TOO MUCH DORADO IN FISHING SOUTH OF THE THETIS BANK

Nov. 18, 2006, Bill Erhardt, Puerto Lopez Mateos, Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

I trailered my boat from Loreto to Puerto Lopez Mateos on Wednesday, November 15, 2006, launched through the mangroves on Thursday morning and fished two days in the Pacific Ocean outside Isla Magdalena, spending Thursday night at anchor in Bahia Santa Maria.

On Thursday morning I ran from Boca de Soledad west 45 miles to the Ridge. Three hours of trolling on and around the 23's yielded nothing, as did trolling the high points to and including Thetis Bank.

Five miles south of Thetis, however, there were sea turtles basking in the sun, porpoise, whales, frigate birds circling and marlin jumping.

I put lines out and within five minutes was hooked up to a striped marlin. Twenty minutes later I released him and sent him on his way.

Two more hours trolling produced no more marlin, but 6 or 8 dorado caught and released.

On Friday at first light I ran south out of Bahia Santa Maria to an area 15 to 20 miles south of Cabo San Lazaro and the same distance east of Punta Entrada.

There I again found all the varieties of sea life that had been missing further north.

The schools of dorado seemed to be bigger than those around the Thetis Bank and so did the individual dorado.

I caught and released another striped marlin early in the day, but did not get another marlin strike.

A large part of the reason I had no more marlin action was the dorado. I had several double hookups of 20 to 30 pound dorado before I started trolling with just one line hoping for a marlin that could beat the dorado to the lure. No dice. The dorado were so hungry that on several occasions one of the escorts would smash the marlin feather sliding on the leader in front of a hooked up friend.

In late morning I headed north to make it back to Loreto before nightfall.

Outside Boca de Soledad I trolled for yellowfin tuna and caught one both coming and going.

There were three long distance boats on the 23's, but no other sport fishing boats between the 23's and the Thetis Bank. I guess I'm the only slow learner.

South of Cabo San Lazaro on the Baja California Pacific coast there were a few boats, but surprisingly few in light of how good the fishing is.

I caught no wahoo and had no wahoo bites either Thursday or Friday.

Winds off Magdalena Bay were light both days and the water glassy calm on Friday. The surface water temperature has cooled to between 79 to 81 degrees, but is still unseasonably warm.

(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.