SAN FRANCISQUITO RESORT FLY-IN TRIP UPDATE

June 5, 2005, Stan Woodward, San Francisquito report, Baja California, Mexico:

We flew into San Francisquito on Friday, 5/27 to find the "resort" full and even though I talked with Genaro over a month ago in TJ he did not save a cabana for us.

We slept in the old bar until the next day. Sea conditions were rough and unlaunchable at San Francisquito that afternoon but yellowtail had been seen and caught in numbers two days earlier, all to the north. So that's where we headed early the next morning, three fishkateers in our little aluminum boat.

We trolled and jigged all the way from the seal point to Punta Ballena for nada. All we saw was acres of bait right outside the caleta and two white seabass swim under the boat in 20 feet of water.

So we were off to a deep spot for some Pinto cabrillas and had a small spot of yellowtail pop out of nowhere and caught one on a blue/chrome jig.

After lunch the wind blew hard from the south and canceled fishing plans. It had warmed up some but the early morning was very chilly. All in all fishing/spearing was slow that day.

One of the camp pangas broke down and was towed to the caleta.

Sunday we ran south to fish the outside El Barril high spot, turned off the engine to drift, and caught five yellowtail before we pulled the cord again. Four were on a scrambled egg jig, one on blue/chrome and all about 15-18#.

While we drifted, we saw an occasional fish break water, but no birds diving and no visible bait.

We ran south to Punta San Miguel to sight see and dive again for no fish. The sea temperature was very cold everywhere. It was a long trip home, and just as we got back into Santa Teresa bay we had engine trouble. We managed to get ashore but did not fish that evening.

Divers had speared some nice fish to the north near Ballena, including a couple large yellowtail and a 70-pound white sea bass.

The highlight of this San Francisquito trip was early Monday morning when a giant pile up occurred just off shore in front of the cabanas. It was mayhem as fishermen raced for their rods and down the beach casting madly. A diver who was camping slipped into the melee and speared a big yellowtail but the rod and reel catch of the weekend was by 14 year old Riley Kilpatrick of San Diego who all by himself hooked and landed a legitimate 40 pound yellowtail off the beach. With his proud Dad by his side the fish pulled him up and down the beach for more than 20 minutes before they could wrestle it ashore. That morning a Baja fan was born for life.

All reports were that the road from Bahia was fine. The resort was pretty much the same. Construction on two new palapas is slower than building the Pyramids, no ice, semi-cold beer and sodas, no cook when we arrived, a broken panga, the water ran out Sunday morning, but Genaro did have gas and there was a new shower head in the south bathroom. Prices are the same. The dirt strip is in good shape.