Baja Sur Trip: Fall 2016 (pic heavy) - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Druko · 10-07-2016, 11:30 AM

Finally made it back down to my favorite area in Baja. My friend backed out at the last minute so I decided to rush it solo. Stopped in San Quintin for a night on the way down to break up the drive. Ran into the Team Salty crew at the El Jardin Hotel who were there shooting a surf/fish/dive trip for their clothing brand. Had beers and talked story at the El Jardin Hotel...cool guys! Left the next day and arrived at Rossman's place in Asuncion around dinner time and was welcomed with a home cooked bbq hamburger and Tecate upon my arrival. Fishing was excellent in Asuncion. We had very good yellowtail fishing and excellent Calico fishing. Ross has a pretty sweet set up down there and is dialed in on the program in his area. If you like fishing for yellows/bass I highly recommend a visit to him in Asuncion.

Days 1-3 & 7-9
Fished Isle Asuncion (located about 1 mile from the point)
I went 3-10 on big yt in 60-120 ft of water. I just kept getting rocked... pretty heartbreaking I tell ya. It's really incredible how many yellowtails were in the area during my stay. We had large schools of 20lb average fish with much larger models mixed in swimming right under us. Unfortunately, they didn't want anything to do with surface irons. All fish were caught deep on heavy irons, mega baits and flat falls.

School of yellows

my biggest 25lb

I think Ross went 3-7 that day. Biggest was 30lbs

After getting schooled by bruiser yellows all morning, I decided I'd had enough and paddled to the ample boiler rocks surrounding the island to see if any bass were around...lol!. Fishing was fast and furious on 3-5lb bass on 5" big hammer swimbaits. Fishing the area was very combative considering the island is home to a serious seal colony (they definitely didn't like me poaching their fish) and the large swells that kept me on my toes. Switched to my larger setup with 12" swimbaits to see if any larger models were around and on my first cast that I made literally in the middle of 4 seals that were swimming next to the rock I was targeting, I get slammed with my personal best bass. I've never felt a bass hit so damn hard! I had my Lexa 300 buttoned all the way down on 30lb fluorocarbon and the fish almost pulled me into the drink. With all the seals around, I'm sure the bass was in super high rev mode trying to get back to his den before being eaten. At first, I thought a seal grab onto my swimbait.

Pb Calico

the grade of bass down here is phenomenal

Days 4-7

Left for Abreojos to fish the esteros of Camp Rene & La Bocana and also the reefs that lie just off the beach. Fishing Campo Renee was excellent on small gulf grouper and spotted bay bass. The fish were small this year compared to years past. But they were plentiful and super fun to catch on light gear and suspending twitch baits. These little guys are very aggressive and fight really hard, and are experts at getting themselves broken off in the mangroves. The second day in Abreojos, I went to the beach to target the large grouper that live on the reefs but woke up to large surf that was pumping with only a handful of guys at the point. Really made me miss surfing. So I drove up to La Bocana and fishing was pretty much wide open the biggest Corvina I've ever seen. It was a blast fishing them on poppers. Unfortunately, my camera battery died as I forget to charge it the night before.

Double hook-up

Corvina Plate (post fishing ritual)

Home at Campo Renee

On the way back I stayed at Cielito Lindo on Ross's recommendation and what a cool spot. I heard the halibut fishing had been good lately with plenty of 10-15lb fish around, so I planned on fishing early with the hopes of bringing home some fish. Woke up to whitecaps in the bay. Packed up and drove back to the USA.

It was an amazing trip and really didn't mind going at it alone. Ross, thank you again for your hospitality. Already looking forward to next year, or maybe next month work permitting.

On a final note. The whole trip ran me only 500.00 for 10 days = 50.00 per day. Come on now! best bang for your buck fishing trip period!!! (would of been even less if traveling with somebody to share cost)

Thanks for reading.
Roger

kurt · 10-07-2016, 11:34 AM

Sounds like a blast. Thanks for the report.

RedondoSteve · 10-07-2016, 11:53 AM

Thanks for sharing. Great report.

YakDout · 10-07-2016, 12:06 PM

Killer report, those calicos look like fun. That little restaurant on the water at la bocana makes a mean margarita. Cant wait for my trip to makobobs in october. And probably heading to abreojos in January

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chris138 · 10-07-2016, 12:12 PM

Radical

Zed · 10-07-2016, 12:28 PM

Sweet trip.

rossman · 10-07-2016, 12:59 PM

Nice report Roger. Our hook up to landing ratio got much better after you found them in the deeper water. Great fishing continued after you left. Tuesday was simply outrageous and I landed close to 20 fish and again yesterday I got 7 of the bigger models. Thanks for coming down.

Zed · 10-07-2016, 01:15 PM

More specifics.

Killer catches.
The spotty/grouper is epic!

And I didnt know the leather jacks were on the Pac side. They have a nasty spine on the anal fin that is toxic. I found out after the fact having caught a bunch @ encantadas and didnt know what they were.

Thanks for reporting. Im glad the trip was good n safe.

Rossman. Just shut up.

octico · 10-07-2016, 01:16 PM

Great report thank you.

brew · 10-07-2016, 01:48 PM

Sweet trip Roger!

Definitely brought back some memories of our Thanksgiving trip a few years ago. Best bang for the buck by a long shot.

Tim

King Saba · 10-07-2016, 02:41 PM

Awesome trip! That calico is a toad!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zed

And I didnt know the leather jacks were on the Pac side. They have a nasty spine on the anal fin that is toxic. I found out after the fact having caught a bunch @ encantadas and didnt know what they were.

That's what I was thinking too.

makobob · 10-07-2016, 02:45 PM

Glad to see you were able to hookup with Ross, what a great fishery from Aberojos all the way to Punta Eugenia and SO LITTLE preasure on those fish, except for the SD sport boats.

PapaDave · 10-08-2016, 06:36 AM

I gotta get down there...

On a side note, am looking for a place to retire.

YakHanded · 10-10-2016, 10:15 AM

So cool thanks for the report - killer fishing with the legend himself and definitely have been inspired to fish those mangroves!

Onit8 · 10-15-2016, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris138

Radical

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GregB · 10-29-2016, 05:52 PM

Great memories.

JeffB · 10-29-2016, 09:43 PM

Nice report, cool pix

Deamon · 10-30-2016, 03:39 PM

AWESOME!

Gr8fuldude · 11-03-2016, 02:26 PM

Inspiring report. I love that your buddy backed out and you went anyways. Something I would also do.

surfisher · 11-03-2016, 06:58 PM

Insane solo trip. Bet your buddy was bummed out! Looks so fun.

10-07-2016, 11:30 AM	#1
Druko Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 205	Baja Sur Trip: Fall 2016 (pic heavy) Finally made it back down to my favorite area in Baja. My friend backed out at the last minute so I decided to rush it solo. Stopped in San Quintin for a night on the way down to break up the drive. Ran into the Team Salty crew at the El Jardin Hotel who were there shooting a surf/fish/dive trip for their clothing brand. Had beers and talked story at the El Jardin Hotel...cool guys! Left the next day and arrived at Rossman's place in Asuncion around dinner time and was welcomed with a home cooked bbq hamburger and Tecate upon my arrival. Fishing was excellent in Asuncion. We had very good yellowtail fishing and excellent Calico fishing. Ross has a pretty sweet set up down there and is dialed in on the program in his area. If you like fishing for yellows/bass I highly recommend a visit to him in Asuncion. Days 1-3 & 7-9 Fished Isle Asuncion (located about 1 mile from the point) I went 3-10 on big yt in 60-120 ft of water. I just kept getting rocked... pretty heartbreaking I tell ya. It's really incredible how many yellowtails were in the area during my stay. We had large schools of 20lb average fish with much larger models mixed in swimming right under us. Unfortunately, they didn't want anything to do with surface irons. All fish were caught deep on heavy irons, mega baits and flat falls. School of yellows my biggest 25lb I think Ross went 3-7 that day. Biggest was 30lbs After getting schooled by bruiser yellows all morning, I decided I'd had enough and paddled to the ample boiler rocks surrounding the island to see if any bass were around...lol!. Fishing was fast and furious on 3-5lb bass on 5" big hammer swimbaits. Fishing the area was very combative considering the island is home to a serious seal colony (they definitely didn't like me poaching their fish) and the large swells that kept me on my toes. Switched to my larger setup with 12" swimbaits to see if any larger models were around and on my first cast that I made literally in the middle of 4 seals that were swimming next to the rock I was targeting, I get slammed with my personal best bass. I've never felt a bass hit so damn hard! I had my Lexa 300 buttoned all the way down on 30lb fluorocarbon and the fish almost pulled me into the drink. With all the seals around, I'm sure the bass was in super high rev mode trying to get back to his den before being eaten. At first, I thought a seal grab onto my swimbait. Pb Calico the grade of bass down here is phenomenal Days 4-7 Left for Abreojos to fish the esteros of Camp Rene & La Bocana and also the reefs that lie just off the beach. Fishing Campo Renee was excellent on small gulf grouper and spotted bay bass. The fish were small this year compared to years past. But they were plentiful and super fun to catch on light gear and suspending twitch baits. These little guys are very aggressive and fight really hard, and are experts at getting themselves broken off in the mangroves. The second day in Abreojos, I went to the beach to target the large grouper that live on the reefs but woke up to large surf that was pumping with only a handful of guys at the point. Really made me miss surfing. So I drove up to La Bocana and fishing was pretty much wide open the biggest Corvina I've ever seen. It was a blast fishing them on poppers. Unfortunately, my camera battery died as I forget to charge it the night before. Double hook-up Corvina Plate (post fishing ritual) Home at Campo Renee On the way back I stayed at Cielito Lindo on Ross's recommendation and what a cool spot. I heard the halibut fishing had been good lately with plenty of 10-15lb fish around, so I planned on fishing early with the hopes of bringing home some fish. Woke up to whitecaps in the bay. Packed up and drove back to the USA. It was an amazing trip and really didn't mind going at it alone. Ross, thank you again for your hospitality. Already looking forward to next year, or maybe next month work permitting. On a final note. The whole trip ran me only 500.00 for 10 days = 50.00 per day. Come on now! best bang for your buck fishing trip period!!! (would of been even less if traveling with somebody to share cost) Thanks for reading. Roger

10-07-2016, 11:34 AM	#2
kurt Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: 2 inches above sea level Posts: 502	Sounds like a blast. Thanks for the report. __________________ "All I got was a rock"

10-07-2016, 12:28 PM	#6
Zed BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: W of 5 Posts: 1,265	Sweet trip. __________________ Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week.

10-07-2016, 12:59 PM	#7
rossman Marginally Irrelevant Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bahia Asuncion Posts: 936	Nice report Roger. Our hook up to landing ratio got much better after you found them in the deeper water. Great fishing continued after you left. Tuesday was simply outrageous and I landed close to 20 fish and again yesterday I got 7 of the bigger models. Thanks for coming down. __________________ "When beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean’s skin, one forgets the tiger heart that pants beneath it; and would not willingly remember that this velvet paw but conceals a remorseless fang. " — Herman Melville Y'all come see me now, hear!

10-07-2016, 01:15 PM	#8
Zed BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: W of 5 Posts: 1,265	More specifics. Killer catches. The spotty/grouper is epic! And I didnt know the leather jacks were on the Pac side. They have a nasty spine on the anal fin that is toxic. I found out after the fact having caught a bunch @ encantadas and didnt know what they were. Thanks for reporting. Im glad the trip was good n safe. Rossman. Just shut up. __________________ Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week.

10-07-2016, 11:53 AM	#3
RedondoSteve Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Redondo Beach Posts: 36	Thanks for sharing. Great report.

10-07-2016, 12:06 PM	#4
YakDout Brandon Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,345	Killer report, those calicos look like fun. That little restaurant on the water at la bocana makes a mean margarita. Cant wait for my trip to makobobs in october. And probably heading to abreojos in January Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

10-07-2016, 12:12 PM	#5
chris138 donkey roper Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Pacific Beach Posts: 968	Radical

10-07-2016, 01:16 PM	#9
octico Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: The city of Orange Posts: 1,278	Great report thank you.

10-07-2016, 01:48 PM	#10
brew I Exercise Fish Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: HB Posts: 44	Sweet trip Roger! Definitely brought back some memories of our Thanksgiving trip a few years ago. Best bang for the buck by a long shot. Tim

10-07-2016, 02:45 PM	#12
makobob Baitless on Baja Join Date: May 2013 Location: Vista California, Gonzaga, San Quintin, Asuncion, Mag Bay Posts: 4,250	Glad to see you were able to hookup with Ross, what a great fishery from Aberojos all the way to Punta Eugenia and SO LITTLE preasure on those fish, except for the SD sport boats. __________________ http://www.mako-ville.com Home 760-630-4470 Cell 760-520-2514 YES YOU CAN

10-08-2016, 06:36 AM	#13
PapaDave Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Menifee, CA Posts: 1,453	I gotta get down there... On a side note, am looking for a place to retire. __________________ So long and thanks for all the fish...

10-10-2016, 10:15 AM	#14
YakHanded Thread Killer - sorry Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: San Clemente Posts: 256	So cool thanks for the report - killer fishing with the legend himself and definitely have been inspired to fish those mangroves!

10-29-2016, 05:52 PM	#16
GregB Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Santa Monica Bay Posts: 40	Unreal Great memories.

10-29-2016, 09:43 PM	#17
JeffB Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: La Jolla Posts: 1,216	Nice report, cool pix __________________ If you're looking for me I'm

10-30-2016, 03:39 PM	#18
Deamon Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 1,972	AWESOME! __________________ Recreational Fisherman's Catch...2% Commercial Fisherman's Catch- 98% Recreational Fishing Kayakers Catch- .00001% "The reality is that the wall was built to keep all Asians ~specifically Japanese and those that think they're japanese~ out of the U.S"

11-03-2016, 02:26 PM	#19
Gr8fuldude Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Tehachapi, CA Posts: 166	Inspiring report. I love that your buddy backed out and you went anyways. Something I would also do.

11-03-2016, 06:58 PM	#20
surfisher Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Carlsbad Posts: 388	Insane solo trip. Bet your buddy was bummed out! Looks so fun. __________________