Author: That Baja Guy-Gary Graham

Que Pasa The Copa Campeones Calisureños Baja Tournament was held this week in Loreto over the weekend. This is an invitational event according to Gonzalo Alamea Camacho who is in charge of coordinating the serial Copa de Campeones Dos Mares Calisureños. The series of tournaments are held in the 5 municipalities of Baja Sur during the year and winners are invited to the Grand Finale held each year in Loreto. This year 104 teams signed up on Saturday, August 12. Species included dorado and black and blue marlin with qualifying weight for dorado being 12 pounds. There were no billfish…

A 437-pound black marlin caught in the Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore Tournament (ECO) was worth more than a quarter million dollars to angler Andrew Hughes and his fish-fighting team. Along with Hughes’ check for $258,683, eleven winners in various divisions plus jackpot dollars brought the total payout of the 2017 tournament to $590,375. The winning marlin hit a trolled live skipjack approximately 5 miles off the local Punta Arena Lighthouse on the Sea of Cortez. Hughes, 59, fishing with the team, Mi Corazon (My Heart), fought and brought the billfish to the boat in 60 minutes.  As a tournament angler,…

Que Pasa The Bisbee East Cape Offshore Tournament’s payout once again had a substantial increase in overall cash prizes. Team Red Hot had the best hard luck story of the tournament. They lost one fish only to quickly hook and land a second that was light by 7-pounds of tying with Mi Corazon; team member Quintana added that they had also released one striped marlin. Almost everyone was commenting on how great the fishing had been during the tournament and one of the crew members aboard Sneak Attack echoed the sentiment. “We had a Grand Slam today with three blue…

There are numerous unique locations to explore along the east coast of Baja Sur … some so remote it requires special equipment and tenacity to reach them; and once you have made that harrowing journey to your destination, you might discover only a few facilities offering bleak accommodations. However, in some of the once-hidden areas, huge hotels and resorts have sprung up in clumps along the pristine Baja Coastline, offering accommodations covering the gamut from stark to 5-star. Long before the gold rush of hotel developments thundered across Baja Sur, one of the first – and still existing today –…

Que Pasa The second annual “Sport Fishing and Golf Tournament 2017” hosted by Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto in the dazzling Danzanta Bay was held this week July 27 – 29. Twelve teams participated in the fishing event competing for cash awards and raffle prizes, and a round of golf was offered at the Rees Jones-designed Danzante Bay Golf Course. This event combined two of the world’s most popular outdoor activities, fishing and golf. On the dawn of the first day of the two-day affair, the playing field had changed, evident by the clouds and breezy conditions…

Que Pasa There have been reports from Magdalena Bay of an early showing of striped marlin as well as the following observations from Captain Steve Lassley after his recent trip from Cabo San Lucas: “Never before in my lifetime have I seen the abundance of anchovies as I saw on my trip up the line … for over 400 miles we were in them. Sometimes we would go awhile and not see them, but the bulk of the trip they were solid!” Add to that the fact that the first striped marlin was caught out of Ensenada this week on…

Temporary Boat Importation Permit Mexico Boat Importation Laws (including Baja) require that all boats over 15-feet traveling in Baja have a Temporary Boat Import Permit. Inflatable boats that can collapse and fit into a bag are the only boats that are exempt from this law. However, jet skis, kayaks, canoes, wave runners, etc. are also exempt. If you are a “persona fisica” (physical person, NOT a company), below are the steps that you will need to take to receive a TIP. You can go online to Banjercito to apply for the permit. You will need to start the process about two weeks…

The American Fishing Tackle Company – better known as AFTCO – was established in 1958 in the Newport Beach basement of big game tackle pioneer J. C. Axelson. He created the AFTCO Roller Guide, advancing big game fishing to new heights and becoming the standard seen on top of offshore rods worldwide. In 1973, Milt and Peggie Shedd purchased AFTCO. With Milt’s passion and dedication for both angler rights and marine conservation, he brought an evolution to the company resulting in an unwavering commitment not only to help protect marine resources, but to ensure a sustainable fishery for future generations.…

Sportfishing Baja Que Pasa 57-Hour San Ysidro Southbound Border Closure: Sept. 23-25 A temporary closure of the San Ysidro El Chaparral border will take place for southbound vehicular traffic from September 23-25, 2017. The 57-hour closure will be in effect from Saturday, September 23 at 3am to Monday, September 25 at 12 noon. Both the I-5 and 805 freeways will be closed for all southbound traffic beginning at the I-905. Southbound vehicle border crossings will be diverted east to the Otay Mesa border crossing. The San Ysidro pedestrian crossings (northbound and southbound) will remain open as usual and northbound vehicle…

Que Pasa Baja hurricane season has begun! Tropical Storm “Eugene” is meandering up the west coast of Baja quite a ways offshore and most of that area is expecting some large swells and high surf as it dissipates and heads out in the Pacific. https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/eastern-pacific/2017/tropical-storm-eugene [fvplayer src=”https://www.bdoutdoors.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/VID-20170708-WA0001.mp4″ width=”848″ height=”480″] New Fisherman’s Center opens on Malecón at IGY Marina near Gaviota Fleet. There they have a machine where Mexican Fishing Licenses can be purchased and printed out instantly. The store will also offer fishing tackle, lunches and drinks for purchase before departing. Baja Norte Coronado Islands Although the water is still…

While serving on the Orange County Big Brothers Big Sisters board of directors nearly 22 years ago, Dick “Dicko” Gebhard had an inspiration: it was a way to have some fun while raising money for the organization. He suggested to fellow board members that they create a fishing tournament in Cabo San Lucas. It became Stars & Stripes. STARS represent the kids STRIPES represent the Striped Marlin At the 10-year mark Dicko enlisted a group of his successful Orange County business friends to join the effort as Knights (Board of Directors). That reinvented the scope of the event to include…

Que Pasa Tuna…Tuna…Tuna! After more than two weeks of poor conditions with off-color, cold water pervading the coastline and surrounding the Baja tip all the way to La Paz, suddenly the huge tuna and roosterfish explode like 4th of July fireworks!  July is already shaping up to be something special… Baja Norte Coronado Islands There are yellowtail at the Islands along with bonito and barracuda. Check the weather side of North Island and don’t overlook the Key Hole spot. Another area is from the Middle Grounds down to the Ribbon Kelp.…

Que Pasa The Stars and Stripes Tournament is one of the largest charity events of its kind in the world … literally helping thousands of children’s charities on both sides of the border over the past 21 years. The largest yellowfin tuna of the week was taken aboard Fish Cabo out of Cabo San Lucas on Friday, the first day of the two-day event which raised millions of dollars for children. https://www.starsandstripestournament.com/ Baja Norte Coronado Islands There are yellowtail at the Islands but many are struggling to catch them. Some are being found along the weather side of North Island…

Monday, June 19, 2017 Gary Graham Que Pasa Baja Norte state governor Francisco “Kiko” Vega just announced that he is officially open for bids in order to find a partner to develop the Ojos Negros airport. The bidding process is open until the 28th of the present month and the different projects will be presented exactly one month later. Read the full article on Gringo Gazette North website at: http://www.ggnorth.com/index.php/2017/06/16/the-ensenada-airport-just-got-real/ Baja Norte Coronado Islands Some nice quality yellowtail are showing in the Middle Grounds. Barracuda are also showing well at the Middle Grounds and down to the Ribbon Kelp area,…

If you follow my WON Roadtrekker column, you’d have noted that I was to leave on May 30 for my annual drive down the peninsula, meeting the Sportfishing Association of California (SAC) team in Loreto on June 3 after stopping for a couple of interviews en route. In fact, I gave you my whole schedule for my trip. However, when I received an invitation from Ken Franke, President of SAC to ride along with their pilot Tom Greene on one of his scheduled twice-weekly fish spotting trips, regardless of the schedule changes it required, I had no intention of missing…

Que Pasa 560 nautical miles on Baja water … not many fish. https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/fishing-san-quentin-and-need-a-little-advice-please.649313/ Weekly Fishing Reports Baja Norte Coronado Islands Report pending…fishdope.com 1140 Finger / Lower 500 and beyond The kelp in the area are still holding yellowtail, but they haven’t been biting well this weekend. There are also some scattered yellowfin around taken on blind jig strikes. The water in closer to the coast on the SE end of the zone is cold — 61 degrees and filthy green. It has lots of bonito and some bait but that’s it. Looking farther down the line, the long range boats…

Que Pasa BD is adding a new feature this month … a list of sportfishing tournaments that are held during each current month will be published on the first Monday of every month throughout the fishing season. With the cooperation of the tournament administrators, we will post the results the month following. Click Here TOURNAMENT PAGE Just returned from Loreto, where I had joined the SAC team led by SAC President, Capt. Ken Franke; Kenia Zamarripa, SAC Director of Marketing and International Affairs; Laura Patella, co-owner of the long range American Angler; and Pete Gray of the Mighty 1090 Radio…

21st Annual Rancho Leonero “Let’s Talk HookUp” Spring Tournament sponsored by Sportfishing Financial and Statewide Stripes Rancho Leonero June 3-7 Celebrating its 21st annual event, the Rancho Leonero Tournament offers plenty of great times and super prizes. June is recognized in the East Cape for both great weather and superb fishing. Many participants return year after year to enjoy the fishing and the camaraderie of a fun tournament they share with Pete Gray and his Let’s Talk HookUp team; the event is so popular it always sells out, maybe because anglers have the option of fishing either two or three…

EFFECTIVE JUNE 5TH BAJA BYTES WILL BE PUBLISHED MONDAY AFTERNOON! Que Pasa What began as a bold experiment to improve communications between the Sportfishing Association of California (SAC), the sportfishing industry and the various Baja and Mexican Rivera Ports on the West Coast of Mexico in 2015, was so well received and produced such impressive results that additional visits to other Mexican Riviera Ports on the West Coast of Mexico added. Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas were areas visited in 2016 and Mazatlan was visited in May 0f 2017. The Port Captain’s Office in Loreto is the next stop to…

Que Pasa It makes sense that it’s in Cabo San Lucas this time because this is not just a new international airport. It’s a second international airport. It’s intended to complement the existing services offered in San Jose del Cabo Airport. The new terminal will increase Cabo’s air capacity by up to a million passengers in the short term. The timing and location of the new airport goes hand in hand with the construction, already underway, of 12,000 new rooms on the Pacific side of Cabo. Clearly an airport is part of the necessary infrastructure required to support this development.…

The Sportfishing Association of California’s (SAC) visits to different regions along with “Let’s Talk HookUp” radio show have been the catalyst for building bridges between Southern California sport fishing and local business owners, government officials and agencies throughout the various Baja and Mexican Riviera Ports on the West Coast of Mexico. It began three years ago as an effort to improve communications between the sport fishing industry in the two countries. Once again, the representatives recently met in late April in Mazatlan to continue the efforts they had begun in 2015. The SAC advance team arrived a day early to…

Gary Graham’s Baja Bytes Weekly Baja Fishing Report Que Pasa “Pesca la Baja” has carved its own niche into a unique celebration of sportfishing in towns and villages throughout Baja Norte. The first event — San Felipe which is scheduled for May 19 – 20 — shattered attendance records last year with 138 participants and the staff is predicting even more this year. For the uninitiated, attending even one of these family affairs is an opportunity to share the enthusiasm for sportfishing and the unification of the locals with visiting anglers, as well as to become immersed in Baja’s rich…

Friday, May 5, 2017, 2017 ​ Que Pasa Road conditions from Mulege to Tijuana 4/17/17 I just returned from Mulege. I jotted down a few notes on the road conditions for those interested. Overall, I found the road conditions to have deteriorated since New Year, which was the last time I was there. The road was in fair condition from Mulege to Guerrero Negro. In Santa Rosalia, the usual potholes still exist, especially toward the north side of town. North of Guerrero Negro, we encountered about 10 miles worth of large potholes on both sides of the highway. In all…

Que Pasa https://youtu.be/pkdwLa_oJhU Published on Apr 25, 2017. While in Spanish, the video graphically depicts the work taking place on the final section of unpaved highway. Dynamiting hills and moving tons of stone have been part of the work done in the last 31 kilometers of the San Luis Gonzaga-Laguna Chapala Road, which is the last stretch of the work that is missing to connect Mexicali with the Trans-peninsular Highway linking the southern part of the state with Baja Bytes California Sur. Baja Norte Coronado Islands . . . Grumpy weather continues until Sunday…fishdope.com La Salina Fished La Salina with…