Info On Ixtapa Needed

[Gun Rod Bow]

Hey Salty Folks,

El Shaddai suggested I post here for the real deal. My wife and I are planning on going to Ixtapa in March. I posted on the fishing page and got a nice reply from Ugly Green (who will be there the same time) but wanted more input.

Any experience down there?
Especially for yellowfin or roosters?

Any info appreciated.

GRB

[Fish_N_Russ]

Wow, I didnt know there was an actual Ixtapa geographic place.

I have always known it as a good mexican restaurant lol :smile:

[jcarufo]

Gun Rod Bow,
I just noticed your question about Ixtapa. We've been to Zihuatanejo the last two winters which is about 6-8 miles away 'over the hill'. Fishing is fantastic and very inexpensive. Pangas are $125.00 per day including all your bait (15-20 live and 25+ dead) drinks (pop and bottled water) and ice. You typically have to make a choice of either fishing inshore for Roosters, Jacks, Pargo, Sierra, Wahoo or Outside for Sailfish, Dorado and Yellowfin. There are beaches just North of Ixtapa where we threw big yo-zuri poppers on the back side of the surf for 30-40lb Roosters. Incredibly big boil when they eat it. Makes your legs weak. In the winter, blue water is usually really close to the harbor so fishing 'outside' can start only a couple of miles off the beach. Multi sailfish days with Dorado and possibly a very large yellowfin (100-250#) mixed in are the norm. Zihuatanejo is our favorite place in Mexico. If you get a chance go to the central market place. It's a fantastic place just to wander and the food is 'local' and cheap. Also, just north of Ixtapa there's a beautiful nature walk with wild crocs and Iguana. One of those must sees. If you can, get out of Ixtapa and into Zihuatanejo to see what the real Mexico is about. You'll love the place. A great website for the area is zihuatanejo.net (Zihua-Rob). Lot's of resources and discussion boards.
Hope this helps. Sorry for the long post.
Jean

[Uglygreen]

David / Bruce... you guys getting excited yet?


UG

[Marty]

Jean, I haven't talked to you in a million years. Are you still fishing up in Canada. I have not made it up there yet, but still have plans to fish north of the border one of these days...........its just so hard to leave when the tuna are chomping here in the Northwest.

I agree with you on Zihua.., I have been down there 3 times and it is great. We have been fishing with the commercial panga guys for some hard-core offshore tuna fishing. We leave in the dark and come back in the dark. Not for the faint of heart to be offshore 60 miles in a panga..........BUT, the fishing has always been unreal. Countless sailfish, blue marlin to 300 lbs., huge dorado, but what makes it all happen is the yellowfin. We nearly filled the boat with 40 to 80 pounders one day and then hooked a true 'gorilla', that was fought on a handline with straight 100 lb. mono. After a 45 minute hug of war we had him to within 20 feet and the line broke. Then there is the story of the 'boys' using a throwing gaff on my 300 lb. blue marlin that was totally 'green' and the incredible show and almost demise of our boat at point blank range. One of my most incredible visual displays was when we had a huge blow up of big and small yellowfin and we had a 300 plus size tuna jump about 10 feet from the boat with a 40 pound tuna sideways in his mouth. I was close enough to read the dispair in the eyes of the little one and the look of delight in the big guy. Lots of great memory's for sure. And I love the central market also.....I have never seen a better one in all my Mexico travels.

What time of the year have you been going down???

Marty

[Gun Rod Bow]

HOLY COW

Tuna eating Tuna!!!

I'm gonna be dreaming about that!!! I had a tee shirt with a picture of a big nasty Blue Marlin eating an Ahi, when I got on a boat in Lahaina, I turned around and said "this is what I want to do today"...we did...about a 5 lb Ahi fed to a 275# Blue!!! Fun stuff.

Thanks for the info guys, Ahi are my favorite fish. Backed up real close by Pez Gallo!!

More info on the Yo-Zuri poppers...size color...leaders. I've had tough luck with Roosters on anything but bait, sounds promissing!!

Standard feathers, cedar plugs and big Rapalas I'd assume.

What gear do you recommend taking or do those guys have it covered?

FYI, we are staying in Zhuat overlooking th harbor. No prob with local culture.

Man I'm gettin fired up.

I'm fishin with Ugly Green and Dave Johnson tomorrow...we're all going to hook up down there too. Should be awsome!!

Just got a buch of big (3/0 and 6/0) Penns rebuilt at Ollies. Getting gear ready, tying new leaders.

I can't wait. Thanks a bunch for the info...More.. More.

GRB

[jcarufo]

Hi Marty,
We've been fishing Zihua in January. One week Cabo, one week Zihua and then home. Since we started fishing Cabo in Nov also, we would like to just fish Zihua for two weeks in January, but we've fished with our Pangero Julio for over ten years now and he counts on the 6 or 7 days income we provide when we're there. We're family friends, not clients and have watched his kids grow up. We've become their Gringo TIo and Tia. I'd hate to loose that.
We stay at Bungalos Pacificos in Zihua and love it. On the beach, cheap and close to town. I'd love to eventually do a month there every winter.
We're still fishing Canada in the Summer. We do a larky Summer kick off 3 day Oak Bay Marine halibut trip in June (we put together a group of 14 this year) out of Ucluelit, 10 days Sockeye fishing in the Alberni Inlet in July and fish 10 days in August somewhere on the island for Halibut. Last year we found Port Renfrew and Swiftshure Bank and love it. It's only about 20 miles and in about an hour total fishing time (2 trips) we had our 6 halibut, a couple of big yellow eye, and a dozen 15-20# Grey Cod. We like Canada for halibut as there's a 2 fish daily and 3 fish possesion limit.
I've wanted to talk to you about Tuna off of Astoria since I started lurking on the Salty Dogs board and remembered our conversations about it. We fish a 17ft Whaler/90hp Honda that has seen lots of 30+ mile trips off Vancouver Island and done great. We've got about 150 mile range and would love to try it.
Anyway, we're at China Creek for Sockeye the first two weeks of July this year if you're interested. Give me a call (503-254-6962) and say hello. Have a Great Day.
Jean