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Editor's note: ESPNOutdoors.com is pleased to announce that Ken Schultz, former Fishing editor of Field & Stream magazine and the author of 16 books on sportfishing, is joining our team as Fishing editor and will be contributing regular columns. Schultz also is a commentator for "BassCenter," which air Saturdays on ESPN2. Look for his "Reel Speak" segment on "BassCenter."

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I first visited the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo region of Mexico's Pacific mainland coast in June 2001 to film an offshore-fishing show for ESPN. However, we happened to motor inshore for two mornings to try our hand at pez gallo, or roosterfish, in order to highlight the area's diversity.

On the first inshore morning, a larger camera boat followed the 25-foot panga that Chuck Villareal and I were in. Our faster boat got to a prime roosterfish beach some 17 miles south of Zihuatanejo Bay about 20 minutes ahead of our companions.

Big rollers were crashing on the beach, the panga was heaving up and down and since we had to toss surface plugs into the foaming surf I thought a little practice under these conditions might be helpful.

On the second cast, my red-and-white popper surfed down the back of a beach wave and sped up to momentarily flat water. A roosterfish came after the lure in that shallow trough, struck and missed as the popper skipped along. It then proceeded to hammer the bait even though I was cranking the spinning reel like a madman.

The rooster jumped spectacularly several times and proved to weigh 28 pounds when I finally got it in. Unfortunately, the cameramen had yet to arrive; when they did, they were less than pleased to learn that I had caught and released a very camera-worthy fish.

There were more to follow, however, and enough action on both roosters and big jack crevalle that we did most of the show on Ixtapa's inshore fishing thrills.

That was my introduction to roosterfish, which quickly became my new favorite fish.

My last trip to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo produced a glorious single day in which Stan Lushinsky and I caught two-dozen roosters between 18 and 34 pounds in several hours of nonstop surface action.

The afternoon was so grueling that our arms were reduced to limp, wet noodles by the time the hot school dispersed. That was some day of fun.

You can't expect that sort of activity all the time, of course; roosters seem to be somewhat feast or relative famine here.

But there is no better place to catch such good-size specimens, as well as have a chance at boating a monster.

Roosterfish to more than 60 pounds have been caught here in recent years. And an 83-pounder — which took more than an hour to land and proved to be the largest ever taken on rod and reel here — was caught in November 2002. However, there's an undocumented report of a 100-pounder having been caught a decade ago.

The Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo area is a somewhat overlooked jewel on Mexico's Pacific mainland coast. Ixtapa is a fairly new resort village adjacent to the larger and older city of Zihuatanejo. They are located in southern Mexico, 156 miles north of Acapulco, and west of beautiful Sierra Madre peaks that rise to 7,500 feet.

The local waters provide excellent fishing for sailfish and dolphin, as well, and the region offers reasonable prices, low attention from most of the regular tourist crowd and a great climate.

Many of the best captains here are represented by Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters, and all have good tackle and well-maintained boats. Twenty-five-foot pangas, suitable for two anglers plus the captain and a mate, cost $210 for 8 hours and $260 for 10 hours; they are seaworthy for both offshore runs (although it's often only 5 miles out to the sailfish action) and inshore trolling, casting, or jigging.

These are boarded at the main pier in Zihuatanejo. Contact Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters at 570-688-9466 or visit www.ixtapasportfishing.com.

Sails, dolphin and roosters are caught year-round, while tuna and marlin are sporadically available. However, the prime periods for roosters are May through September, while December through February is best for sails and dolphin. Usually the better boats average six sailfish hookups a day.

There are many options for accommodations in both Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa, the latter being more resort-oriented and located just 4 miles from Zihuatanejo. You can search for options by visiting www.visitmexico.com.

A charming place is Bungalows Adelamar, a small new hotel (eight units with efficiency kitchens) with a delightful pool in the Madera Beach area of Zihuatanejo. It's close to Zihua Bay and in walking distance to the fishing pier. Daily cost is $80 peak season and $60 off-peak. Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters can book it; visit www.ixtapasportfishing.com/adelamar/.

Game-fish profile

Species: Roosterfish, Nematistius pectoralis.

Other names: Spanish: papagallo, gallo, pez de gallo, reje pluma.

In general: The roosterfish is a superb light-tackle game fish and member of the Carangidae family of jacks, so named for the comb of long dorsal fin spines that extend far above the body of the fish.

Identification: A striking, iridescent fish, the roosterfish is characterized by seven long, threadlike dorsal fin spines, which are found even on young fish. This comb stands erect when the roosterfish is excited or in danger, but ordinarily the fin remains lowered in a sheath along the back. There also are two dark, curved stripes on the body and a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin.

Size : The roosterfish can grow to 4 feet and more than 100 pounds. The all-tackle world record is for a 114-pounder taken out of La Paz in Baja California in 1960.

Distribution: Endemic to the eastern Pacific, roosterfish occur from San Clemente in southern California to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands; they are rare north of Baja California.

Habitat: Roosterfish inhabit shallow inshore areas, such as sandy shores along beaches. Young fish are often found in tide pools.