Team 57 heads to mexico!

[Fisherman57]

Sansou PM'd me and advised me he's busy baking cupcakes for Saturday's Legends II" event ...... and asked if I could post his recent fishing trip to Mexico. So here it is.....




Left last Friday to San Quintin with a group of gringos (12) in a caravan of three vehicles. Right off the bat, the lead vehicle of non-spanish speakers missed the turnoffs for Mex 1D, and put us right in the middle of nowhere Tijuana.

No bueno.

We pulled over, I got directions and we got on the highway after an hour of sweating bullets.

Five hours and a couple taco & Pemex stops later we got into San Quintin and did the dirt road right hand turnoff. Muchas cervezas and incredible Don Eddie's dinner later, did some quick pier fishing (literally 100 feet from our room) hit the hay for a 6 a.m. departure on our panga.

Our pangadero ("El Pato" - The Duck) was skippering a 28 foot fiberglass CC with a 350 Chevy (Pedro's Pangas...our particular boat cost $320). It was quick. We made bait for an hour, then started chasing WSB around the bay. Long story made short, myself and a my buddy Chuck hooked and farmed a few a piece, but eventually I got a baby 20 something lber in on the iron.

Around 1 pm we headed outside the bay to do the obligatory rock codding. No serious lings caught as we didn't have time to do the 240 (Ben's) or the Isla locations by our choice. Tons of bottom critters caught, then we headed home to watch our fish being cleaned. Our next door neighbors, some old asian dudes who make the San Q trip quite a lot, nailed a 72, 55 and 50lber. The fish were ridulously huge, and I was a bit suprised at how they go about it...

The other boats in the fleet did pretty much like we did as far as WSB is concerned from listening to the radio chatter. Those that opted for the offshore trips didn't do so well, and this includes the private boaters. The paddies were there, but only a few rat yellows and rat dodos.

Not worth it IMO.

Later that day I had plans to catch some mojarra and halibut from where El Pato was suggesting from shore, but the beer and great food got the better of me, and I just watched fish jump from the patio of the restaurant.

Went out later in the evening with some of the guys to see the local talent, which was a jaw dropper. We happened on a karaoke bar called El Altena (a few hundred meters just before the Federales sub-station) and were flabbergasted at how many truly pretty chicas were there. The single guys gave it their best, but these aren't "working" girls, so they didn't get too far.... ha ha!!

The next day my buddy and I broke off from the caravan, and we went and did some recon for T57. We hit up Castro's and checked out Coyote Cal's lodging, and then doubled back and went up and west to Pta Colonet. Saw the urchin divers and lobstermen, ate some steamed uni with a beer in a shack, and got pangadero prices (cheap as heck!!).

Got into Rosarito after further tourist detours, ate the obligatory fish tacos and bought the obligatory bottles of tequila, and settled in for a painful 1 and 45 min wait at the frontera. Was home by 9pm, and happy to be able to sleep in my own bed after literally several weeks or so of galavanting around Colorado and Las Vegas.

Will be back in a couple months (same boat, same skip) to go make up for my WSB fishing ineptitude!!

More pics below....


Sansou