Las Encantadas Report - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Dannowar · 06-04-2015, 11:52 AM

I've been hyping myself on a baja trip for a while. After reading one of Bobs threads earlier in the month, we exchanged PM's and he explained that he need to bring some gear to and from his house in Baja as he just had his toe removed (yikes!). After picking up the toe-less Mako in the wee hours of the morning we began our 7 hour drive, crossing the border in Mexicali and stopping for some of the best huevos rancheros I've ever had in San Felipe. Carefully navigating the "vados" we made it to campo encantadas around noon, plenty of time to scope out the scenery. Itching to get in the water i walked out to the end of the road and went for a quick dive at punta bufeo. it took all of 30 minutes to realize how productive this reef actually is!! After shooting a nice cabrilla and a decent hogfish which i gave to a young boy at the restaurant, i geared up my kayak for a little paddle around the corner. The abundance and innocence of this reef was outstanding. The WSB were croaking so loud, it rattled my teeth. Had a small school of 40-50 pound rooster fish swim directly in front of me without a care in the world, but i kept my trigger finger idle for something a little more palatable. patience paid off as i found a nice little edge of a current holding all 15-20 pound cabrilla!! Day one: limits. After some cabrilla tacos and some much needed rest, day two started early, as Bob urged me to take advantage of the PERFECT weather. took the kayak to the point again and found some more good cabrilla but keeping an eye out for some other bucket list cross-offs. saw no yt/wsb/or largo but again stacked on my favorite fish to eat, solid sized cabrilla and a couple decent croakers. Day two:limits. Another awesome meal (lobster spaghetti) and early nights rest for the next day. I had arranged a panga trip out the the outer islands/reefs and asked Bob to join me to get his salty self back on the water. unmatched beauty and breathtaking views on the dead flat sea of cortez. Worked a high spot in the reef for some very well earned Pargo amarillo, one of which took about 5 dives to dig out of a network of caves. One of my bucket list fish swam in front of me at about 40 feet deep, a HUUUGE gulf grouper no less than 50-60 pounds. my lack of confidence of a solid shot and fear of him hole-ing up too deep kept my finger from pulling the trigger. Shot a nice perrico to mix up the species list, and made our way back. On the way, we spotted a good sized whale shark and as i had promised my son, had to jump in and take a little ride. absolutely incredible day on the water and returned home tired and sunburnt but i hadn't got limits yet! A quick and easy kayak paddle to the point again just before evening yielded a nice cabrilla and a dinner sized gulf grouper. Day three: limits.

For anyone who has even remotely thought about taking a trip to baja....DO IT. all it takes is one epic trip to charge your stoke forever. I truly appreciate the effort of MakoBob to get people to go down and start living their life the way it was meant to be lived. Kids, marriage, divorce, work, financial issues fly out the window and for four straight days, i can truly say baja taught me a little about myself.

heres some pics and a little video i put together

https://youtu.be/XK30-Iw-62I

Zed · 06-04-2015, 12:09 PM

Noiiice.

In pic 3 whats the fish in his/your left hand? Is that a pargo?

Thanks for reporting.

Dannowar · 06-04-2015, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zed

Noiiice.

In pic 3 whats the fish in his/your left hand? Is that a pargo?

Thanks for reporting.

that fish swam around a corner in a hurry, it had bars and i mistook it for a barred pargo, it was actually just a local croaker, not much meat and very scaly, would not take them again.

Zed · 06-04-2015, 12:18 PM

Ok.
ive seen those diving around la bay. It reminded me of a carp w the scales.
Thanks

Zed · 06-04-2015, 12:23 PM

Could it have been a halfmoon?
http://www.glumacefishing.com/fishin...alfmoon-perch/

Theyre barred and have small mouths.

Denis_Ruso · 06-04-2015, 12:28 PM

Thanks for the recap. Awesome catches! You got me excited for this weekend's trip to San Quintin!

And kudos to Bob, he has been very helpful for me as well on my drive down to Baja!

Dannowar · 06-04-2015, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zed

Could it have been a halfmoon?
http://www.glumacefishing.com/fishin...alfmoon-perch/

Theyre barred and have small mouths.

no way he was croaking like crazy

makobob · 06-04-2015, 12:43 PM

Glad you enjoyed the trip Danno, You did good. The Whale shark video came out great, how stoked was your boy? You were still smiling the next day. You and your dad get everything bagged and frozen? We will do it again sometime soon.

tattuna · 06-04-2015, 12:55 PM

Killer video and pics! Glad it worked out for ya.

svendawg · 06-04-2015, 12:56 PM

Great video. Makes me want to dive again

Zed · 06-04-2015, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dannowar

no way he was croaking like crazy

Right on.

Nice shootin, Tex.

makobob · 06-04-2015, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tattuna

Killer video and pics! Glad it worked out for ya.

Charles from Punta Buefeo to Gonzaga and points east we searched far and wide with no sign of your yak. Sorry we did see humpies and whale sharks.

bolocop · 06-04-2015, 01:02 PM

Nice write up! But I couldn't help but notice in the picture with the campfire that you took a picture of your toe next to Makobob.

Subconscious hit below the belt?

ful-rac · 06-04-2015, 01:34 PM

Nice shoot'n TEX!

Charge your STOKE!!!!

Iceman · 06-04-2015, 02:28 PM

very cool dive report. Quality!

crazy reef structure!

YakDout · 06-04-2015, 02:38 PM

That is Bad ASS! One awesome trip down to gonzaga or baja in general may make you not want to fish in Socal for a couple months. I almost feel spoiled when I am down there. Personally I would subtract 10 local trips here if it equaled ONE trip down to baja. Dano is right on the $ when he says it changes your stoke.

And dano the 26# cabrilla that I caught last year while down there was the best tasting fish I have ever eaten. The meat is dense and flavorful.

Thanks for report.

dmrides · 06-04-2015, 03:05 PM

Looks like a great trip Danno. Makes me want to get down to Baja; one of these days for sure.

Those were some nice headshots you had there. Swimming with the whale shark must have been a hoot.

cabojohn · 06-04-2015, 03:07 PM

double fisted with big FISH.

Thx for the pics & report Dannowar

LEEZO · 06-04-2015, 03:37 PM

Heard from some friends it was blowing hard last week. You guys must have missed it. brings back recent memories. Incredible vids/pics!

GregAndrew · 06-04-2015, 04:40 PM

Epic!

06-04-2015, 11:52 AM	#1
Dannowar Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 1,823	Las Encantadas Report I've been hyping myself on a baja trip for a while. After reading one of Bobs threads earlier in the month, we exchanged PM's and he explained that he need to bring some gear to and from his house in Baja as he just had his toe removed (yikes!). After picking up the toe-less Mako in the wee hours of the morning we began our 7 hour drive, crossing the border in Mexicali and stopping for some of the best huevos rancheros I've ever had in San Felipe. Carefully navigating the "vados" we made it to campo encantadas around noon, plenty of time to scope out the scenery. Itching to get in the water i walked out to the end of the road and went for a quick dive at punta bufeo. it took all of 30 minutes to realize how productive this reef actually is!! After shooting a nice cabrilla and a decent hogfish which i gave to a young boy at the restaurant, i geared up my kayak for a little paddle around the corner. The abundance and innocence of this reef was outstanding. The WSB were croaking so loud, it rattled my teeth. Had a small school of 40-50 pound rooster fish swim directly in front of me without a care in the world, but i kept my trigger finger idle for something a little more palatable. patience paid off as i found a nice little edge of a current holding all 15-20 pound cabrilla!! Day one: limits. After some cabrilla tacos and some much needed rest, day two started early, as Bob urged me to take advantage of the PERFECT weather. took the kayak to the point again and found some more good cabrilla but keeping an eye out for some other bucket list cross-offs. saw no yt/wsb/or largo but again stacked on my favorite fish to eat, solid sized cabrilla and a couple decent croakers. Day two:limits. Another awesome meal (lobster spaghetti) and early nights rest for the next day. I had arranged a panga trip out the the outer islands/reefs and asked Bob to join me to get his salty self back on the water. unmatched beauty and breathtaking views on the dead flat sea of cortez. Worked a high spot in the reef for some very well earned Pargo amarillo, one of which took about 5 dives to dig out of a network of caves. One of my bucket list fish swam in front of me at about 40 feet deep, a HUUUGE gulf grouper no less than 50-60 pounds. my lack of confidence of a solid shot and fear of him hole-ing up too deep kept my finger from pulling the trigger. Shot a nice perrico to mix up the species list, and made our way back. On the way, we spotted a good sized whale shark and as i had promised my son, had to jump in and take a little ride. absolutely incredible day on the water and returned home tired and sunburnt but i hadn't got limits yet! A quick and easy kayak paddle to the point again just before evening yielded a nice cabrilla and a dinner sized gulf grouper. Day three: limits. For anyone who has even remotely thought about taking a trip to baja....DO IT. all it takes is one epic trip to charge your stoke forever. I truly appreciate the effort of MakoBob to get people to go down and start living their life the way it was meant to be lived. Kids, marriage, divorce, work, financial issues fly out the window and for four straight days, i can truly say baja taught me a little about myself. heres some pics and a little video i put together https://youtu.be/XK30-Iw-62I __________________ "Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; lick it once and you’ll suck forever." — Brian Wilson Last edited by Dannowar; 06-04-2015 at 11:57 AM.

06-04-2015, 12:09 PM	#2
Zed BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: W of 5 Posts: 1,265	Noiiice. In pic 3 whats the fish in his/your left hand? Is that a pargo? Thanks for reporting. __________________ Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week.

06-04-2015, 12:18 PM	#4
Zed BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: W of 5 Posts: 1,265	Ok. ive seen those diving around la bay. It reminded me of a carp w the scales. Thanks __________________ Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week.

06-04-2015, 12:23 PM	#5
Zed BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: W of 5 Posts: 1,265	Could it have been a halfmoon? http://www.glumacefishing.com/fishin...alfmoon-perch/ Theyre barred and have small mouths. __________________ Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week.

06-04-2015, 12:43 PM	#8
makobob Baitless on Baja Join Date: May 2013 Location: Vista California, Gonzaga, San Quintin, Asuncion, Mag Bay Posts: 4,250	Glad you enjoyed the trip Danno, You did good. The Whale shark video came out great, how stoked was your boy? You were still smiling the next day. You and your dad get everything bagged and frozen? We will do it again sometime soon. __________________ http://www.mako-ville.com Home 760-630-4470 Cell 760-520-2514 YES YOU CAN

06-04-2015, 12:28 PM	#6
Denis_Ruso Senior Member Join Date: May 2015 Posts: 571	Thanks for the recap. Awesome catches! You got me excited for this weekend's trip to San Quintin! And kudos to Bob, he has been very helpful for me as well on my drive down to Baja!

06-04-2015, 12:55 PM	#9
tattuna Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Pasadena Posts: 329	Killer video and pics! Glad it worked out for ya. __________________ IG @tattuna

06-04-2015, 12:56 PM	#10
svendawg Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wildomar, Ca. Posts: 331	Great video. Makes me want to dive again

06-04-2015, 01:02 PM	#13
bolocop Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 332	Nice write up! But I couldn't help but notice in the picture with the campfire that you took a picture of your toe next to Makobob. Subconscious hit below the belt?

06-04-2015, 01:34 PM	#14
ful-rac Emperor Join Date: May 2009 Location: Buena Park Posts: 3,649	Nice shoot'n TEX! Charge your STOKE!!!! __________________ There's nothing colder than yesterday's hotdog.

06-04-2015, 02:28 PM	#15
Iceman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 1-2 miles off the point Posts: 6,943	very cool dive report. Quality! crazy reef structure! __________________ Last edited by Iceman; 06-04-2015 at 02:33 PM.

06-04-2015, 02:38 PM	#16
YakDout Brandon Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,345	That is Bad ASS! One awesome trip down to gonzaga or baja in general may make you not want to fish in Socal for a couple months. I almost feel spoiled when I am down there. Personally I would subtract 10 local trips here if it equaled ONE trip down to baja. Dano is right on the $ when he says it changes your stoke. And dano the 26# cabrilla that I caught last year while down there was the best tasting fish I have ever eaten. The meat is dense and flavorful. Thanks for report.

06-04-2015, 03:05 PM	#17
dmrides Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Point Loma Posts: 584	Looks like a great trip Danno. Makes me want to get down to Baja; one of these days for sure. Those were some nice headshots you had there. Swimming with the whale shark must have been a hoot.

06-04-2015, 03:07 PM	#18
cabojohn PROBATION Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 656	double fisted with big FISH. Thx for the pics & report Dannowar

06-04-2015, 03:37 PM	#19
LEEZO Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Coronado Posts: 179	Heard from some friends it was blowing hard last week. You guys must have missed it. brings back recent memories. Incredible vids/pics!

06-04-2015, 04:40 PM	#20
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	Epic!