LORETO SEA LIFE--A large sea turtle photographed near Isla Catalana south of Loreto during Bill Erhardt's recent trips to the area. Photo courtesy Bill Erhardt.

FAIR RESULTS FOR 2 DAYS OF SPORTFISHING

April 16, 2005, Bill Erhardt, Loreto, Mexico Fishing Report:

With bait sometimes hard to make and yellowtail fishing at Loreto only fair, I shifted gears when the winds finally let up last week and trolled feathers for marlin and dorado Wednesday and Friday. Scores of tortugas were basking last week in the calm waters north of Catalana and east of Carmen.

Total catch for the two days fishing was one striped marlin, released, and one dorado about 15 pounds lost at the boat.

It doesn't sound like much but it is only mid-April. Each day I saw 6 or 7 marlin, singles and in pairs, and had two or three bites.

I found no paddies but those who did also found schools of dorado at five pounds or so.

As welcome as the billfish and dorado, which seem to have arrived early in Loreto to compensate for the rather shabby yellowtail season, is the proliferation of other sea life in the offshore waters around Loreto. Whales, porpoises, seals, sea lions, birds floating and hovering over swirls of bait fish, flying fish, sea turtles, big white jellyfish, little sculling crabs and clumps of sargassum all made trolling north of Isla Catalana interesting whether you caught fish or not.

Wednesday before dawn off Puerto Escondido phosphorescent plankton was so thick in the water that the boat seemed to be motoring over a furnace keeping pace below. An incautious glance at the wake would rob you of night vision for 2 or 3 seconds. Alongside the boat, the water glowed with underwater explosions as fish and animals roiled the murk getting out of the way.

(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.