Baja Kayak fishing stuff..

Last year my wife and some friends went to Punta Banda just south of Ensenada and did some great fishing. We rented kayaks and spearfished as well. lots of nice large calicos and sheephead as well as rockfish.

I heard fishing on the sea of cortez side is real good so i think in june we'll be driving down there for a week or so.

has anyone driven down with their kayak ? would we need a license for it being that we are fishing from it?

Thanks!

John

john, see

this book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0929637054/qid=1138236369/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-0194289-3960136?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

it covers all the camping and fishing spots for small (12-16 foot) aluminum boats, also covers license requirments, etc.

advice will more or less count for kayaks.

gene kirra, one of the authors runs www.mexfishing.com I think.

I have been to baja a lot. One weird thing is that the law is a little more flexible than here. I have paid for
my license with 2 krocodiles before while on the beach...  .

A week is not enough BTW, the shortest I have been for is 3 weeks and that included a short stay @ cabo pulmo, the
only live coral reef we can drive easily drive to. It is the best in may and june @ cabo pulmo.

Driving there is not as safe as driving here, it's open range, there will be cows on the road at night. So you can drive
24 hours straight to get there, but you greatly increase you chances of dying on the road.

any later than june and the sea of cortez is unbearably hot, at least for me. It's death in september.

have fun.

I second the use of Gene Kira's book.  I borrowed a copy from my local library that looked like I wasn't the only one to bring it down to Baja.   

I also second the notion that a week wouldn't be enough. Here's a link to my trip last May...

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/bb/index.php?topic=925.0

Three of us spent three weeks in a toyota tundra, camping and fishing on the beach with our kayaks.


As for logistics, the "Baja Catch" book and the http://www.mexfishing.com website do a decent job covering this.  Technically, you'll need fishing licenses as well as boat registrations for your kayaks.  The trick here is that you'll have a hard time finding someone to let you register your kayak, so I doubt anyone will ever bother you for it.  I however have great fear in the idea of getting caught breaking mexican laws so I pay the extra fee just in case.


Brian

I did an illegal u-turn in todos santos (right in front of the police station)
after losing my wallet (so no license). 

Then I argued with him because I misunderstood the
amount he was asking for. Fortunately my friend was there and
corrected my misunderstanding. 
Basically we paid him $12 right there and we were done.

If you do screw up, remember that petty bribery is accepted there,
it's not a big sin like here, you can ask them what it would cost to settle it
there and that's probably the wisest thing you can do. 
I would not try to reform their legal system yourself.

So if you got caught in your kayak with no license, or whatever,
as long as you have some cash and a few extra lures,
you are good, don't freak out, just act ignorant and contrite and offer to make it right.

Also, the rural farmers and fishermen are very friendly. Don't start drinking with them,
(cause they may go on a 2 day bender) but do give them t-shirts you don't wear anymore etc,
they usually can put that stuff to use. They will often return the favor in spades with
oysters, fish, etc.

hey folks, thanks for the tips and advice. we'll need to plan some more time if i can get it off of work.

must have been nice to fish warmer waters eh?: O )

john