The 2nd annual Superior Hardwoods fishing tournament

    It some ways it is really the 1st annual. Last year's trip was a test run done with a smaller group. This trip was the first time that Superior brought a large group of customers and venders to the Punta Colorada Resort for a fishing tournament. The customers selected were some of the top volume and most consistent customers. Overall there were about thirty people consisting of venders and customers from Superior Hardwoods.
        Participants are responsible for the airfare to the Cabos airport in Mexico and the return flight to Phoenix. We departed Phoenix Thursday May 19th late morning. Once we arrived in Cabo there were four vans waiting to take us on the slightly more than an hour drive to the Punta Colorada. The trip would not be complete without stopping at a small roadside store for something to munch on the drive and of course a little refreshment to continue the festive spirit that began on the plane ride down. After we grabbed the refreshments we jumped back on the vans and proceeded to the Punta. Unfortunately the digital camera was not out on the way. We were treated to the sight of one of our vans stopped on the side of the road. Apparently the gentlemen on that van thought they should help with a little roadside improvement. I am sorry guys but I don't believe those metal fence posts will grow when watered!

    We arrived at the Punta and after checking in at the office we all received our high tech room keys. You see the thing is they don't give you a key at the Punta. Well at least they did not give us keys. Thinking about it why would they need to, it is not like you needed to lock the doors. The Punta Colorada is located on the Eastern shore of the Baja Peninsula about 45 miles north of Los Cabos.  There is a new development of American houses going in about a half a mile south at the lighthouse. Other than that there is not much around with the exception of some cattle that stray into the resort at night. It is a strange sight to look down at the beach on a moonlit night and see the silhouette of a cow walking along the beach. Speaking of cows they have some of the scrawniest looking cows that I have ever seen, and that does not include the dead carcasses that you see on the side of the road but I digress.

    The rooms were somewhat sparse but they were comfortable and most importantly they were air conditioned. We were set to go with three of us per room. There are no in room TVs or phones so there is not really much reason to hang out in the room other than to sleep. By the way, I apologize to Brooks and Mark for the snoring. The Punta is set up on a hill which protects it from the high water that comes whenever a hurricane is in the area. Several of us stayed in a two story building however things must be going well at the Punta as many of our group were in the newer one story buildings. There is a nice bar with satellite TV. One of the best things about the Punta Colorada is there are no phones and most of our cell phones did not work either. I was quite surprised when I turned on the laptop and found a wireless network but there was no internet connection on the network. There is a phone that can be used but it is best to think of it for emergency use only if only. You can use it anytime but something about no phone and no internet made it more like a vacation. The grounds of the Punta are kept up very nice and for Mexico it could be described as lush. Next to the bar is a dining room. As expected both the bar and the dining room walls are decorated with many different types of trophy fish. Speaking of the dining room, the food was quite acceptable. The first night we had ribs, the second night was fried chicken and the last night we had Mexican food. They should serve more of the Mexican food, it was what we all expected to be eating. Breakfast was as dinner, buffet style. There was plenty to choose from but it was the same every morning. We had a group meeting Thursday afternoon where we all received a Superior Hardwoods hat and a Superior lure. We were given our first day boat assignments and the rules of the tournament. Bill fish such as Marlin were worth 25 points but only if you released them. Non bill fish were worth 10 points and there was a 10 point bonus for fish caught using the superior lure. There were prizes for the largest billed and non billed fish caught. There were also some other bonus points available but I don't remember the details.

    Our first day of fishing was on Friday. Two of our groups went out on Pangas while most were in cabin cruisers. The advantage to the Panga is there are only two of you on the boat so your odds of catching go up. The disadvantage is they do not have the covered cabin or bathroom but they do have a shade covering. One group did not get to go fishing the first day as there were two boats that were broken down. It was really tough to hear that they had to go up the road thirty minutes or so and play golf. The resort that they went to is owned by the same family that owns the Punta. From the pictures I would say it is a true resort and the golf course looked great. Of course there is something about a golf course that overlooks the ocean that makes even a hack love golf. After 18 holes the poor souls had to suffer a nearly two hour drive to head into Cabo. They were parched from their long trip and the only thing they could find to drink was beer. They made the best of it somehow. The rest of us spent from 7:00am to about 3:00pm fishing. When you get on your boat your lunch and a cooler with beer, water and soda are loaded. The lunch was packed for you and you get to request what drinks you want included. We learned after the first day that it is best to put the lunch in the cooler in the morning. Fried chicken wrapped in a tortilla and a hard boiled egg really should not be kept out in the sun all morning but we didn't get sick. The first thing the captain asks is what you want to fish for. When you pull away from the dock you stop at a Panga to buy bait fish for the day. Then off you go to the fishing areas. We chose to fish for Marlin both days. The first day I was teamed up with one other person and we ended up on the smallest Panga. Our Captain tried his best to find Marlin but it ended up being more of a sightseeing trip than a fishing trip. Actually it was pretty cool. We saw sea turtles, several types of whales, a sailfish, jumping Marlin, jumping Manta Rays, shark and many porpoise. The porpoise even rode our pressure wave for awhile and Brooks got to touch the dorsal fin of one. We did not catch any fish and the day ended up being a bit long, well at least for Brooks. When we got back we found we were not the only ones to get skunked but there were some very successful boats as well. Tom broke a streak of no fish after seven times on the water. One boat brought in 26 Tuna. Fearless leader Dave caught a Dorado and had it fried up for dinner. They also made Sushi out of some of the Tuna that was caught. I hear both were quite tasty but not being a big fish fan I let the others enjoy it.

    Saturday we had a group of three and we got on a cabin cruiser. It was not long after putting out the lines that we got a hit. Since I kept Brooks up all night with my snoring we decided he should have first fish. We woke him up to let him know there was a fish on. For the next 30 to 40 minutes Brooks fought with a 180 pound striped Marlin. After he brought the fish to the boat it was released. Actually out of 19 Marlin caught on the trip 18 were released. We spotted another Marlin while Brooks was bringing his in and for a moment we thought we might have two on at one time. I got some good pictures of Brooks Marlin jumping out of the water. Unfortunately my camera setting had somehow been changed to medium quality but still the pictures were not too bad. We had the first fish caught and released before 10:00am so we were pretty sure it was going to be a good day. I was up next and wouldn't you know it, there were no more fish caught by our boat that day. So far I have spent about 24 hours on the water with nothing to show (this trip and one time before). When we went out on the Panga we actually fished. On the cabin cruiser we sit and wait for the crew to bait and put out the line. If a fish hits they set the line and then hand you the pole. On the Panga we had to string the pole and put the bait on. Then we sat while we held the pole and felt for a strike. Using the outriggers on the bigger boat we do nothing but sit and wait for the action. Maybe they should call it reeling instead of fishing, anyway Saturday was another successful day for many of the boats.  We got together for a group picture and then they announced the winners and gave out the prizes. That night a small group headed into Cabo for the nightlife. I decided I would hang out at the Punta and avoid getting into trouble. We had a good Mexican food dinner that night. Sunday morning we packed up and got ready to go. We left the Punta about 10:00am and headed to the airport. The crowd at the airport was a different sight. We had spent the last three days in a resort filled with 95% men. The airport was a much different group with couples and sunburned bodies. There were many that looked like they had partied too much the night before. We sat around and waited for our plane to board. Then we took the short ride home to Phoenix. Poor Mark gave up his seat so that a husband could sit next to his wife and two year old daughter. He ended up stuck in a window seat in the back row of the plane next to a couple that should have purchased three seats for the two of them . Mark said they were nice and they tried not to take up too much space but for the most part he spent the flight home assuming the same curve as the side of the airplane fuselage.