YELLOWTAIL FISHING IS NOW A "SURE THING"

Jan. 11, 2006, Pam Bolles, Baja Big Fish Company, Baja Sur, Loreto, Mexico Sportfishing Report:

The yellowtail fishing at Loreto has been pretty much a sure thing off Punta la Cholla on the west side of Isla Carmen. These yellowtail are taking live bait, bigeye and mackerel, or jigged iron from off the bottom about 200 feet deep for several weeks. Fish sizes are in the low 30 to low 40 pound range and limits are obtainable as long as you pay attention and don't get broken off.

The winds have kept us off the water for most of the week with the exception of Saturday and Sunday. Monday and Tuesday were too windy to go out but today the seas are calming down again and we expect this weekend to be decent on the surface.

These winds have limited our ability to go out and fish the inshore. Once winds do calm down there are Pargo and Cabrilla to catch along the shore lines and over the reefs.

At the launch ramp at Nopolo you should still be able to find small Roosterfish and Sierra Mackerel.

The Sierra are being caught before first light. They can be caught on a chrome lure cast from the beach.

The Roosterfish bite is starting around midmorning.

Around late February through March we should start to see sargasso growth on the rocks below the surface of the water at inshore areas that we like to fish. We didn't observe this for the last three years but hopefully we'll see it this year. Baja California fishing water temperatures are 63 to 72 degrees.

(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.