OFFSHORE SPORTFISHING ACTION VERY SLOW

April 29, 2005, Larry Edwards, Cortez Yacht Charters, Mazatlan, Mexico Fishing Report:

Our regular Mazatlan fishing report person was off today and I had to obtain a verbal report from Geronimo Cevallos, the General Manager for the Marina El Cid and the Aries Fleet.

In a single word, he said fishing at Mazatlan was "bad" and then added, "The skippers are seeing fair numbers of billfish, but they can't get them to bite. It was a very slow fishing week for the offshore waters".

However, the inshore fishing at Mazatlan was still fairly productive with the ever-continuing wide variety of small game critters that included snapper, mojarras, cochitos, pargo, cabrilla, a couple of yellowtail, and jack crevalle. Geronimo said, "The ever changing water temperatures and currents at this time of year, plus the full moon and lots of Humboldt squid in the area, have all contributed to the difficult fishing. I would suspect, as is typical of mid to late May each year, that Mazatlan sportfishing area water temperatures will start climbing any day and that the schools of dorado will begin to move back on location by the middle of the month."

Mazatlan weather had 57 degree nights, to 87 daytime highs, and partly cloudy days.

Sea conditions were for fair weather, nearly calm seas, temperatures ranging from 73 degrees inshore to 75 offshore

Mazatlan charter fishing skippers are literally working far and wide, with some of the boats fishing near 40 miles, but without successes.

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