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THE FISHING REPORT
Pacific Ocean Golden Gate: You bring the fog and flatten the ocean, welcome the bait and will the big fish, keep fueling the boat and wait, sick with hope. You do all that, and July would have brought the salmon eventually anyway. And it has. After a...
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Anglers bristling with fishing rods parade to their boats, preparing to hook their mythic marlins.
This is, after all, an incredible place to fish. According to Rick Brusca, director of research at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, cold up-wellings of nutrient-and oxygen-rich waters support an abundant and diverse fishery--Mexico's most productive. Many boats from San Carlos make a beeline to the rugged upthrust of San Pedro Nolasco Island, where the phenomenon brings sierra, dorado, and snapper to the surface.
Behind the marina, tawny Tetakawi Mountain sweeps down into blue water and overlooks laid-back San Carlos. About six hours south of Tucson, the community of 6,000 offers a string of quality boutiques, resort hotels, and restaurants that make a trip worthwhile.
Friendly waitresses dish up enchiladas and chicken tortas (sandwiches) at Restaurante Rosa's Cantina. Couples enjoy spiny lobster and tropical decor at San Carlos Grill, while entire families leave the morning surf for swordfish and snapper lunches at the San Carlos Plaza Hotel.
Look beyond such gustatory delights, and you'll find there's also plenty of history here. Although San Carlos is about 7 miles north of the port of Guaymas, the two towns are intimately linked by the past. This saga spans centuries and includes Guaymenas and Yaqui Indians, a mission founded in 1701 by the legendary Jesuit Eusebio Kino, and pirates who attacked San Carlos in 1854.
Two centuries later, San Carlos Bay was drawing sportsmen and American expatriates. Realizing the tourist potential, Mexican officials vigorously began promoting the area in the 1970s.
Apparently, their efforts paid off. "I escaped to this spot 25 years ago," says Theresa Gonzalez, owner of the intriguing folk-art shop Sagitario. "It's a lovely town, and now I can't imagine living anywhere else."
Lovely--and real. Though catering to visitors, San Carlos has not been overtaken by gringo kitsch. Mexican culture is everywhere, from humble roadside fish-taco stands to the popular Virgen de Guadalupe painted on a mountainside, her feet warmed by glowing devotional candles. The pace is also authentic: A manana ambience meanders into your consciousness like the lackadaisical traffic cruising through town on Boulevard Escenico Manlio Fabio Beltrones.
In turn, the road weaves past open-air restaurants like Charly's Rock, where couples sip beers on a balcony above the bay. The road wanders around a rainbow of sailboats in the marina and out toward hotels along Playa los Algodones, or "Cotton Beach." Named for white sand and billowing dunes--and used as a setting for the movie Catch-22--the beach is now dotted with lawn chairs and thatched palapas. Parents lounge in the shade, while their kids race into the surf.
You can almost see Papa Hemingway gazing contentedly upon this idyllic setting, his cap pulled low, his thoughts languid. "Yes," he might say, "the sand is smooth, the water is deep, and the sky is very clear and very blue. Life is good."
RELATED ARTICLE: Travel planner
San Carlos is 400 miles south of Tucson. Take Mexico 15 south from Nogales, Sonora; the modern four-lane toll road charges approximately $18 round trip. For information on travel and auto insurance requirements in Mexico, go to .com and click on "Insurance." Fall daytime temperatures average in the 80s.
To call San Carlos phone numbers from the United States, first dial 011-52-622. A useful website for planning is .com.
Activities
Water Sports. Several well-established shops provide tours and gear for kayaking, fishing, and diving. They include Gary's Dive Shop (226-00-49); La Brisa Fishing Charters (226-02-97); Ocean Sports (226-06-96): and the Sonoran Sport Center (226-09-29).
Beaches. Playa los Algodones, open to the public, spreads north from the San Carlos Plaza Hotel.
Golf. Club de Golf Marina San Carlos (226-11-02) offers a championship 18-hole course.
Shopping
Kiamy's Gift Shop. Handcrafted Jewelry and leather goods. Km. 10, Blvd. Beltrones; 226-04-00.
Sagitario. Colorful folk art from across Mexico; exquisite pottery and masks. Carretera San Carlos No. 132; 226-00-90.
Dining
Bananas Restaurant-Bar. A popular hangout with fantastic grilled fish. Calle Sol No. 246; 226-06-06.
Charly's Rock. Great ceviche and marlin tacos on a terrace overlooking San Carlos Bay. Km. 9, Blvd. Beltrones; 226-08-88.
Restaurante Rosa's Cantina. A friendly eatery serving mainstream Mexican fare. Don't miss the historic photographs. Aurora No. 297; 226-10-00.
San Carlos Grill. Excellent broiled spiny lobster and shrimp spaghetti in an ebullient atmosphere. Plaza Comercial San Carlos No. 1; 226-05-09.
Accommodations
Best Western Hacienda Tetakawi. Moderately priced but quite nice, and a skip away from the bay. From $54. Km. 10, Carretera A. San Carlos; (800) 528-1234 or .com
Plaza Las Glorias. Upscale and cheery; in the city center, with rooms overlooking picturesque Marina San Carlos. From $120. Blvd. Gabriel Estrada S/N; (800) 342-2644.
San Carlos Plaza Hotel. This "Gran Turismo" hotel--Sonora's highest ranking--offers deluxe rooms, a vast marbled lobby, and access to the shimmering sands of Playa los Algodones. Special rates from $105. Paseo Mar Bermejo Norte No. 4; (800) 840-1252.
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