David Lee
08-12-2014, 07:36 PM
Back from almost 2 weeks (8 fishing days) at Campo Rene .
Fishing ranged from stupid-great , to not too shabby . The first few days , the surf was ON FIRE , as in a fish-a-cast . Lots of Yellowfin Croaker , mixed w/ nice Shortfin Corvina , Leatherjacks , Corbina , etc. . Fishing inside the Estero was very , very different than the last Winter trip - less tidal range (except during the full moon) , fish were not at the Winter spots , so we had to hunt for deep holes against the Mangroves . Find one , and you were into 'em . Found a new one , landed 25+ out of it in a couple of hours . Small (under 5 Lb. ) Broomtail Grouper , huge Spotted Bay Bass (to nearly 4 Lbs.) , Triggers , large (5-7 Lb. ) Corvina , etc. . I used a 6 wt. TFO TiCrX for almost all my fishing (yes , even for the Grouper) , paired w/ my trusty Stutz reel , and an ancient Cortland salt QD-225 . Great , fun lil' setup that tamed everything I hooked . Stuck with 12 Lb. tippets . Used our el-cheapo Lifetime Tamarack Angler Kayaks for the first time in the salt , they preformed flawlessly in the sometimes shit conditions (25 MPH winds , heavy chop , 3-foot swell , etc. ) .
Also discovered that the whole Estero is loaded with California Corbina . Unlike the SoCal versions .... these Corbina were actively chasing small Minnows , and had no problem taking #2 Clousers and Candida's plugs ! They ran to over 4 Lbs. , and were everywhere . Halibut were MIA , except for a half-dozen short ones . The Boca , and all of the entrance channel ... had loads of Gamefish , but these areas are not do-able with a fly (wind , current) - we used spinning tackle and either Buzz Bombs , or 3/4 oz. Scampis . the deeper the water , the more/larger the fish got . Landed a 'Chi-wi" , a large (to 7 Lbs.) saltwater Catfish that fights like the end of the world , several Sargo (both new to us) , and large Bay Bass by the dozens . Shared the water with dozens of large (to over 10-feet) Dolphins , and abundant Sea-Turtles . Surf is loaded w/ Guitarfish .... deeper water with large Rays , but only saw one small Shark . Estuary Birds of many different species were the icing on the cake , along w/ the Osprey that live there .
Learned a lot , and had a great time ! Campo Rene was great , the new Cabanas were really nice , and the food was fantastic . Road was mostly good , and no other real issues . I'll try posting photos later , or at least a link to them .
That's it !
D.~
Fishing ranged from stupid-great , to not too shabby . The first few days , the surf was ON FIRE , as in a fish-a-cast . Lots of Yellowfin Croaker , mixed w/ nice Shortfin Corvina , Leatherjacks , Corbina , etc. . Fishing inside the Estero was very , very different than the last Winter trip - less tidal range (except during the full moon) , fish were not at the Winter spots , so we had to hunt for deep holes against the Mangroves . Find one , and you were into 'em . Found a new one , landed 25+ out of it in a couple of hours . Small (under 5 Lb. ) Broomtail Grouper , huge Spotted Bay Bass (to nearly 4 Lbs.) , Triggers , large (5-7 Lb. ) Corvina , etc. . I used a 6 wt. TFO TiCrX for almost all my fishing (yes , even for the Grouper) , paired w/ my trusty Stutz reel , and an ancient Cortland salt QD-225 . Great , fun lil' setup that tamed everything I hooked . Stuck with 12 Lb. tippets . Used our el-cheapo Lifetime Tamarack Angler Kayaks for the first time in the salt , they preformed flawlessly in the sometimes shit conditions (25 MPH winds , heavy chop , 3-foot swell , etc. ) .
Also discovered that the whole Estero is loaded with California Corbina . Unlike the SoCal versions .... these Corbina were actively chasing small Minnows , and had no problem taking #2 Clousers and Candida's plugs ! They ran to over 4 Lbs. , and were everywhere . Halibut were MIA , except for a half-dozen short ones . The Boca , and all of the entrance channel ... had loads of Gamefish , but these areas are not do-able with a fly (wind , current) - we used spinning tackle and either Buzz Bombs , or 3/4 oz. Scampis . the deeper the water , the more/larger the fish got . Landed a 'Chi-wi" , a large (to 7 Lbs.) saltwater Catfish that fights like the end of the world , several Sargo (both new to us) , and large Bay Bass by the dozens . Shared the water with dozens of large (to over 10-feet) Dolphins , and abundant Sea-Turtles . Surf is loaded w/ Guitarfish .... deeper water with large Rays , but only saw one small Shark . Estuary Birds of many different species were the icing on the cake , along w/ the Osprey that live there .
Learned a lot , and had a great time ! Campo Rene was great , the new Cabanas were really nice , and the food was fantastic . Road was mostly good , and no other real issues . I'll try posting photos later , or at least a link to them .
That's it !
D.~