Offshore fishing is windy but productive at East Cape

Mexico Fishing News, February 17, 2003

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Water temperatures held as high as 73 degrees, and good offshore action on dorado, yellowfin tuna, and some billfish was again available for boats out of Bahia de Palmas last week, despite a brief spell of wind and rain.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said over the weekend, "If anglers get out, the fishing continues to be decent, with some quality dorado and tuna lurking about. The number of marlin being spotted is remarkable for this time of year."

Graham reported East Cape weather in the high-80s, and water temperatures ranging from 68 to 72 degrees. Beach fishing was slow, except for the before-sunup bite centered around the Las Arenas light. On other near shore species, Graham said, "We pounded the beach on Wednesday, and we did see a few smaller fish just out of casting range."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: At Rancho Buena Vista, Tami Moyeous said, "The few boats we've had out have caught plenty. Six trips had a catch including released fish of: 1 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 27 dorado, and 14 yellowfin tuna."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Rancho Leonero's John Ireland said water temperatures to 73 degrees were recorded last week and weather conditions were excellent on Saturday. "Billfish are biting throughout the bay, with the best results from presenting live mackerel to tailing fish," Ireland said. The best tuna action was north at Punta Pescadero again, after a brief flurry at La Ribera, and on Saturday one boat caught or released 12 tuna to 40 pounds, caught on live bait and hoochies.

Ireland said all boats were limiting on dorado of 30 to 40 pounds, taken from 1 to 5 miles offshore on lures, mackerel, and sardina.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Mark Rayor of Vista Sea Sport said water conditions were excellent at Cabo Pulmo, with blue, clear water at 73 degrees, and lots of sea life to be observed. "It's amazing," Rayor said. "Gorilla-sized grouper, large schools of mantas, and bigeye jacks have been easy to find. Today, we even saw a hammerhead shark."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Earlier, Ed Raphael of San Clemente reported on a good trip to Hotel Palmas de Cortez:

"We fished 3 days, 2 from pangas and one day on a cruiser. Limits of dorado every day. We got 4 tuna and 2 large dorado from the cruiser. The largest tuna was approximately 90 pounds. The hottest lure was cedar plugs. For tuna and larger dorado we fished north. We went south past Rancho Leonero but not as far as the lighthouse to catch sierra, bonita, and yellowtail. The yellowtail was tough to catch. We had to jig in 200 feet of water with a Salas 6X. The dorado loved black-and-purple. The tuna like almost any kind of cedar plug, and the sierra liked silver hoochies."

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: Sammy Susarrey of Lily Fleet reported calmer seas and sunny weather with good local catches of barracuda to 12 pounds, bonito to 8 pounds, and limits of lingcod, bass, and snappers. "We got limits by 12:30 p.m.," Susarrey said. The fish hit on live sardines, frozen squid, and UFO 3 jigs in 150 feet of water. The Amigo fished at Punta Banda Bank for limits by 11:30 a.m. on lingcod and red rockfish.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: At Vonny's Fleet, Ivan Villarino said pangas fishing the tip of Punta Banda were still catching limits of bottom fish and good-sized yellowtail, including a 30 pounder for Jay Johnson of Fontana, caught on a light aluminum jig at the kelp between the point and Isla Todos Santos. Johnson fished on the Vonny I with Capt. Beto Zamora. Villarino reported seas at 2 to 3 feet, light breezes, and water temperatures at about 60 degrees.

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: Paul Montgomery and Jerry Harper drove down to Puerto Santo Tomas for an excellent trip in good conditions. Montgomery said: "We fished 3 consecutive days. The weather and conditions couldn't be better. We caught limits of large calico bass to about 8 pounds when we could get our Scampis past the Johnny Bass. We fished on Jorge Kamel's panga. The rockfish and lingcod were caught with squid and large white Scampis or Diamond Jigs."

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Local resident Julio Meza launched at the end of the week at the Old Mill ramp and fished the 6 Spot for large lingcod, then Ben's rock for barracuda, before moving to the south side of Isla San Martin in 80 to 120 feet of water. Meza and his party then loaded up with: 24 calico bass to 10 pounds, 21 red rockfish to 9 pounds, 22 sandbass to 12 pounds, 4 sugar bass, 1 sheephead, and 5 lingcod to 15 pounds. Meza said 6 other boats were fishing the 240 Spot with good action on lingcod and reds, plus a few whitefish. He didn't see any yellowtail caught during the week, and water temperatures were about 60 to 62 degrees.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Don Eddie's Landing said earlier that some yellowtail were caught in 120 to 160 feet of water around the 6 Spot on live bait and yo-yo jigs.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said fishing has taken a back seat to whale watching as the migration goes into full swing, but there were a few yellowtail, skipjack, and bonita caught at the Entrada, plus some grouper, spotted bay bass, halibut, and occasional pargo along shore back to Punta Belcher. In the mangrove channels, corvina action slowed down. San Carlos weather was in the low-70s, with water temperatures of about 67 to 70 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Offshore marlin action slowed down last week. Tommy Garcia of Cabo Magic reported on 64 boats chartered, with a catch including released fish of: 36 striped marlin, 1 mako shark, 47 yellowfin tuna, 93 dorado, 3 wahoo, and 20 sierra. "Nothing extraordinary to report," Garcia said. "This full moon seems to have affected reportable catches."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: At Pisces Fleet, Tracy Ehrenberg said, "Billfish catch rates dropped to 57 percent this week. Boats started out the week fishing San Jaime and then gradually moved towards the Old Lighthouse, and finally they headed up into the sea of Cortez."

"More yellowfin tuna were caught this week than any other fish," Ehrenberg said. "The majority were taken early in the week at the Jaime Bank. The fish were school size at 15 to 25 pounds and took most trolled lures. The number of fish caught per boat varied from 1 to 15. Dorado catches were up slightly this week, with some boats getting 4 to 6."

Ehrenberg said Cabo weather was overcast with scattered showers, seas mostly calm, and water temperatures about 70 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Picante Fleet reported on 6 boats chartered Thursday with a catch including released fish of: 12 striped marlin, 6 dorado, and 5 yellowfin tuna, with the best action found at the Golden Gate Bank and 95 Spot.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said Gaviota Fleet still averaged close to a billfish per day despite the slowdown. The fleet had a catch including released fish of: 10 striped marlin, 21 dorado, and 17 yellowfin tuna, with boats looking in all areas for better action.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Solmar Fleet reported another winter blue marlin, this time a 250 pounder released by the Solmar II with Capt. Javier. The blue hit a trolled red lure at the Jaime Bank. Solmar Fleet had a catch including released fish of: 25 striped marlin, 1 blue marlin, 75 yellowfin tuna, 48 dorado, and 27 sierra.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas said water temperatures off La Playita were about 70 to 72 degrees, and fish counts were slightly down in sometimes choppy conditions. Pangas were catching pargo, cabrilla, grouper, sierra, and bonito, but the larger yellowfin tuna being seen at the Gordo Banks were still proving elusive.

"Larger yellowfin to 100 pounds are still holding on the Gordo Banks," Brictson said. "This past week the tuna became shy and actually only bit well on a couple of days. The majority were hooked on chunk bait. But skipjack bait proved to be very hard to come by.

"Anglers using fluorocarbon leader had a higher percentage of strikes, though many larger fish were broken off on leader of 60-pound or lighter. These tuna were definitely line shy. It was a toss-up as to how light of leader to use. It is no fun to hook big fish and have them wear through the leader after an extended battle. Either way, anglers were lucky to land one or two of these tuna."

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: At Victor's Fleet, Luis Duhart said 1 boat fished last week, and dorado to 25 pounds were found about 2 miles off Cerro Colorado, plus some pargo near shore.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Paul Roos had a strange day with a sea lion that made repeated attempts to make off with his 114-pound yellowfin tuna on a Tomas Cantor panga at the Inner Gordo Bank:

"My neighbor, Clay Simon, wanted to get his son-in-law, Wade, out for his first saltwater fishing trip. I hooked a chunk on a 9/0 circle hook on a Penn tuna stick with a 2-speed Shimano TLD30 and let it out with the slow drift. About 15 minutes later the free spool clicker started to go off so I picked up and waited. When it was real tight, I set hard and something big took off the other way...fast!!

"After 5 minutes, I asked for my harness, hooked up, set the butt in the rod cup and started the standup battle. Half an hour later, I called for novice Wade to take over. Hooked him up, a 250-pound big guy, and he took up the battle. Wade was starting to grind this biggie up...when suddenly the biggest lobo I'd seen out there shows up.

"The lobo surfaced about 50 feet away with this big tuna it has by the head. The fish was too big for the creature to grab in the middle.

"We got him to drop it and the fish, not bothered at all by almost being lunch, sounds. After another five minutes, the weight on the line ramps up and the lobo has the tuna again.

"The above scenario goes on twice more. The fourth time we got the tuna free, the lobo gave up and swam away. That tuna was too big for him anyway!

"The tuna had fight left. It took Wade another ten minutes to get it close to the boat where I stuck it with the big gaff. There wasn't a mark on the flesh except in the shoulder where the gaffs went in. It weighed 114 pounds on the good scale at the beach palapa."

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Mino Shiba of Mosquito Fleet reported continued excellent action on yellowtail at the Bajo when conditions allowed boats to go that far. "We got a lot of yellowtails with live bait and jigs," Shiba said. "Water is about 70 degrees. The only problem is you need a lucky day with no wind to reach the Bajo."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tail Hunter International said some larger dorado, to a weighed 45 pounds, were caught on the Las Arenas side, plus occasional football yellowfin tuna in the 20-pound class. "Other than that, inshore fishing has been productive for sierra, cabrilla, pargo, but no yellowtail," Roldan said.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: David Jones of Fishermen's Fleet had fly anglers in town last week who scored limits on dorado from 10 to 20 pounds, plus some pargo and cabrilla. Jones also had a good day on dorado, saying, "We had a great deal of fun catching and releasing after we got our limits. These fish stayed around the boat for an hour and a half. So much fun. I'm going out today with my friend Guillermo Alvarez."

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Loreto Pangeros reported a fish count for 4 boats of: 10 yellowtail, 14 cabrilla, 3 pargo, and 12 sierra. Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company reported that CONAPESCA is on a local campaign to check sport and commercial fishing licenses and boat permits. The Loreto Panguero office at the marina can help with paperwork, she said.

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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MULEGE, MEXICO: Charlie Hillman, who just returned from a 3-week trip to Punta Chivato, reported 7 fishable days, and a frustrating experience with larger yellowtail: "Two beautiful mornings, just before I left, as always. Lots of bait, mackerel, bigeye scad. Worked well for big, to 35 pounds, yellowtail.

"One morning I made 7 baits in 10 minutes, out to the 220, about 4 miles from my home on Shell Beach. Five good strong hookups on 30-pound line, and 5 break-offs. Next time, it's 50-pound line and a 2-speed. No more Mr. Nice Guy."

Hillman said the weather was in the low-70s, with water temperatures at about 66 degrees.

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

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ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO), MEXICO: Dale Donaldson of Santiago's Ocean Services at Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) reported an excellent run last month on huachinango red snappers to 15 pounds. The fish were caught in depths of 200 feet about 25 miles southwest of Puerto Penasco, Donaldson said, in water temperatures of about 63 degrees.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said Aries Fleet out of Marina el Cid had a catch including released fish of: 39 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 44 dorado, 64 yellowfin tuna, 5 mako shark, and 1 hammerhead shark. Offshore boats averaged 1.3 billfish per day, and inshore pangas also caught red snapper, triggerfish, sierra, corvina, and permit. Mazatlan weather was cloudy in the low-80s, with water temperatures of 73 to 74 degrees.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Local guide Ed Kunze said local water temperatures have begun their seasonal decline, and the blue water moved out to about 4 miles from the beach last week. Sailfish action was averaging about 1 to 3 fish per day in 78-degree water, and a couple of blue and black marlin were being caught daily, Kunze said, in addition to large numbers of yellowfin tuna. "The tuna are here in tonnage quantities," he said "A few nice dorado are being taken, averaging 25 to 35 pounds."

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Paul Phillips of the Fintastic Total Tag & Release Tournament said roosterfish also became scarce last week, as the marlin and tuna moved in to replace the sailfish, and Stan Lushinsky of Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters said 42 boats chartered had a catch including released fish of: 74 sailfish, 2 blue marlin, 12 dorado, and 2 yellowfin tuna.

Fish Photo 1

Paul Roos and friends finally landed this 114-pound yellowfin tuna from a panga at the Gordo Banks after pulling it from the mouth of a sea lion several times.

Fish Photo 1

Jay Johnson caught this beautiful Punta Banda 30-pound yellowtail while fishing with Ensenada's Vonny's Fleet pangas and Capt. Beto Zamora last week. Photo courtesy Ivan Villarino.

Fish Photo 1

Paul Montgomery fished at Puerto Santo Tomas with Jerry Harper and found great weather and good action on lingcod, calico bass, and rockfish.

Fish Photo 1

Rich Convertito caught this nice dorado out of East Cape's Hotel Palmas de Cortez last week during a trip with Ed Raphael. They also caught sierra, bonito, yellowtail, and yellowfin tuna to 90 pounds. Photo courtesy Ed Rafael.

Fish Photo 1

Tim MacDonald, left, of Kamloops, B.C. got his first sailfish on the fly with Capt. Carlos Anso of Zihuatanejo. Photo courtesy Paul Phillips.

Fish Photo 1

Santiago's Ocean Services of Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) reported a big run of huachinango red snapper to 15 pounds last month, in 200 feet of water, about 25 miles southwest of town. Photo courtesy Don Donaldson.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES

Offshore fishing is windy but productive at East Cape

Mexico Fishing News, February 17, 2003

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS FISHING REPORTS

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS