SPORTFISHING WITH CAPT. PAULINO MARTINEZ

Nov. 19, 2005, Don Bear, Loreto, Mexico Sportfishing Report, Baja:

My son Doug and I fished out of Loreto on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 14-15, 2005, with Captain Paulino Martinez at San Bruno with the following results: 1 yellowtail (31 pounds), 2 cabrilla (8 & 15 pounds), 2 hammerhead sharks (5' long), 1 pargo amarillo (9 pounds), 2 "white bonita" (not "blue tuna"), 2 barrilete, 1 sabalo, 1 needlefish and 1 pinto bass.

Mackerel baits caught all of the foregoing, except for the pargo and white bonita, which came in on iron. Unlike barrilete, Paulino claims the bonita blanca's light colored filets make reasonable table fare. They are distinguishable from barrilete by their well-defined teeth.

Loreto sportfishing area weather both days was very good, as the 3-day north wind ended Sunday night and sunny skies prevailed. Loreto water temperatures were 77-78.5 degrees.

Bait was not available either day from the carnaderos, but mackerel were catchable, patience required, near Lagrima at the southeast corner of Isla Coronado. No other Loreto fishermen were around on Monday, but a half-dozen of both gringo boats and pangas were out on Tuesday.

Loreto weather turned ugly on Wednesday and Thursday, when the north wind returned with a vengeance.

On Monday, some government organization called a meeting of all the Loreto pangueros at La Pinta to outline plans for major improvements of the marina. According to Paulino: there will be additional dock space for several more pangas; the entire Loreto marina will be dredged to a depth that will eliminate launch and retrieve problems at extreme low tides; and a new ramp will be put in. There will be a new 70-peso charge per month for docking and something like a $5 per launch for gringo boats, but not for local pangas. When I asked Paulino when the work would begin, he said no schedule was given at the meeting, suggesting that this might be just another government pipe-dream.

(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.