The forecast was calling for windy conditions late last week and again sunday and monday in rocky point but saturday looked like it might be just calm enough to make it out. I woke up saturday morning at 5:00 am to very slight breezes so i picked up my good fishing buddies Shawn Gustafson and Bill Hayden and we launched out of cholla bay just before 7:00 am. We stopped at the 16 mile reef on 180 degree heading to catch some bait. We had hoped to load up on live pacific mackerel but only caught 3 although the large (6-10 inch) sardines were very thick and we caught an entire bucket full in about an hour. These do not survive in the livewell but make excellent fresh dead bait. The breeze had picked up and we had a bumpy ride out with a following sea in 2-3 ft tightly spaced whitecapped chop. We arrived at the first spot and 3 boats were already fishing. 2 were already anchored and one was just getting set up. On the second drift we had a double hookup and Shawn picked up a nice white sea bass on a large jig and I brought in a good red snapper using a whole sardine rigged on a circle hook. We made several more drifts with no additonal bites and did not see a lot of action on the other boats so we headed to another spot a couple miles away. We made several drifts over the structure and had triple hookups each time on large goldspotted bass and ocean whitefish. We then anchored up and had consistent action on the goldspots and whitefish and a couple more snapper using the fresh dead sardines but Shawn continued to use the jig with good success on the same fish but after a while he got into a hot bite on yellowtail and picked up several from 8 to almost 20 lbs. We fished until about 5:30 pm and luckily the seas had calmed down nicely and we ran back to cholla bay and were back on the trailer just as the sun set.

Posted by Blood Decks.com — Take a look at the great photos of the fish they caught!

Buenos dias gang! Reservations are coming in fast for the upcoming “Parrot Mafia” concert in Rocky Point, Sonora Mexico, where I’ll be joined by Gary Seiler, Kelly McGuire, and Rob Mehl. Along with lots of questions about Rocky Point and the event itself, lots of you are asking about where’s the best place to stay.
If you’re thinking about coming for the concert and would like to get a nice deal on a great spot to enjoy the weekend, make sure you get in touch with Lolis, Joe, and Shea at Seaside Reservations today! Please feel free to call 602- 404-2982 or 866-785-2350. In fact, they’re running a great speacil for the entire weekend that you’ll want to take advantage of. So give Sea Side a call or shoot them an email and line your place up today while the best deals remain.lolis@rockypointexperts.com  - joe@rockypointexperts.com  - seasideshea@gmail.comAnd don’t forget you can purchase tickets for the Saturday, January 19th beach concert online. Save a few bucks per ticket by scoring them in advance! ($22 pre-event, $25 at the door) Just click and reserve yours tickets today.

By Carmen Laborin & Phyllis LeFevre

The first annual fund raising culinary event TASTE OF PENASCO is set for Saturday, November 24^th  from Noon to 6:00 p.m. and will be held at the Beachfront Esplanade at Bella Sirena Condominiums in Rocky Point Mexico. A mouth-watering event for the senses and surprises for all.  More important is the special charity that will benefit from the proceeds – “Wings of Angels”.

The event will be open to the public and guests may buy tickets for food and sample the delicacies of the various restaurants featuring their specialty dishes, and “libation stations.”  Highlights of this wonderful event will be the wine tasting offered by wineries of Baja California.  They will also offer educational classes as well as wines for sale. You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to explore the wonderful world of wine!

What started in a dinner group conversation with local “American Peñasquenses” (Ok, “Rocaportenses”) that considered having a fun food event in Peñasco included the discussion of an Iron Chef event, but then realizing the limitations of a kitchen, venue, weather, etc., they came up with a better idea which at the end accomplishes the same objective: to raise money & introduce the local favorite restaurants to the community and our visitors, having fun while building and bridging our community……thus the creation of the “Taste of Peñasco” (TOP).  The festival’s goal is to offer alternative activities and events to sun and beach for visitors and locals alike. A family oriented event including entertainment with music, karaoke and a children’s play area. Salsa lessons will be offered and we will all dance to Latin rhythms, a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon with family and friends.

While at the TOP, Puerto Peñasco’s main restaurants will showcase the culinary talents of their fine chefs, ”tasters” will -at the end of the evening- choose a winning restaurant for this event. A few of the featured restaurants are Hacienda Las Fuentes, Miguel´s Steakhouse, Max’s Café, Coffee’s Haus & Mr. Rocky.  Only 10 restaurants will participate so if you are interested, you should address the coordinators for more information  (information@tasteofpenasco.com ). This will definitely become a major event on the local culinary calendar. There will be booths to feature the restaurants, a lounge area, as well as entertainment area by the beachfront esplanade, where all the entertainment will be taking place.  A great fiesta on a fun-filled afternoon.

The highlight of the event will be the great food.  There will also be a silent auction where art, hotel stays, dinners at the featured restaurants and a  “Bachelors’ auction” will take place. Definitely fun.

Be sure to check out our website often for the most current information on the latest news for the TOP event, even restaurant updates, contact information, sponsorship information & other useful links. It will give you a glimpse of what you simply cannot miss. The main local media will be covering the event and as usual our ROCKY POINT TIMES friends will be present to fill you in with every detail of the soirée. Be sure to save the date, it will be an exciting and incredible networking opportunity.

This annual fundraising event intends to raise money for the “WINGS OF ANGELS” foundation, a non-profit organization that works diligently to provide urgent emergency medical help to people involved in motor vehicles accidents in any of the 60 miles stretch between Sonoyta (US borderline) and Puerto Peñasco –Rocky Point- an important vacation destination. This organization was created in 1995 to provide emergency help on the highway for anyone who needs it.  This institution is struggling and it’s important that we help maintain & supply this permanent critical care facility, with paramedics, ambulances, and a doctor that work 24/7 to ensure help for both the American vacationer & Mexican residents alike.  Approximately 1,500 people have already benefited from their services.

It was once put this way “Through tragedy came inspiration”.  This project was created & funded by an individual whose daughter was killed on the highway in an incident that also took the lives of several others and started this heart-felt organization in 1995. We decided on participating since “we are all exposed to life’s unknowns and would like to be able to help when needed.  The Puerto Peñasco people and Arizonians alike drive this highway back and forth and know we are taken care of.  What most of us don’t know is that this is a one man organization and it shouldn’t be.  It needs support, why not give back some?” stated Jonni Francis, Coldwell Banker Rocky Point Owner/Broker (and sponsor of this charitable TOP event). And the committee agrees. Integrated in this first phase of coordinating all the efforts and participants are also from CB Rocky Point Phyllis LeFevre & Carmen Laborin, as well as Scott Poturalksi, The Coastal Group.

Donations can also be made directly to this organization and are tax deductible, your gift, regardless of size will be of much help to this special project, because they can help, and we can help them keep saving lives.  Your donations may be in the form of money or items such as medical equipment & supplies, sealed vitamins, etc.  Remember, your donations are tax deductible, e-mail for details: donations@tasteofpenasco.com  .

Remember, 10 of the top restaurants and 15 of the most important local vendors & more than 300 people are expected at this soon to be a traditional culinary event in Peñasco. The date is Saturday November the 24^th  from 12:00 to 6.00 pm at Bella Sirena Condominiums in Sandy Beach. We look forward to seeing you there. Call or e-mail us for more information: Ph. (638) 383.4699 / information@tasteofpenasco.com – www.tasteofpenasco.com .

By Phil Friedman
Aero Mexico announced on Wednesday that beginning October 30th, it would offer direct flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Puerto Penasco in the Mexican state of Sonora.

The cost will be $260 plus tax for roundtrip airfare and will take approximately two hours from Los Angeles. Direct flights will depart LAX on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Puerto Penasco, also know as Rocky Point, was first established as a fishing village along the sandy beaches of the Sea of Cortez in the 1930’s. As the blue shrimp population declined, Puerto Penasco started its transformation from a small fishing village to a popular vacation destination. In 2006, Puerto Penasco attracted 2.1 million visitors.

“Puerto Penasco has so much to offer,” said Veronica Catalan, liaison from the Mexico Tourism Board in Los Angeles. “It is a family-oriented place with beautiful sandy beaches, warm Sea of Cortez waters, golf, Bird Island (Isla San Jorge) where you can swim with sea lions and see a vast variety of different birds. There are fantastic natural wonders like El Pinacate Volcanic Reserve with over 600 craters and great sportfishing.”

“Not only that,” Catalan added, “but it is a very affordable place and now only two hours from Los Angeles.”

A one-bedroom condo on the beach will run you about $160 a day, according to Rafael Venezuela from Rocky point reservations.

“That includes use of kayaks, a great gym, as well as access to a variety of sporting activities and more all with a stunning view of the Sea of Cortez,” she said.

There are no billfish in this part of the Sea of Cortez. Anglers usually fish from seven to 15 miles offshore and focus mostly on bottom fish.

“It is not unusual to catch 50 to 100 fish per angler on many trips,” said Barbara Olszewski from Rocky Point Boat Charters. “April through June is a great time to catch grouper in the 80- to 125-pound class as well as pinto bass from 20 to 35 pounds and many other species. We have very few trips where our anglers don’t catch anything and we catch fish year-round.”

Other species caught in Puerto Penasco include flounder, red snapper, rock bass, sierras, triggerfish and at times, good yellowtail fishing. You can charter an entire boat for 6 anglers for as little as $360 for a day on the water.

There is also spectacular clamming available for $10 a trip.

“We go out about one hour before low tide from the middle of September to the end of June,” Olszewski said.

www.dailybreeze.com  

Don’t miss the International Festival in Rocky Point, Mexico, called “Jazz by the Beach”!

This exciting event will be held on October 13th, 2007, at 5pm in the Penasco Del Sol Hotel Square. You can come and enjoy bands like Contrapunto and Lupillo Barajas Jazz Band from Tijuana, B.C., Stretto from Hermosillo, Sonora, Turiya Mareya Latin Jazz Ensemble from San Diego, Ca, and Turning Point Band from Tucson, Az. The day will be filled with music, fun, food, spirits, and plenty of sunshine. If you need to book your lodging for this event, which should not be missed, call Sea Side Reservations at 602-404-2982 or 1-866-785-2350. You can also visit www.seasidemexico.com. We will see you in Mexico in October.

October 13th, 5pm, at Penasco Del Sol Hotel Square.

Posted by Shea Peil at seasideshea@gmail.com

Over the past 14 years successful work has produced solid results in the Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve. his emphasizes the importance and history of this valuable protected natural area, according to a recent press release. The bulletin indicates that when it began in June 1993, actions to protect the natural, geological and historic resources, and the landscape were the responsibility of the cological Center of Sonora. The Center provided the first park rangers, who established communication with the few residents of the zone. Later, in 1996, the federal government continued protective measures, assigning staff who have made use up to the present day of the infrastructure put in place in the 70’s by the Secretary of Urban and Environmental Development (SEDUE). Activities, such as placing signs, restoring roads and managing mining activities were among the first undertaken. Later, areas for public use were defined, surveillance routes determined, and the work of biological monitoring began, including that of monitoring the Sonoran mountain goat. Trails were marked and communities studied, while the center continued operating educational programs in Puerto Peñasco, Sonoyta and San Luis Río Colorado. Now the trails are interpretive and well marked. Soon there will be a modern visitor center to serve the regional demand. “Throughout this time we have counted more than 100 people who have left their footprints on the protection and conservation of the Pinacate. Our recognition goes to all of them, but principally to the public that not only requested but also accepted the creation of this Reserve, and gladly welcomed the programs and projects that are developed daily. Without their help the conservation work would not be bearing the fruit that we are seeing today”, the press release pointed out.

NOTE: This is an amazing area that visitors of Puerto Penasco Mexico should take time to see. There is nowhere on the planet like this Bio-Reserve. Rocky Point is lucky to have such a great natural resource so close.

Special thanks to Join Us for allowing us to post this article. Check out Join Us Magazine or www.joinusrp.com for more great info

At our presentation of “The Adventurers” last season, we had an audience at Margaritaville of over 150 people and, unfortunately, had to turn some folks away at the door. This year, we are presenting a bigger and better “adventurers” and will be performing this year at the Desert Oasis in their new conference hall, located in the front of the Oasis just to the left of the driveway enterance. In this new location, there will be room for everyone to come and enjoy our production as it seats 200. (more…)

 Article appears courtesy of
  the Rocky Point Times.
 

Please Visit their site at www.RPTimes.com