Blistering Baja And The Cool Sea Of Cortez - Fishing Fun

Fishing Fun

To satisfy my fishing Jones, I worked with Paco, the ringleader of piscatorial pursuits at the Rancho Leonero. Paco does a great job of putting guests together with his fleet of panga and cruiser captains. I fished for five days on this visit, with three on a super panga and two via sit-on-top kayak.

Each of the panga captains seemed knowledgeable about the area, but Israel Ariza (www.casabaja.com/fishing.html) turned out to be my favorite. As skipper of the Cuyuyo, a 23-foot super panga with a 115-hp Yamaha outboard, Israel proved to be positive, patient, and persistent, with a great nose for finding the biggest and brashest roosterfish. The going rate is about $250 for per day that starts at 8 a.m. and ends at about 3 p.m., making the return to the gentle breezes and air conditioning at Rancho Leonero quite rewarding.

I kayak fished with Dennis Spike of Coastal Kayak Fishing. Dennis spends several months of the year, usually from April to October, at Rancho Leonero leading kayak expeditions out into the Sea of Cortez. The Rancho offers a sizable fleet of tricked-out kayaks that’s available for individual or group guiding.

The Ocean Kayaks come equipped with rod holders, leashes, paddle clips, live bait buckets and other accoutrements.

Our quiet stealth put us atop fish at times just a few feet off the beach.

I found a great area to target dorado, tuna, an occasional striped marlin and other pelagics just a short 10-minute paddle from the hotel. If you rent a kayak on your own from the Rancho without a guide, rates run $10 per hour and $40 per day for singles, and $15/$60 for doubles. For current information: 818-970-2392, www.kayakfishing.com.

Other notes of Interest

Baja:

• Origin of state name: The name “California” comes from a 16th-century Spanish novel. California was an island close to paradise. Baja comes from the Spanish word for lower. (The US state of California was once known as Alta California, with Alta meaning higher.)
• Capital: Mexicali
• Population: (2000) 2,487,367
• Language: Spanish
• Currency: Mexican peso ($1US = 10.9180)
• Religion: Christianity
• Area: 71,576 square kilometers (27,635 square miles)
• Climate: Dry, annual rainfall averaging 12 to 24 inches.

To find out what’s happening in your Baja fishing hotspots, check with www.mexfish.com

Good sites to snoop when planning the trip:

Airlines, www.bajaquest.com/airlines.htm

Baja hotels, www.bajaquest.com

Tourism, www.VisitCabo.com, www.bcs.gob.mx, www.bajaquest.com/resources

David Barton fell in the water and hit his head chasing a bluegill at age four, and has been fishing ever since. He lives on a river in Wisconsin with his wife, daughter and trusted beagle. His career takes him all over the world to the finest sport-fishing destinations on the globe. He still occasionally falls in.