LOS CABOS PANGA AND SURF TRIPS FOR 33 SPECIES

Nov. 2-10, 2004, John Snow, San Jose del Cabo, Baja fishing, Mexico:

Eleven, one to two-hour, San Jose del Cabo surf fishing trips with modest results on most of the trips. Catch was the usual cast of characters with a few omissions that was dominated by the pesky Sergeant Majors and Orangeside Triggerfish. Sally Lightfoots were not available at least to this hombre who lacks foot speed and agility (starting to sound like my college Soccer Coach!).

Four, six-hour, Panga trips with San Jose del Cabo Captain Pata which had three exceedingly slow days out of the four. There were significantly more Gringos fishing as tourist season continues. The flavor of the week was Orangeside Triggerfish which could be caught at the level of 50 per day if one were so inclined. It became “lets go anywhere else to get away from these things toward the end”.

Overall came in contact with 33 individual species with either one or two new species -- a possible Wintersteen Croaker Clone and a Skipjack Tuna.

San Jose del Cabo weather from a temperature perspective was improved with temperatures maxing out in the mid-80’s. Wind was a significant factor on one of the four days.

San Jose del Cabo water temperature was a frigid 78 degrees and the bait guys provided a strange variety of sardines -- a zillion little ones, or on one day, some monsters, which were mixed in with several interesting species.

Major targeted game species count from four days of Panga fishing: Dorado – 4; Red Snapper – 1; Yellow Snapper – 1; Yellowfin Tuna – 3; and that’s all folks! I would rate this week as far below average from a sportfishing perspective and all things consider as good from a species perspective.

November 2 - 10, 2004

Species, Executive Summary – 33 31 or 32 known, and 1 or 2 new:

Mystery or Wintersteen Croaker? *Anchovy, Northern Gulf (Fish Number 135) Cornetfish, Reef (Fish Number 103) Croaker, Longfin (Fish Number 147) Dorado (Fish Number 82) Grunt, Burrito (Fish Number 1) *Herring, Flatiron (Fish Number 19) *Herring, Yellowfin (Fish Number 10) Hogfish, Mexican (Fish Number 7) *Jack, Big Eye (Fish Number 96) Jack, Green (Fish Number 65) Bullseye Pufferfish (Fish Number 18) Longnose Pufferfish (Fish Number 38) NeedleFish, Giant Mexican (Fish Number 87) Night Sergeant, Mexican (Fish Number 40) Pompano, African (Fish Number 29) Pompano, Gafftopsail (Fish Number xx) Sand Perch, Bridled (Fish Number 11) *Scad, Bigeye (Caballito) (Fish Number 88) Scorpionfish, Red (Fish Number 6) Sergeant Major (Fish Number 41) Skipjack, Black (Fish Number 79) Snapper, Dog (Fish Number 52) Snapper, Gold and Blue (Fish Number 73) Snapper, Red (Fish Number 16) Snapper, Yellow (Fish Number 4) Tilefish, Golden Eye (Fish Number 49) TriggerFish, Finescale (Fish Number 9) TriggerFish, Orangeside (Fish Number 26) Tuna, Skipjack (Fish Number 155) – NEW! Tuna, Yellowfin (Fish Number 89) Wrasse, Banded (Fish Number 13) Wrasse, Emerald (Fish Number 12) Wrasse, Sunset (Fish Number 105)

*Collected in the bait tank.

Part I, Surf Fishing Report, 100% Catch and Release:

Day 1, November 2, 2004:

Fishing at Km 21, Cabo Real, one and half hours before sunset, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: two Orangeside Triggerfish, to 1 pound.

Day 2, November 3, 2004:

Fishing at Km 21, Cabo Real, one and half hours at sunrise, nominal surf, rising tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: one Giant Mexican Needlefish, 18 inches, one Orangeside Triggerfish, one pound, one Sunset Wrasse, 8 inches.

Fishing at Km 21, Cabo Real, one and half hours before sunset, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: two Longfin Croaker, to 7 inches, one Banded Wrasse, 6 inches.

Day 3, November 4, 2004:

Fishing at Km 14, Twin Dolphins, one and half hours at sunset, nominal surf, bottoming out tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: Skunked.

Day 4, November 5, 2004:

Fishing 6 miles north of La Playita on the East Cape Road, two hours at sunrise, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: one Burrito Grunt, 6 inches.

Day 5, November 6, 2004:

Fishing at Km 22, El Dorado, one hour at sunset, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: two Gafftopsail Pompano, to 10 inches.

Day 6, November 7, 2004:

Fishing at Km 21, Cabo Real, two hours at sunrise, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: two Mexican Hogfish, to 11 inches and one Orangeside Triggerfish.

Fishing 6 miles north of La Playita on the East Cape Road, two hours at sunrise, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: one Burrito Grunt, 6 inches, one Mexican Night Sergeant, 8 inches, ten (stop counting, pests!) Sergeant Majors, to 7 inches, one Orangeside Triggerfish, 8 inches, and one Emerald Wrasse, 12 inches.

Day 7, November 8, 2004:

Fishing at Km 21, Cabo Real, one and half hours before sunset, nominal surf, high tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 10, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Herring (forgot my Squid). Catch summary: one Green Jack, 3 pounds.

Day 8, November 9, 2004:

Fishing 6 miles north of La Playita on the East Cape Road, two hours at sunrise, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 10, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: two Sergeant Majors, to 6 inches.

Day 9, November 10, 2004:

Fishing at Km 20, Cabo Real, two hours at sunrise, nominal surf, high tide, water temperature 78-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 10, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: one Longfin Grunt, 6 inches, one Mexican Hogfish, 16 inches, one Gafftopsail Pompano, 8 inches, and one Orangeside Triggerfish.

Part II. Fishing with Captain Pata, Panga Solome, La Playita. La Playita Sport Fishing activity was brisk.

Day 1, November 4, 2004:

Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata. Ocean was less than friendly with a strong El Norte brewing that made the ride home deplorable. Excellent supply of live bait consisting of large sardines. Water a quality 78-degrees of pristine blue color. Fished an area 20 to 25 miles south of La Playita joining the heard chasing “yesterday’s tuna bite”. Style was a blend of trolled jigs (non-productive), flylined sardines or bottom fishing, with live sardines, cut squid or cut clams (five dropper loop, commercial Sand Dab Rig with size 1/0 with 30-pound main line and 8-oz sinker). Catch can be summarized as follows: one Bridled Sand Perch, 12 inches, four Black Skipjack, to 5 pounds, one Red Scorpionfish, 12 inches, one Pacific Golden Eye Tilefish, 3 pounds, and two Yellowfin Tuna, to 6 pounds. Miscellaneous: a herd of high flying somersaulting juvenile manta rays and one very large turtle.

Day 2, November 6, 2004:

Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata. Ocean was flat and then building to a modest chop with the wind from the south. Excellent supply of live bait consisting of large sardines. Water a quality 78-degrees of pristine blue color. Fished an area 20 to 25 miles south of La Playita joining a heard off The Hacienda Hotel at Cabo Del Sol. Style was a blend of flylined sardines or bottom fishing with sardines, cut squid, cut clams or cut bonito (five dropper loop, commercial Sand Dab Rig with size 1/0 with 30-pound main line and 8-oz sinker). Catch can be summarized as follows: one Dorado, 10 pounds, one African Pompano (Juvenile), 8 inches, two Longnose Pufferfish, to 12 inches, seven Skipjack Tuna, to 14 inches, one Black Skipjack, 3 5 pounds, one Red Snapper, 2 pounds, three Pacific Golden Eye Tilefish, to 3 pounds, eleven Finescale Triggerfish, to 6 pounds, and one Yellowfin Tuna, 10 pounds. Miscellaneous: one Sea Lion passed bye.

Day 3, November 8, 2004:

Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata. Ocean slowly built into a horrific chop driven by a 25 mph El North. Good supply of live bait consisting of enormous sardines. Water a quality 78-degrees of pristine blue color. Fished an area 10 to 25 miles north of La Playita. Style was a blend of flylined sardines (non-productive) or bottom fishing with live sardines, cut squid, cut clams or cut bonito (five dropper loop, commercial Sand Dab Rig with size 1/0 with 30-pound main line and 8-oz sinker). Catch can be summarized as follows: one Dorado, 8 pounds, one Gold and Blue Snapper, 1 pound, one Yellow Snapper, 4 pounds, thirty five Orangeside Triggerfish, to 2 pounds, one Finescale Triggerfish, 6 pounds. Miscellaneous: nada except we had a few needlefish on flylined sardines that we could not boat.

Day 4, November 9, 2004:

Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata. Ocean was more or less flat calm with slowly building El Norte as the day progressed. Good supply of live bait consisting of very very small sardines. Water a quality 78-degrees of pristine blue color. Fished an area 20 to 25 miles south of La Playita. Style was a blend of trolled jigs (saved the day!), flylined sardines (non-productive) or bottom fishing with live sardines, cut squid, cut clams or cut bonito (five dropper loop, commercial Sand Dab Rig with size 1/0 with 30-pound main line and 8-oz sinker). Catch can be summarized as dismal and the day was only saved by two simultaneous 11th hour jig strikes when all else had failed: one Reef Cornetfish, two Dorado, to 25 pounds, one Bullseye Pufferfish, one Gold and Blue Snapper, 1 pound, five Orangeside Triggerfish, to 2 pounds, and one Finescale Triggerfish, 3 pounds. Miscellaneous: nada!

(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.