Punta Colorada , July 29-August 5

[David Lee]

Wandered down w/ Candida , Lee S. and his better half , Susan , and Ted1 from this board , pretty fun group of people ....

Conditions -

Hot and humid (like , sweat through your shirt in 5 minutes humid), heavy afternoon wind to 30 MPH out of S/SE , nasty Green cold water hugging the beach , warmer water just offshore . Most days over 100 degrees w/ high humidity . All of my surf fishing was done before Sunrise , and from 6:00 PM 'till after dark .... the heat and humidity made the middle of the day pointless , unless you wanted to die .

Hotel Punta Colorada -

Perfect ! Great staff , good food , fair amount of tourists ..... couldn't ask for better !! Not one single issue or problem ....

Fishing -

The beach action was DEAD - I landed 13 in 8 days , Lee and Ted did slightly better . Bait scattered , most game Fish stayed well offshore (100+ yards) . Lee , Susan , Candida , and Ted did 2 days on a Panga and did well - 11 Dorado to the boat the first day , day 2 Candida landed a 90+ LB. Sailfish , and managed a 20+LB. Dorado on light spinning tackle . Susan hooked a Marlin on the fly . If you were not on a boat , you were out of it (I was out of it).

Events -

Candida was hit by a Man-O'-War and almost had to go to a hospital .

I suffered heat stroke (at 8:30 AM , mind you ...) one morning and almost had to go to the hospital .

Susan had a WHOOPS ! on the boat , ripped ligaments in one knee , and had to go to the hospital . She spent the rest of the trip in a wheelchair ....

Lee , Ted , and I laughed ourselves shitless nearly every day , waaaaay too much fun !!

Found out on Saturday , July 31st that Mexicana had canceled all flights to and from California . Went to Los Cabos airport on Thursday , August 5th and Mexicana told us they would get us out the next day .... they were kind enough to put us up in San Jose @ the Presidente Intercontinental (all inclusive , $300.00 a day) . Figured I'd get the most out of the free Beer and wandered down to the snack bar closest to the beach . Had a Woman come running up screaming something in Spanish that we could not understand .... I thought something about her Dog ..... We ran 100+ yards to the beach and found a boy drowning in 10-foot surf . We managed to fish him out and he survived w/ no problems ... took 2 hours to get my hands to stop shaking .

We were running on Friday , August 6th , from 4:00 AM -until after midnight , Saturday . Los Cabos to Fort Worth , Fort Worth to Denver , stranded in Denver for several hours (I'd rather be stranded in hell - I HATE Denver) , boarded a plane to Sac , spent two hours on the runway trying to fix an issue , returned to the terminal and got on another plane . 20 hours of travel to get home . No Bueno .....

Would I do it all again ?? YES !! We are planning another Fall/Winter trip as I write this , no more Summers for me . November/December has much less heat/humidity , more fish on the beach , and fewer people . HPC is my favorite place on the planet !!

That's it !

D.~

[David Lee]

Gear issues -

Bought a straw hat , made the mistake of getting one w/ open-weave crown , burned the crap out of my scalp .... tighter weave next time ?

Used a SA 300 grain clear head line on my RPLX-7 wt. , it tangled and twisted like mad . I will try it again in Winter before scrapping it and going back to Suffix/shooting heads .

The rest of my kit worked perfectly .

New species -

For me , a Burrito Grunt , and a Needlefish landed (skinny Needle , not the fat/shortnose one) . Lee landed a Peacock Razorfish (Ha ! Go look THAT one up !) , Ted landed Sierra , Roosters , JC's , Dorado , Big Mex Needlefish , and several others . Susan had Sierra , Dorado , Green Jacks , and a lost Striped Marlin .

The new marina in La Ribera has a breakwater now , the one going in @ Punta Arena has nothing built - if the marina does go in on Punta Arena ..... you can write the area off for inshore fishing because it will be destroyed . Look up CABO CORTES and fight that project as hard as you can , because IT WILL wreck the area . I know of few other spots anywhere on the planet where you have a reasonable chance of hooking pelagic fish from the beach - Punta Arena has had Dorado and Yellowfin Tuna taken off of it , don't let it go without a fight .

Forgot to add - Capt. TiTico , on the Panga Gallo , knew the waters , understood fly fishing needs , and broke his back to keep our charters on fish - I recommend him highly .

D.~

[Darian]

Sounds like the trip went well even with the slower fishing.... Still plenty of 'em caught. :nod: You should consider going out in the panga's. Actually, it's nicer out on the water in the AM than on shore and the fishing is faster. :)

Also, sounds like you're OK after overheating.... That's never fun. Hope everyone is recovering well from all of those injuries. Susan's may require a lengthier recovery, tho.... :(

The bait situation is really the pits this year. Long runs to find it; if you can. Usually Sardinas are so thick along the shoreline at East Cape it shades the bottom. :confused:

[David Lee]

Lots of Sardina to 4 inches there , fair amount of Mullet (smallish) . Bait was scattered around , same w/ gamefish . I saw constant blow-ups out 100 yards , they just never stormed the beach . Several folks snorkling reported the nearshore reefs deserted , something totally unheard of .

The heat/humidity was beyond belief (worse than anything I have ever seen personally)- I was 3/4 of a mile away from the Van .... and I almost didn't make it back to the shade . When I did , I could NOT get my core temp down . Drank a quart of water and sweated it out like a showerhead . I can survive the heat , but the never-ending humidity nearly killed me . Most of the rest of our party suffered nearly as bad ....

I have no real issue w/ boat fishing , I'd just prefer to do it MY way (no guide , no bait to keep fish around the boat) . If I fail , it is MY fault , not the Panga driver , crappy bait , etc. . I know ...... always a stubborn ass , eh ? LOLOLOLOL .... Much less expensive , as well ... and the hours are better (try getting your Capt. up @ 4:30 AM for the dawn patrol) .

I actually had more fun on this trip than any other , the heat/injuries/travel sucked , but that goes with the experience , doesn't it ? HPC USUALLY has the best combo of comfort and good beach fishing .... but even the best places have 'off' periods . I had a great time w/ my Mexican Friends , one of whom actually had a Birthday cake made for me - we laughed until we couldn't take it anymore and I'd do it again in a heartbeat !

D.~

[Darian]

I'd heard about the marina going in at La Ribera but not about a marina at the light house. How big is the latest marina proposal :question: If that one goes in, things will drastically change down there. More development, more fisherman; commercial/recreational.... Oh well.... Nothing stays the same any longer.... :confused:

[Jay Murakoshi]

David,,

Nov/Dec. could be cold and windy. That time of year is when the cold north winds start to blow and usually go through April. I've been there when in a 5 day trip, you might miss 1 to 2 days of fishing because of the winds. One time when I was at Punta Colorada and walking the beach, we headed in the direction of the lighthouse, then the wind came up and making the forward cast was useless. The back cast was great or should I say the "wind cast" The wind carried the line back further than the forward cast.

I'm glad I can spend as much time as I do down there, just to be able to kick back and relax on the windy days

Jay

[David Lee]

Nov/Dec. could be cold and windy. That time of year is when the cold north winds start to blow and usually go through April. I've been there when in a 5 day trip, you might miss 1 to 2 days of fishing because of the winds.

Hi Jay .

My last three trips (30 days total) were in November/December - there is always a lee from the North wind @ Punta Arena .

We went in July/August on this , our 4th trip down , because everyone (guides , Mexicans , etc.) told us there is no wind and lots of surf fishes in high Summer . Obviously , the kooky weather patterns that are affecting us here in NorCal are playing around down there , also . All the locals said it is never THAT humid in August , and the major South wind doesn't usually blow quite that hard . The wind out of the South is impossible for a right-handed caster to deal with , and if strong enough , makes ALL the beach fishing futile . It blew so freakin' hard one afternoon @ Punta Arena , leadcore was being blown back (yep , I saw it) .

I'll take the 'cold' North wind (lowest temps I saw in 30 days were nights/high 50's , days/74) over death by humidity anytime . It IS funny to watch the Mexicans scramble for parkas when it drops below 60 - LOLOLOLOL

Darain -

http://news.za.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=154199901

The pelagics that travel the Cortez will likely not be affected too badly - the Coral reef , groundfish , and baitfish supply will be totally destroyed . The company from Spain is already into the project to the tune of 300+ million euros . The marina in La Ribera will have some impact , but not as much as one huge one at Punta Arena .

The Mexican Government may have found a way to wreck the area in the long term by issuing permits for this bullshit - let's hope they get smart and leave the area alone .

D.~

[Hairstacker]

Hey David, great report! I can tell you had a blast despite some challenges there with all the heat, humidity, wind, injuries, and what-not. Judging by your previous reports, it sounds like early winter is a much better time to go. Sounds like you caught some interesting fish -- I don't know how you manage to recognize what some of them are, ha!

In any event, I hope Candida is doing ok -- that sounds like a seriously painful experience. Was she snorkeling at the time? Please convey my best wishes if she's still having any issues from it.

By the way, did you take any pictures? Would sure love to see some. Anyway, it's great to hear you're kicking around on the water. :)

[lee s.]

Yo David!
Like the card said, "muchas grassi-ass". It was a GRAND trip!
I am soooo glad this was my first trip there so we had nothing to compare it with. I kept hearing how "down" that comparison was. ;-)
I, for one, had the PERFECT trip! Our goal was to get Susan into dorado and keep them around the skiff to see and feed and toss to and catch. THIS was splendidly executed. :-) yahoo! And you already mentioned some of the "above and beyond" frostings.
Yep, it was hot. I thought I was going to have to stop tossing and drink some of that water I carried down the beach at "Arena". Again, this is where the lack of experience was "handy". We were QUITE content and satisfied with approx 7 hits per hour (not all landed by any extreme ;-) ) as we chased "molested" bait balls down the beach or simply tossed at active fish the next trip to "Arena". The beach opportunities BY FAR exceeded those we experienced at Loreto. Maybe we ARE getting too old, but we find much more joy aquiring the "surprise" from the beach or getting "first timers" like Candida, Susan, and Ted into their first Dorado, Sail, etc. than we ever will catching ANOTHER pelagic of our own. Yessir David, we DO want to return with you guys to HPC.
Thanks to you, Candida, and Ted for a GRAND trip.....
.....lee s. and Susan.
PS.....Anybody know about the card shoved into these new faluting cameras? We may have lost ALL of OUR pics. Oh well. We'll just have to go back!!!!

[lee s.]

DAVID -- you are the Man..thank you and Candida for doing all the planning, all the plane tickets (not your fault Mexicana went bankrupt!) and transportation coming and going. It was a trip of a lifetime. I loved it.
I wish all you big game fly fishers could have been a mouse on the panga when the marlin hit! The true story is this: Lee says to me "Here hold my rod." Then disappears to the bow of the boat. That's when the marlin decided to whack his 2 1/2 inch # 2 hook baitfish immitation. I'm screaming "Yahooooo..." and two men on the boat began Speaking in Tongues....Needless to say I refused to give back the rod to its rightful owner--God gave ME the fish experience--and I lost the big boy after a short run. But what an experience seeing that sword come up for a second whack and the reel burning my hand.
The other wonderful and magical experience was after the boat lurched and Lee landed on my knee, I grabbed the bow spot and decided fishing was better than staring at an injury. With my knee packed in ice, I got into what must have been a 30-40 pound jack cravalle--Lee was the only one to get a look at the flashes of color and its size---another "yahooooo...."
Lastly I have to say the Sierra was truly the fish of the week for me. I could catch and play with them again.....the cheeta of the sea. It runs so dyamically so far (talk about hand burn) and stops dead in its tracks and then by god it does it again....."yahooooo..."
I'll go again, you bet. Can't wait til next year.
Susan
p.s The knee will recover!

[Darian]

Lee,.... if the photo's on the card were accidentally deleted, as a friend of mine recently did, they can be recovered by a tech expert. The images are still on the disk. The system is unable to access them.

Contact a good camera shop or photo lab. They'll know who does that type of work.... It may cost some bucks but....

[lee s.]

Thanks Darian,
I'll get on it.

[ted1]

I really enjoyed the trip, lots of new species, lots of relaxing, lots of Fanta, lots of gas, lots of laughs, lots of bug bites (one of which is still growing....), sore wrists, sore shoulders, sore ribs, good food, good friends, fun car rides, nice scenery (especially pulling up to Punta Arena for the first time), and all of the other stuff I forgot. A VERY memorable trip, and I learned quite a bit too.
Thanks for the invitation!

[lee s.]

And THANKS Ted for the navigation!
Without your help our "extra" trip to Cabo would definitely not have gone so well. And the "valet" attention you gave to Susan was tremendously appreciated. You are a pleasure to travel with. :-) Ready for a Northern Pike excursion? ;-)
.....lee s.

[ted1]

Our cabo experience was definitely memorable, it's a good thing we kept our humor on the way home.
Northern pike sounds awesome! It's on my to-do list. Lemee know when and where!