DORADO ARE LOCATED SOUTH OF TOWN AT ISLA CATALANA

Aug. 18, 2004, Pam Bolles, Baja Big Fish Company, Loreto, Mexico fishing report:

There's fish out there, but waaaay out there and ot the South. Loreto fishing water over our usual spots, San Bruno, Bajo de las Boyas, Punta Lobos bajo is just way too warm. The warm water is showing up at 89 (F) on the satellite images and its extending from just north of Punta Lobos (Isla Carmen's northern point) to past the bajo at San Bruno over sixty miles out into the center of the Sea of Cortez and to the north past the Mulege area. There are two temperature convergences that extend beyond Punta Lobos and continue to the east and off Punta Perico that extends south. Find these and you'll probably find fish. However most Loreto fishing boats have chosen to fish south over the past couple of days.

Captain Francisco Munoz started out at Punta Perico and just kept going south until he found signs of fish. Between Punta Perico and Isla Catalan there has been consistent dorado fishing including large dorado that broke them off. Francisco's client Frank Van Zile from Los Angeles is fly fishing and fishing conventional as the situation requires.

For two days in a row in this same general area, they came upon a very large sea turtle that's been holding dorado under her. Captain Francisco said that the turtle isn't dead but it is very large and probably dying of old age. She's been swimming around in the same general area with such consistency that she's attracted dorado underneath her. Other Loreto captains have been fishing for dorado under this great turtle too.

Loreto's conventional fishermen are sticking to trolling live mackerel or flylining live sardinas. Trolled strips of squid is also working out there. Loreto fly fishermen are having a more difficult time at this southerly turtle location. I suggest using line that sinks coulples with weighted flies, like out monster clouser with 1/4 inch nickel plated lead eyes. The dorado are biting several feet below the surface here.

Off San Bruno there has been a consistent school of smaller sized dorado, from 10 to 15 pounds. This is where Francisco and Frank focused their attention yesterday. They decided not to go far out and to focus on the inshore fishing and this school that's been holding in this location for a couple of weeks. If the current temperatures offshore remain, this school will stick around becasue they're trapped inside by the hot water mass. Cooler water is currently hugging the Loreto coastline from Isla Coronado northward and this particular school of dorado is holding in this cooler water. So its a sure bet for a fly angler to catch and release as many as they want, while standing and casting. These fish are receptive to topwater patterns like poppers.

Loreto fishing Captain Eulogio Davis Sanchez has reported a large school of 15-20 pound Yellowfin tuna, 45 miles due east of port beyond Punta Lobos. He reported very few dorado being caught on his last trip out which was on Tuesday, but eight YFT's caught successfully. He said that there were very many and they could have caught more. I told him that I had a craving for sashimi and hope that he gets the message as my next opportunity to fish is still a week away.

Billfish are still out there thick as ever but you have to go pretty far to get them. They are also holding well offshore in the cooler water along with the dorado.

Loreto Inshore & Structure Fishing: At San Bruno there are lots of Roosterfish. Captain Francisco Munoz has gotten into many roosterfish this season, as have other captains. The trouble is in getting them to eat. Francisco described yesterdays shoreline fishing as frustrating, there were a lot of roosterfish that would follow the flies but they just had no interest in taking them. He even tossed in live sardinas and they weren't interested in them either. We figure that if you hit them when they're feeding that's your best chance, but if you hit them when they're not in the mood to eat, you'll get a good look at them at best.

Off Punta Lobos Captain Jose (Chanto) Fernandez Davis got his client into huachinango (true red snapper) in deep water with live weighted live mackerel. He reported hooking into two very large pinto bass that broke off 50 pound test line. He described them as muy grande and muy bonita (very big and very beautiful), and mentioned that he needed to go back and get them with larger gear.

Bait: The mackerel are for sale or can be caught over the same location as the squid. Squid are still available to jig up. Look for the group of boats about two miles off the Loreto marina in line with La Cholla. That's where they be.

The sardina have been plentiful inside and around the outside walls of the Loreto marina. Prime time for the sardina is about ten before seven in the morning, unless there's cloud cover.

(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.