Loreto BCS July24-31

[Gman_WC]

Sorry for posting my report so late. I've been working double time since getting back
from my Loreto Baja trip a month ago at the end of July.

The trip started off great on Sunday 7/24 with a smooth ride from the east bay to SFO.
We were the first flight outbound for LA and spirits were high.
We boarded or Horizon flight and were almost finished with the two hour flight
from LA to Loreto. My friends and I were were joking about how on our last trip, the captian
announced he had a check engine oil light flash on and then off. He explained that we had to go
back to LA just to be sure things were Jake with the aircraft, as there is no service in Loreto.
Guess what, lightning strikes twice! We were headed back to LA and they would not serve us a drink.
We were assured that a plane was waiting for us back in LA and we would be boarding and back in
the air very soon after landing. True to there word, we were just checking in and walking to that
second Loreto bound plane when ground crew met us half way down the tube to tell use "This plane is not taking off!"
and shoo's us back up into the terminal.
Bar bill's in airport can get large, and this one sure did grow. But it was a vacation right!
SIX hours later a third flight is ready. Would the third time be a charm or a golden turd?
We got the word we were a go and the announcment asked that one person from every group come to the boarding desk
as they had an announcment to make. My heart sank at hearing this.
The word was that all rod tubes and surf boards were not going on the plane. That went over well after most
of our plane did a full six hour shift in that same bar as the cinco amigo's.
It got loud in a big way very fast in that terminal, security soon showed up to see what all
the ruckus was about. After trying to talk reason, things got ugly and we were asked to back away and one person
at a time approach the desk.
The end result was rod tubes were a go, surf boards grounded. Sorry surfer dudes.
We were back in the air and in Loreto in two hours. Much later and the last groups
to check in instead of the first at our hotel. We did not get the large rooms as our travel agent SAID they had
booked for us at the Oasis.
Note to self. Check Horizon Air service record before booking another trip.
We were givin a $150 credit on a future flight to be used in a year, but I spent more
in the bar than that. Never the less a nice gesture for 7-8 hours of my vacation time lost.
We got our rooms, unpacked, put reels to rods. At this point were to tired to go out and headed
straight to the bar for more decompression.
We stayed and had dinner on the patio. Our Captian lives just down the street from the Oasis and came over after
hearing the plane come in. Tito knew we were in and gave us an hour to get settled in before greetings and
the all important first pow wow fish talk.

Day-2 Monday 7/25
We are picked up every morning in the parking lot of the Oasis at 5:30, pile in the back of a pick-up and take the 2 minute
drive down the malecon to the harbor.
There we meet up with our old friend Cpt Tito and his new partner, the skipper of panga#2 Rodrigo. Rodrigo is and on the
ball pangalero that had just won the dorado tournament the day before we arrived.
He takes a day off from guiding to catch the winner. I like this guy already.
Were told that today we want to go after Dorado, and they know where a large school is and if we get out on the patty
first, we have a good chance of a big bull. We caught a lot of fish in the range of 20# right away and put most
back and keep a few. It's going to be a long week. There getting smart with the conservation and two dorado is now the limit
per angler in the marine park.
Thanks Pam and Jose Currevo at Baja Big fish for your efforts and keeping commercial fishing away.

Day-2 Tues 7/26
Everyday Were up at 4am. Showers and sunscreen on. The coffee is outside the restaurant at 4:30am. We get a cup and sit back
waiting for the lights to come on and the doors to open for our fishermans breakfast at 5am that's included with our package.
The wind is blowing thru the palm frans. strange, I don't remember wind at the end of July in Loreto!
The food is good buffet style and the staff are great and friendly people. I'm confused and thought I was in a time warp
the way some of the other groups of people there for the week were treating the staff and tipping with change.
I can only say that I don't think highly of a few persons in this group of fly fisherman that were the majority.
This same group I ran into four years back, 90% of I can do without spending time around. There was one notable famous fly person
there that I got along great with. We talked reels and repair, and rigging tackle.
I don't remember his name but Alan may be a dead ringer for him in 20-30 years.
I was told he's tied or invented a few named flies and has had many articles written about him and his intrests and trends.
Some of the fly people that had kids wanted his autograph or pictures with him.
Breakfast is a quick 20 minute in and out and then back to the room for a quick download. Pick up the rods, backpack, and gear bag,
and it's out to the parking lot to wait for Tito's sister Rosita and her pick up truck taxi service to the panga's.
No more truging across hot sand at the end of the day. The wind continues and we see flashes of lighting miles off shore.
Tito and Rosito show up.
We talk for a few minutes and decide to take the day off to be safe. Today the beer only after the sun is up did not apply.

Day-3 wed 7/27
Ever year I come to Loreto, the fishing is never the same. This year no bill fish to be found. The water is more warm than usual.
The Dorado are so close you can cast to the crackerjacks from shore. No need to get in a boat if you were a local looking for
dinner There has been no real windy nasty days this year "I'm told" to bust the sargaso grass loose and not many patties to be found.
We troll and find that the weighted wire lined wahoo candy that run below the surface gets hit with ruthless abandone by large and
crackerjack dorado. We keep a few and continue trolling in the cool breeze drinking ice cold Pacifico's.
It just to hot to stop but we run across a few small patties and cast on them for a while, then It's back to trolling in the breeze.

Day-4 Thur 7/28
I fish with my friend Dave from Reno. We go off-off shore with Tito to the deep reef where he talked about catching yellow fin
last year. Let's give it a try. The days are getting warmer. We find out that after were 40 miles out that the second panga has
all the water. We have two cases of Pacifico on board, but how many beers can you drink in triple digit temps with the humidity?
We see a large school of something crashing the surface but can't get more than 100 yards from it before it keeps going down
when we approach.
We play this hide and seek game for about an hour before we stop, rig up, and drop to the bottem looking for a bite as we
try and wait out what we hope is a school of tuna to resurface so we can drop a way way back lure trolling with 50# set-ups.
we never see them up on surface again. On the way back in we get a Flipper escort that stays with us for about 30 minutes.


A school of ghost fish in the distance


Reno Dave with his first Loreto YT

Day-5 Fri 7/29
We ask our trusty panga captians about off season yellow tail and grouper fishing?
They agree after much discussion to put us on bottem fish.  With the aid of our spanish speaking compadre Danny borracho who
has come along on the trip.
They explain that they will take us to get a few yellow tail and grouper, but were going to be fishing a small reef
that the local commercial guys are working. I kid you not, these guys are hand lining 20-30 yellow tail and grouper up
200-300 feet. Talk about Santiago and the old man and the sea. Our two pangas were allowed to fish with the local commercial
guys for a few hours. The typical local commercial panga is the size of a super panga with 2-3 guys not using any poles.
It's just another throw back that I love about Loreto.
On our panga we took two black grouper that went 25 -30#'s. They looked the color of a ling cod to me.
We also boated two 15-20# yellow tail.
We thanked the three commercial boats, tossed them two beers per person and got out of the way.
Did I say I love my 4/0 narrow tiburon framed greased Carbontex reel?


Tito's panga at the shallow reef spot with our commercial amigos!


Panga master Rodrigo and a nice YT



A pictere of me outside the Oasis with my half baked YT







Day-6 Sat 7/30
It's a sad day because were going home tomorrow. New people check in to the rooms next door. It seems like we were just these same
people checking in. Where did the week and the good times go?
We talk about where home is, fishing, tackle, and share a few cold beers.
There's always 2-3 cases of cold Pacifico's just inside our room.
I give away my spray bottle and a spare 4oz of salt-x to one of them, not wanting to bring it on the return trip.
Our rooms were on the south end of the Oasis and there is a chain link fence that seperates the Oasis property from a
large family or families that have been there for years. Somethings not right today as we hear loud crying and fighting
sounds coming from over the fence.
My compadre Danny goes over to the fence to check it out and comes back with a sad look on his face.
What I thought to be a sad day for our group paled in comparison with what Danny had seen over that fence.
We were about 40 yards from a small white casket and family having a service for a baby or small child in that yard.
Out of respect for the family we ended our small friendly gathering that was.
I've been around the dead and dying. It's sad and does not effect me like the thought of a baby or child passing. 
It was a punch in the gut reality check and cactus juice was in order to steady the nerves.
I stopped feeling sorry about leaving Loreto right then and happy thoughts about coming back next year came to mind.


We asked the day we arrived about who had the best Mexican food in town.
The general consensus among friends and staff at the Oasis was El Supper Burro!
What, we have one of those in every town in California...  Right? Nope, not like this we don't!
The food was unreal.  Picture this, You jump in a cab and say "El Supper Burro".
The driver smiles and say "Si" knowing where your going and the food your going to be enjoying.
Your driving along, not to far through town on a paved road, turning to cobble stone, and then on to dirt.
"Where in the *ell is this guy taking us?
It's not fancy or much to look at as we pull up to a house with a large patio on the side. You walk in to an open air patio with palm frans on top,
with a brick looking BBQ thing about 12 feet long that's being stoked with mesquite wood. It's 9pm, about 90 outside and
the stove on the patio raises the tempature another 20 degrees easy. There were about eight woman working
the kitchen and one waitress. You open a beer and if your not done in 5 minutes, it's hot.
I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it were winter time.
It was to hot to eat, but you had to and it was very very good. I highy recommend it.
The big burrito is called the super Donkey. The logo is a donkey in superman tights.
We ate there twice during our stay.


This is the place.



El Super Burro is the real deal!



Loading the troops up after dinner at the Burro.

Day-7 Sun 7/31

We talk walk down to the hiuse of our fishing hosts, Tito and Rosita and set a time for our frozen fish in ice chests to be dropped off.
20 minutes before our shuttle is to come should give us enough time for good byes.
They live four houses away from the Oasis, so no problem.
It's so hot and I'm sweating bullets while outside. No wind and the heat index is just over the top today. I think it was 120.

Loreto this year was more of a ghost town than I've ever seen it.
All I can say is that I wish someday I can live this laid back life style that they enjoy in Loreto.
Small town for me beats a big Cabo resort type town hands down. No crime or a hint of trouble was had all week.
I could see myself living there. Someday I'll get off the grid with an avacado and papaya tree in my yard and go fishing
a few days a week.
 
Hasta la vista Loreto.

I want to thank Alan and all the guys here for what they share in reel repair on the board.
Having gone through and repaierd every reel that went on the trip, (except the two speeds) I can report no malfunctions
among our 20 reels. I'm very pleased with my results and love the greased Carbontex drags.
Sorry for the crappy and lack or Dorado and Grouper pictures. I'll see about getting some from friends on the trip and reposting.
-gary

[redsetta]

Great story Gary - those YTs look good, too!
Spent a bit of time in Loreto myself.
Looking forward to getting back there - might have to hook up with Tito and Rodrigo next time!
All the best, Justin

[alantani]

nice report, gary!  i've gotta do one of these trips someday.  alan

[Norcal Pescador]

Ditto on Alan's post.  Sorry to hear Horizon was a pain. They've been one of my (very few) favorites.

[Dominick]

Good job Gary.  I have a step daughter who lives in Loreto.  Whenever I speak with her she says she has never been happier in her life.  I feel great about her living there, she says she is muy contento.   I don't go down there much even though I have a place to stay.  I don't want to travel 8-9 hours to get someplace unless it is on another continent.  I do owe her a visit though.  Dominick

[Bryan Young]

Wow.  thanks for sharing...now I can keep on dreaming.