Cabo San Lucas dorado fishing wakes up after rains;

Late summer dodo quality sizes at Mazatlan

Mexico Fishing News, September 22, 2008

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 27 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo, Fish Cabo I, and Tuna Time, with a catch including released fish of: 188 dorado, 21 yellowfin tuna, and 15 striped marlin.

"The dorado bite at Cabo San Lucas has soared since the passing of Tropical Storm Lowell and many Cabo sportfishing boats have focused on them," Edwards said. "This has lowered billfish counts. This was one full moon week that had little effect on Cabo San Lucas fishing results, perhaps with the exception of the striped marlin action." The charter boat Blacksheep III with Capt. Tony Nungary reported a 500-pound class black marlin released.

Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was mostly clear in the mid-90s, with generally good sea conditions, some chop on the Pacific side of the cape, and water temperatures ranging from 83 degrees at the Pacific side Golden Gate Bank to 86 degrees on the Sea of Cortez side.

The best billfish action was with live bait on the Pacific side, with dorado hitting on live baits, strip baits, or lures.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 10 outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 1 blue marlin of 200 pounds, 3 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 3 yellowfin tuna of 34 to 40 pounds, 25 dorado of 15 to 40 pounds, and 5 boats with Mexico sportfishing dorado limits of 20 to 45 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Ramon Druck of the Cabo San Lucas charter sportfishing super panga Cheer's reported on 1 outing during the week with a total of 2 anglers, for a catch including released fish of: 12 dorado of 8 to 10 pounds, and 1 sailfish released. The Cheer's fished the Sea of Cortez side beaches and outwards to about 2 miles with trolled lures and live baits in water temperatures of 84 to 85 degrees and cloudy sky conditions with some rain and moderate wind. Fishing aboard the Cheer's were anglers Josh and Randy of Illinois.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Durance Lowendick of Marlin Masters Sportfishing reported good action for dorado following rain run-off from the recent storm. "Since the passing of storm Lowell, Cabo fishing action has been very good for gaffer dorados in the 25 to 40-pound range," Lowendick said. "Heavy concentrations of bait have moved onto the Golden Gate seamount in the Pacific and the Finger Bank area is also showing heavy concentrations of bait. Several groups got double-digit striped marlin releases."

Yellowfin tuna of 20 to 40 pounds were also caught on the Pacific side banks and more blue marlin were released by Cabo San Lucas sportfishing boats. "Cabo still has not had action from black marlin, but with water temperatures holding in the mid-80s, we 're hoping for them to show up at anytime."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: For the fishing week ending Sept. 10, 2008, Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet Sportfishing at Cabo San Lucas reported an overall catch rate of 99 percent of charters for all species combined, including 55 percent releasing billfish, 83 percent landing dorado, and 35 percent with yellowfin tuna. Top outings for the week included runs by the charter boat Tracy Ann for 5 marlin releases plus 5 dorado, and Halcon with a 250-pound black marlin. "The black marlin took a live caballito just above the Golden Gate Bank and required one hour to bring to the boat," Ehrenberg said.

Most Pisces Fleet boats fished the Pacific side banks using live caballito baits for billfish, cedar plugs for tuna, and orange-green trolling skirts for dorado.

Cabo San Lucas sportfishing area weather was hot, but with some rain, three days of port closure due to the threat of rough seas, and cooler air temperatures afterward.

Ehrenberg noted the port of Cabo San Lucas closure shortening the fishing week for local boats. "There wasn't even a hurricane," she said. " The storm out in the Pacific gave us a lot of light rain and did cause whitecaps on Monday but then slowly fizzled out. Our new port captain is very traditional. The port was closed even though we considered the seas calm enough to fish on at least two of the three days. Before the rough weather, Cabo San Lucas enjoyed fantastic fishing with some outstanding catches."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: For the week ending Sept. 14, 2008, George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported continued good striped marlin counts after the recent storm, in water temperatures above the normal range for the species. "Striped marlin continued to bite although the water temperature remained in the 84-degree range," Landrum said. "It didn't take much of a search on Friday to find them." Striped marlin were caught mostly on the Pacific side banks and as close as 7 miles from the Baja coast.

Noting the beneficial effects of relatively moderate rainfall over the Los Cabos fishing area during Tropical Storm Lowell, Landrum said, "The positive aspect of this storm was that the rain was light and fairly steady, the type that will soak into the desert instead of running off into the arroyos. The desert is going to be beautiful after the nice rain."

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: Ivan Villarino of Vonny's Fleet said some pangas scored Mexico fishing limits of red rockcod during the week, plus a good mix of lingcod, whitefish, sheephead, small yellowtail, chicken halibut, and bonito for the Vonny's Fleet client fish smoker. "Ensenada still has good summer fishing weather, not bad," Villarino said. Anglers fishing at the tip of Punta Banda with Vonny's Fleet Capts. Beto and Hector included Jay Johnson of Ensenada, Leonard Luna of San Diego, Calif., Jim Davidson and Glenn Conelly of Los Angeles, Calif., Corey Hamrick of San Diego, Calif., and Ralph Perez and Doug Rice of Escondido, Calif.

Local Ensenada fishing area weather was mostly sunny in the afternoons, in the mid-70s, with calm winds, ocean swells at 3 feet, and the water temperature at Punta Banda averaging 61 degrees.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Steve Ross of the sportfishing boat Bad Dog at Ensenada's Marina Coral reported on an offshore run to the 425 spot for a catch in blue, 71-degree water and calm sea conditions of just 1 dorado of 13.5 pounds. "We picked up a tankful of live sardines from Gordo's bait receiver and headed to the 425-fathom spot," Ross said. "We began trolling and searching for kelp paddies. At 0800, we hooked a dorado on a sardine and dumped a lot of chum, but for no show. We continued trolling for the rest of the day for nothing. Mike Krause on the Marina Coral boat Black Jack caught 1 bonito in that area. We never got one jig strike. We saw many mola mola and metered lots of bait in the water."

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: Tom Hamlin of San Diego, Calif., reported on a Baja fishing run with Ed Dabrowski down Highway Mex 1 to Puerto Santo Tomas for kayak fishing outside the kelp beds north of the point for a catch including limits of brown and red rockcods of 2 to 3 pounds, some larger red rockcod to 4.5 pounds, and 1 lingcod at 2.5 pounds.

"Sea conditions were good at Puerto Santo Tomas, with a light wind, small swell, and the water temperature around 58 degrees," Hamlin said. We fished plastic swim baits tipped with squid off the bottom in 80 to 110-foot deep water. Visibility was very good at 15 to 20 feet."

Hamlin noted good driving conditions in northern Baja, with short lines at the Tecate border crossing and the dirt road into Puerto Santo Tomas in very good condition. "Sam Saenz' brother-in-law Paco took good care of us at Puerto Santo Tomas Resort," Hamlin said. "Another great Baja trip!"

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: Sam Saenz of Puerto Santo Tomas Resort reported mostly calm seas and small swells off the Baja coast south of Ensenada during the week, but with several days of strong offshore wind in the afternoons. "Bottom fishing was excellent," Saenz said in describing Tom Hamlin's trip. "They fished the local kelp beds and had their Mexican fish limits within 2 hours."

Earlier, San Diego anglers James Chistenson and his trip partner Scott went panga fishing with Puerto Santo Tomas Capt. Marcos for full Mexico sportfishing limits of rockcod and many bonita."

No yellowtail were reported during the week, as few anglers made the trip into Puerto Santo Tomas from Highway Mex 1.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas reported generally good sea conditions in the San Quintin fishing area during the week, with white seabass and yellowtail still biting consistently but mixed with larger barracuda. "Wire leader is recommended due to the log-type barracuda," Hillis said. "The bite has been for 2 or 3 barracuda for each yellowtail or white seabass caught."

The white seabass bite was centered between Punta San Quintin and Socorro to the south of the boca and moved daily to different spots. Bottom fishing by San Quintin boats was still good for mixed rockcods at the 15 and 240 spots, plus some quality halibut hooked inside the bay.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Marita Melville of Don Eddie's Landing said, "We're having a great run this year on white seabass. They are still biting. Our Capts. Horacio Acosta, Pancho Berressa, Jaime Garcia, Roman Gonzalez, and Juan Cook have all had great white seabass runs this year. They just keep finding fish."

Top outings during the week included 3 runs by Capt. Juan Cook on the charter boat Mona Lisa with angler Bud Brittain of San Diego, Calif.., for daily Mexico fishing limits of white seabass to 61 pounds. Another outing by Capts. Cook and Jaime Garcia found white seabass under birds to the north of Bahia de San Quintin at Playa San Ramon.

Melville also noted that she would be moving soon to Cabo San Lucas. "I am going to miss sending in fish reports but I will still read Mexfish.com to keep myself updated on what has been caught in San Quintin," she said.

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Les Heil of Baja Bocana Bed & Breakfast on the central Pacific Baja coast at La Bocana reported cooler water temperatures at 76 degrees locally and slightly warmer water to the south, with continued good action on dorado and yellowfin tuna into the 30-pound class.

Three offshore fishing trips by Heil with clients and friends produced daily action for about half-a-dozen dorado plus about the same number of tuna.

Heil entered the third annual fishing tournament at the nearby Baja village of Punta Abreojos and caught a 23-pound tuna and a 22-pound dorado, but left before the award presentation because bigger fish were brought in. "We were soon overtaken," Heil said. "What I heard was a 48-pound tuna and a bigger dorado."

Another outing from Baja Bocana Bed & Breakfast produced 9 dorado and 9 tuna for a group from the San Diego area. "The next day, they went out again with Capt. Juanchys for excellent results as well," Heil said.

Heil confirmed a violent, late-night attack and apparent attempted robbery of two beach campers near La Bocana. "The story is basically correct about the attack," Heil said. "Local people were not satisfied with the investigation of the attack and about 200 people converged on the police station. In the afternoon, the Santa Rosalia police chief and other officials came and a big meeting was held in front of the La Bocana police station. Last Sunday, at the Punta Abreojos fishing tournament, a police official talked to us and said that they believe they know who the attacker was and will let us know once the investigation is completed and the bandit locked up. As of last week, we now have a new delegado chief and a new police chief. Nothing like this had ever happened here before and really it's one of the safest places in Baja or anywhere else."

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: One of the victims of the attack, who requested not to be identified, said, "We were camped maybe 100 yards from the outboard mechanic's shack.

"The attack occurred just inside the gate where the pangueros beach their boats. My son was sleeping in the truck and I was in the tent. I heard the truck door open and opened my eyes to see someone cracking my son on the head with a bat while he slept. I yelled out and the attacker immediately ran to the tent and began pummeling me with the bat. He was able to connect with two strong whacks to my head, knocking me senseless and temporarily blind. He went back to finish off my son. At that moment my sight was restored and enabled me to stagger to the truck and get my hands on the boat pole. My son kicked the door into the maniac and he ran away.

"The police brought in a few guys for me to look at, none of whom resembled the meager description I was able to provide them. The doctor and nurse at the clinic did a good job patching us up and providing medicine. Dr. Romero correctly diagnosed my broken shoulder without benefit of X-rays. Muchas gracias, senor y senora.

"We caravanned back to the border with two Americanos. X-rays showed my upper left arm and shoulder to be broken in five places, but our skulls are not fractured. Hard heads, I guess.

"The fishing both outside and in the laguna was excellent, as it normally is this time of year."

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Bill Erhardt of Loreto on Baja's Sea of Cortez coast reported on a trailer boat run across the peninsula to launch his boat Soledad at Magdalena Bay's Puerto Lopez Mateos and fish in moderately rough sea conditions on the Ridge north of the Thetis Bank for a catch of: 3 dorado, 3 yellowfin tuna, 1 skipjack, and 1 wahoo. "All the fish were caught on wahoo lures," Erhardt said. "Sea conditions were such that if I had not already invested in a trip from Loreto to Puerto Lopez Mateos and a night swatting mosquitoes in a motel, I might have turned around at the boca and waited for a better day. The 84-mile round-trip to and from the high spot was long and wet."

Fishing through rain squalls and whitecaps, Erhardt noted no other sportfishing boats seen, but 3 commercial fishing boats in the area that were jack-lining yellowfin tuna and skipjack near him.

Magdalena Bay offshore fishing area water temperatures were 5 degrees cooler than the previous week at 81.5 degrees.

MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Yvonne Graham of Baja On The Fly reported improved offshore weather at Magdalena Bay as local boats found good action for striped marlin at the Thetis Bank. "If you get there early enough, there may also be a wahoo or two," Graham said. Dorado and smaller yellowtail were found closer to the Baja coast at Cabo San Lazaro on the Pacific side of Isla Magdalena. Fishing inside the Magdalena Bay mangrove channels as reported by Bob Hoyt of Mag Bay Outfitters was for corvina, grouper, and a few snappers. Magdalena Bay fishing area weather was mostly cloudy at 90 degrees, with water temperatures at 60 to 77 degrees.

Jeff Petersen of Lopez Sportsman's Lodge and Puerto Lopez Mateos reported lots of grouper caught in the mangrove channels a mile from town. "Capt. Chico and I have been catching lots of them," Petersen said."

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas reported on 39 La Playita fleet pangas fishing out of San Jose del Cabo, with a catch including released fish of: 380 dorado of 5 to 20 pounds, 188 yellowfin tuna of football size to 15 pounds, 3 sailfish, 1 striped marlin, 5 hammerhead shark, 1 wahoo, 3 amberjack, and 13 pargo.

Los Cabos fishing area pangas found good action immediately following the return of calm seas after the passage of Tropical Storm Lowell. "After being shut down for most of last week, the action seemed to pick right back up," Brictson said. "Lots of dorado and tuna were found, particularly in the fishing area from Punta Gorda to the Iman Bank. Some larger dorado and tuna were mixed in."

A yellowfin tuna estimated at over 250 pounds was fought by a San Jose del Cabo panga for several hours before it was lost to a broken rod and snapped line. Few billfish were present at the Gordo Banks, but more were reported westward from Chileno around the tip of Baja to the Pacific side banks.

Brictson noted tourist crowds continuing seasonably light in the San Jose del Cabo fishing area. "The summer tropical storm season is not quite over," he said, "but everyone is hoping the Los Cabos region will be spared any direct hits. In another few weeks visiting anglers will increase for the popular fall fishing season."

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Yvonne Graham of Baja On The Fly said fishing water at East Cape's Bahia de Palmas was clear blue at 85 degrees, with greener water to the south and sailfish mixed with smaller dorado on the bite from La Ribera to Cabo Pulmo.

An unusual concentration of normally cool water Humboldt giant squid was present in the East Cape fishing area. "These September surprise Humboldt squid are making a good showing," Graham said. "They are being chunked to make a great bait for the yellowfin tuna."

East Cape boats fishing inshore found good numbers of school-sized roosterfish plus some larger ones.

East Cape fishing area weather was moderately humid in the low-90s, with water temperatures of 76 to 87 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Earlier, Baja On The Fly's Gary Graham reported East Cape fishing and weather conditions immediately after the passage of dissipating tropical storm Lowell.

"On Friday, East Cape skies were blue and it was fishing as usual," Graham said. "Marlin action was still dismal. But dorado fishing picked right back up and while few East Cape sportfishing boats have been going out, the ones that did had good scores. Yellowfin tuna were there but it was mostly small fish. It's probably going to take a few days for East Cape fishing beaches to clear up and be worth checking out."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Torrance Eddy of Buena Vista reported on an inshore fishing trip by his beach-launched aluminum boat for a catch with trolled Jointed Rebel lures at the Slides or Pyramids spot north to the San Bartolo arroyo of 3 small mackerel and a dorado of about 5 pounds.

"We were only on the water 4 hours, but it was an extraordinarily nice morning," Eddy said. "The last 2 days have been well under 90 degrees and not overly humid. The little mackerel were caught on a 5.5-inch Jointed Rebel in silver-black color, and the dorado was caught on a similar Rebel but 4.5-inch. "

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Mark Rayor of Vista Sea Sport said his boat Jen Wren found both Humboldt giant squid and yellowfin tuna during a crew trip off Los Frailes and landed 4 nice tuna of about 60 pounds on chunked bait. "The smaller fish could be caught on heavy gear, but the quality tuna wouldn't touch anything heavier than 50-pound line," Rayor said. "This is what we do on our day off."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the week ending Sept. 11, 2008, Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 129 charter boats from combined East Cape sportfishing fleets including Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, Punta Colorada, Buena Vista Beach Resort, Rancho Leonero, and Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort, with 382 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 412 dorado, 373 yellowfin tuna, 2 blue marlin, 3 striped marlin, 10 sailfish, and 1 wahoo. East Cape fishing area weather was in the low-90s, with water temperatures at 81 to 90 degrees.

"Despite the fact that the East Cape billfish bite is virtually nonexistent, there are a bunch of fish being landed right now," Moyers said.

Both yellowfin tuna and dorado fishing were concentrated to the south of Bahia de Palmas. "The dorado bite is going off mostly to the south off La Ribera, Punta Colorada, Punta Arena, Los Cerritos, and El Faro," Moyers said. "The tuna bite was just about as impressive."

East Cape fishing area weather was cooler in the low-90s, but with water temperatures still warm at 81 to 90 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Simon Cazaly of East Cape's Vista Sea Sport diving service reported ideal conditions at the Cabo Pulmo coral reefs, with water temperatures averaging 85 degrees at depth, continued very good visibility at 80 to over 100 feet, and heavy concentrations of balloonfish and yellowtail surgeonfish appearing in local waters. "The balloonfish seem to have launched an offensive," Cazaly said. "Legions of them are colonizing small areas all over the Cabo Pulmo reef. The yellowtail surgeonfish are making their presence felt with their colorful tails appearing even more vibrant against the backdrop of clear, blue water. As always, schools of yellow snapper, graybar grunt and burrito grunt cloud the waters while leopard grouper congregate just above. All of this and the usual array of psychedelic reef fish make for a fantastic day of diving."

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz reported some days of wind on the south side that kept his pangas fishing close to shore for catches around Ensenada de los Muertos of medium-sized dorado and yellowfin tuna, both of about 15 to 25 pounds. Some pangas ran offshore to the 88 Bank east of Isla Cerralvo and found larger fish. "We're hoping now to catch some larger dorado," Hernandez said. "Recently, we've been using squid bait for the tuna. We also have good quantities of sardina bait available." La Paz fishing area weather was cooler in the 90s.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International at La Paz said action picked up at midweek for anglers fishing in clearing conditions following some days with rainy weather. "Over the last few days, the fish came to play at La Paz," Roldan said. "There was not a lot of big fish, but in terms of quantity, both Las Arenas and La Paz started to kick out some great fishing action. Dorado from 10 to 20 pounds were common and you could get into a school and sit there until your arms fell off."

Yellowfin tuna were also found off the north end of Isla Cerralvo. "Light line and fluorocarbon leaders with small baits were the tickets to the tuna," Roldan said. "There were tuna up to 30 pounds. Off Punta Perico just south of the Las Arenas lighthouse tuna were caught too."

Also in the mix for La Paz pangas were sailfish and striped marlin, roosterfish, and a few wahoo hooked but lost.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Bill Erhardt of Loreto reported slower dorado action during a run to the south end of Isla Carmen by his boat Soledad for a catch including released fish in very good general sea life concentrations of: 1 sailfish, 1 marlin, and 1 dorado of about 15 pounds.

"I fished within a 7-mile radius of Punta Baja at the southern end of Isla Carmen," Erhardt said. "As has been the case at Loreto for a month or so, rays, porpoises, thresher shark, billfish, sea lions, and dorado were putting on a show.

"But the main difference was in the smaller size of the dorado. The big marauding bull dorado that have made things interesting recently at Loreto were not to be found. There were many dorado chasing bait, but they were from peanut variety to medium size."

Erhardt fished with trolled marlin feathers in clear blue water free of debris, with water temperatures in the mid-80s during the entire day.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES (L.A. BAY) FISHING REPORTS

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Abraham Vazquez of Camp Gecko at the south end of Bahia de los Angeles village reported seasonably cooler Midriff air temperatures in the mid-80s arriving during the traditional mid-September transition to fall weather patterns over the north half of the Sea of Cortez. "The weather is great now," Vazquez said. "It cooled down on the 12th of September. Temperatures went down almost 10 degrees."

Midriff fishing area water temperatures were still warm at 82 to 84 degrees and fishing was steady for yellowtail, but was dropping off rapidly for dorado. "The dorado are very scarce now," Vazquez said. "Some were caught with live bait close to shore on the outer points." Whale shark were still numerous inside the bay and at possible risk of being hit by fast-moving boats.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Earlier, Ruben Daggett of Daggett's Camp at the north end of Bahia de los Angeles village reported 5 dorado caught along the Baja coast at Punta Remedios to the north, including 2 fish of 12 and 30 pounds. "The water temperature was 85 degrees," Daggett said.

Anglers Garry Holmes and Richard Pachlair fished with Capt. Enrique Daggett for a 5-day catch including released fish of: 15 dorado to 20 pounds, 20 yellowtail to 20 pounds, 3 gulf grouper to 12 pounds, 3 red snapper to 12 pounds, and many bass and bottom fish.

Pablo and Pablito Tapia scored 10 dorado of 20 to 30 pounds plus 11 yellowtail during 2 outings with Capt. Enrique.

Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) Fishing

ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: Art Pina of Tucson, Ariz., reported on an offshore run from Rocky Point by his boat Big Daddy to a fishing reef 24 miles out for no fish caught, but 2 gulf grouper including an 82 pounder landed at another spot 27 miles farther out by angler Dan Evans of Queen Creek, Ariz. "Dan was the only one to hook up," Pina said. "I could tell he had a nice grouper. All he could do was hang on. He finally got him stopped, and a few minutes later I gaffed a nice grouper.

"On the next drift I got hit, but missed hooking up. We moved over the rock again and Dan hooked another one. He brought this one up pretty quick and I gaffed it. I guess I was the gaffer for the day."

Offshore Rocky Point fishing area seas were flat with just a light breeze.

"It was a great day at Rocky Point again," Pina said.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Bryan Replogle of the San Carlos boat Margarita V reported changing weather conditions and very active sea life during an offshore run that produced 2 dorado of 25 pounds, many billfish missed, and a marlin landed 7 miles out of San Carlos at 6 p.m. during the return trip to the marina.

"The marlin started jumping right through the pattern and away," Replogle said. "But then, it turned and headed towards the boat. It went past 4 lines and found itself eating the last good bait I had out. I love a little variety! Bring on the schooling marlin of fall.

"Things still seem pretty slow at San Carlos. I saw loads of bait and fair numbers of dorado and billfish. The weather is showing signs of changing and things should be picking up soon. A fair number of bites are being had without hookups."

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 19 Aries Fleet offshore charter boats out of Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, with a catch including released fish of: 77 dorado including trophy-sized fish of 55 to 60 pounds, 4 sailfish, 5 mako shark, and 9 yellowfin tuna. Three inshore super pangas had a catch of: 27 dorado, 15 mojarra, and 3 pargo.

"Mazatlan's dorado bite continues with quality, trophy-sized catches to 60 pounds and an average of about 4 dorado per boat," Edwards said. "The dorado remain along the current line about 8 to 10 miles off Mazatlan. Ballyhoo continue as the best bait for dorado."

Mazatlan fishing area weather was mostly cloudy in the low-90s, with light tropical winds, mostly calm seas, and water temperatures stable at 84 to 85 degrees.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Tadeo Hernandez of Flota Bibi Fleet at Mazatlan reported on an outing aboard the charter boat Mahi Dreamer with Capt. Tony for few dorado seen, but a catch of 3 yellowfin tuna hooked with small plastic artificial lures under frigate, or man-o'-war birds 30 miles out on a heading of 210 degrees.

"It was a long way to get out there," Hernandez said. "The dorado fishing had been great all week, but it was poor that day. We saw the man-o'-war birds and decided to give it a try. We hooked 4 and landed 3. We also saw a couple of sailfish, but no luck."

Also fishing aboard the Mahi Dreamer were Chuyo Salazar, and Canuto Lopez of Mazatlan.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Mike Borden of El Cajon, Calif., reported on a run out of Puerto Vallarta by his boat Fish Magnet with Capt. Luis Palomino for a catch including yellowfin tuna of 50 pounds, and another tuna of 180 pounds landed plus 2 blue marlin released by James Borden at the El Banco offshore high spot.

"The 50-pound tuna ate a flying fish skipped under the kite and the larger fish ate a small size skipjack," Borden said. "We had no problem making bait on the high spots."

Offshore Puerto Vallarta fishing area weather was calming, with very clear water at 85 degrees.

Borden also reported Capt. Josh Temple of Puerto Vallarta scoring several large tuna, and the boat Redneck also reported a 200-pound class tuna.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Stan Gabruk of Master Baiters Sportfishing & Tackle said trophy class yellowfin tuna were finally present and biting after an unusually late start to Puerto Vallarta's summer big fish season.

"I've been in Puerto Vallarta long enough to know what's normal and what isn't," Gabruk said. "This year has been the most abnormal year I've ever seen. You can normally expect to see football tuna in mid-June and larger yellowfin in the 100-pound plus range by mid-July, and by mid-August, Puerto Vallarta is bustling with anglers anxious to hook into their first tuna monster. But this year Puerto Vallarta has seen a very, very late yellowfin tuna season.

"But we've been seeing some real tuna action at El Banco these last few days. With the evening cloud coverage, the moon has been blocked, and the tuna aren't eating all night long so they're actually taking bait!"

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said Ixtapa fishing itself was slow, in addition to there being very few boats going out. "Ixtapa Zihuatanejo only has 4 to 5 sportfishing boats a day on the water including both the inshore and offshore fishing," Kunze said. "There are very few charter boats going out to find the concentrations of fish."

Ixtapa boats going out reported about 1 sailfish per day, plus about 1 dorado of 20 pounds per day, but with some spots of very hot dorado action possible.

Boats generally did not fish inshore, due to continued turbid waters caused by a total of about 3 inches of rain during the week that kept rivers flowing strongly.

Ixtapa fishing area weather was partly cloudy and humid in the low-90s, with water temperatures of 80 to 84 degrees.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported too few anglers fishing at Ixtapa Zihuatanejo to establish a fish count. "Unfortunately, there have been few to no anglers for most Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing boats over the past couple of weeks," Edwards said. Capt. Temo Verboonen of the charter boat Secuestro de Amor said the few boats going out found sailfish and dorado. Ixtapa fishing area weather was in a period of rough seas with captains waiting for conditions to improve.

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CANCUN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said the Cancun fishing area continued to have very few tourist anglers present as just 3 El Cid Caribe charter boats fished out of Puerto Morelos for a catch including released fish of: 1 sailfish, 9 Atlantic barracuda, 2 sierra, 2 pargo, 3 peto or king mackerel, and 1 fished called a "Xcochin." "Whatever that is!," said Edwards. Cancun fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the mid-90s, with high humidity, afternoon rain squalls, easterly winds at 10 to 12 knots, and generally good sea conditions. Offshore boats fished with rigged and unrigged ballyhoo baits.

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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MEXICO: Members of the Los Cabos sportfishing industry protested against an apparent agreement by the Mexican federal government to allow a 30 percent by-catch rate for sportfishing-reserved fish species, such as dorado and billfish, caught by commercial boats while fishing technically for permitted species such as tuna.

Minerva Saenz of Minerva's Baja Tackle at Cabo San Lucas said, "It's a very sad day for sportfishing. The agreement for 30 percent incidental by-catch of the species reserved for sportfishing was passed on September 12th. This is disastrous! We have complete and utter disorder in our Mexican fisheries. If Norma 029 could be passed...we shouldn't be surprised that agreements can be made...based on commercial fishing interests only. It is urgent that we mobilize in order to defend the health of our seas and fish stocks."

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico fishing photo 1

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico fishing photo 2

CABO SAN LUCAS PANGA FISHING--Anglers Randy and Josh, right, of Illinois fished out of the downtown Cabo San Lucas marina aboard the charter panga Cheer's with Capt. Ramon Druck for a catch including released fish of 12 of these dorado plus a sailfish released. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

Ensenada, Mexico fishing photo 1

ENSENADA PANGAS--Corey Hambrick's panga fishing trip at Ensenada produced a mixed bag of sheephead, smaller yellowtail, and bottom fish with Vonny's Fleet's Capt. Hector. Late summer water temperatures in cool, nutrient rich upwellings off Punta Banda were at 61 degrees. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Ensenada, Mexico live bait receiver photo 1

ENSENADA BAIT STOP--Gordo's live bait receiver in the Ensenada harbor, where Steve Ross' sportfishing boat Bad Dog picked up a load of live sardines for a run to the 425 offshore fishing spot. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE ROSS.

Puerto Santo Tomas, Mexico kayak fishing photo 1

Puerto Santo Tomas, Mexico kayak fishing photo 2

Puerto Santo Tomas, Mexico kayak fishing photo 3

BAJA KAYAK FISHING TRIP--Tom Hamlin's Baja kayak fishing trip with Ed Dabrowski, on kayak, produced plenty of action for Mexican sportfishing limits at Puerto Santo Tomas, just south of Ensenada on Baja's Pacific coast. The dirt road into Puerto Santo Tomas Resort from Highway Mex 1 was in very good condition. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOM HAMLIN.

San Quintin, Mexico fishing photo 1

San Quintin, Mexico fishing photo 2

WHITE SEABASS CONTINUE--San Quintin's good 2008 summer white seabass season continued last week. Shown with some nice croakers caught out of San Quintin's Don Eddie's Landing are angler Bud Brittain, above, and San Quintin sportfishing Capt. Juan Cook. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARITA MELVILLE.

La Bocana, Mexico fishing photo 1

La Bocana, Mexico fishing photo 2

La Bocana, Mexico fishing photo 3

TUNA-DORADO MIXER--Good Baja fishing action for dorado and yellowfin tuna continued to be found by anglers fishing out of Baja Bocana Bed & Breakfast at the village of La Bocana just north of Punta Abreojos. Shown in the upper photo are, from left, Victor Gutierrez, Manuel Gutierrez Jr., Samuel Gomez, and Manuel Gutierrez. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LES HEIL.

La Bocana, Mexico police station meeting photo 1

La Bocana, Mexico police station meeting photo 2

CONCERNED CITIZENS--A gathering of locals at the police station of La Bocana on Baja's semi-remote Pacific coast accompanied an investigation of a recent violent robbery attempt against two anglers camping on the beach. PHOTO COURTESY OF LES HEIL.

San Jose del Cabo, Mexico fishing photo 1

San Jose del Cabo, Mexico fishing photo 2

BAJA SUR FISHING--Panga fishing at the tip of Baja last week produced John Schibel's first-ever wahoo, caught at the Iman Bank with Gordo Banks Pangas Capt. Javier, and below, and a nice 35-pound yellowfin tuna shown off by Gordo Banks Pangas Capt. Jesus Pino. Schibel's 25-pound wahoo was hooked at the end of the day after limiting out on dorado and tuna. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON.

Cabo Pulmo, Mexico diving photo 1

Cabo Pulmo, Mexico diving photo 2

EAST CAPE SUMMER DIVING--Sea life sightings last week on East Cape's Cabo Pulmo coral reef included heavy concentrations of balloonfish, above, and yellowtail surgeonfish, below, as photographed in August at the Cabo Pulmo marine park by Ken Scarbrough. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SIMON CAZALY.

Los Frailes, Mexico tuna fishing photo 1

TUNA AND SQUID--An unusual concentration of Humboldt giant squid showed up in East Cape fishing waters averaging about 85 degrees last week, much warmer than their preferred temperatures. Mark Rayor's Vista Sea Sport boat Jen Wren scored some quality yellowfin tuna in the same area near Los Frailes. Shown with the ahi is Jen Wren deckhand Juan Diego. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK RAYOR.

La Paz, Mexico fishing photo 1

LA PAZ FOOTBALL FISHING--Johnny Wong of Pasadena, Calif., and Stever O'Rourke of Los Angeles, Calif., holding a nice quartet of La Paz football-sized yellowfin tuna taken during fishing with Tailhunter International off Punta Perico south of the Las Arenas lighthouse. PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

La Paz, Mexico fishing photo 2

La Paz, Mexico fishing photo 3

ANAHEIM BOMBEROS--A big group of firefighters, or bomberos in Spanish, found good panga fishing action for dorado at La Paz with Tortuga Sportfishing captains. Ralph Moreno, below, shows off a roosterfish mixed in with the group's offshore catch that included yellowfin tuna as well. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

La Paz, Mexico fishing photo 4

TROPHY BULL FISHING--Tuomas Holmberg of Los Angeles, Calif., with a trophy bull dorado he got near Las Arenas on live bait while panga fishing south of La Paz with Tailhunter International. The big dodo scaled at 41 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

Loreto, Mexico marlin photo 1

LORETO STRIPED MARLIN--This striped marlin hit a lure of the same color as its eyes Saturday on a day that also produced sailfish and small dorado for Loreto resident Bill Erhardt in fishing around the south end of Isla Carmen aboard his boat Soledad. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL ERHARDT.

Bahia de los Angeles, Mexico fishing photo 1

Bahia de los Angeles, Mexico fishing photo 2

Bahia de los Angeles, Mexico panga photo 1

MIDRIFF DORADO SUMMER--It was a good season for summer dorado this year for anglers fishing out of Daggett's Camp at Bahia de los Angeles, as Heidi Daggett and little girl Jesseth show off some Midriff dodos, above, and Pablo Tapia, below, also landed 11 yellowtail while fishing at Isla Estanque with Capt. Enrique Daggett. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RUBEN DAGGETT.

Rocky Point, Mexico fishing photo 1

ROCKY GAFFING SERVICE--Art Pina, left, and Dan Evans fished out of Rocky Point aboard Pina's boat Big Daddy for good action at the second offshore fishing reef tried and these 2 gulf grouper, both landed by Evans and gaffed for him by Pina. "I guess I was the gaffer for the day," Pina said. PHOTO COURTESY OF ART PINA.

Mazatlan, Mexico fishing photo 1

UNDER THE MAN-O'-WAR BIRDS--A long Mazatlan offshore fishing trip to about 30 miles out produced some quality yellowfin tuna found under frigate, or man-o'-war, birds for the Flota Bibi Fleet boat Mahi Dreamer with Capt. Tony. Shown, from left, are Chuyo Salazar, Tadeo Hernandez of Flota Bibi Fleet, and Canuto Lopez. PHOTO COURTESY OF TADEO HERNANDEZ.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico fishing photo 1

BIG ONES COMING--As a late Puerto Vallarta big tuna summer season seemed to be getting up to speed last week, James Borden landed this 180-pound yellowfin tuna at the El Banco high spot during action aboard the boat Fish Magnet. Puerto Vallarta offshore water was very clear at 85 degrees. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE BORDEN.

Loreto, Mexico sea lion photo 1

SEA LION PROTEST--This feisty trio of Baja sea lions basking in calm Sea of Cortez conditions south of Loreto last Saturday was concerned enough about Bill Erhardt's intruding boat to bark and make some rude gestures, but not sufficiently bothered to take evasive action. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL ERHARDT.

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