DORADO FISHING IS "LOUSY" RIGHT NOW

July 2, 2005, Bill Erhardt, Loreto, Mexico Fishing Trip Report:

It is a lot more fun to write a fishing report when to do so provides an opportunity to recount success than failure, but I suppose that sharing the latter is just as important assuming that at least part of the purpose is to allow folks to make an informed decision about spending time and money on a trip. It is in that vein that this Loreto fishing report is submitted.

The fishing in Loreto, at least fishing for dorado for which Loreto is famous in July, is in a word, lousy.

After a promising April with unseasonably warm water and early billfish along with a few dorado, a general slowdown in May, and sporadic catches of nice fish in June, fishing has slowed down rather than picked up as we enter July. This has happened, although over the past couple of weeks the water temperature has increased and there are now consistently throughout the Loreto fishing area water temperatures of 80 degrees and above.

There are virtually no paddies to be found and many people who live in Loreto at least in part for the fishing in July are staying on the beach waiting for somebody, anybody, to start bring fish in to the dock.

I fished four days this week and did not catch a single dorado.

On Sunday I launched at Puerto Escondido and trolled south from east of Isla Catalana to Las Animas, about 80 nautical miles south of Loreto. One bite, a dorado that spit the hook, and no fish landed.

On Monday, after camping overnight on Isla San Jose, I ran east to the center of the Sea of Cortez and trolled north hoping to find some antisocial dorado or maybe a wahoo. Forty miles later, with nothing in the box, I turned east 30 miles outside Isla Catalana. After the turn, I did catch two small marlin, around 85 pounds, and a sailfish about the same size. Still no dorado.

On Wednesday, I fished north of Isla Coronado to Punta Pulpito then on a track outside and back. About six hours trolling and skunked.

On Friday, I launched again from Puerto Escondido. With my non-fishing daughter aboard in snotty 2 to 4-foot seas, we trolled about four hours east of Punta Perico on Isla Carmen. Skunked again.

Maybe things will get better. It can't get much worse.

(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.