Yellowfin tuna, albacore, dorado are caught by Ensenada sportfishing boats

Mexico Fishing News, August 30, 2000

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: SERGIO'S ENSENADA SPORTFISHING CENTER, August 27, 2000, Sergio Susarrey. Boats: Ensenada Clipper, El Cazador, Quest, Clipper II, Shir Lee Too, and Shir Lee. The fishing in the nearby outer banks remains excellent with large amounts of yellowfin tuna being caught along with fair to good catches of dorado, yellowtail, bluefin tuna and albacore most of the tuna are 15 to 25 pounds but there have been a few well over 40 pounds.

The dorado is 12 to 25 pounds, the yellowtail 15 to 20 pounds and the bluefin well over 30 pounds. Our tuna boats have been fishing 20 to 35 miles from Todos Santos Island and in a southerly direction where apparently the tuna counts have been bigger than the north.

The tuna have been taking both live bait and lures with better results with the darker colors on troll. The local scenario not as good as the previous days when boats were scoring on tuna and dorado. At this point local boats are back to the usual stuff such as yellowtail which is coming in fair to good numbers in the 15 to 18 pound class. Bonito is being caught in excellent amounts in the 7 to 10 pound class, barracuda in the 6 to 8 pound class and also to top things off, fantastic calico and sand bass fishing. The weather has been overcast and even a little rainy but the sea conditions remain nice and calm with virtually no winds affecting our coast. The air temperature a bit cooler. Bring a light jacket for more comfort. For the upcoming Labor Day weekend we've got space for both of our open party choices 2:00 a.m. to fish the outer banks and 7:00 a.m. to fish the Bay. Reservations are strongly suggested. Reservations 011-52-617-82185.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 28, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Today, the Tamara fished out of Ensenada with 4 anglers, catching 8 yellowfin tuna to 15 pounds, and 1 dorado, 12 pounds. The Amigo fished with 3 anglers, catching 4 yellowfin tuna to 15 pounds, 4 dorado to 12 pounds, and 11 yellowtail 12-15 pounds. All fish caught at kelp paddies. Water temperature 69.5 degrees. The Tamara fished by trolling Rapala CD 14s in green and yellow. We saw a lot of meter marks, also breaking fish, big eye tunas and yellowfin tunas, but all the fish we cleaned were full of small squid. All fish are in a big area 210 degrees to 240 degrees, 10-16 miles out from Punta Banda. Situation of baitfish, only medium anchovies. Today was flat like glass. A little slow, but fish still in the area. Best lures are Mexican feathers and Rapalas. Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 27, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Today the Tamara fished with 6 anglers. We got 18 yellowfin tunas, 230 degrees from Punta Banda, 14 miles out. Most of the fish hit Rapalas and feathers, red and white, Rapalas in dorado colors, also on live anchovies. Some boats from San Diego fished the area. Water temperature 70 degrees. The Amigo fished with 4 anglers aboard, reporting 6 yellowfin tuna 2-25 pounds, 2 dorado 12 pounds, and 6 yellowtails 12-15 pounds, 205 degrees from Punta Banda, 20 miles out. Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 26, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Today the Tamara fished with 5 anglers aboard, catching 28 yellowfin tuna 12-15 pounds. Most of the fish hit Rapalas of any color, CD18s, and we found one school of tuna. We have 12 inch live bait.

Today we used nice anchovies and 2/0 hooks on 25-pound test line. GPS numbers 31.29 116.54. Today was a nice day, overcast and very little wind. The Amigo and Lily reported limits of yellowtails at University Point, early, on bait, 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Also trolling candy bar jigs and small Rapalas, dorado colors. Also a few nice calico bass to 4 pounds. Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 25, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Today, the Amigo fished with 5 anglers aboard on a heading of 210 degrees from Punta Banda. The catch as 14 yellowfin tuna to 15 pounds and 18 yellowtail 12-15 pounds. All tunas hit Rapala CD14 green and yellow.

The rest of the fish hit live sardines at the kelp paddies. Water temperature is 70 degrees. The Amigo and the Lily also reported nice counts of yellowtail and white seabass, and medium barracuda at University Point and North Todos Santos Island. Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 24, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Today the Amigo fished with 4 anglers aboard, catching 28 yellows 12-15 pounds, all at kelp paddies with live bait. The Tamara, with 4 anglers, caught 37 yellows 12-15 pound, 12 yellowfin tuna to 15 pounds, and 1 dorado 12 pounds. All yellowtail and dorado at kelp paddies. Tuna caught on Rapalas and live anchovies. Water temperature 69.5 degrees. We fished at 240 degrees from North Todos Santos Island, 18 miles from the island. Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: PEDRO'S PANGAS, San Quintin, August 27, 2000, Pete Hillis. Fishing with Pedro's Pangas this week were Bill Thurston, and Bill Thurston, Jr., Tom Ingleman, and Mark Horton. All limited on yellowfin tuna 15 to 20 lbs. Also with us this weekend were Jim Nolan, Chuck Noice, and Gary Curiel of Long Beach, CA. They also brought in a nice yellowtail catch, 15 to 20 lbs. at the 240 spot and San Martin Island north of San Quintin. Tuna fishing in general continues to be strong. There are plenty, in the 15 to 20 lbs. range. They are being caught on chrome jigs and Rapalas (blue/green mackerel pattern). Most of the tuna are 10 to 12 miles off the point between the 210 and 240 heading. Water temperatures are 66 to 68. Weather is great - cool in the mornings and warming up to 75 to 80 in the afternoons. Reservations 888-568-2252.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: BAJA ON THE FLY, San Carlos, August 30, 2000, Gary Graham. Temperatures: 85-degree high; Low 68. Partly cloudy with some winds in the afternoon. Water temperature: 73 - 69 degrees in the mangroves and 78 offshore. STRIPED MARLIN - The volume continues to grow. DORADO - The shark buoys are still this best bet. TUNA - Few smaller fish caught this week. SIERRA - Slowed down with the warmer water. CORVINA - Fair catches up in the mangroves. SNOOK - Fair catches of smaller fish and a few larger ones lost. YELLOWTAIL - Some surface action early in the week near the entrance. QUICK COMMENT - The offshore conditions continue to improve and inshore the mangroves are producing good catches of a variety of fish. Reservations Tel 800-919-2252; Fax 760-746-7260; bajafly@aol.com.

MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: BAJA ON THE FLY, San Carlos, August 26, 2000, Gary Graham. Temperatures: 82-degree high; Low 68. Partly cloudy with some winds in the afternoon. Water temperature: 73 - 69 degrees in the mangroves and 68 offshore. STRIPED MARLIN - The volume of fish is building 7-8 miles off of Magdalena Island. DORADO - The shark buoys three to four miles outside the entrada (entrance) are producing good catches. TUNA - Few smaller fish caught this week. SIERRA - Slowed down with the warmer water. CORVINA - Good catches at Devil's Curve. SNOOK - Fair catches of smaller fish and a few larger ones lost. YELLOWTAIL - Some surface action early in the week near the entrance. QUICK COMMENT - The offshore continues to get better as the Fall season approaches. Up in the mangroves fishing continues at a good pace. Devil's Curve continues to produce a mixed bag of species including corvina, pargo, pompano and a few smaller snook. Reservations Tel 800-919-2252; Fax 760-746-7260; bajafly@aol.com.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: FLY HOOKER SPORT FISHING, Cabo San Lucas, August 27, 2000, Capt. George & Mary Landrum. WEATHER: This week has been a nice mix for us. Beautiful warm days and nights early in the week and now we are having thunderstorms and clouds that cool things down. Temperatures have been in the upper 90s to low 90s daytime and in the 80s at night. Winds started the beginning of the week from the southeast and are now blowing a fairly steady 20-25 mph from the northwest. WATER: The sea conditions have been great! Early in the week it was like glass almost everywhere and as the wind switched to the northwest the Pacific side started to chop up on us. Swells have remained small and from the west. The water has remained warm, about 85-88 degrees just offshore from San Jose to the Candelaria Canyon area on the Pacific and out to about 5-10 miles. Once you got farther out than that on the Sea of Cortez the temperatures went up to around 90-91 degrees and on the Pacific side the temperature changed from 5 miles out to the banks at 89 degrees and west of the banks dropped down to about 83 degrees. BAIT: Mostly Cavallito and a few Lisa at $2 per bait, the usual. Sardines have been available every now and then if you are early and they have been between $20-$25 a scoop. BILLFISH: Notice that I changed this section from Marlin? There are still a lot of Sailfish being caught and even more being hooked up this past week. They have not been in any particular area, pretty much spread out all over. The Striped Marlin are still showing their beaks now and then, but the Blue Marlin are the fish that have been getting the pulse pounding for most anglers the past week. Almost every trip has seen a hook-up, but not necessarily a fish to the boat. The Blues have been spread all over the place, a few have been caught by Pangas just out of the harbor and both the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez have been producing. It is only natural that most of the action has been at Gordo, San Jaime and Golden Gate Banks, as that is where most of the boats have been concentrating their efforts. YELLOWFIN TUNA: The story here is the same as it was last week except that the majority of the larger fish have been found on the Banks by the boats using chunks and live bait. There are still some of them found with the Porpoise, but the boats have had to go out 30-40 miles to find them. Within the 25 mile range the fish have been both hitting on blind strikes and traveling with the Porpoise but the fish have also been a bit smaller, most in the football range with a few found in the 25-40 pound range. DORADO: Mixed stories here, as the larger fish are becoming a bit hard to find. The amount of smaller fish that have been found (10-20lb) have helped make up for the lack of size. Almost every boat has been able to come up with a few of these acrobats and the majority of them have been within 10 miles of shore. WAHOO: Moon phase is the key for the Wahoo and the dark side of the moon this past week brought the bite on. It was not as wide open as will happen sometime in November but there were nice fish caught by those willing to work at it. Most of the fish were in the 30-pound range and a few were in the 60-90 pound size. Imagine the line sizzling off the reel on one of those babies! INSHORE: The cooler water closer to home has been a real boon for the Panga fishermen. Everyone has been able to go back in with plenty of Dorado and Tuna fillets. The other inshore species have been slow, but that may be because they are all concentrating on the Tuna and Dorado. NOTE: It is Sunday evening and I am writing this sitting at my father's desk in Oklahoma City. I will be here for a while as my father just received a new left lung the night before last. I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support and remind everyone else that the chance to change a life is in your hands. It doesn't take but a few minutes to change a driver's license to show "organ donor" or to fill out a donor card. My wife will be advising me on the fishing in Cabo for the next week or two, and if there is any misinformation it will be my fault for misunderstanding and messing it up! Reservations Tel 011-52-117-01271; 011-52-114-87452.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: PISCES FLEET, Cabo San Lucas, August 24, 2000, Tracy Ehrenberg. BILLFISH: As predicted last week, fishing for Cabo San Lucas boats has picked up in a pleasing way and as we write this report, it's looking even better, with most boats coming into port loaded with flags. We had a high catch success rate, this week, for all species combined of ninety-seven percent. Just one of our boats was skunked mid-week. We are starting to see more blue marlin, though they are still not abundant; the Ortiz family from Sacramento, CA. landed a 540 lb blue aboard Bandido, early in the week, taking just 20 minutes to boat their fish on 80 lb test line. This same day a 500 lb blue was also reported aboard San Lucas IX. Maggie Stiles, from Lakeside Ca, was out on "Rebecca" on August 22nd and was thrilled to release a 250 lb blue marlin and boat four dorado to boot. The day before this, Brian Michel from L.A and Ryan Winthrop, from Newport Beach, had a super day on Rebecca; releasing two sailfish, one striped marlin and landing 5 yellowfin tuna and 5 dorado - now that's how August fishing is supposed to be. An enviable day was spent by Josh Ruston from Mission Valley, San Diego and his brother Ben, from Naperville, IL, aboard Karina on August 19th, they ended up with one striped marlin released, one sailfish released, two dorado and two tuna, that weighed 100 and 75 lbs respectively. Pisces anglers caught a total of thirteen sailfish, five striped marlin and one blue marlin, all released, thank you anglers.

OTHER SPECIES: I must say, I can't ever remember year when so many big tuna were caught. All with the two mentioned above, we also had a nice 150 lb'er aboard Ruthless on August 19th. Most of the tuna were caught on the Pacific side by San Cristobal, but on other days they were 20 miles south of the point. Boats averaged from one to six, with the standard size larger than normal, at between 30 and 70 lbs. They were caught on a combination of lures and bait. Dorado catches jumped up this week, with charters catching from one to ten, ranging in size from 20-40 lbs; the average per boat was around four fish. Inshore there were a few roosters caught, but nothing exceptional. We had one 56 lb wahoo near the old lighthouse, caught by Michael Montague from L.A, who also released a striped marlin the same day, aboard Karina. WEATHER CONDITIONS: Hot, clear skies, calm seas. AVERAGE WATER TEMP. 85 F. LOCATION: San Cristobal, Faro Viejo, 95 spot. BEST LURES: Live bait, no particular lure color/type. Reservations Tel 011-52-114-31288; Fax 011-52-114-30588.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: CORTEZ YACHT CHARTERS (GAVIOTA FLEET), Cabo San Lucas, August 25 2000, Larry Edwards. Leon Sanchez, dockside fleet manager for Gaviota Fleet says, "It's good-day, bad-day fishing, period. On the good days the fishing is really good, and on the bad days, it's very difficult, and it seems to be in the every other day mode. The big tuna are still here and the sailfish action is very good, along with more dorado showing up and many in the 20-40 pound ranges" Overall counts reflected the largest fish for the week was taken aboard the Bandito, a 540-pound blue marlin, captured by angler J. Rogelio Ortiz, Sacramento CA. We had a total of 3 blue marlin, 8 stripers, 31 sailfish, 1 wahoo, 93 dorado and 63 yellowfin tuna (many in the 60-100 pound range.) Weather: sunny & hot. Sea conditions: nearly excellent, warm, low 80s, some p.m. windchop, depending on which side of the peninsula you are fishing on. Best fishing area: Jaime Bank & Cristobal Ridge remain very good on the Pacific, but good action is also available south and east of Cabo. Best lure/bait: Live bait is best on sailfish, artificials on the blue marlin and dorado. Tuna have been partial to live bait and larger tuna feathers. (Several smaller feathers rigged in tandem were producing well.) Live bait supply remains good, mostly caballitos. Extra: Captain Robert Ross, skipper of the Options, reported 2 days of top notch fishing with the Ms. Melanie Lindsay party of 2; leadered 21 yellowfin, 15 dorado, 3 sailfish and one 300-pound blue marlin. Reservations 619-469-4255.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: PICANTE FLEET, Cabo San Lucas, August 29, 2000, Marco Arechiga. Fish available: Striped & Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado & Tuna. Water Temperature: Approximately 83-87 F. Air temperature: hi 96 / low 78. Humidity: 77 %. Wind: 6-7 Knots per hr. Pacific; 6-7 Knots per hr. Sea of Cortes. Yesterday's Luckiest: "Picante Dream" 35' CABO; Captain, Genaro Winkler; Angler, Bob Manroe; Production, 2 Sailfish 90 lbs. ( both released ), 4 Dorado 50 lbs. Hot Spots: San Jaime Bank. Fleet Production (6 boats): 1 Blue Marlin, 7 Sailfish, 22 Dorado, 2 Wahoo. Reservations Tel 011-52-114-32474; Fax 011-52-114-35969.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: REEL EASY SPORTFISHING, Cabo San Lucas, August 28, 2000, Mike & Renee Hebert. Hola Gene, the El Chilito returned to service on August 21 after being in dry dock since July 17 for a complete refinishing inside and out. Job turned out perfect! Captain Alvaro Gastelum and Mate Tony Winkler started the fishing off just right. In its first six outings the El Chilito netted Four Blue Marlin - one 250 pounder (tagged & released), two - 200 pounders (tagged & released), and one 180 pounder that was belly hooked and drowned before being released, three Sailfish weighing in at 60, 70, and 90 pounds (all tagged and released), 14 Dorado, 15 to 25 pounds, two Wahoo, 35 and 45 pounds., and one shark at an estimated 100 pounds (released). Outside day time temperatures for the week reached the high 90's with night time temperatures down around 70 degrees. Sea temperatures for the week ranged from 84 to 89 degrees with mostly calm seas. Hot spots for Blue Marlin aboard the El Chilito last week were two to five miles due south of the Arch and the Jaimie Bank. Until Next Week....Tight Lines!!!!! Reservations/Fax 011-52-114-33579.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: GORDO BANKS PANGAS, San Jose del Cabo, August 27, 2000, Eric Brictson. After there being a series of tropical storms pass to the south of Cabo San Lucas in recent weeks the weather has really settled down and anglers have encountered smooth seas along with some excellent action offshore for yellowfin tuna, dorado and marlin. The water is now clean and blue to within a mile of shore and is averaging about 85 degrees. The live bait situation off of La Playita has thinned out for the sardinas but near Palmilla and Cabo Real the pangeros have been finding abundant schools of both sardinas and caballitos. There are also baitfish on the fishing grounds, chihuil, bolito and skipjack are being caught to be used as whole and chunk bait. This is now the slowest time of the year for tourism but surprisingly there have been a good number of anglers in town and in particular the panga fleets out of San Jose del Cabo have been busy, with the most consistent action now coming from the Gordo Banks this has made for a very short run to the fishing grounds, especially for the pangas launching from La Playita. Yellowfin tuna have been the main target for anglers fishing on the Gordo Banks, average size has been 30 to 50 pounds and most boats are landing 2 to 5 of the tuna per morning along with loosing other hook ups. Live bait has been most productive but chunk bait is also starting to take a good share of the fish, live chihuil have not been easy to come by but have been like candy to the tuna, so it has been worth the effort to try and chum them up and hand line a few of them in. Trolling small hoochie skirts has proved to be the best way to catch the bolito, skipjack and small football tuna that have been used for chunking for the larger tuna and trolling whole for marlin. The past week has since good numbers of dorado moving into local waters, and the size of the fish larger, many of them weighing 15 to 30 pounds, although the average was around 12 pounds. They are being found throughout the area but not so much in the same places as the tuna, good spots have been at Zero ( Punta Gorda ), Iman, San Luis and in between the Inner and Outer Gordo Banks. The best action has been found middle of the day as the sun is high in the sky, but is also hot and humid so it is a good idea to bring lots of ice to keep your fish fresh. Daily catches of dorado were anywhere from 5 to 15 per boat and we are encouraging catch and release, especially of the smaller female fish, which with the species of dorado in very easy to distinguish because of the different head shape. More blue marlin are now being hooked on the Gordo Banks, they are now outnumbering the blacks, most of the fish have been in the 200 to 300 pound range and are hitting on larger baits. Many of them are being hooked on lighter leaders of 80 pound or less, that are being used to target the line shy tuna but are not suited for landing the marlin. Many fish are being lost this way but for the serious anglers that are using the longer and heavier leaders they have been landing their share. Good Fishing. Reservations 800-408-1199; Fax 619-447-4098; 011-52-114-21147.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: HOTEL PALMAS DE CORTEZ, August 24, 2000, Carlos Jose "Chucky" Van Wormer. Hola Gene, Here is some breaking news from East Cape. Ernie Lopez from L.A., Javier Gonzalez and Manuel Lopez from Phoenix, AZ, caught just a few hours ago a 352lb yellowfin tuna approx. 10 miles east of Cabo Pulmo in a school of dolphins. It took them 5 long hours of fighting this monster and they finally had it to the boat. This monster was caught on a black and green marlin lure just as they were going on top of the dolphins, this was on a 60lb est line and a 300 lb leader. The boat was the "Chureya" of Hotel Palmas de Cortes, captain Jose and Angel the deckhand. They are really out there! See you soon! Reservations 800-368-4334.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: HOTELS PALMAS DE CORTEZ, PLAYA DEL SOL, PUNTA COLORADA, East Cape, August 27, 2000, reported by Dave "Smokey" Manuel, East Cape Smokehouse. The Tuna fishing continues to be pretty good for East Cape sportfishing charters. The large numbers of small Tuna however are starting to be replaced by large Tuna in smaller numbers (make sense?) coming from a wide range of spots. More of the big Tuna are being found to the North than in the bites to the South. Those to the South, off the Lighthouse and Cabo Pulmo, continue to yield predominately, but not totally limited to, smaller Tuna in the 10's, 20's and a few in the 30's, while the bites to the North are producing many up in the 60 to 90 lb class. Punta Pescadero, Punta Perico, which is located South of the Southern tip of Cerralvo Island, and the area between Cerralvo Island and the ocho-ocho have all had some action on these good sized Tuna. The area around the ocho-ocho has also produced some good sized Dorado on lures as has the area off Punta Pescadero on live bait. Dorado sizes continue to be good, with most running in the 20 to 35 lb class this weekend. Not much to say in regards to Marlin, action this weekend was slow with only 7 combined Blues and Stripers on the 60 charters that reported in. One of the Blues that was caught however, was a good sized one in the 400 lb class. Sailfish action was better with 34 Sailfish caught on that same number of charters. --Smokey Dave, EAST CAPE SMOKEHOUSE, 011-52-114-10294. Hotel reservations, 800-368-4334.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: BAJA ON THE FLY, Buena Vista, August 30, 2000, Gary Graham. Temperatures: High 91 with a low of 77; Humidity = 70%. Clear skies with strong winds on Sunday and Monday. Water temperature: 80-90. STRIPED MARLIN - A few more showing this week. BLUE MARLIN - A few are being caught, but mostly smaller fish. SAILFISH - Starting to pick up again. YELLOWFIN TUNA - Good counts on the tuna, but most of the fish taken deep and not much action on the surface for the flyrodder. DORADO - Most of the week was disappointing for the flyrodder with only a few shots here and there. Yesterday produced better action around the shark buoys at Punta Pescadero. ROOSTERFISH - Plenty of smaller fish in front of Punta Colorado. JACK CREVALLE - Some smaller fish in front of Punta Colorado. BARRILLETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - Few found this week. PARGO AND CABRILLA - None caught this week. OFFSHORE: Very frustrating for the flyrodder with a few bright spots. INSHORE: All the small roosterfish you want along with small jacks mixed in. BEACH: Several high surf days slowed the beach action down somewhat. Tues. was back to normal and we had good catches at Punta Colorado. QUICK COMMENT: Ed Gammon, Phoenix, Ariz, told me when he arrived that he had two fish he wanted to catch on the fly: a dorado and a wahoo. I figured that the dorado was likely and the wahoo impossible. So, I was wrong, he got his wahoo and is planning another trip to get his dorado. We also lost several other wahoo as well. The toothy 'hoo - about a 20-pounder - took a pink and white tandem deceiver pattern fished on a 12-weight rod. Reservations 800-919-2252; Fax 760-746-7260.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: BAJA ON THE FLY, Buena Vista, August 26, 2000, Gary Graham. Temperatures: High 91 with a low of 77; Humidity = 70%. Clear skies with some moderate wind in afternoon. Water temperature: 80-90. STRIPED MARLIN - Slow for this month. BLUE MARLIN - A few are being caught, but no large fish. SAILFISH - Good bite outside of Cabo Pulmo. YELLOWFIN TUNA - La Ribera produced few fish for the flyrodders this week. DORADO - Fair catches close to shore, only small groups. ROOSTERFISH - Plenty of smaller fish in front of Punta Colorado. JACK CREVALLE - Some smaller fish in front of Punta Colorado. BARRILLETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - Good catches at Cerro Blanca. PARGO AND CABRILLA - None caught this week OFFSHORE: With the tuna slowing down, the boats have been spreading out more with mixed results. Some of the shark buoys at Punta Pescadero produced bonanza dorado to 30 pounds for a few boats. Several boats fishing off of Cabo Pulmo reported multiple sailfish as well. INSHORE: While the tuna dropped off significantly this week, the dorado picked up slightly. BEACH: Our pontoon boat continued to produce excellent catches of roosters, jacks, cabrilla and grouper, particularly in the morning. Fishing from the beach yielded fair catches in the morning. QUICK COMMENT: Toby Uppinghouse, Vacaville, Calif., owner of Flyfishing Unlimited, brought a group of clients down this week who have had good fishing both from the pontoon boat and beach. Eight of the 9 in the group have caught roosterfish on the fly, mostly on poppers . . . our three inch Holographic Pencil Popper being the most productive. Reservations 800-919-2252; Fax 760-746-7260.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: RANCHO BUENA VISTA, Buena Vista, August 26, 2000, Tamara Moyeous. Hi Gene, Not too many anglers this week. Two boats each day went out catching 124 fish. Dorado-41, tuna-72, blues-3 released, sails-4 released, snapper-4. Vern Pulliam of Lebenon, OR caught 15 tuna in a day. Joel Allain from Lyon, France caught and released 1-blue and 2-sails. Reservations 800-258-8200.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: RANCHO LEONERO, August 26, 2000, John Ireland and Roy Baldwin. Continued typical summer conditions at the East Cape, with daytime highs in the upper 90's, evening lows in the mid 70's, calm seas with afternoon breezes and hot water temp from 88 to 91 deg. The big news this week is consistent blue water producing an incredible number of BIG bull dorado, with many fish from 40 to over 60lbs taken in open water, mostly on live sardinas, caballitos, and marlin lures. With most of the action close in this week, few boats are venturing outside, but those that did were rewarded with blue marlin to 300lbs, and a wide open sailfish bite, with many boats releasing 4 to 5 fish per day. The tuna bite continues, with limits for most boats, taking fish from 10 to 50lbs all in a concentrated area off Punta Colorada, with live sardinas and caballitos working best. The inshore action for roosterfish, pargo and pompano is hot, with roosters to 50lbs, pargo to 25lbs, and multiple strikes on pompano inshore from Leonero to the lighthouse, taking live mullet and sardinas. Alex Szekely, of Tecate, Baja Cal. Norte, while fishing 3 days on a Leonero cruiser, took a wide variety of fish, including sails, dorado, tuna, roosterfish, pargo and pompano. Reservations 800-646-2252; Hotel 011-52-114-10216.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: EAST CAPE SPORT FISHING, Los Barriles, August 26, 2000, Gil Mendiaz. Hi. Here's the latest. Sea temperatures have been interesting to say the least. Review of the current SST maps reveals a large body of cool water dominating Palmas Bay. This water contains a number of temperature breaks inside itself. The center portion, at 86 degrees, extends from El Cardonal in the north all the way to La Capia in the south and outside about 8 miles. This is where you find a large temperature break at 87.5 to 88 degrees. This area extends from Punta Sur at Cerralvo all the way to Los Frailes and Punta Gorda where it comes to within a mile of the shoreline. The current weather in the area is providing light showers in the daytime and late evenings. This condition is keeping the water a little cooler, as on the outside sea surface temps are reaching 89 to 92 degrees. The breaks are providing increased billfish action, where sailfish, blue and black marlin are being sighted, baited, caught and released with some regularity. While on the troll for the billfish, a number of larger dorado have been caught, with some at 60 lbs. Closer to shore the tuna bite at La Ribera has been consistently giving up fish from 12 to 55 lbs. with smaller dorado mixed in. Trolling from the lighthouse and going north close to shore has also produced both mid-size dorado and bullet tuna. Inshore action for roosters, jack crevalle and pargo is still giving up fish, however the jacks are mid-sized as are the roosters. From the beaches fishing has been constrained by the high surf associated with the afternoon breezes. Bait is good quality with sardinas, caballitos, mullet and a few Cortez anchovetas. Best colors for trolling red/yellow, red/black, baby dorado and chivato. Notable catches: Kim Gale fishing aboard Alma Rosa III out of Hotel Los Barriles for (3) days, managed limits of tuna and dorado all three days. "We just loved the crew. They have a great attitude and really showed us the ropes down here. They really took their time with us and gave everything we asked for." Reservations Tel 800-837-1556; Fax 805-493-5446.

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: JONATHAN ROLDAN'S ADVENTURE SERVICES, La Paz, August 27, 2000, Jonathan Roldan. This is the weirdest water I have ever seen in all my years down here. Normally at this time of year, water is 88 and blue. Right now, because of the rains from last week, it's as green as green can be, but it's a weird color of green. It's a weird translucent green that's everywhere, almost as if there's a sudden plankton bloom. On top of it, whereas green usually signifies colder water incursions, the water remains just as warm as ever. It plays hell with our SCUBA divers, but in terms of fishing, heck, the fish just don't really seem to care. They keep biting! The green seems most prominent in the areas around La Paz, but we're still knocking the stuffing out of dorado with most of the bite on the east and north and northwest side of Espiritu Santo Island. If you still haven't caught your dorado for the season, now's the time. James Curtiss, owner of the Cortez Club, took his 34-foot Ocean Master, "Hot Pursuit" past San Juan de La Costa to find the edge of the green water and found it about 50 miles up the coast. "It didn't seem to make any difference as we took wide open dorado with double and triple hookups all the way out just catching and releasing all day." On the Arenas side of La Paz, the water color is bluer, but the fishing also remains good. Tuna seem to have taken up permanent residency in front of the Arenas lighthouse with some 50-70 pounders not uncommon. Also, it's finally cranked up at South Point off Cerralvo Island as well for tuna along with a more consistent dorado bite and sailfish mixed in as well. I don't see any wahoo coming up on the beach, but I swear the 'hoos are there from the stories I'm hearing of line ripping off reels at incredible speed, then coming back cleanly cut. Most guys think they're needlefish bit, but the more experienced guys know that they've been hit by the big skinnies. Without wire, it's not contest, but with wire, you may get a wahoo, but you'll get snakebit by the tuna! It's warm and humid down here. Water, as I said has remained warm despite color changes. I was diving this week and registered 88 degrees on the surface and 87 at 60 feet down. Manta rays and whale sharks are not uncommon.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: HOTEL LAS ARENAS, Punta Arena de la Ventana, August 29, 2000, Bo Landress. Fish Count: Tuna, 44 to 77 pounds; Dorado, 68 to 64 pounds; Roosterfish, 2 to 35 pounds; Pargo 2 to 20 pounds. As predicted in our last report, the larger dorado popped up after Ileana pushed in some temperature breaks water and debris. Larger bulls up to 64 lbs were taken inside, around the shark buoys and just off the southern tip Cerralvo. In general, any flotsam was holding fish and one of our skippers reported a school of at least 40 of these golden beauties holding under a plastic milk bottle. Many anglers are targeting these sporting fish with light set-ups and conditions have been ideal for the fly-fisherman. Bob Brown, of northern California, fished Las Arenas Resort last week and reported excellent conditions for himself and his two boys. He says, "Michael, my 11-year old, was the fisherman of the trip in taking a 70+ lb. yellowfin tuna, 30 lb dorado, as well as a 5ft. needlefish from shore. What a great place for a dad and his boys to share the experience of fishing in Baja." Live bait is "all over the place." Typical August conditions continue with temperatures in the mid-to-upper-90s and a chance of light showers in the afternoons. Take advantage of our "Forth night Free!" promotion through September. Suites and boats still available during certain periods in October and November....call now for details! Reservations 888-644-7376.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: FISHERMEN'S FLEET, Hotel Los Arcos, La Paz, August 30, 2000, David Jones. Howdy Gene. Another nice week, improvement noted in all of those important categories like fishing and weather. A couple of mildly bumpy days, but we didn't loose any fishing days, and towards the end of this reporting period we've had some very nice weather. The fishing has improved likewise with the Tuna growing and the Dorado becoming more plentiful. Dennis McCormick and son Brian, down from just north of Portland worked hard this week on both Tuna and Dorado. By day #3 Brian had started to tire slightly and Dennis began to catch 'em too. They did most of their best work towards the Punta Arena light with occaisional trips into the channel to prospect for El Dorado on the buoys there. Oliver Horezcky, wife, son in law, daughter and grand sons came down from Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, and did a job on the Tuna, Dorado, and even a couple of Marlin whipped into submission by the 6 and 8 year old fishing machines. Gary Strodz dropped by from the greater LA area and had a full week, with Tuna, Dorado, and quite a few Roosterfish. Gary had the Rooster of a lifetime, an estimated 100 pounds. They landed it, and released it, after pictures. He was using the patented Billco(c) model circle hook with trailer invented by Juan Romero and made popular by the Rooster man himself, Bill Mathias of Tucson. Doug MacAllister was through one day, all the way from Vista, Ca. and did very well on Dorado to 30 pounds using Sardines. Those of you who know Doug, know Doug. Bait has been on and off easy this week, with the swells early in the week causing the bait to pull a little further off the beach and become more difficult to raise. By Tuesday this had returned to normal. Scott Taylor of Altadina and fishing mentor John Mahn from Santa Clarita have done very well on Dorado the last two days with limits and then some on fish from 15 pounds up to 35. Rounding out a week lleno with talented kid fishermen, Yankee Bloch and his sons Moshe and Eli were down, one day at Las Arenas, and one day going north with His Juaness. They did very well on Tuna both days with the biggest fish being in the 70 pound class. In general the Tuna at Las Arenas have moved slightly north to in front of that hotel over there, forgot the name, and are within a few hundred yards of the beach. The average size has increased in the last few days, with 50 pounds being the average and some 75 pound fish coming on live Sardines with a small (3/8 and 1/2 oz.) rubber core sinker. (For those of you coming down this month, bring some sinkers, I'm running out!) The Dorado have gone from every other day to just about every day with fish both on the buoys in the channel and on the buoys outside. The average size is still good with fish to 45 pounds this week. Sailfish and Marlin are fairly common, either out on the buoys, or in close where the Tuna are. The Malin this week have all been Stripers to 130 pounds, but the Sails have been very large with several 90-100 pounders taken and released. Roosters have been in all the usual haunts and have come on Sabalo (Ladyfish) which have been around in abundance. Another very good week, nice folks, good weather, lots o' fish, now the only thing between here and perfection might be a little fishing for yours truly. I'll think I'll wander up towards the Bajo tomorrow in the Christina and see if something large and pointy has my name on it. Reservations 011-52-112-21313; Fax 011-52-112-57334.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: VILLAS DE LORETO, August 29, 2000, Erin Cassandra. Hi Gene, This is getting to be repetitive, but the fishing is excellent at Loreto! The Dorado are biting like mad and our guests are still reeling in big ones. Tuna and Sailfish are being caught as well. The weather has been putting on quite the show lately, as yesterday afternoon we had a huge lightening and thunder storm. We received quite a lot of rain, but we are dry today. Usually the rain holds off until afternoon or night... Mother Nature knows that the fishermen need calm in the morning! That's all she wrote! Reservations Tel/Fax 011-52-113-50586.

LORETO, MEXICO: CHILI PUNTA FLEET, Loreto, August 28, 2000, John "Bubba" Parker and Fishmanmark. Where are the Dorado? Simple answer, HERE. The water is in the high 80's and the air the high 90's. Seas have been flat except for Saturday night and Sunday morning, we had a pretty good wind from the South. Dorado are being found north of Coronado Island around an area called San Bruno as well as 5 or 6 miles NE off of Punta Lobos. We did get into some larger Dorado but not as many about 21 miles ENE from Punta Lobos. Dorado are in the 20 to 40 pound class with a few larger ones now and then, Depends how lucky and good you are on the big ones, one secret is keep the bait away from the smaller ones. Sailfish are also being caught in and around the same areas. They are going in the 60 to 110 pound range. Remember to release if possible. Roosterfish have been showing up at Punta Mangles area, 5 to 15 pound class. Great fun on a fly rod. Live bait seems to work best as usual, squid and feathers also work. No problem for live bait at the marina. Until next time, Tight lines. Tel 925-449-4554; Fax 925-456-2252.

LORETO, MEXICO: BAJA BIG FISH COMPANY, Loreto, August 23, 2000, Pam Bolles. Temperatures: Its cooled off because of the thunderstorms we've been having. Highs are in the mid 90's(F). The lows have dropped to the mid 70's to low 80's (F). Humidity is in the 50% range. The skies have been partly cloudy to completely overcast this week. We saw thunderstorms and "toritos" (little chubascos) three times in the last week. Yesterday the rain came down in buckets for about 30 minutes which resulted in flooded streets. It rained for two solid days in Tripui at the end of last week. Prevailing is from the South, very light in the mornings and picking up in the afternoons. Evenings may pick up from the East. Don't be surprised if you lose a day of fishing to a storm. Its that time of year again. Seas are moderately calm in the mornings and pick up in the afternoons. There's lots of offcolor water out there. Temperatures are 80 - 86 (F) offshore and ~84 (F) inshore. Things really have not changed...except for the weather, but the fish are still here. Offshore- Dorado: If you're not going for the schoolies, you'll find larger Dorado which is typical in August. The loners are averaging in the 30 pound range and larger 40, or 50+ pounders are not uncommon. The boats are heading off Punta Lobos and a few miles NNE of Isla Coronado for the bigger ones. The schoolies (15-20 pounds) are consistent off San Bruno. No matter where you go to get them, they'll take trolled live bait (macks, caballitos), feathers, squid, or cast sardinas, squid chunks, lures... This is still as good as fishing gets, wide open! Offshore Billfish: There are still a lot of billfish out there mixed in with the dorado. Yellowfin Tuna: Still no Yellowfin Tuna reported this week. Reservations Tel/Fax 011-52-113-50448.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: TONY REYES FISHING TOURS, 6-day Midriff Islands trip from San Felipe aboard the panga mothership, Jose Andres, trip ending, August 25, 2000, Tony Reyes. Water temperature 80-85 degrees F. Fish Count: 105 Cabrillas 8-17 lbs; 97 Yellowtail 18-29 lbs; 113 Spotted Bass; 27 Dolphin Fish 14-28 lbs; 4 Broomtail 14-16 lbs; 7 Grouper; 3 Shark 14-25 lbs; 8 Sheephead 6-10 lbs; 16 Red Snapper 8-14 lbs; 1 Pinto Bass 16 lbs. Exclusive booking agent, The Longfin, 714-538-8010.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: BAJA SPORTFISHING, INC., trip ending, August 24, 2000, Gustavo Velez, 6-day Midriff Islands trip aboard the panga mothership, Erik. Hi Gene! Hope you are well and things are going terrific for you!! Did you enjoy the article on the front page, as well as the entire article in the Travel section of Sunday's (8/27) San Diego Union!!??? The Fish Report for 8/19-24th for the Erik is as follows: 32 anglers. Windy. 111 Dorado, 189 Cabrilla, 205 Yellowtail, 1 Grouper(50 lbs.). Jackpot Winners: Chuck Delao, 50lb. Grouper; Erik Velez 30 lb. Dorado Reservations Tel 619-523-1822, 800-770-2341; Fax 619-523-9896; fishbaja@pacbell.net.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: JIG STOP TOURS, trip ending, August 25, 2000, Larry Burson, 6-day trip aboard the mothership, Captain Villegas. The ship went directly to Isla Partida, next to Isla San Lorenzo, and worked this Southern zone for four days. They moved to Bahia San Francisquito, Isla Salsipuedes, and Isla Estanque. This is the land of the big Yellowtail. They weighed in Yellowtail, 40 and 42 lbs, but many were in the 25 to 35 lb range. The trip scored a total of 249 Yellowtail! Most fish were taken on live bait but some nice ones ate the iron. In the same area, they boated 206 Cabrilla, to 20 lbs. The Cabrilla were taken on trolled Cabrilla Killers near the Island shores and on live bait on the reefs with the Yellowtail. Three Grouper were landed, 38 lbs, 58 lbs, and 64 lbs. The best area for Cabrilla was at Isla Estanque, near the Southeast end of Isla La Guardia. Live Mackerel was not real easy to get, but the worked each night to keep a decent supply in the tanks. South wind was a nuisance the first day and a half, then it calmed to make fishing easier. As a side note one angler had a problem with back pain and discovered one of the Galley helpers, Felix, was talented in Accupressure Massage. Felix gave him a treatment and put him back in action to battle those big Yellowtail. The group scored 13 Dorado, but in no particular area. They were mostly 10 to 18 lbs. Some nice Pargo were boated. They took a total of 109, with 34 in the 18-20 lb size. Five White Seabass were landed, to 59 lbs. Joe Bezerra of Whittier scored the 59 lb White Seabass. Kevin Lytle from Middleton, WI, got the big fish, a 64 lb Grouper! Frank Jerema from La Crecenta weighed in a 42 lb Yellowtail! Mark Hanson from Glendale, AZ, checked In a 40 lb Yellowtail. Reservations Tel 949-496-0960; 800-521-2281; Fax 949-496-1384.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: MAZATLAN (ARIES FLEET). Slow on anglers and hot on fishing results. According to Geronimo, the catch numbers for Mazatlan boats are low at first glance, but when you condsider only 9 fishing days, the average is pushing 10 fish per boat day, including a sail per boat, too. Overall catches reflected 10 sailfish, 1 red shark, 24 yellowfin tuna and 55 dorado. Climate: hot and humid, upper 90s, partly cloudy and even a shower from time to time. Seas: generally calm, occasional rain squall, temps in the low 80s. Best fishing area: 240 degrees southwest of Marina El Cid, 20 miles. Best lures/baits: sails best on rigged baits. Tuna on the feathers, and dorado on live bait , Rapalas and strip bait. Reservations 619-469-4255.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: IXTAPA/ZIHAUTANEJO (IXTAPA SPORTFISHING CHARTERS), reported by Stan Lushinsky. With clear weather and good sea conitions, along with generous stocks of hungry game fish, the only thing missing in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is anglers . Jose Luis Lara, ground contact for Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters, reports wide open fishing for sailfish, dorado, and roosterfish, along with some giant tuna and marlin mixed in. The two largest marlin weighed in approached the 400-pound mark and the largest tuna scaled better than 330 pounds. Mr. Todd Holzemer, Hillsboro, Oreg., fishing aboard the super panga, Dos Hermanos, leadered 23 roosterfish in a single day, with several of the fish approaching 50 pounds. Mr. Holzemer also fished an offshore day aboard the Vamanos I, releasing 2 sails and landing 3 dorado in the 30-40 pound range. The blue water continues to be inside Zihautanejo Bay with an ample supply of schools of bait appearing all along the coast. Climate: bright sunny days with temps in the 90s. Seas: perfect. Best Fishing Area: 1-15 miles offshore. Bait Supply: good. Reservations 619-469-4255.

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Sergio's Sportfishing Center, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

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Pisces Fleet clients Jerry Hotovy with a sailfish, and bob Alex with a nice yellowfin tuna. Below, an "auto-release."

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Gordo Banks Pangas clients this week with excellent dorado and tuna catches off La Playita.

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Monster 352-pound East Cape yellowfin tuna reported by Hotel Palmas de Cortez.

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Several weeks ago, I told you that I almost got shish kebbob'ed by a sailfish that jumped into the panga with us just missing my head and landing (the sailfish) in the bait tank. A number of you asked if I had a picture. Well, Elaine Layne just happened to snap the attached photo as the fish launched itself. . . Tel 626-333-3355; Fax 626-333-0115; Pager 323-349-8111; Message Pager 877-310-7734; Riplipboy@aol.com. --Jonathan Roldan.

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Erin Cassandra with a nice Villas de Loreto dorado.

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Old Baja pilot, Larry Hahn sent these photos of his Texas flying buddies enjoying a "hot" trip to Loreto. Here, they are caught cooling off at Isla Coronado after limiting on dorado in a couple of hours. Fishing was out of this world, and the hospitality was super at Bill and Gloria Benziger's historic Oasis lodge.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES

Yellowfin tuna, albacore, dorado are caught by Ensenada sportfishing boats

Mexico Fishing News, August 30, 2000

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS