What has become an annual trip to Baja, Calif., was delayed a couple
of months this year. Instead of going in the spring, in April, as we
had done last year the group of anglers who I was going with settled
on a
date in June.
Our destination was an area of the Sea of Cortez called the East Cape.
This is legendary fishing area made famous by Zane Grey and Ernest Hemmingway.
The resort where we stay is Rancho Leonero a small hotel that is located
about an hour to an hour and a half northeast from the airport at San
Jose del Cabo. It is located off of Mexican 1, Baja’s main road.
You get there by taking a dirt road about seven miles to the oceanfront
location.
Once at Rancho Leonero, you will be greeted by a warm and friendly staff.
I noticed that the staff was the same that was there last year so turnover
is apparently not a problem. Getting to know the staff is very easy.
They are all so helpful and friendly.
Because there was a tournament going on during our stay, the only rooms
that were available were the more expensive bungalows. This made our
trip a bit more expensive, but the rooms were well worth the extra cost.
Each
bungalow has a private covered porch area with a peek view of the Sea
of Cortez and is a perfect place to get together to rig up your gear
or to have a drink and relax
.
At the resort, your room cost includes three meals a day. The meals are
very good. We had some of the best Mexican food any of us had experienced.
The staff will also prepare fish that you catch and serve it if you give
them some advance preparation time. We had them make ceviche, and grill
up various other fishes during our stay. This was all terrific as well.
The weather during our trip was pretty warm. It never seemed to get below
the mid 70s at night even with the air conditioning on in the room. Daytime
temperatures were mostly in the 90s, although we had a couple of days
in the 100s. These temperatures felt pretty good with the cooler temperatures
that we had been experiencing prior to our departure from Tahoe.
We caught a flight out of Sacramento on Mexicana Airlines. We flew Frontier
last year and it was a great flight, however, Frontier cut the service
to Cabo San Lucas so we were forced to go elsewhere. We were a bit concerned
with all of the additional costs being levied by other airlines that
we would show up at the airport and be hit with additional charges. As
it
turned out, the only change was in the amount of baggage that we could
bring. We were originally told that we could bring two bags at 60 pounds
each, and this was later changed to 50 pounds per bag. For a week trip,
this was no problem. Both of my bags were way under this weight restriction.
The others had no problem either.
The leg room on the flight down was not as good as that on Frontier’s
flight the previous year, but we did get an in flight meal and the open
bar was nice if you are so inclined. All in all, it was a good flight
that only takes around three hours from Sacramento. I checked through
two bags and carried on my reelbag and two of my fly rods. One of my
friends carried on my other two fly rods.Since these represent my largest
investment, I did not want to risk losing them.I would suggest bringing
travel rods in either a three-or four-piece model. The four piece ones
certainly make things easier. You will pay a premium for these rods,
but the extra cost is well worth it if you travel much for fishing
.
Next week, I will get into the fishing itself and the varied catch. It
was certainly our best trip we have had to this destination.
Bruce Ajari is a Truckee fisherman. |