MANY FISHERMEN FISHING, BUT FEW FISH CAUGHT IN ROUGH SEAS

July 16, 2004, Pam Bolles, Baja Big Fish Company, Loreto, Mexico Fishing Report:

Yesterday was not a surprise...it was very rough out there. Less than half of Loreto fishing boats out got any fish to speak of, and every boat with a working motor went out yesterday. It appeared that there more folks that got seasick than I had ever seen on any one given day. This was because more people went out than I've seen, well...ever.

As far as Loreto sportfishing was concerned, it was not very good. The boats that managed to get half their limits considered themselves lucky. The fish were very scattered and the seas were very rough. Most boats returned before noon because they did not want to brave the rough waters. Besides Dorado there were sailfish and marlin caught, but the numbers were not very stellar due to the conditions of the sea.

Roosterfish are at San Bruno and San Basilio. There are large ones that are being hooked by my flyfishing boats but they could not haul them in. Captain Eulogio Davis Sanchez told me that the Roosterfish are larger than a flyrodder can handle, and there are many of those large ones in these two locations right now.

Cabrilla, Pargo and other inshore species are being caught by the folks who are ducking out of the offshore swells. Yesterday was so rough that there was really nowhere to hide, so the fishing was slow as a result.

There was a tragic boating accident today at approximately 10:00 a.m. An American center console boat, Sea Strike, with an inboard motor exploded. There were three persons reported to be onboard at the time. The details of this report are still not confirmed but I have been told by bystanders that the explosion took place in clear view just east of the marina, an estimated 20 meters off the breakwall. Immediately following the explosion, the persons that were on board dove into the water to save themselves. Unfortunately one of those persons did not know how to swim and drowned. This person died at the scene. Our thoughts are with him and his loved ones now.

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