Punta Abreojos , Baja Sur -

[David Lee]

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.~

[Ed Wahl]

Wow, you are living the dream Bud. Can't wait to see some pics.
Ed

[David Lee]

Ed , you would lose your Mind down there . The bird life alone is incredible .... not to mention the Fish . 2 1/2 easy day driving from here , dirt-cheap , wonderfully nice people , great food ....

https://www.facebook.com/bigbajaadventure I'll have a pile of new photos up over the next few days .

Something to consider !!!

D.~

[k.hanley]

I'm proud of you bud. Well done (again!).
Cheers, Ken

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Maybe you message board folks can get a small group together and go down there?

The fishing would be unreal and it sounds very affordable.

[David Lee]

Ken , Corbina on a Gold Buccaneer - I did it !

http://www.camporene.com/

D.~

[David Lee]

Maybe you message board folks can get a small group together and go down there?

The fishing would be unreal and it sounds very affordable.

It's around 620 miles below the border , our preferred crossing is Tecate . From the Sacramento area , it's a reasonable 2 1/2 days .... with the hard part being from here to the border . Candida and I did it both ways in 2 days on this trip , and I suggest that you DO NOT do the same - 26 hours in the Car over 2 days sucks hard ! Unless there is construction going on , the whole way is paved .

Traffic thru Ensenada is heavy , and unless you've driven that City before .... you will need to study a map , as the route thru is not very clear . The rest of the highway is easy in any Car/Truck . Gas is available everywhere , and the same price as here , sometimes a bit less expensive . We ALWAYS fill up in Sandy-Eggo , El Rosario , and Jesus Maria (between El Rosario and Jesus Maria .... there's 200 miles of absolutely nothing , so you always gas up at these two points ) . There are lots of places to snack and eat , but unless you're ina larger City ... you're not going to find anything that looks much like a yankee grocery store . There are lots of things you are NOT allowed to bring down with you , so do your homework .

As opposed to what the propaganda is here in the U.S. , there ISN'T a bandito behind every rock down there . In 2 drives down (6,300+ miles total) .... we have had zero hassles . Do stupid shit (run around drunk/look for dope/hit the cathouse) , and you will find trouble . Act like a civilized Human Being , be polite , respectful , and at least try to speak some basic Spanish , and you won't have issues . While Mexican culture is very different that ours , they are really , really nice people and are polite to a fault .

More later !!

D.~

[Darian]

David,.... Were the water temps warmer or cooler on the Pacific side than last year?? Was this the same place you caught that big White Seabass???

[David Lee]

David,.... Were the water temps warmer or cooler on the Pacific side than last year?? Was this the same place you caught that big White Seabass???

Hi D.

Water was borderline HOT ! I'd guess high 70's , weather was unusually warm , as well . The area is normally in the mid/high 80's in high Summer , but the first 2/3rds of the trip .... it was in the mid/high 90's , with high humidity . Screaming N/NW Wind in early Afternoon , dropping (sometimes) at Dusk (gentle East breeze at Dawn , crapping out by 11:00 AM most days) . The warm water seemed to run the Halibut out , since we caught very few (Candida did see a big one in the surf , she estimated it at over 20 Lbs. ??) . I did notice that , the hotter the day was , the deeper the Fish would hold , no matter the tidal stage .

Yes , same place I got the WSB last Winter . I didn't see any this trip , but I DID see some freakshow BIG (over 8 , to perhaps over 10 Lb.) Corvina prowling the shallows .... hunting baitfish . Had I not been to lazy to switch to a clear intermediate head on my 6 wt. , I might have landed one . I'm talking about 10 inches to perhaps 1 1/2 feet of shallow . They were way neat to watch .

No Snook for us this time . Were they there ?? I haven't a clue . We return to the East Cape in mid-December , and I'll get another 7? days at Estero Coyote on the way home .

D.~