BajaNomad

First drive down , Nov.24-Jan.5

DJL - 1-14-2014 at 02:46 PM

Sorry for the late report !

Left Fair Oaks on the 24th , spent the Night in La Mesa at the Travelodge (under $50.00 USD , nice place !) . Crossed at Tecate 7:30 AM Morning of the 25th , no issues . Customs guy spoke good English , had us park next to inspection and walk to get stamped . Again , no issues !

YAAAAYY , we're in Baja !!

Drive down 3 was spectacular , such a beautiful Country ! Made it thru Ensenada traffic OK , spent the Night in Catavina at La Mission . Nice Hotel , but both Wife and I had 'bad vibes' from the general area (strange , considering the area from El Rosario to Catavina was likely the most beautiful I've ever seen) . Hotel was pricey , but the food was VERY pricey . No hot water in the Evening , it did work in the Morning . Again , nice place , but it did feel weird ....

Left early , made Campo Rene by 2:30 PM , had great surf fishing the first Evening . Fished the next two days w/ Ricardo on the Panga .... had EPIC fishing ! Campo Rene is great , as long as you understand you are camping (and you don't kill your Head on the undersized door entry ....) . Great food , great overall !! Left after 2 1/2 days , made Constution by late Afternoon . Stayed at Palapa 206 (strange ... it was located at kilometer marker 206 ... Hmmmm .) . Nice place for a 'no tell' , great security , clean , lots of hot water , 490.00 pesos for the Night .

Left for La Ribera early the next Morning . Only real issue was .... La Paz . I got lots of great advise from everyone here about doing the drive down ....but no one mentioned the total A-hole drivers in La Paz - major construction there , and no proper signs to help us escape . The drivers could NOT manage a simple merge , I had a minor meltdown . Got a map from the very nice Girl at Fox Car rental , and away we went ! Learned the Airport exit bypasses the whole of the City , took it on the way back North with no issues .

La Ribera , beautiful and perfect ! Stayed at a Friends' rental for a Month . Great visit w/ old Friends , and made some new ones . Fishing was marred by cold water and wind , fully 1/3 of December was blown-out . Still managed a Golden Trevally and White Bonita off the beach on fly . Gillnets are still around , and have knocked the fishing down somewhat . Spent Christmas there with our Mexican Family .... likely the greatest Holiday ever . Part 4th of July (dangerous explosives) , part St. Patricks' Day (everyone loaded) , part Thanksgiving (Mexicans do love their Turkey!) , and part traditional Mexican Christmas (Cow Head baked in the ground .... super-tasty !!) . Best visit ever , left a few days before New Years ....

Returned to Palapa 206 , discovered the best time to make your way thru Constitution in at 7:00 AM on a Sunday . No issues ....

Returned to Campo Rene and spent 5? days there , epic fishing without a Boat (Ricardo and Maria and the Boys were on vacation , Mara was running the place single-handedly .... rough job !) - we landed White Seabass , Snook , loads of Grouper and Corvina ..... hard to tear yourself away from that kind of fun . Also met several very nice Gringos .

Headed back North , spent the Night at the Baja Cactus - fantastic place ! Made it back to Tecate mid-Afternoon , waited in line for 45 minutes , and the U.S. Customs guy ignored us and sent us on our way with no inspection . Spent the Night in La Mesa again , and headed home .

After doing 6 months of research beforehand , we had no issues . Road was better than expected , gas was available everywhere , and the drive was the most beautiful we have ever been on ! Thanks to everyone here for all the answers , we'll return to the Abreojos area in late July .

Thanks again for all the Nomad help !

D.~;D

DJL - 1-14-2014 at 02:53 PM

Photos and travelogue -

https://www.facebook.com/bigbajaadventure

D.~

David K - 1-14-2014 at 02:54 PM

Thank you for the trip report and glad you had a good vacation. This La Paz bypass sounds interesting... After so many miles of desert, we went right for the Malecon and soaked in the La Paz great vibes... so didn't need to avoid town then.

Ateo - 1-14-2014 at 02:55 PM

Sweet. Great trip! Catavina is a cool area. It's pricey but they do have to haul everything in there from far away. Thanks for postig.

DJL - 1-14-2014 at 03:04 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
This La Paz bypass sounds interesting... After so many miles of desert, we went right for the Malecon and soaked in the La Paz great vibes... so didn't need to avoid town then.


To be honest .... I'm a little mental about planning things . Because I didn't have my map of La Paz handy , and the construction detours were NOT marked .... I did freak out more than a little . That was our only real problem on the road (Constitution traffic sucked hard , but we made it thru alive . Having people riding Bicycles on Mex 1 was weird , also ....) .

In the end , the only real issue with our 6 1/2 weeks was having to come back to the States , period ! This was THE trip of a Lifetime , and I wouldn't trade a single minute of it for anything -

D.~

DJL

captkw - 1-14-2014 at 03:18 PM

Hola,,I have always got weird vibes in that place ..glad its just NOT me !!was the la pinta and the El Presadente...they must have PUT IT OVER A OLD GRAVEYARD.. even my dogs don't like It..Thats saying something !!!.. If I cant make san Ignacio I'll drive across the street near the broken down Pemex and crash in the car/truck/rv...weird I felt that the first time and every time I enter and high tail it out !! K&T

David K - 1-14-2014 at 03:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DJL
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
This La Paz bypass sounds interesting... After so many miles of desert, we went right for the Malecon and soaked in the La Paz great vibes... so didn't need to avoid town then.


To be honest .... I'm a little mental about planning things . Because I didn't have my map of La Paz handy , and the construction detours were NOT marked .... I did freak out more than a little . That was our only real problem on the road (Constitution traffic sucked hard , but we made it thru alive . Having people riding Bicycles on Mex 1 was weird , also ....) .

In the end , the only real issue with our 6 1/2 weeks was having to come back to the States , period ! This was THE trip of a Lifetime , and I wouldn't trade a single minute of it for anything -

D.~


Right you are... and none of us are anti bicycle (we own a pair), it is just that we are anti-bloodshed, so there are some places on the transpeninsular highway not wise to be human powered.

bajajudy - 1-14-2014 at 03:29 PM

Loved it!
I assume that the photos are in reverse order.
If you havent looked at them yet, start at the bottom and move up. I was amazed at how the fish grew larger and larger with each photo.

DJL - 1-14-2014 at 03:49 PM

CaptKW - You know the old saying .... never , EVER ignore your inner voice ! Nothing bad happened .... we just felt that something was not 'right' . La Mission IS a nice Hotel , but the food and Bar were waaaaaay overpriced , IMO .

David K. - I'm not anti-Bike .... but it does seem like some folks have a poor choice in hobbies . You couldn't pay me to walk on a few sections of Mex 1 , much less ride a Bike on them !

Judy - We take our fishing seriously ! We avoid boats to concentrate on the surf . This was our first time fishing the Pacific Esteros , and we had a ball ! Ricardo was kind enough to loan us his Red Canoe while he was out on vacation - we used it as transport to fish off the sand/mud bars out there . No doubt it will be more productive with warmer water in July ....

D.~

DJL

captkw - 1-14-2014 at 06:20 PM

Hola...Damn is that a GHOST ?? White sea bass ?? From shore ??...K&T:cool:

DJL - 1-14-2014 at 06:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by captkw
Hola...Damn is that a GHOST ?? White sea bass ?? From shore ??...K&T:cool:


Yeah . Sage SP+ 6 wt. flyrod , 12 Lb. tippet , #2 Chart/White Clouser Minnow Fly . Weighed 23 kilos on the Co-op scale and was very tasty . There are 3 videos on our facebook page of the fight and landing .

It's my first one .... maybe I should just quit now while I'm ahead ?

D.~

Bob H - 1-14-2014 at 07:11 PM

Fantastic trip report... loved the video of the 50 lb white sea bass caught from shore! Amazing stuff!!!!

The facebook link needs to be viewed from the bottom up, as mentioned before.

DJL

captkw - 1-14-2014 at 07:17 PM

Hola,,,Good on you mate !! IMO "Ghosts" and albe and dodo's are the best eating fish on the planet !! I don't think I have heard of anyone anywhere catching from shore !! SWEET!!! The past 9/10 years we have been catching them in Monterey bay ca. with the warmer water and the salmon move more north..with 55-60lbs the standard here..,,I did land a 70lber 8 years ago...but,,from shore is DAMN impressive !! I don't have a face book account..but I'm going back and see if I can watch the Vids...Thanks..BTW.. in the blue bar up top on the left is the search bar..hit that and type white seabass and on the lower right corner is "next page" and find the "55LB= white seabass"thats the last one this year I landed....sliced thin cubes lightly oiled then finish the last 30 seconds with paper thin slices of blood ornges...MUY SABOR !! off to ck you vids !! K&T:cool:

DJL - 1-14-2014 at 07:24 PM

Here's the first two -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvEfZGV7ffc&feature=youtu...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNUhMCrkYWo

I haven't uploaded the landing on Youtube yet ....

Oh , excuse the swearing please -

D.~

DJL #2

captkw - 1-14-2014 at 07:31 PM

Hola,,well I watched two vids !! Holy-hit !! I taken 100's of folks fishing from costa rico to Alaska and the sandwich island tossed in a few times...This the first I have heard of a "Ghost" being caught from shore !!They are very strong,and SMart....they don't put out all they have in the beginning and Fool many wise,old anglers...they stay tuff thur=out a long battle !! My hats off to you and Kudo's...I've landed around 60 of them and its all been in the last ten years or so....IMO my Fav fighting,,eating,,gosh darnn smart fish..They are not called "GHOST" for no reason !!!...K&T:cool:

DJL - 1-14-2014 at 07:36 PM

My Lovely Wife just told me she uploaded the landing the other day , so here it is -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikzw6fzv6tM

Again , please excuse the cursing ... we were a wee bit excited .

D.~

(I actually thought landing two Snook on a fly there was a bigger deal , but I enjoy ALL Fishes , so I'll take the WSB and grin !)

Tarpoon,,snook,marlin..yada,yada,,

captkw - 1-14-2014 at 07:50 PM

Myself like a strong willed,,smart fish,that cooks up AWESOME,,they are very hard to learn how to cook right ...just like fresh Albe's..For me the secret is thin..same with salmon..I laugh when I go to a fine dinning place and the table next to me gets a plate of salmon served to them and its like a inch thick....YUK !! you have to cook the crap out of it or its raw in the middle !!:lol:...IMO..GHOST are awesome !! Now..to find that last vid...K&T..PS...I think BAJA has HOOKED another one !! YOU WILL BE BACK>>LOL!!

Fish Porn!!

captkw - 1-14-2014 at 07:58 PM

that last vid was too short !!! Thanks for sharing a awesome fishing gig !!...how deep of water and was the tide when you hooked up ???? From the vids I would guess near the top of the tide...NO???

DianaT - 1-14-2014 at 07:59 PM

Very nice trip report and it sure sounds like you had a GREAT time which is good.


Campo Rene is one of our very favorite places. From your pictures, it does not look like the co-op has upgraded much yet. How were the bathrooms? Have they cleaned those up yet?

Cataviņa --- we love that place, but I sure understand learning to listen to that inner voice that says something is just not right. I think the spirits for people are different in different places.

Thanks for sharing your trip.

DJL - 1-14-2014 at 08:12 PM

Captkw -

Location of the channel and tide stage .... mums' the word on those ! I was just lucky the WSB wandered by , and VERY lucky it didn't bolt 300 yards and spool me ! I've been told that the Abreojos area has fair to good fishing for WSB in July .... guess where we will be then ?? Holler if you'd like to meet up there this Summer !

Diana -

The Co-op is finishing up two new Palapa/Cabanas , not sure when they will be done . The bathrooms ...I guess clean enough (I'm not too fussy , as a neglected bathroom has it all over digging Cat holes in the Desert ...) , the last one on the Right has hot water . I can only hope that , when the upgrades are in place .... Campo Rene ISN'T overrun with people , as it is a remarkable and beautiful place ! I've read about it for almost 30 years now ... so our first visit there was like a dream come true . No gillnets for the past 5 years , it can only get better !

D.~

Meany - 1-14-2014 at 08:13 PM

Baja is the most fun place. Injoy it while you can.

bajalearner - 1-16-2014 at 01:16 PM

!
"but no one mentioned the total A-hole drivers in La Paz"


I have come to the conclusion that Mexicans are better drivers than US drivers. If you consider the lack of driver education, lack of laws, lack of enforcement and the general road attitude there. Mexicans would do better than US drivers in a free for all, fight to finish, last one still driving wins the competition. In fact that kinka describes driving in Mexico.

[Edited on 1-16-2014 by bajalearner]

DJL - 1-16-2014 at 02:02 PM

Ooooooh , I don't think that makes them better drivers .

You are entitled to your perspective , however . It's kind of interesting .... my Mexican Friends , who have to enter La Paz (or go to school there) absolutely HATE driving in La Paz , so I guess I'm not alone with my views .

Our driving goals anywhere are to get from point A to point B , without getting killed or maimed . I'd guess that , if one enjoys playing Crazy Taxi , or good ol' Pole Position .... La Paz might be amusing .

D.~

Skipjack Joe - 1-17-2014 at 12:01 AM

It's nice to read that the estero has not been gill netted for the last 5 years. Actually amazing when you consider how little restraint there has been in the past.

I wonder if you would share the fly pattern that you used on the white sea bass.

Oh, and before I forget. Do you think that fishing from the canoe helped you catch more? I just thought that the absence of a motor allowed you to get closer without spooking the fish.

DJL - 1-17-2014 at 10:01 AM

Hi Joe !

Yeah , the locals at the co-op have shown remarkable foresight with the net ban at Coyote . They have also asked that Grouper in the Estero are released alive , though I doubt many will do so ...

Since Estero Coyote and Laguna La Bocana are both nurseries for the young Grouper before they head out into the open Pacific (need to get big enough to NOT be eaten by the really big ones) , it really does make sense that netting would be banned in both . Abreojos is well known for being THE Grouper spot in West Baja , so recruitment of the young is a pretty important thing .

The fly was a standard , #2 Chart/White Clouser Minnow , 2 1/2 inches long . I'll round up a photo of it for you pretty soon . The best fly I used out there were the same Clousers , just bigger (size 1/0) , in Gray/White and Tan/White - those accounted for nearly all of my Grouper/Corvina/Snook/Halibit/etc. .

While we used the Canoe to move around to different spots , we didn't fish from it . Walking the sandbars and looking for the 'right' kind of spots is how we caught the majority of Fish on the second part of the trip (the first part was just fishing the deep , open channels from the Panga) . I believe in stealth , so much so that I wouldn't bother seriously fishing narrow areas (Mangrove channels) with a motor in play . You will probably catch Fish no matter how much noise you make , I just prefer to be as quiet as I can be .

I'll go work on the fly photos -

D.~

David K - 1-17-2014 at 10:04 AM

Good job David!

BajaBlanca - 1-17-2014 at 11:49 AM

What a great trip report and yes, we have had meltdowns in La Paz as well 0 not due to the drivers so much but the roads are ONE WAY and do not have signs! Then there are detours every other block. Just not a fun place to drive around at all.

Next time you are at Campo Rene, stop by our place and have a cup of coffee or a beer with us. The new restaurant on the beach is fun too and the margaritas are killer!

here is a link for you to see where we are:

http://www.labocanahotel.com

DJL - 1-17-2014 at 12:05 PM

Thanks for the invite , Blanca !

We WERE meaning to get into La Bocana and see your place , as well as getting farther North and visiting w/ Shari in Asuncion .... we just got tied-up with fishing/BSing at Campo Rene . We will visit you in late July , I promise !

Laguna La Bocana is on the target list for the next trip (as well as Coyote again) , I'm hoping there's a way to launch a Kayak around the Glory Hole area ...

D.~

David K - 1-17-2014 at 04:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DJL
Hi Joe !

Yeah , the locals at the co-op have shown remarkable foresight with the net ban at Coyote . They have also asked that Grouper in the Estero are released alive , though I doubt many will do so ...

Since Estero Coyote and Laguna La Bocana are both nurseries for the young Grouper before they head out into the open Pacific (need to get big enough to NOT be eaten by the really big ones) , it really does make sense that netting would be banned in both . Abreojos is well known for being THE Grouper spot in West Baja , so recruitment of the young is a pretty important thing .

The fly was a standard , #2 Chart/White Clouser Minnow , 2 1/2 inches long . I'll round up a photo of it for you pretty soon . The best fly I used out there were the same Clousers , just bigger (size 1/0) , in Gray/White and Tan/White - those accounted for nearly all of my Grouper/Corvina/Snook/Halibit/etc. .

While we used the Canoe to move around to different spots , we didn't fish from it . Walking the sandbars and looking for the 'right' kind of spots is how we caught the majority of Fish on the second part of the trip (the first part was just fishing the deep , open channels from the Panga) . I believe in stealth , so much so that I wouldn't bother seriously fishing narrow areas (Mangrove channels) with a motor in play . You will probably catch Fish no matter how much noise you make , I just prefer to be as quiet as I can be .

I'll go work on the fly photos -

D.~


Marc - 1-17-2014 at 06:52 PM

Now you know!

Skipjack Joe - 1-17-2014 at 07:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DJL

Laguna La Bocana is on the target list for the next trip (as well as Coyote again) , I'm hoping there's a way to launch a Kayak around the Glory Hole area ...

D.~



There is good launching at 'Glory Hole'.

Watch out for the spring high tides, though. They come up and over the entire mud flat. The Glory Hole is usually fished by camping on the mud flat and fishing the water around it. It must be 100 yds from the bank at the Glory Hole to the dry road that seldom gets inundated.

Once the tide floods the flat it becomes a bog and even a 4wd with mud tires won't get you out.