VACTIONERS ARRIVING FOR BAJA 1000 RACE

Nov. 21, 2004, Jonathan Roldan, Tailhunter International, La Paz, Mexico Fishing Report:

Got a town full of people this week, but they're all here for the Baja 1000. Every single hotel room has been absolutely packed to the gills, so to speak and town has been a bit in a bit of a mardi gras atmosphere. It's definitely noisier in the La Paz vacation travel area with all the racers and their fans here but seems like everyone is having fun.

As for La Paz fishing, winds have actually settled and we had another dyno week of dorado fishing. In fact, fishing was so good that we had all of our clients fishing on the La Paz side where fishing remained basically easy, close and pretty darned good.

Again, Espiritu Santo Island seems to be a regular dorado magnet and has been for 2 months now. Close inshore, La Paz waters are warm and more sheltered than offshore where it can be a bit blustery. However, that's where the dorado are holed up and slow trolling a live bait, or strip of bonito or even the smaller whole bonito is almost a guarantee most days. It's a good time to be fishing. The temperature at La Paz is so mild, I tell people it's "non-weather." You know the sun is out, but you don't even think about whether it's cold or hot or anything...it's just perfect.

Nov. 16, 2004, Jonathan Roldan, Tailhunter International, La Paz Fishing Report:

Despite the occasional windy day (and they are increasing!), overall La Paz fishing is simply incredible for this time of year. I cannot remember a time when the warm-water pelagic species held out this long. Will it hold? Gosh..I dunno? I might have a better hand at predicting the lottery! La Paz winds are increasing and I can feel the water temps slowly dropping down. It's windy about 2-4 days out've the week, but I think that unless we got a constant say...5-7 days of wind, the waters will only diminish in temperature gradually and we COULD have this kinds of warm-water fishing until...??????

I do know that there's some cooler water fish being caught at La Paz, but until someone says "no mas" we're still getting some real fun summertime fish right now. At Las Arenas, have no idea what's happening. Off the lighthouse on the highspot at Arenas, there's still a spot of football grade tuna with some occasional sluggers going through. There are still dorado of mixed sizes from the island down to Pescadero and especially if you're the first boat to a lucky buoy. There's a spot of two of roosterfish from Muertos (the San Juan cliff) up the sandy beaches past the old hotel and the lighthouse and then south towards Boca de Alamo. Some of the pargo are starting to show as well as cabrilla and sierra. However...how 'bout this...we still have billfish!

In front of Perrico and in front of the lighthouse as well as on the Rock Highway south of Cerralvo, we've continued to get blue marlin, striped marlin and sailfish!!! Never can tell when guys come back to the beach talking about getting "billed!" Mitch Chavira, my amigo from Encinitas, was out with Captain Adolfo and hooked into a 2-hour blue that finally busted him off. I was out a few days later and other than a single tuna, had not gotten anything all day. However, just as we were headed back to the beach at Muertos...WHAM...both of my light tackle rods go off that were trolling dead whole bonito and I've got 2 striped marlin on simultaneously!!! One immediately goes airborne...while I have two rods in my hand and starts tailwalking right up the wake of the panga and headed about 50 mph right into our laps! I"m trying to reel with one arm and set the hook on the other fish with the other arm! This loco striper dives then comes up only about 30 yards behind the boat and he's coming straight at us. Not sure whether to dive into the panga or into the water. Same with the skipper. Unfortunately, at the last minute...both fish break off and we all laugh! That's fishing and a great way to end the day. I'd have released both fish anyway! Oh...and lest I forget...we' still have wahoo too!

Best fishing 4 out've 5 days has been that monster dorado bite for my La Paz super pangas. That spot in about 30 feet of water at the SE corner of Espiritu Santo Island has been dorado city for 2 months now and seems like it won't stop. It might slow for a day or two, but everyone gets fish. Other days, you cannot help but catch dorado with limits or near limits the rule on fish between 5 and 40 pounds with most of them healthy quality fish. I fished 4 days last week with clients and on everyday we never had less than 20 hookups/day releasing quite a few! Best of all, there are swarms of eenie-meenie trout-sized bonito all over. Using them dead, alive or stripped out just seems to be like dangling a piece of candy in front of a 5 year old and watching the kid jump in the air for it!

Don't know when it'll stop, but we'll keep at it until they tell us to take our rods and go home!

It seems that I've created quite a stir when I mentioned in a few of my reports that I had seen activity at the Las Arenas Hotel. Somehow, folks translated that into the fact that the hotel was OPEN or about to OPEN!! Heck..some of you even sent me reservations!!! HOLD ON!!!! I never said it was going to open or was open. Here's the latest. I do see light on at the hotel. I even see people there from time to time. Apparently, the folks who bought it several years ago (do not ask me for their names...I do not know...YET!!!) are using the hotel for private purposes only and, until I hear something further, there's no plans to let us yahoos back into the place!

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