I had the opportunity to do a long weekend trip with my wife and daughter to Ventana Bay Resort and fish with Felipe Valdez of Felipe Valdez Sportfishing June 4-5. We flew from Indiana to Los Cabos Friday June 3, rented a car and arrived in La Ventana by 5 pm.
FISH REPORT
The water and air temperatures were a bit cooler for this time year, and the fishing was off a little bit, but we still managed to put fish in the boat both days. We launched out of Ensenada de Muertos, and spent the first hour of each morning trolling rapalas and ballyhoo for wahoo; we had a few bites, but could not get them to stick. We spent the rest of each day fishing the inshore reefs and up against the beach for a mixed bag of roosterfish, cabrilla, jacks, rainbow runners and bonito – really fun inshore fishing. We caught most of our fish on the sardines, and we all enjoyed watching Felipe work the fish up into a frenzy chumming sardines at the back of the boat. We had to go to the back side of Isla Cerralvo to buy the sardines; we felt fortunate as we watched many boats having to travel all the way from the East Cape to buy sardines at the island. We had a great time and saw lots of sea life, including sea turtles and giant schools of mating mobulas!
FELIPE VALDEZ SPORTFISHING
We had the privilege of fishing with Felipe Valdez - a very accomplished fishing guide and super nice guy. Felipe fishes all over Southern Baja and really has the Las Arenas/Isla Cerralvo fishery dialed in. Felipe’s boat (“Nath & Mich”) is an Everglades CC 223 center console, and it is definitely a step up from the pangas typically fished in the area. The boat has Simrad electronics/fish finder and a great live well. Felipe had quality terminal tackle, rods and reels, including Shimano reels. Felipe speaks fluent English, and it was easy to book a trip with him; I just got his information from the website (https://felipevaldezsportfishing.com), emailed him and he blocked out the dates. I will definitely be booking another trip with Felipe in the future!
VENTANA BAY RESPORT
We had a GREAT experience at the Ventana Bay Resort -- a secluded property right on the beach in La Ventana. The resort consisted of spacious ocean-view bungalows and casitas. The main facility has a second story dining area and third-floor open air bar, both of which have beautiful views of the Sea of Cortez and Isla Cerralvo. Meals were first-class! We enjoyed walking out to the beach and snorkeling on the reefs in front of the resort. During the fishing season, you pretty much have the run of the place to yourself. The best part of the resort is its proximity to the Las Arenas/Isla Cerralvo fishery. I’m used to staying in La Paz, and making the 1+ hour drive each morning to Las Arenas. At Ventana Bay Resort, you have the option of being picked up in a panga on the beach in front of the resort or launching in La Ventana; because of the fishing conditions, we opted to launch out of Ensenada de Muertos which was only a 30 minute drive from the resort. The people at the resort were very accommodating. When fishing the Las Arenas/Isla Cerralvo area, the Ventana Bay Resort is a convenient option with great beachfront accommodations.
FISH REPORT
The water and air temperatures were a bit cooler for this time year, and the fishing was off a little bit, but we still managed to put fish in the boat both days. We launched out of Ensenada de Muertos, and spent the first hour of each morning trolling rapalas and ballyhoo for wahoo; we had a few bites, but could not get them to stick. We spent the rest of each day fishing the inshore reefs and up against the beach for a mixed bag of roosterfish, cabrilla, jacks, rainbow runners and bonito – really fun inshore fishing. We caught most of our fish on the sardines, and we all enjoyed watching Felipe work the fish up into a frenzy chumming sardines at the back of the boat. We had to go to the back side of Isla Cerralvo to buy the sardines; we felt fortunate as we watched many boats having to travel all the way from the East Cape to buy sardines at the island. We had a great time and saw lots of sea life, including sea turtles and giant schools of mating mobulas!
FELIPE VALDEZ SPORTFISHING
We had the privilege of fishing with Felipe Valdez - a very accomplished fishing guide and super nice guy. Felipe fishes all over Southern Baja and really has the Las Arenas/Isla Cerralvo fishery dialed in. Felipe’s boat (“Nath & Mich”) is an Everglades CC 223 center console, and it is definitely a step up from the pangas typically fished in the area. The boat has Simrad electronics/fish finder and a great live well. Felipe had quality terminal tackle, rods and reels, including Shimano reels. Felipe speaks fluent English, and it was easy to book a trip with him; I just got his information from the website (https://felipevaldezsportfishing.com), emailed him and he blocked out the dates. I will definitely be booking another trip with Felipe in the future!
VENTANA BAY RESPORT
We had a GREAT experience at the Ventana Bay Resort -- a secluded property right on the beach in La Ventana. The resort consisted of spacious ocean-view bungalows and casitas. The main facility has a second story dining area and third-floor open air bar, both of which have beautiful views of the Sea of Cortez and Isla Cerralvo. Meals were first-class! We enjoyed walking out to the beach and snorkeling on the reefs in front of the resort. During the fishing season, you pretty much have the run of the place to yourself. The best part of the resort is its proximity to the Las Arenas/Isla Cerralvo fishery. I’m used to staying in La Paz, and making the 1+ hour drive each morning to Las Arenas. At Ventana Bay Resort, you have the option of being picked up in a panga on the beach in front of the resort or launching in La Ventana; because of the fishing conditions, we opted to launch out of Ensenada de Muertos which was only a 30 minute drive from the resort. The people at the resort were very accommodating. When fishing the Las Arenas/Isla Cerralvo area, the Ventana Bay Resort is a convenient option with great beachfront accommodations.
