CALM PERIOD UP-AND-DOWN BAJA YELLOWTAIL FISHING FOR LOCAL BOATS

Jan. 28, 2007, Don Bear, Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

I flew down here to Loreto for a week with my neighbor Kent Baker, hoping we could get in a couple of days of fishing.

The north wind was howling on Tuesday when we arrived, and the wind continued through Thursday noon, when it started to calm down.

We were able to get out fishing on Friday and Saturday, yesterday, with beautiful blue skies and flat water. Today is similarly calm, but with high overcast.

We fished on Kent's Cabo 216 boat with another neighbor Michael Hartmann and Loreto Capt. Paulino Martinez at the helm.

Friday we deep-trolled mackerel on the north and west sides of Isla Coronado with reasonable action, landing 4 yellowtail in the 10 to 12 pound range. We probably missed at least a half-dozen other strikes.

There were 5 or 6 other Loreto fishing boats in the area with similar sporadic action. When the fishing action died around 11 a.m., we went to a couple of high spots about 1 or 2 miles north of Isla Coronado, where we had 3 or 4 strikes at the bottom that were lost in the rocks. Paulino was certain they were big cabrilla pinta, or broomtail grouper.

Fishing on this part of the Mexican Baja coast on Saturday was a complete bust.

We had not a single strike all day.

We repeated Friday's fishing itinerary, and in addition, the San Bruno bajo, both trolling and bottom fishing. Other Loreto boats in both areas, with only one or two exceptions, appeared to be actionless as well.

But we did learn by radio that Loreto Capitan "Zorri" got two yellowtail at the Las Lajas area on the east side of Isla Coronado, where we also saw the commercial fishing panguero "Chano" take two yellowtail in the 10 to 12 pound range. It was a very slow fishing day everywhere.

Loreto fishing area water temperatures on both days were 63 to 64 degrees.

On Friday we were able to get 30 to 40 mackerel baits only a couple of miles out from the Loreto marina. But on Saturday the mackerel disappeared there, and we had to go to the south side of Isla Coronado, where they were plentiful.

Although Aeromexico no longer flies the San Diego-Loreto route, forcing us to travel to LAX, Delta is now flying daily from LAX to Loreto, giving fishermen more options than the Alaska schedule of Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.