OFFSHORE BOATS FISH FROM THETIS BANK TO BELOW PUNTA TOSCA

Nov. 12, 2005, Gary Graham, Baja On The Fly, Magdalena Bay, Mexico Fly Fishing Report:

Sportfishing action offshore of Magdalena Bay was strung out from the ridge all the way to 35 miles below Punta Tosca.

Chuck White on the fishing boat Pacific Venture confirmed that they had found good action beginning at the Thetis Bank, and then followed it down to below Punta Tasco. Most of their catch was on conventional gear, although John Whittaker landed marlin and dorado on our Billfish Babies flies that he purchased for the trip.

Earlier, several East Coast sportfishing boats, including Tony on the Escape and Nick Smith on the Old Reliable One, reported raising 75 fish and catching a dozen or so on the fly.

Other boats fishing off Magdalena Bay found some excellent wahoo action up on the ridge near the double 23s. There were lots of bird schools strung out from the flats five miles above Cabo San Lazaro out to the west toward the Petrel Bank off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

These are the classic Magdalena Bay bird schools that can be holding anything including tuna, dorado, billfish and wahoo. All-in-all, this fishing season of Magdalena Bay is turning out to be one of the better ones in the past several years.

Yvonne and I attended the Billfish Symposium held in Avalon recently. Guy Harvey showed some of the video that was shot on a trip we did several year ago. Trust me, seeing what is going on in the water underneath the bird school helps you understand just how many fish can be on one bait ball.

With all the action on the outside, no one spent much time fishing the Magdalena Bay esteros this week.

Magdalena Bay water temperature 70-77; Air temperature 62-78; Conditions clear.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from Magdalena Bay and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for Magdalena Bay may be found at Mexfish.com's main Magdalena Bay page.