GROUP TRIP TO FISH WITH GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Oct. 9, 2004, David Gassman, San Jose del Cabo fishing, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

San Jose del Cabo Panga Fishing. Three of us, Pat Kralj of Lafayette, CA, Dave Gassman of Truckee, CA, and our gracious host Kirk Heuer of Corvallis, OR, fished three days with Eric Brictson’s Gordo Banks Pangas.

San Jose del Cabo weather was sunny, 73-93 degrees, with a slight afternoon breeze. Water was warm and deep blue. Humidity wasn’t unbearable on the water. On Thursday and Friday evenings, thunderheads formed bringing high humidity and a downpour Friday between Punta Palmilla and downtown San Jose del Cabo.

Tuesday, October 5th, 2004: We launched at first light and ran north, almost to Los Frailes for sardinas, and ran out to the Iman Bank where we were greeted by many willing yellowfin tuna, football size. The fish were on top, taking flylined sardinas willingly for an hour or two, before sinking out. Dead sardines, fished chunk-style accounted for many more tuna to 30lbs.

We were bitten off four times by wahoo. The wahoo weren’t interested in trolled jigs, or yo-yo iron as in past weeks.

Dorado were about also, and the La Playita fleets all did well, with resulting fillet table pile-ups. The first boats in landed at 9:30!

Tuesday’s tally: ten football tuna to 30lbs Three dorado 10-35 lbs One triggerfish about 4 lbs

Wednesday, October 6th, 2004: Same launch time, a little more swell on the Sea, but still comfortable. Bait was a little north of Tuesday’s local, and not nearly as plentiful. We motored out to the Iman without a full bait tank, and the carnadors delivered another small scoop a couple of hours later! Today’s bite was a steady pick on tuna, and we managed a half-dozen football yellowfin, some skipjack released, and some peanut skipjack blanco.

Wahoo were still around, still ignoring jigs and marauders, but Kirk got lucky and landed his first ever wahoo, a 40 lber on 40 lb mono and a size one Gorilla hook.

Dorado spiced up the tuna tuna bite also. Overall, the San Jose del Cabo fishing fleets still did well today, but the counts were off from Tuesday’s bounty.

Wednesday’s score: six yellowfin to 20 lbs, One wahoo 40 lbs, Three dorado to 20 lbs, Another triggerfish

Thursday, October 7th: With the bait situation in mind, we decided to go to the Inner Gorda and target larger tuna and wahoo. Our Captain, Niko caught a bait tank full of chiules in 45 minutes, but in that time we were joined by so many boats that the bank was too crowded for comfort. Off to the north we went, again to the Iman Bank. We rigged with wire and slow trolled with one wahoo hit that didn’t stick. While we trolled one live and one dead chiule, a large sailfish slammed the spread, eating the dead bait and killing the live one. We had the sailfish interested for several minutes while we re-baited and it hit a drop-back live one, but didn’t stick. This sail was not boat shy, showing it’s sides to us repeatedly’ while we tried everything to hook it. After fifteen minutes, the fun was over, the sailfish gone.

We caught some dorado on the livies, on drop-back strip bait, pink feathers, and a Cabo-Crafted marlin jig in Dorado color . We released three smaller dorado and kept four, including Kirk’s personal best- 40lbs.

Slower overall for the San Jose del Cabo fishing fleet, though two chunked 50lb class tuna came in from the Inner Gordo.

Thursday: Four Dorado 15-40lbs

Eric Brictson gave great service as usual, and our Captain Niko still works hard and catches fish when others struggle.

The Marina project is hard to miss now. The road from San Jose del Cabo to La Playa is mostly paved, four new Traffic Roundabouts, and divided, landscaped boulevards are mostly completed. The soccer field is under water now as the digging for the marina goes on and some rip-rap is in place at the back of the marina.

No work on the San Jose del Cabo breakwater or jetty is evident, and the road across the Rio San Jose is still on grade with culverts at the latest crossing. I don’t see how “Puerto Los Cabos” can succeed without an all weather road bridging the Rio San Jose flood plain.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from San Jose del Cabo and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for San Jose del Cabo may be found at Mexfish.com's main San Jose del Cabo page.