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DJL
Junior Nomad
Posts: 95
Registered: 11-9-2013
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First drive down , Nov.24-Jan.5
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.~
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DJL
Junior Nomad
Posts: 95
Registered: 11-9-2013
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Photos and travelogue -
https://www.facebook.com/bigbajaadventure
D.~
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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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.
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5901
Registered: 7-18-2011
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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.
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DJL
Junior Nomad
Posts: 95
Registered: 11-9-2013
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| 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.~
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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DJL
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
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| 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.
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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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.
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DJL
Junior Nomad
Posts: 95
Registered: 11-9-2013
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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.~
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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DJL
Hola...Damn is that a GHOST ?? White sea bass ?? From shore ??...K&T
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DJL
Junior Nomad
Posts: 95
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| Quote: | Originally posted by captkw
Hola...Damn is that a GHOST ?? White sea bass ?? From shore ??...K&T
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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.~
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Bob H
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5867
Registered: 8-19-2003
Location: San Diego
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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.
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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DJL
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
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DJL
Junior Nomad
Posts: 95
Registered: 11-9-2013
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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.~
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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DJL #2
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
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DJL
Junior Nomad
Posts: 95
Registered: 11-9-2013
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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 !)
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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Tarpoon,,snook,marlin..yada,yada,,
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 !! ...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!!
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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Fish Porn!!
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???
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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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.
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DJL
Junior Nomad
Posts: 95
Registered: 11-9-2013
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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.~
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