SLOW DORADO FISHING BUT GOOD ACTION INSHORE

Aug. 23, 2005, Randy Langley, Loreto, Mexico Fishing Trip Report:

I just returned from a fishing trip to Loreto from August 9 through August 18th, and the fishing was real slow if you were targeting dorado.

Some of this species were being caught but only by those that ventured some 25-30 miles beyond Carmen Island, and even then they were small and the afternoon ride in the rough water didn't make for a lot of happy fishermen.

We targeted the inshore species like cabrilla, bass, pargo and even roosters and yellowtail, and the fishing was quite good.

I fished with Richard Miller. On this trip there were only two of us so we didn't take the boat and we used Arturo's Sport Fishing for a boat.

We fished from August 11 to August 17th. We fished on this last trip mostly inshore. We fished North of Loredo from San Bruno to just past Punta Pulpito. We fished some 9 miles from the coast and also in close in the rocks pulling Rebel Lures which worked great and were irresistible to even the large needlefish as well.

We caught all the cabrilla, pinto bass, white fish, pargo, sculpin and other bottom species we wanted. We even caught a few yellowtail. We used sardines and some squid that we caught in the early morning for bait. Both worked well, but the squid is by far "Candy" to the bottom fish. As far as total I don't know but I will tell you that the Ziploc bags of filets filled a 54 quart cooler and that's a lot of fish.

Also, there were quite a few sailfish and striped marlin around Loreto and could be easily had on a live mackerel. However, I was quite upset with seeing these species brought to shore just to show everybody. If they die in the battle bringing them in is okay, but, a lot of the fly-in, first time tourists were bringing them in just to show-off. It seemed that the experienced fishermen were practicing catch-and-release. I think the local sport fishing people and the pangeros need to push the catch and release a little harder by educating the first time tourists.

For the most part Loreto fishing weather was around 96-98 degrees with HIGH humidity bringing the "heat index" to about 115 degrees. Lots of water, gatorade and sodas were the norm on our boat with emphasis on water. No cerveza until we hit the dock. The fishing water was quite calm in the a.m. hours but far off storms really kicked up the afternoon chop.

We drove a Chevy Duramax diesel from Hesperia, California, to Loreto and found the road in great shape with the exception of about 1.5 miles around the Conception Bay area where the road was smooth but was just gravel waiting for new pavement. No problem if you went slow even if you were towing. None of the rough detours that can shake a boat on a trailer and cause some congestion at times because of some big truck getting stuck. Diesel was running about $1.81 per gallon.

(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.