FISHING FOR YELLOWTAIL DESCRIBED IN WESTERN OUTDOOR NEWS

May 21, 2005, Steve Ross, Bad Dog, Marina Coral, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico Fishing:

At 0500 in the dark, and running in the thick fog and large swells to 8 feet and relying on our radar, we aborted our intended trip to San Jose and opted for Todos Santos Island.

I had to keep reducing the range on my radar to keep definition on targets. Visibility was 500 yards and the water temperature was an unbelievable 53 degrees.

At first light, we put out a pattern of Rapalas and Yozuris in search of the well advertised Western Outdoor News (W.O.N.) Punta Banda yellowtail bite. As we trolled the Todos Santos Island leeward the thick green water temperatures ranged from the low of 53 to a high of 66 which later on in the day with the Ensenada sun trying to burn off the fog rose to 67.9 degrees closer to Tres Hermanas and the shore.

There were no other Ensenada fishing boats around. Finally, two local Mexican boats showed up. One was a panga and the other was the infamous "Charro" with 6 anglers on board. I began to rely heavily on what I read in Western Outdoor News and headed toward "The Gap" and Punta Banda itself.

When we were more than halfway through "The Gap" we got our one and only jig strike on a mackerel colored Rapala, and Gail reeled up a 21.2-pound yellowtail. As I looked into the water from the bridge I saw a pack of maybe two-dozen yellowtail running on the surface at full speed toward the beach. There was zero visibility in the pea soup water but the fish were easily identifiable.

As I headed in the same direction "Charro" ran with us and identified the game for us. "Run and Shoot." So we pulled in our trolling jigs and "Handro," Gail, and I began looking for birds. I would see the birds blow up and I would run at full throttle for them, reduce speed to an idle and "Handro" (short for Alejandro, AKA Alex) would run to the bow and shoot/fire iron at the boiling yellowtail. This was the way to do it for positive results. I concluded this after running the trolling jigs by and through the boiling yellowtail and watching "Charro's" anglers hook them right next to me. So, run and shoot is the name of the game.

One yellowtail was caught by casting upon birds just sitting in the water.

We managed 4 yellowtail which we weighed on two reliable scales. I caught two yellowtail. The largest weighed 18.5 pounds. Gail caught two at 22 (Rapala) and 24.5 (iron) pounds. "Hondro's weighed 20.1 pounds. Had we found their location earlier in the day we would have caught a few more. "Hondro" is one of the best iron men that I have ever fished with.

This type of fishing is not easy. The fish are breezing in Ensenada bay in search of hard to find food. After they blow up, they only stay there for a minute at the most and then they're off and running. You need good eyes to spot these fish as they never return to the same spot again. Not to mention that there are other boats racing for the same spot or they see you punch it and follow suit using your eyes. There were only three Ensenada fishing boats for the main part of it, but soon three more boats got into the game and that sent the fish down and killed it. One boat drove and trolled in between Charro and I while we were casting onto the foaming yellows.

Last Sunday evening a fleet of 6 seiners showed up in the Todos Santos Bay and began fishing at sundown. I presume they were from El Sausal and will be back tonight.