Date: 9-3-05

Launch and Return: Launched boats from El Coral (north of Ensenada) at 6:30am back about 4:30pm

Totals: My count 11 calicoes to 4lbs, 1 ling about 5lbs, 1 yellow tail about 15lbs; Total for our skiff (4 anglers) 25 calicoes nothing under 2.5lbs, largest landed 5 and change; 2 lings to 6lbs, 1 bonito, 1 cuda, 5 YT to 17lbs

Baits: All my bass were on Big Hammers best colors were Silverside, clear w/red flake, and Silver Bullet; though I did get bit on 5” clear w/red flake Kalin Magumbos and the blade. Bill H. got his 6lb ling on the blade and his brother Dave lost a fish of lifetime (probably a 10lb calico) on a blade.
Conditions: The water at Punta Banda was about 60º, south on the coast 54º, southside of Todos was maybe 60º, 64º on lee side, and in the mid to upper 60’s in the YT area. Swell was only a couple feet and the wind was slight also. Mostly overcast all day.

Areas fished: Punta Banda boilers; coastline south fishing boilers, rockwalls, caves, shelves of rock, and a wee bit of kelp; then up to Todos Santos where we fished the southwest end and east side just south of the gap. Finished a few miles closer to Ensenada chasing YT.

Special Comments: This whole trip is special comments. We started in Mira Mesa at 3:30am and after getting all the Mexican paperwork our two trucks pulling a 26’ Striper and 17’ Triumph were on our way for an amazing day. Mexico itself is quite different now than it was 15yrs ago when I was there last. The new toll plazas have good bathrooms and there’s lots of new, nice looking buildings all over the coast now. We got to the Hotel El Coral and I ran inside to pay the launch fees ($35 a boat). I was amazed at how nice the Hotel was, in fact their cheapest room is $138. Got down to the marina and launched the boats and loaded up. 4 of us in the Striper and 2 in the Triumph. Trolling a crank as we headed for the harbor mouth to make bait Dave nabbed a couple decent sandies. Paul L. made bait with a sabiki and I made one with a small grub. Then we were off to try and find some big bass. We did stop once on the way out to check out some birds that were working over massive amounts of bait. No YT so we moved on. Tom B. and Steve P. hung back and got some bonnies and checked under some other birds, but never saw any YT.

Once we got out to Punta Banda Bill and Dave proceeded to put us in real tight to every piece of rock. Tom and Steve hung back as Bill has a lot of boiler experience and thus a bit less fear (and a trolling motor too). Alas, after about 1/2hr we moved south with no bass having been landed. Bill wove in really tight to the coast and we started in on the rock we could cast at. We only picked at the bass in this area, but this was where Dave lost his huge bass and where Bill and I got our lings. Best part was the lings were caught in less than 10’ of water. From what Bill and Dave said the lings can become like mackerel in there, making bass fishing pretty tough. Bill and Dave took us into some tight places and work well together never once even bumping a rock. After an hour plus working the coastline we went back out to Punta Banda to see if the fish had woke up yet. The first string of boilers we started on had some bait pushed up close. This spot ended up kicking out quite a few fish with Paul loosing a toad to the rocks and me getting bit off by one (foolish me I only brought 15# line). Dave was calling fish and I think this was the spot where Bill pulled the big one of the day. The Silverside BH was working well for me there. After that spot fizzled we moved to another rock.

As we started working along this rock we started to see some fish popping up in the whitewash. Next thing you know we’re watching bass foaming on a baitball like albies in the corner. They were jumping on and over each other in space about 10’ across. It was insane, in 5yrs as a DH I never saw anything like this. All we had to do was get a bait in or near those fish and we were on. Unfortunately, Dave, Paul, and I were pulling ‘em in so quick he was stuck on net duty for the best bite. We ended up chasing bait schools and finding bass doing this same albie imitation. But the first was by far the best stop. I think we got half our bass on that one. Of course not wanting Tom and Steve to miss out, I got on the radio and called them in. They were at Todos looking for YT, but they had only found some rockfish and a ling. So they headed back. Of course by the time they got back the bite had died and Bill wanted to hit Todos for bass, so off we went leaving Tom and Steve to try for bass. We stopped at the closest point on Todos and started looking for bass. We worked our way north. As we worked our way across a shelf casting at the boilers I picked up 3 nice calicoes in a row on the clear w/red flake.

But this was all we got in this area, so we moved around to the lee side and after a brief stop in the kelp we moved into a cove that had very skinny water. In the deep places it was 8’. After maybe a 1/2hr we decide to go check out the birds and see if there was any YT under them. We got out there and saw that the few boats out there were getting YT so we tried a drift for nada, then moved out to some more active birds. Saw some breezers and we stopped for what was our first 2 YT. Bill and I had ours and w/ little bait left we stopped fishing so Dave and Paul could get theirs. Dave, after switching to the bass rod Bill got his fish on (I got mine on a bass rod too), got his, which ended up going 17lbs and change. Bill then got another while Paul, doing everything by the book, just couldn’t seem to get one to stay on. Eventually on our last bait he did get one and we headed in. Of course after we got our first 2 YT, I called Tom and Steve to come back to Todos. And of course, by the time they got there the bite was slowing. Further helping them, their bait had all rolled before they left Todos the first time. Anyways we all headed in knowing that with a couple tanks of bait a good whacking could have been had.

After a few picts in the harbor and a couple more sandies for Dave, we set about pulling the boats. This turned out to be a bit of an ordeal because the ramp steep. For whatever reason, Bill’s truck just wasn’t getting traction once it got about a third of the way up the ramp. We tried piling 6 guys into the back of the truck and even that didn’t work. So, Tom pulled Bill’s full size truck out with his Toyota 4x4. After a quick cleaning and packing of gear, we moved over to the fish cleaning station. This area was nice, it has tiled counters and stainless sinks and hoses attached to each faucet. With my two dull knives and pauls sharp one, we cleaned the YT and Lings and then we were off for home. Well not quite…

We stopped in Cantamar at a taco stand that Bill likes. We gave them some ling and YT and the cook proceeded to make a bunch of fixings for fish tacos. I got a round of cokes and we mowed. I know Tom had 4 tacos and I had 8, no idea what the others had. We went to pay and the cook asked for $6, after Tom (speaks fluent Spanish) talked to him we realized it was $6 total, not per person, and that included the 6 drinks. Wow, best meal I’ve had in years, and dirt cheap. Even with the $5 we each put in the tip jar. After stuffing ourselves we headed for the border. It was only an hour wait and it would’ve been half that, but we were in a really slow line.

We all got back safe and sound. I had an amazing time and can’t wait to go again. And to think the bass fishing was bad for Punta Banda!

Amish Ed
You can't catch it again if it's dead!