Baja Fishing: Baja Fishing at Its Finest

Article by Ed Zieralski

“The very air here is miraculous, and outlines of reality change with the moment. The sky sucks up the land and disgorges it. A dream hangs over the whole region, a brooding kind of hallucination.”– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez

On the Sea of Cortez side of sun-drenched southern Baja, where the legendary peninsula juts into the tropical zones, the palm-thatched, king-sized guest rooms and “main house” of Rancho Leonero punctuate the broad green lawns of a tropical clearing of a 350-acre corner of “Old Baja,” nose-to-nose with the pristine blue sea.

A fishing and sportsman’s paradise, where coconut palms bend gracefully over two miles of dazzling unspoiled beaches, it’s a place like no other. Set well apart from other “East Cape” hotels, this handsomely tropical, Reichner flower-studded resort stands in intimate relationship with the sea itself. Cradled by the mythical Laguna Mountains, it provides a comfortable and friendly sanctuary for those who want to truly experience the Cortez.

Rancho Leonero Resort, owned by John Ireland, is situated to the southeast of the towns of Los Barriles and Buena Vista in the East Cape. The sit-down family-style meals are spectacular and the kick-back, intimate style of the place is truly unique. Ireland is likely to greet you personally; the staff is friendly and available; and the service is first rate. Like the TV show “Cheers,” it’s a place “where everybody knows your name.”

There is a variety of rooms to choose from at Rancho Leonero, including standard rooms with two double beds and west-facing patios, spacious deluxe rooms with double or queen beds, ocean view and courtyard patios, bungalows with large rooms, queen beds and private patios, or ocean view bungalows with large rooms, queen beds and ocean view patios. All of the rooms are air conditioned.

If you are seeking a memorable family-fun vacation in the unique atmosphere of one of the world’s last great nature frontiers, or intent on setting a new game fishing record (or both), Rancho Leonero has all the facilities for full participation in your Cortez experience.

Not only do 1,000-pound black and blue marlin prowl these waters, but striped marlin, sailfish, dorado, huge yellowfin tuna, yellowtail, wahoo, grouper, snapper, roosterfish and dozens of incidentals swarm over undersea canyons and drop-offs within a mile of shore.

Surf fishing along the famous “double reef” directly in front of the ranch is spectacular. If big-game fishing is what you are after, Rancho Leonero sports a complete fleet of inexpensive pangas (Mexican skiffs), larger center console “super panbgas” and roomy sportfishers up to 40 feet, all at affordable prices, all with superlative local guides who know how to put you on the fish.

Neil Kelly, author of the definitive Baja fishing book, The Baja Catch, wrote, “This 40-mile stretch of the Cortez is the Grand Premiere class of all of Baja’s waters, and few if any places in the world can approach it.”

Scuba or snorkeling in the waters right in front of the ranch are like diving in an aquarium, and the astonishing Pulmo Reef nearby (the only living coral reef on the Pacific side of North America) is something no diver should miss in a lifetime.

It is no secret that travel writers love to “discover” an out-of-the-way resort where their readers can find not just a vacation, but an experience that truly takes them away from the workaday world.

Baja Fishing: San Quintin

 

Baja fishing in San Quintin. A few friends having a great time catching bonita, rock cod, ling cod and two sand bass. July 2007.

 

Sardine certification ensures economic recovery

Filed under: Baja Fishing

Today, fishing for small pelagic resources is developed in the Gulf of California and in the west coast of Baja California peninsula, where vessels operate equipped with purse seine nets that catch mainly Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax caeruleus). …
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Tags: Fishing, Rancho Leonero Resort, John Steinbeck, John Ireland, Rancho Leonero, Baja