BAJA FISHING BOATS FIND DORADO VERY CLOSE TO TOWN

June 1, 2006, Pam Bolles, Baja Big Fish Company, Loreto, Baja Sur, Mexico, Dorado Fishing Report:

Although there are Loreto fishing boats doing very well on dorado and billfish well offshore, on a 30-degree heading at 30-plus miles out, there's no need to go that far. We've been getting good consistent dorado action right off Punta Lobos and also 2 miles to the north of Isla Coronado.

We sure hope they stay in close to Loreto for a awhile as the fuel consumption has killed us 3 years in a row when we had to run 120 miles on an average fishing day.

Yesterday and today my fishing boats put on a total of 25 miles! Love it! Loreto dorado are averaging 20 pounds but larger ones are often being caught. We're getting dorado on trolled live mackerel or squid strips. Smaller dorado are being caught with sardinas on light tackle.

The sargassum weed is very plentiful to the south of Loreto but unfortunately fishing there is extremely slow. We're expecting the sargassum to move northward and hopefully the fish will also show up consistently in Loreto southern fishing areas too.

There are lots of striped marlin, exclusively in the 100-pound range, and sometimes they're outnumbering the dorado.

Sailfish are also very common these days, as close to Loreto as Punta Tintorera and very commonly off Punta Lobos. There are Loreto sportfishing boats traveling a long way for the billfish and larger dorado but we're getting the same quantity and quality just off the islands.

Inshore, yellowtail are still being caught but they are coming in fewer and farther between these days. They're still getting them way north of Loreto off Punta Pulpito. The yellowtail off the northern shorelines of Isla Carmen are no longer feeding like they were before.

We are still getting good inshore fishing action on cabrilla and pargo. Baja light tackle anglers are getting them on live sardinas right along the shorelines. Larger specimens from 5 to 20 pounds are taking mackerel and jigs off the bottom. The cinquenta spot has been a good place to target huachinango, or red snapper on the bottom.

(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.