San Roque Fishing Trip

San Roque and Punta Asuncion are settled some 13 hours driving south of Tijuana. Once past the bustling and crowded urban areas of Rosarito and Ensenada, a very scenic highway emerges. Highway 1 snakes and meanders through green valleys and dry mesas filled with vibrant rocks and flourishing cacti. Many small rural towns are found along the highway that offer fresh seafood cuisine like Campeche caliente, tacos de pescado, cockeles de mariscos and ceviche, all of which can be incredibly delicious.

Coctel de mariscos

Tacos de pescado

Almejas Gratinadas

Campeche caliente

El Rosario is located five hours driving south of the border. At this town, it is a good idea to fill the gas tank as the population greatly decreases past this point. The Pemex stations are fewer and separted more as a result.

About an hour past Guerrero Negro, you will reach a small town or poblado where you leave highway 1 veering right onto another paved road that leads directly to Punta Asuncion.

Once is town, we usually check in with Shari and Juan Bondi who run a small bed and breakfast near the far end of town (and very close to the actual point). Shari is extremely helpful and will guide you through town. Juan is a fishing guide and runs several pangas (fishing boats).

On this trip, we chose to stay with Shari in a small room. I would drive the 10 miles to San Roque at first light to launch my kayak to fish the island.

The next day, I arrive at San Roque. There is a small bay there that offers perfect launching conditions with minimal swell and wind. The island itself lies 2 miles from the launching spot and it a 30 minute paddle to the south end

of the island.

Once I arrive at the island, I notice lobster buoys above a reef that is surrounded by 140 ft water. The reef is habitat for lots of bait like sardines and mackerel.

I decide not to catch bait and instead tie on a Salas Scrambled Egg 6 oz jig. I position my kayak over the reef and cast into the deep water so that the jig has a longer distance to travel in the water. My first cast, the jig lands 30 yards way and sinks into the deep water. I engage the Avet JX 6/4 hi speed reel and wind fast. On maybe the 15th crank, I'm hit big time and the fish begins to pull the kayak over the water around 5 mph. Some 10 minutes later, the big Yellowtail begins to tire and I gaff a personal best 40 lb Forkie.

40 lb Yellowtail

While on the water, I meet some pangueros fishing for lobster. I gave them a knife knowing that they might really appreciate it. They examined it and then asked "hey, you like lobsters?" and began filling the kayak hatch with 2 lb bugs. Mexican generosity is common and they filled the kayak with over 20 lobsters!

Lobster Tacos

That night, we decided to cook a fresh dinner of sashimi and fried lobster. We made salsa fresca for the sashimi and ate it with a little soy. We cut the lobster tails in half to fry them with a little flour. We made tacos with fresh tortillas and lobster tails with a garlic, lime and butter sauce.

Malibu Yellowtail Madness

Alarm rings at 4:30 am. Quick cup of coffee and I'm on the road. An hour later, I see 3- 4 ft wind swell - not good. We launch anyway and I take two waves to the chest. The second knocks me backward and fills the kayak's deck with water. Unfazed, I paddle harder.

Twenty minutes later, I stop by a squid boat. His lights are still on with the possibility of squid under his boat. I spend a couple minutes with the squid jig checking but quickly notice an angler already hooked up some 100 yards further out. I decide to forgo the squid and break out a Salas Scrambled Egg jig.

A couple minutes of hard paddling and I cruise into an area that was good the previous week. I let the Salas sink until it hits the bottom at 140 ft and start reeling as fast as possible. On maybe the sixth crank, there is solid weight. I keep reeling until the fish is peeling line of the Avet MXJ. I'm hooked up!

10 minutes later, I see color and release a healthy 20 lb Yellowtail. A quick visual check: terns are circling, the fish finder is beeping and pilot whales are cruising past and 5 others are all hooked up! I drop the Salas again and reeling off the bottom, another Forkie hits hard and peels 40 yards off the small but powerful Avet. 10 minutes later, I see another 20 lb Yellowtail and release the fish wanting to hook up again without having to bleed and stow the fish and clean the deck...

I drop down again and within 3 minutes... I'm on again! For the next two hours it was like this. I caught six fish that day. At around 10 am, the wind blew heavy from the south and it became impossible to fish safely in the kayak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12M-vwF7hm4&list=UUTGEB2l9KiPp66pWRsGGnIw