chicago.

Amuleto is not cheap but after seeing everything in Zihua, it is the most unique and beautiful place of all. Need to taxi up and down the mountain, but it is no problem. Check it out next time you are there. You'll find it on an Amuleto Google search.

Please thank Adolfo and Arturo and Cervando again for us. Also, can you provide me with Adolfo's mailing address so I can send him a gift that I promised? Or, can I get your address and send a small package to him for you to forward to him? I would appreciate it.

If you need anything from me, photos, testimonials..... please don't hesitate to ask.

Talk to you soon, Michael (epicmichael @ yahoo.com)

Good morning Stan,

Thank you so much, every bit of our trip was wonderful. First of all, the Bungalows Adelamar were perfect. Nelly, her father and the staff were very nice and tremendously helpful. Adolfo was an outstanding guide and made our Rooster fishing a great experience. When you talk to him, please thank him again for me. We do hope to return next year with a couple of friends.
Thanks again Stan, our trip would not have been so nice without your help.
Julie Wither (Julie_Wither @ itc.co.harris.tx.us)

	Dear Stan, Thank's for all the help in making my first trip to Zihuatanejo one of the greatest fishing trips in Mexico. As I told you on the phone yesterday I will never return to Cabo San Lucas, Baja again. Zihua is my new love. I will be talking to you soon about a may or june trip. Attached are some sailfish pictures. Thanx again, Richard Schram (rcschram @ cox.net)

Hi Susan and Stan!
I just wanted to send you a letter telling you about a wonderful trip that my wife and I took to Zihuataneo. We had been planning the trip for months and I knew that we were going before the busy season so we did not book a captain for fishing. One night in a bar I met and lady named Diane and a man named Steve, They had just came in from a day fishing where they had caught 2 sailfish, some Dorado and had a great time . I asked if I could meet their captain. They introduced me to the captain who's nick name was Aleman (Adolfo). We liked him so we booked him for the next two days.

On the first day of fishing I went out with a friend and we caught 3 dorado and 2 sailfish. We had a great time. Aleman and Jesus of the "2 Hermanos" were fabulous, they made sure the bait was changed regularly. The Panga was spotless and the fishing equipment was in great shape. We had so much fun, when we arrived back at the pier, Aleman set up dinner for us at Elviras.

It was one of the best days of my life. We had so much fun! On the next day, my friend and I took our wives out to let them do all the fishing and to go to Ixtapa Island. The girls caught 2 Dorado and 10 or so Black Tuna on the way to the Island. When we got to the Island, Aleman set up lunch for us again at the Island. Once again it was fantastic! We had a great time.

The reason I'm sending you this a-mail was to let you know that Aleman and Jesus were wonderful and seemed to go the extra mile all the time to make sure that our day and our fishing trip would be a success. And I wanted to let you know, and to tell them how thankful I was. In the next week or so I am going to send Aleman some pink squid because they're inexpensive here. Do you have an address that we could sent them to him? I can't wait to get back to Zihuatanejo for some more sailfishing and maybe some rooster fish next time.

Thanks, Phil Fravel (p.fravel @ worldnet.att.net)

Stan and Susan,
Thanks for arranging our fishing trip with Captain Adolfo aboard "2 Hermanos". The three of us had the best time we have ever had fishing. On the first day, Captain Adolfo had already prepared his boat for a longer trip because he knew we had to travel further to get to the largest concentrations of fish. By the end of the third day, our best day, we had caught so many rooster fish on both top water plugs and live bait that our arms were worn out.
Captain Adolfo is a fisherman's captain. Since we elected not to have a mate on board to avoid over crowding, Adolfo was very helpful in preparing us for hooking and landing our fish while he manuevered the boat in the swells. We caught some really big rooster fish and jacks and didn't loose a single fish at the boat even when all three of us had fish on at the same time.
Again thanks for your help and we look forward to another trip.
Harry Johnson (CBPMHHJ @ aol.com)
Lex Robertson
Doug Camp

Stan and Susan,

I had an incredible time fishing with Capt Adolfo and his crewman Jesus. What a pair of consummate fishermen. I was very impressed by their capacity for hard work and thoroughly enjoying themselves. We caught four large roosterfish in a morning, a lot of bonito on the fly, and a very handsome dorado.
Thanks for organizing everything; you have another certain repeat customer.

Regards,
James Orford (jamesorford @ yahoo.co.uk)

Dear Stan,
I just wanted to thank you for hooking us up with Tom (Tomas) in Ixtapa. As you know Denise was not feeling too good and missed the fishing. Tom was very helpful in securing the captains. It was one of the best times I had fishing. If you have your tournament there next year I would like to join. Please add me to your list.
Tom took some pictures when I was fishing and I would like to buy a copy of the prints if at all possible. If you can send me his e-mail address I'll work it out with him.
Thanks again,
Ray Hartman (Rhart651 @ aol.com)
P.S. See you in Ixtapa

Hi Susan & Stan,

Just wanted to let you know how our trip turned out - it was great! The best day of off shore fishing I have ever had.
We landed 7 sails by 11:30, and were the king boat for the day. The closest boat to us had 4 sails.
Chirro is a great captain and Anthony worked extremely hard keeping the lines in the water.
I look forward to returning to Ixtapa and hooking up with the Yellowfin II again.

Bob Petty (rmp @ collinscollision.com)

Susan and Stan

Well.....with a bit of depression I have arrived back in the wilds of Canada from Ixtapa-Zi... I can see now why folks would want to spend an inordinate amont of time there.....very beautiful indeed!!

I did get out on Sunday Jan 20th with Chico Garcia.. We had a good day out indeed. Raised a dozen or so.... hooked 5 and landed 2 (mostly due to my ineptness....not Chicos *L*) Caught a real nice Dorodo as well. The boat was well equiped...the guide very personal and worked hard for us. I was pleased indeed.

Thanks again for all your advice.....and hard work on the shared charter front.

I am sure I will be back....and ready to fish big time next trip!

Thanks again
Gar (lpgar @ kwic.com)

Dear Susan & Stan,

Whew! What a day we had on the 21st of January. Capt Lenny & Crew did a great job for us on the R3 Maria II. 11 strikes on Sailfish, landing 8.
Got some great pictures as we released all 8. Also caught a couple smaller fish including a mackeral and bonita and lost what Lenny said was a Wahoo(?).

All in all a great day!

Bob Brandl & Tom Tews (omegaltd @ powercom.net)

Susan and Stan,

Just wanted to let you know that I had a great time fishing. Temo was a great captain. I have freshwater fished my entire life and deepsea fished maybe 25 times. I told Temo that I wanted to do everything but wanted him to make sure I was doing it right. He was a wonderful and patient teacher and was glad that I took an interest in what he did for a living. Temo went the extra mile for us, he had beers and great conversations after fishing and even made an outstanding shore lunch for us from the Dorado that we had caught. He made our trip very enjoyable. I have already called the travel agent to see how the rates are in March. Hope I can come back soon.

Thanks again, Kirk Ackerman (kackerman @ komw.com)

Stan
Gabby & I would like to thank you & Captain Chiro for a wonderful fishing experience aboard the Yellowfin II. We caught two sailfish, one around 95# and the other about 110#. It was an experience we will never forget. Thanks again.
Regards,
The Austins (baustin @ toyoink.com)
P.S. Feel free to use me as a reference for your business.

My trip to I/Z for my first fishing excursion was INCREDIBLE to say the least!! 24 inches of rain in 48 hours and when we thought all was lost, here came the sun shining through and making it one of the best fishing days in my fishing career!! With the expert help of Master fisherman Stan Lushinsky, of Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters and his crew, nothing short of a miracle could have prepared me for the action that was in store that day!! 35 Dorado and 1 Sailfish in 2 1/2 hours as that was the end of it when the bait supply was gone!! NOW THAT'S SOME FISHING!!

My sincere compliments to Stan's right hand man, José Luís Escobal, Angelo and his deckhand, and the rest of the Captains and crews that made my 2 week stay in Zihuatanejo the best trip I have EVER had, bar none!!

I am from Alaska and have fished for everything there and never had a catch day like that!! Captain Adolfo IS the Rooster King of I/Z!! My last day of fishing we landed 2 Roosters!! Two days later I was back in Alaska wishing I'd never left I/Z!!!

If you want the fishing trip of a lifetime get ahold of Stan Lushinsky of Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters and book your trip NOW!!!! Where you are more of a friend and part of a family than a customer and another name on the books!! I researched the area for about 2 years talking with numerous other charters in that area and was impressed by the courteous and professional manner that was exacted to me during an interveiw with Mr. Lushinsky. The "selling factor" that I made my decision to go on was the fact that everything that was told to me was indeed, factual and no fabrications were EVER made as to what I'd catch, where I'd be fishing, guarantees, etc. etc. Straight up all the way!!

Thank you Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters, I'll be back and THAT'S A GUARANTEE!!

Mike Allex-EMT (mallex57 @ hotmail.com)

Hi Stan and Susan,
The fishing was very good for us last week. I had the pleasure of saving a baby turtle on our Vamanos III trip. I had spotted something in the water and when we came around, we found a small turtle struggling in a fiber weaved bag. It was wrapped all around and strangling a rear flipper. Chiro and I cut away the bag, but not before it bit me in the knee. I also caught a 40 lb. wahoo at the white rocks of Potosi.
On my tuna trip with Adolfo, we were into yellowfin all day with hundreds of porpoises all around us throughout the day. I actually had one take my hooked yellowfin. I thought it was a marlin originally, as it took the line out horizontally just under the surface rather than sounding like tuna usually do. After chasing it for awhile, we saw it was a porpoise. It almost took me into the prop, but not before we cut it off. Hopefully it's ok.
The roosters were a little elusive as usual. We had a 5 minute window of opportunity, when all of our lines were crashed. I missed a 70 lb'er estimated by Adolfo on a live bait, but my girlfriend, Susan, landed the sole rooster on a red and white popper I brought down with me. Adolfo mentioned he could use some silver and blue squid skirts for the yellowfin. I'll bring him some on next trip.
Thanks guys for a great trip. Tight Lines,
Herb Houghton (sparkyhdh @ earthlink.net)

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