PPS Destinations Report
Baja, Mexico
Date: May, 2004
Reported by Dr. Rodney Wentworth, DDS,
WA, USA
It was the third week in April and PPS member, Dr. Don
Pratten and I headed south to the sunshine of the East Cape of Baja.
About an hour north of the
With reports of great fishing the day before, the panga
headed eight miles off shore. Finding
a large school of small Dorado, we spent an hour or so hauling in a number of
fish and having a chance to try for a grande that was not interested in our
flies whatsoever. With the radio
chatter void of fish sightings we threw out the cedar plug and hootchie and
dragged the sea hoping to find action. Within
fifteen minutes we were in to a fish. Foolishly
I gave Don the rod and he pulled in a 40 lb Dorado. I say foolishly as we
didn’t see a fish the rest of the day. The fish must have moved as our luck
was mimicked by many of the other hotel guests.
The next day we awoke to high winds and high surf.
The only good thing about the
weather was that is wasn’t raining. In
fact it was too rough to get the boats out from the docks so we were fortunate
we had planned to fish from shore for the next two days.
The weather pattern continued with a bit of relaxation in the wind for
the rest of our stay. In spite of
the challenging conditions we managed to pick up some Jacks, Needlefish,
Ladyfish and a few other odd species in the surf.
With the normal gentle surf it must be a great way to fish.
The Hotel Rancho Leonero (http://www.rancholeonero.com/) was perfect for our stay. It is family friendly. The rooms are simple but clean. The food was excellent and the staff went out of their way to make their guests stay an enjoyable one. The rates are very affordable and include three meals a day. The owners John and Jennifer Ireland have a real jewel here.
Although we didn’t hire guides for fly fishing, you can arrange a quality guide for just about any species you’d like to pursue through Baja on the Fly (http://www.bajafly.com/eastcape.htm).
I’m looking forward to a return visit next year. I’d like a rematch when the conditions are more favorable.
(Editor's note: Here are two more thumbnails. Just hit the 'back' button to return to this page and avoid being kicked out of your browser. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Rod at RWentwrth@aol.com.)
