Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3507
Registered: 8-27-2003
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Punta Baja, Sacramento Reef and Points South
I never hear anything from this area; even The Baja Catch pretty much ignores this stretch of coastline. Ed Lusk, owner of Baja's Best in El Rosario,
recently guided a TV crew from one of ESPN fishing shows to the Sacramento Reef area and states that they caught so many large Calicos that they had
enough film for a typical show in a half day instead of 2 or 3. They even stayed an extra day just so the camera guys could get in on the fun.
I've driven to Punta Baja out of El Rosario and there are lots of pangas there, should be an OK launch for my 18' aluminum but not sure about anything
else south until you get to Santa Rosalillita.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64723
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Hi Jim,
Take a look at this web page I made (road log/ photos) of the coast from Punta Baja to almost Punta San Carlos: http://vivabaja.com/1205/
Note photo of the concrete boat launch ramp at Punta San Antonio fish camp.
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fishbuck
Banned
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Registered: 8-31-2006
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I visited Punta Baja a few years back. I was there when a few of the Pangas came back and it didn't look easy.
But they had some real nice halibut and 1 huge white seabass.
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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I think it has to do with their inaccessability, Jim. Gene was providing fishing maps to areas that weren't too hard to get to. I'm sure they had
spots they didn't want to reveal - especially in the earlier editions. I don't think they mentioned Asuncion until the third edition, and there's been
a graded road there for decades. I'm pretty sure if they had written it today it would at least include the fishing around Santa Rosalillita because
of the improved access.
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Martyman
Super Nomad
Posts: 1904
Registered: 9-10-2004
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When are we going?
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BornFisher
Super Nomad
Posts: 2107
Registered: 1-11-2005
Location: K-38 Santa Martha/Encinitas
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I fished it once on a charter out of San Diego. Fishing was awesome, like Calif. must have been like 60 years ago. Pedros` Pangas in San Quentin runs
out to the reef, not sure if they spend the night (at the island).
Spring and summer winds are the bummer. The best time of year is actually right now, the guys on the island told us.
I remember recently reading the panga guys running a San Diego boat out of the area. Can`t remember why.
It is such a beautiful reef with a few exposed rocks and tons of life. We tried the bottom too and WOW, was it easy!
I really want to get back there, good luck if you go!
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4baja
Super Nomad
Posts: 1339
Registered: 9-4-2003
Location: morro bay ca
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jim i used to take the road many times from punta baja to san carlos back in the mid 80s. the road is not two tough but very silty and theres really
not much between the points. we had some good fishing off the rocks at punta fernando but other then that the water was allways real dirty. the road
comes out at the small rancho(through the fence) on the road to san carlos and then its not far to the beach. i would not pull a boat down the road
thou only a car topper.
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Ron_Perry
Junior Nomad
Posts: 77
Registered: 9-21-2005
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Mood: yearning for baja
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Sacramento Reef 1980?
Here is a burro stunt I pulled out on my first trip to the Sacramento reef area, around 1980. I had a Toyota wagon, about 1972, and a new 12 1/2 ft
inflatable boat with a 12 horse outboard. I was 22 years old, and a experienced freediver, and tank diver. And I was by myself.
I took the west turnoff at El Rosario and drove about a far south/west as my car would go. Maybe a couple three hours. There was a fish camp, with
about 20 fisherman. Had a few beers with these guys, trying to figure out where the reef was. They could not tell me. Did not matter, I just wanted to
get my new boat in the water.
I hauled all my gear down to the waters edge, including scuba gear. And like a good waterman, I sat and watched the water for about one hour. It
looked good. Two footers at most hitting the beach.
With the help of one local pescador, I shoved off. I rowed for a few feet, to get offshore, then fired up the easy starting motor. A little more
rowing to get the motor warmed up, then I would be off.
Man, I was cool, I must have looked good to the fish camp crowd!. As I was rowing in a mill pond (6 inch waves), I turned around and looked. WTF?
Here comes an 8 to 10 ft clean out wave. To hell with the warm-up. I stomped on the throttle, shot forward, let go of the tiller, ran forward,
grabbed the 6 foot bow rope to put all my weight forward, and was clobbered by a brutal wave. The power of that wave is something I have not forgot.
The wave filled my boat up, but I lost nothing, and I had on a full wetsuit. The motor was still running, so I went back to the tiller, and motored
out, full throttle, about .5 mph. If I would have looked out, I would have seen the ocean had flattened out, but I was shell shocked, worried about
loosing my boat.
It took a few minutes to bail out my boat, and I never did find the Sacramento Reef. I went back the next year, but it blew for three days
straight. Never went back. Maybe I will return next year. Ron
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Baja12valve
Nomad
Posts: 185
Registered: 7-12-2006
Location: Oak View
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I recently tried to to from Punta Baja to Punta San Carlos. I ended up in some walled off compound with a armed guard at the gate. I asked a few
questions, got nothing for a reply. A few more armed people started to walk out of the house, about 100 yards away in the compound towards me. I
thought it would be a good time to leave, so I did. I guess I was too far inland, but it couldn't have been more than a 1/4 mile or so.
Ron, your move was in no way a burro stunt, you just did not know the local knowledge. Now for a true burro stunt, I watched a "local" who was a
gringo who had been living for several years @ Punta Colonet, anchor his panga offshore, jump off and swim to shore with a rope, watch a wave swamp
his boat, swim back out and bring the swamped boat to shore, try to load it up on a trailer on the beach while swamped , all his stuff floating away,
all the while getting just hammered by a nasty small shorebreak to no avail. I ended up pulling the swamped boat and trailer, now all tangled
together, up the cobbles, dragging both. For a person who had been living there for several years, he had no clue.
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
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Mood: good
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Punta San Carlos, halibut capital of the world,lots of WSB also no boat needed........no end to the croaker family on that beach.
I always took the road a few miles down from El Rosario,one morning 4 of us must have caught 35 or 40 butts plus a couple nice WSB,the sand
just south of the point.
Great spot but it does get a little windy
Rob
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3507
Registered: 8-27-2003
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Baitcast: is there anyplace in Baja you haven't fished? btw - what are those bubbles over your Coors cap?
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baitcast
Super Nomad
Posts: 1785
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: kingman AZ.
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Mood: good
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Holes,I have a big cork board on the wall with lots of pics held up with pins.
Rob
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