Dorado advance guard in range of Mulege fishing boats

Mexico Fishing News, June 3, 2002

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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MULEGE, MEXICO: Don Johnson of the historic HOTEL SERENIDAD called late Sunday to report that the leading edge of the spring dorado migration has reached Mulege. Johnson said dorado were "coming in heavy" on local boats over the weekend, and it looks like the bite could break wide open from Punta Concepcion to Isla San Marcos.

Most of the fish were found in scattered pods, and ranged in size from 20 to 25 pounds, with some larger fish mixed in. When a pod is located, the action is "very heavy," Johnson said. Yellowfin tuna were also found last week by some boats that ventured out about 25 miles. Johnson said Mulege weather has been close to perfect, about 87 degrees, with some humidity from the lingering effects of Hurricane Alma, calm seas, and water temperatures in the mid-70s.

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: Summer surface fishing picked up the pace for anglers out of Bahia de Todos Santos last week, with albacore, yellowtail, barracuda, and bonito hitting in good numbers, and bottom fishing still excellent.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Tecate trailer boat anglers BARNEY and LANCE PHILLIPS launched their boat Mako on Thursday in calm conditions, and fished for albacore. "Mike had nice sardines. The water was a deep blue," Barney Phillips said. "Outside temperature was 61 to 62.5 degrees. We put the lines out on the 117 (degree) line, and worked out to the 238/295. Our first stop was at 117 degrees 05 minutes, 31 degrees 39 minutes for two jig fish. The albacore hit Yozuris and Rapalas, but would not come to the bait. Next stop was inside the 238 for 2 jig fish and 2 bait fish. Further out, by the 295, we had a jig stop for 3 more albies and 1 on bait, which limited us out. The fish ran from 20 to 27 pounds."

ENSENADA, MEXICO: At LILY FLEET, Sammy Susarrey reported 16 albacore to 15 pounds for 6 anglers at the 295 Bank, plus 6 yellowtail on kelp paddies. Most of the albacore hit on trolled feathers, Susarrey said. Inshore, the Lily fished at University Point, and scored on 2 white seabass, 9 calico bass, and a few log barracudas.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Local angler MICHAEL HINO reported on 3 good days of local fishing aboard the charter boat, Top Dog, with guide Pedro Moreno.

On his first day, Hino caught 4 yellowtail to 25 pounds, several red rockcod to 6 pounds, "numerous" lingcod to 8 pounds, and an assortment of other bottom fish. The yellowtail were caught early in the morning at Punta Banda, and the bottom fish were from Todos Santos Island. On the second day, Hino said "all bottom fishing was excellent again" and barracuda and bonito were also caught inside the island. The third day was "the best day yet," Hino said. "Big barracudas and giant bonitos were found all over. We also tried something different. Our guide Pedro went to one of his secret spots and put us on limits of bass. All in all, an excellent way to spend a weekend."

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Earlier, Sergio Susarrey of SERGIO'S ENSENADA SPORTFISHING CENTER, said the year's first albacore landings were made by 7 anglers aboard the Quest with Capt. Ricardo Nuñez, who found 32 albacore to 25 pounds, and 17 yellowtail, about 40 miles outside Todos Santos Island. Local boats continued to load up on limits of bottom fish, including a showing of good-sized halibut, Susarrey said.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Gene Allshouse of SAN QUINTIN SPORTFISHING said he's been running out 25 to 35 miles "almost daily" but still hasn't found the albacore. "The water temperature is climbing daily. The clarity is great as well, but they're just not here yet."

San Quintin bottom fishing continues "fantastic," Allshouse said, with easy limits on large lingcod and rockcod coming in daily from the 240 Spot and 15 Spot.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: At the OLD MILL HOTEL, Jim Harer reported local weather was good all week, with overcast mornings and sunny afternoons, light winds, and water temperatures averaging about 60 degrees.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Eleven boats chartered out of the hotel for Pedro's Pangas and El Capitan Sport Fishing scored on the usual limits of lingcod and bottom fish last week, plus 3 yellowtail in the 15-pound range.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of BAJA ON THE FLY said the weather continued cold and windy last week, and the fishing was tough. "Up in the esteros, the water is cold and there's little action. Out near the entrada, there are red crabs everywhere, and while the yellowtail have been missing, the halibut fishing was pretty good. Outside the entrada, we are starting to hear sketchy reports of dorado and billfish, and a few tuna are starting to show." Graham reported San Carlos weather at 65 to 75 degrees, and water temperatures of 60 to 66 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tracy Ehrenberg of PISCES FLEET called it a "fairly decent" week, with 47 percent of boats scoring on billfish over a full moon. "Maybe that's a good number in other parts of the world, but we are used to more in Cabo," she said.

Ehrenberg said some local captains are continuing to experiment with circle hooks, after being introduced to them during the recent Rolex/IGFA tournament.

"It looks like we will see a gradual change to these," Ehrenberg said. "Several captains have commented that they hurt the fish less, and that the fish won't die as often. Besides, from the feedback we got, the successful hook-up ratio is much higher with this type of hook than with the traditional J-hook."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: At PICANTE FLEET, Cabo San Lucas weather was reported at 71 to 94 degrees, and water temperatures were 69 to 75 degrees. Six boats chartered on Friday had a combined catch including released fish of: 4 striped marlin, 6 dorado, and 5 yellowfin tuna, with the best action was at the Outer Gordo Bank and the Golden Gate Bank.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of CORTEZ YACHT CHARTERS said GAVIOTA FLEET boats found good action on dorado to 47 pounds, plus an improved count on yellowfin tuna last week, with the best fishing found on the Pacific side from Cabo Falso out to the Jaime Bank. The combined fleet count for the week was: 25 striped marlin (23 released), 72 dorado, 52 yellowfin tuna, and 4 wahoo.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: At SOLMAR FLEET, Rene Santa Cruz reported a jump in numbers across the board for striped marlin, dorado, and yellowfin tuna. Solmar anglers had a combined catch including released fish of: 87 striped marlin (79 released), 68 dorado, 47 yellowfin tuna, 28 skipjack, and 10 roosterfish.

The top Solmar boat for the week was the Solmar II with Capt. Javier, who fished north up the Cortez side at Destiladera with the Duncan family of Portland and released 4 striped marlin of 7 struck during the day.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Eric Brictson of GORDO BANKS PANGAS said the storm surf effect of distant Hurricane Alma shut down panga launching at La Playita Beach for four days last week. "The water temperature averaged about 76 to 78 degrees, and the storm swell stirred up pockets of green water," Brictson said. Trolling was the most productive fishing method, as boats looked for patches of blue water scattered throughout the area.

Dorado to 40 pounds provided the main action, and boats were landing about 2 to 8 fish each, Brictson said, plus having some shots at billfish. Yellowfin tuna continued to be scarce.

Near shore anglers were finding a mix of sierra, jack crevalle, pargo, and roosterfish to 50 pounds. "Trolling with live mullet close to shore was especially affective for the roosterfish," Brictson said. "We look for great action in the next few weeks. Typically the peak season for the big roosters is during June."

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Surf and full moon tides knocked out the beach fishing for a few days, but otherwise the East Cape area enjoyed continued good to excellent fishing for everything but yellowfin tuna.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: At EAST CAPE SMOKEHOUSE, Chris Moyers reported on 375 combined fleet boats with a catch including released fish of: 8 blue marlin, 217 striped marlin, 10 sailfish, 410 dorado, 28 yellowfin tuna, 9 pargo, 4 wahoo, 2 cabrilla, 27 roosterfish, and 1 sierra. East Cape weather was generally calm in the high-90s, and water temperatures ranged from 78 to 82 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: At RANCHO LEONERO, John Ireland said the striped marlin bite is still averaging more than 1 fish per day, and blue marlin are starting to show up. Last week, 1 or 2 blues to about 300 pounds were landed each day.

Good numbers of dorado to 40 pounds were spread everywhere from Isla Cerralvo to Los Frailes, with the Punta Pescadero shark buoys producing well. Inshore action continued good for roosterfish and amberjack to 50 pounds, Ireland said, and live bait was essential for the amberjack.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Tami Moyeous of RANCHO BUENA VISTA said it was another awesome week for fleet boats, with a combined count including released fish of: 42 striped marlin, 3 blues, 25 roosterfish, 35 dorado, and 6 yellowfin tuna. The hotel is heavily booked for the summer, Moyeous said, but some slots are still available.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of BAJA ON THE FLY said last week's stirred up surf and strong tidal action made the beaches difficult. "The bite just flat slowed down," Graham said. "Then, things began to swing back around. Don Sloan of Borrego Springs, found good action on the beach from Punta Colorada to Punta Arena. Plenty of ladyfish and a few roosters and jacks tore up his green Baja Deep Diver in short order. Don and I spent several hours last night reloading both of our fly boxes."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: At VISTA SEA SPORT, Mark Rayor was raving, "Best conditions we have had in 2 years. No crowds and super good diving and fishing.

"What a great time to visit the East Cape! Spectacular conditions! The reefs are alive with huge gorilla-sized grouper, huge pargo, and amberjack can be seen in big numbers. Schools of giant sting rays are on the sand floor, and manta rays are cruising up and down the edge of the reefs, with an occasional hammerhead. When we take a moment, sea horses and nudibranchs have been easy to find." Rayer reported water temperatures at diving depths of 76 to 78 degrees.

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: David Jones of FISHERMEN'S FLEET graded last week's action as "A" for variety and quality, but only a "C+" for numbers. "We caught roosterfish to 50 pounds, dorado to 45, dog snappers to 35, and amberjack to 35," he said, but nothing in abundance. "Dorado continue to come in, and the numbers are slowly increasing. Fully half of these fish have been larger than 30 pounds and none were tiny."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: At HOTEL LAS ARENAS, Linda Glassman Davis said work will begin soon on paving the 6,000-foot airstrip that has been closed for the past decade. Also, the hotel will launch an all-new website soon that will feature online, real time reservations.

Las Arenas pangas checked in with a combined fish count of: 18 yellowfin tuna to 40 pounds, 20 dorado to 35 pounds, 9 yellowtail to 32 pounds, 15 amberjack to 25 pounds, 5 roosterfish to 28 pounds, 18 pargo to 20 pounds, and 6 cabrilla to 10 pounds. Fly anglers scored on 23 species in four days.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: At MOSQUITO FLEET, Mino Shiba said he only had a few clients last week, but they caught amberjack to 60 pounds, yellowtail to 30 pounds, and a lot of cabrilla in mixed sizes. There are still plenty of pargo around Isla Espiritu Santo, he said, and the dorado are showing up, but not too many. Average size is about 15 to 35 pounds. Plenty of bait is available, with lots of sardines, caballitos, and squid on the surface, and water temperatures have been about 75 to 79 degrees, with some morning breezes, but "hot by noontime."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of TAIL HUNTER INTERNATIONAL said last week's stirred up water had him working too hard. "I don't think I've ever encountered 4 days in a row when we had to work so hard for so few fish! I mean, it's 95 degrees, the waters are flat, the waters are clear...but what the heck happened to the fish? Once the storm passed through down south, it turned into a desert!

"These last few days were frustrating. Boats averaged maybe 1 to 3 dorado and some of them were nice 30 to 40-pounders, but I did see some boats skunked!

"Many of you are familiar with our style of fishing here. It's generally fly line fishing, meaning it's as simple as Huck Finn with a bobber. However, these past few days, I have dragged more lures, tossed more iron, tied more dropper loop rigs, and dragged more Rapalas than in the past 3 years combined!

"I will tell you one thing, I have NEVER EVER seen so many sargasso paddies around the islands and in the channels as I have seen this week. I mean, these things just scream for DORADO! Give us 5 more degrees of water temperature and this place could explode!"

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: At VILLAS DE LORETO, the normally laid-back Wendy Wilchynski was getting excited. "We had a client back today by 11 a.m., because he had too many fish and got too tired. BIG DORADO!!! Other clients are going out tomorrow. There are so many fish out there, and they are biting! Get down here!"

LORETO, MEXICO: At EL FUERTE SPORT FISHING, Ty Miller said there was a distinct lull in the fishing action early last week but, "We have dorado tipping 50 pounds. It seems early for the big guys, but what the heck? Nobody's complaining. Most fish are in the solid 18 to 25-pound range."

Miller said dorado are holding around Isla Catalan and off Punta Perico, billfish are scattered, and a few wahoo have been showing up here and there. Bait is still heavy, and the next wave of fish was expected to sweep through at any time, Miller said. Loreto weather was in the high 80s and low 90s, with water temperatures about 80 degrees.

LORETO, MEXICO: Arturo Susarrey of ARTURO'S SPORT FISHING said the hot early-week action on dorado to 46 pounds died on Friday, but was bouncing back over the weekend as skippers surveyed the area, looking for them again. In addition to dorado, boats were catching cabrilla, yellowtail to 25 pounds, and a few yellowfin tuna to 15 pounds. Good numbers of sailfish were also reported 10 miles off Punta Perico on Carmen Island. "Today was the best day for fishing, and definitely the place was Punta Perico," Susarrey said. "Hopefully next week will have more days like this!"

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES (L.A. BAY) FISHING REPORTS

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Abraham Vazquez of CAMP GECKO at Bahia de los Angeles said the yellowtail action is slowly improving after a slow period over the last week. "There are in fair numbers now, and most fish are being caught on the surface by casting iron jigs to the boils, or slow trolling live bait." The yellowtail are mostly in the 15 to 20-pound range, with some fish going to 40 pounds, Vazquez said.

Bait conditions are "fantastic" in the bay, and the weather has been in the mid-80s ranging to 110 degrees, with water temperatures still in the mid-60s. Winds have been variable, with some westerlies, and the summer prevailing southeast winds still absent.

Vazquez commented on Igor Galvan's repeat win in the Guillermo's yellowtail tournament, with a 41-pounder and a lot of patience.

"He just stayed in this one shallow area near Racito Island and waited for the fish to come and hit the baits. They went out at 4 a.m. and the first bite was not until noon. How's that for patience?" Galvan's patience and his two winning fish were worth a total of $1,400 in prize money, Vazquez said.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Bob Castellon of SEA OF CORTEZ SPORTFISHING reported on a six-day trip by the panga mothership Celia Angelina returning to San Felipe on May 30 with a fish count of: 1 black sea bass, 266 cabrilla, 62 yellowtail, 5 white seabass, 101 giant squid, 39 pargo, 18 grouper, 396 miscellaneous fish, and 2 golden grouper released.

Castellon said bait and squid are now consistently available in several locations, in water temperatures that have climbed to over 70 degrees. The Celia Angelia fished at Cardinosa, San Esteban, San Francisquito, and the Enchanted Islands.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Tony Reyes Sr. of TONY REYES FISHING TOURS reported on a six-day trip by the panga mothership Jose Andres returning to San Felipe on May 31 with a fish count of: 1,679 spotted bay bass, 55 cabrilla to 14 pounds, 80 giant squid to 45 pounds, 46 red snapper to 14 pounds, 26 sheephead to 12 pounds, 16 yellowtail to 30 pounds, 3 black sea bass to 70 pounds, 2 broomtail grouper to 18 pounds, and 1 white seabass of 25 pounds. Six small yellowtail under 15 pounds were released. Water temperatures averaged 68 degrees, Reyes said.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Catalina Meders of San Felipe's TITLE COMPANY BOOKSTORE overlooking the bay said some marine biologists stopped by last week asking about totuaba, and she referred them to Don Tony Reyes as the best source of information.

San Felipe weather was getting hot, 86 degrees by 8:30 a.m., with water temperatures at 82 degrees, "perfect playa weather," Meders said. The recent Memorial Day crowd was a record-breaker for the town, and "This morning there are people frolicking in the shallows and others looking for shells. It looks just like a watercolor by Monet..."

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Wayne Pinkerton, of Blythe's B&B BAIT & TACKLE, said the aggressive eels he's been catching in the Gonzaga Bay area haven't actually bitten anyone, but he felt there would be a good chance of it if someone stepped on one. The mottled eels burrow backwards in the sand and hit bait. They were identified as Pacific Snake Eels after a photo was emailed to Baja fish authority, Peter Langstraat of Holland.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of CORTEZ YACHT CHARTERS said ARIES SPORTFISHING FLEET boats were fishing about 30 miles out of Marina El Cid in calm conditions and water temperatures in the high 70s. The fleet catch for the week including released fish was: 28 sailfish, 5 striped marlin, 1 blue marlin, 9 yellowfin tuna, 43 dorado, and 23 roosterfish. The best fishing was found on a heading of 220 degrees from Marina el Cid.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze of MAR Y TIERRA SPORTFISHING said blue marlin have moved into the area, although there are few anglers around to fish for them. "Blue marlin are the big story right now," Kunze said. "Those boats targeting them are almost assured of at least one hookup." Kunze said he and Capt. Santiago of the panga Gitana lost an estimated 250-pound blue last week, plus a very large tuna on the same day, after a 2-hour fight.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Paul Phillips of the FINTASTIC TOTAL CATCH & RELEASE TOURNAMENT said the sole blue marlin actually landed last week was a 360-pounder caught by local resident John Dean. Sailfish are holding steady at 2 to 4 per day, and yellowfin tuna are available if they can be located. One boat landed a total of 600 pounds of tuna last week, Phillips said.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Stan Lushinsky of IXTAPA SPORTFISHING CHARTERS said the fishing has been only 2 to 8 miles out of Zihuatanejo Bay. Strong tidal currents knocked the fishing down somewhat last week, although boats were still scoring on 1 to about 4 sailfish per day, plus good counts on roosterfish, yellowtail jacks, and bonito. Last week's catch included roosterfish of 70 and 54 pounds, plus others over 40 pounds, Lushinsky said.

Fish Photo 1

Ed Purcell of Venice, CA, left, with Capt. Pancho and a nice 45-pound dorado caught out of La Paz with Mosquito Fleet last week. Photo courtesy Mino Shiba.