OFFSHORE FISHING PICKS UP THE PACE

Nov. 19, 2005, Gary Graham, Baja On The Fly, Magdalena Bay, Mexico Fly Fishing Report:

Chuck White, fishing offshore of Magdalena Bay on the Pacific Venture, moved back up to the Thetis Bank area and has found consistent action all week for billfish, wahoo and tuna.

Sportfishing boats traveling in both directions up the West Coast of Baja have had action beginning at the Uncle Sam to the north all the way down to the Finger Bank below Punta Tosca to the south and have tales of big bird schools with marlin thrashing the water to a white froth under them.

Even the day boats fishing out of Magdalena Bay's Puerto Lopez Mateos are getting into the action, finding plenty to fish for all the way out to the Thetis Bank.

Stories of acre-wide schools of tuna from football to VW size leaping from the water as they chase bait is enough to ignite the imagination. Then there are the kelps found above the Thetis Bank all the way up to the double 23’s loaded with some fat wahoo.

As always, when the Magdalena Bay fishing area goes off it is an explosion heard all the way up the coast. I hope all the yachts arriving this week have plenty of tackle!

Inshore fishing at Magdalena Bay included Josh Dickinson and Lance Peterson pounding the mangrove esteros and landing more grouper, corvina and spotted bay bass than they could count. It seems like the exotics eluded them and according to Josh, they never even had a mystery fish bite.

Check out my column in the December issue of Pacific Coast Sportfishing for more information about fishing the beach on Magdalena Island.

Magdalena Bay water temperature 68-75; Air temperature 71-84; 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.