CHARTER BUS GROUP FISHING
TRIP BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES

Feb. 23, 2005, Steve Barstow, Sportsmen's Pub, Bahia de los Angeles bus fishing trip, Baja California, Mexico:

Continuing our charter bus fishing trip south from San Quintin, we ran into some light sprinkles on the trip but nothing serious. There wasn't any wind or rain at all during our stay at Bahia de los Angeles (L.A. Bay).

We stayed at Casa Diaz at Bahia de los Angeles and fished on his boats. On the first day of fishing just both Jerrys fished with Capt. Morales for 13 yellowtail in the 16-20 pound range, plus some nice size cabrillas. I had business to attend to for my future bus trips to Bahia de los Angeles so I did not go fishing.

The next day all 3 of us fished, but not with the same success as the day before. We only boated 2 nice size yellowtails, some lings and a sheephead.

At Bahia de los Angeles we fished quite a way north, up almost as far as the north end of Guardian Angel Island, about halfway between the island and the shore. We used blue-white iron almost exclusively, as were some other guys we talked to there. That seemed to be the magic combination this time. We got out too late to make bait one morning because the skipper had partied too hard the night before and we had to get another skipper. I'm not sure as to the exact depth, but I estimate approximately 300 feet.

All in all, the Baja bus trip was great! There was minimal rain damage on both the main highway, and the road down to Bahia de los Angeles.

The only thing that put a damper on the bus trip was the way we were treated at the border. There had been some very heavy rains in northern Baja, and one of the regular lanes leading to the border crossing was closed on the Tijuana side, so we were diverted to another lane. When we came around the curve, we discovered we were in the Sentri lane and couldn't get out. We were sent to secondary where we were treated like criminals by the immigration officer, led back across the border into Mexico and ended up crossing at Otay.

It seems to me that as taxpayers, and their employers, we should be treated with just a little respect instead of the chip on the shoulder, rude behavior of these people who have been vested with such scary powers. I know that some will say that with the increased security we are asking of our border protectors we should be a little more tolerant of their sometimes arrogant behavior. We, however, were not being treated as a security threat, but for being in a lane we weren't supposed to be in. The US Immigration officer was informed of the lane closure problem on the TJ side, but it didn't matter to him. He had the badge and we didn't!