VACATION AREA SPORT FISHING BOATS KEPT OFF THE WATER BY WEATHER

Sept. 19, 2004, Pam Bolles, Baja Big Fish Company, Loreto, Mexico Fishing Fleet Report:

Current Loreto Fishing Conditions: Temperature (F): Low: 72 High: 96. Loreto had lots of wind to keep us cool during the past several days. Early in the week, as Hurricane Javier approached, we Loreto the typical pre-storm hot stagnant air until Wednesday evening when the winds started. Loreto had steady winds prevailing from the South since, and light rain on Thursday.

Hurricane Javier fizzled out and was downgraded to tropical storm status as of Friday night. We watched closely as the storm moved towards the peninsula and prepared ourselves for possible impact on land near us. You just never know what a storm will do as we were taken by surprise by Hurricane Marty last year. At 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, tropical storm force winds are being felt from the southwest. It doesn't look as though we'll get much rain, if any.

Seas: The seas had been calm early in the week until it was time for me to go fishing! I decided on Wednesday night to go night fishing but got blown out. Since then the seas have been rough all-around. The inside between town and the islands has been visibly rough except for a few occasions early in the mornings. Whitecaps have been appearing as early at 8:00 a.m. inside.

Offshore Loreto Fishing, Dorado and Billfish: We haven't had much chance to get out this week due to the storms and resulting rough seas. That's just fine as there isn't much work anyway since nobody seems to be in town. September is typically like that.

I do know that the Dorado are still scattered and few and far between, but I believe they will be moving closer to Loreto as they migrate out of the Cortez for the season. We still have lots of warm water offshore and as that cools the fish will get trapped between our shoreline and the islands as typically takes place in the fall.

Loreto vacation area billfish are still all over the place. You' won't need to go much further than Isla Coronado for Sailfish. Also look for the Sailfish off the northern and eastern points of Isla Carmen. Actually you can pretty much go in any direction and find them. Striped Marlin as also still being caught, mostly to the South from Punta Baja, to Isla Montserrat to Isla Catalan.

Loreto Inshore & Structure Fishing: There are lots of squid in the water to the north of Isla Coronado and few are catching them commercially, which means that few are cleaning the squid and feeding the fish below. Ideal night fishing situation, that's if the weather would cooperate.

I had my chance on Wednesday. Since the following day was the start of a holiday weekend (16 September, Mexican Independence Day), and the kids were out of school I thought it would be a fine evening to fish at night. We launched and started to head out, and we were ready with the right equipment; two Mexican fishing poles (slab of wood with about 560 yards of 125 pound monofilament wrapped around it, squid jig, big heavy rod to get the squid with, tequila to celebrate el grito de independencia...) as we rounded the east breakwall and started out we were in rough seas complete with whitecaps. We headed back in from our night fishing trip cut short, bummer as I may have lost my chance for this season to night fish as I leave for mainland Mexico in about six hours.

In speaking with Loreto fishing captains who have been going out the catch has been Pargo and Cabrilla and there seems to be no shortage of them. Most of these guys are going out and fishing for food for their families as there's little work in September, which is normal.

Loreto Roosterfish are still out there as well... so we have nice big Roosterfish from the north of town, to Isla Coronado and beyond San Bruno, Cabrilla and Pargo all around Isla Coronado and to San Bruno, and off the points of Isla Carmen from La Cholla, to Punta Tintorerra, Punta Lobos, Punta Perico and Punta Baja. If the weather is foul the nearby areas are most advisable.

Loreto Fishing Beaches/Shorelines: Early mornings are best as afternoons have been windy. Roosterfish from 1-5 pounds are obtainable along the beaches from Hotel La Pinta to as far north as you care to go. The farther north you go the better.

Loreto Bait: Bait has been difficult with night surface conditions as rough as they have been. We've been getting our windiest and rainiest weather at night and that's when the baitsellers go out to catch the bait. Since there is little demand for it, baitsellers are not motivated to brave the seas.

The sardina have been plentiful inside and around the outside walls of the Loreto marina. Prime time for the sardina is about seven in the morning, unless there's cloud cover (in which case it will be later).

Mackerel/Bigeye: $20.00 U.S. (for fifteen bait fish) Sardinas: $15.00 U.S. (freshly netted to fill bait tank).

Work is taking place on the malecon in Loreto. The plan is to rebuild the entire waterfront which was rebuilt in the summer and fall of 2001. Portions of the malecon were damaged by Hurricane Marty last year. The heavy machinery is where Calle Miguel Hidalgo meets the waterfront. There was a raised bridge that has been torn down. The others are just north of the Hotel Oasis where the first demolition and construction has taken place.

I will be in mainland Mexico until October 4th. So I won't be updating this Loreto fishing report until after that date, since I won't be here. There will be places that I will be traveling to that are without communication. I look forward to being in those places as I am on call 24 hours a day every day I am here and usually when I'm traveling, but this time we'll be in the campo or "Mexican outback" for most of our trip.

(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.