One of the longest-tenured charter boat captains in Mexico's Baja East Cape region, Jesus Araiza held a remarkable front row seat to the evolution of Baja sportfishing stretching back to 1955. Not only was he one of the first "tag & release" captains in the East Cape area, but he was also awarded the High Skipper Award for "tag & release" 19 different years during his career.  His reputation as one of the top captains at the "Ranch" was legend, and he was so popular that he was often booked several seasons in advance. Jesus retired in 2008 from Hotel Buenavista Beach Resort, a neighboring hotel, leaving the day-to-day fishing to his sons. Today, his grandson, Tony, captains the "Retriever," a 66-foot Viking fishing out of Cabo San Lucas. Sadly, Araiza passed away at age 79 on April 8, 2021, quietly at his home in Los Barriles, BCS, surrounded by family members.

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://bajabytes.com/2022/02/08/igfa-announces-2022-tommy-gifford-award-winners/