GOOD SURF FISHING ACTION FROM THE ROCKS

Oct. 5, 2004, Mark Baker, Puerto Santo Tomas, Mexico Fishing Trip Report:

Nicole Venegas and I just got back from Puerto Santo Tomas. We first talked to Sam early last week and told him we were coming down and made all the arrangements with him online.

We drove down there on Sat. from Hemet, and met Shon at the Puerto Santo Tomas arch. He told us Sam was away but had instructions to show us to casa rosa where we stayed.

We stayed at casa rosa for two nights, Saturday night and Sunday night.

When we got settled in at the casa i got my gear together and hurried down the bluff to the ocean and started away at casting my surf rod. i didn't waste any time. those waters are teaming with rockfish everywhere. anyone who wants to surf cast for rockfish, that's the spot. Anyways i got two rockfish and a nice cabazon, around 3 pounds. I also had another on the line but lost him on the way up. he was a little bigger. I fished with squid on the normal surf casting rig with two size two hooks and a 4 ounce sinker on the surf leader. really a lot of fun.

The next day we went out on the panga with capt. pedro who lives in Ensenada. he took us out and we trolled the surface awhile with rapalas but didn't get anything. we then fished bottom and did really well. we caught lingcod, vermilion's, and a bunch of canary rockfish. some reached the 7 pound mark. after awhile i asked to fish the Puerto Santo Tomas kelp beds for calicos on the scampis, and i bagged a few there as well. I used the pink colored scampis on the 3\4 ounce leadhead.

In all it was a very good trip down there and we brought back some really nice fillets for tacos and dinners and i cant wait to go back. shon and his family also cooked us up a nice lobster dinner in the restaurant for a modest price with a caguama of pacifico, very tasty.

I didn't get any water temps there but i can say it was really cold water. We are more used to fishing the cortez side where the water is much warmer. But i would say it had to be in the upper 50's.

Puerto Santo Tomas fishing conditions were mild with the occasional swell coming from the northwest. The wind really really blew hard on sat. afternoon and continued all throughout the night and into Sunday morning but by the time we headed out on the panga at 7:00 am it really died down which made for a good day fishing. But believe me i woke up at around 5 in the morning and i was really worried about the wind. But it turned out well.

We fished in front of the resort about a mile or so out and then continued on to the three really big rocks that are to the north a bit. They have sea lions all over them, and they sit out around a mile or two out from the point.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from Puerto Santo Tomas and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for Puerto Santo Tomas may be found at Mexfish.com's main Puerto Santo Tomas page.