Fishing at Ensenada's Punta Banda produces quality yellowtail

Mexico Fishing News, November 10, 2003

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR ENSENADA

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Pangas at the tip of Punta Banda had another jolt of larger yellowtail last week, according to Ivan Villarino of Vonny's Fleet. Jay L. Johnson had an impressive limit on yellowtail of 25 to 35 pounds, fishing midweek on the Vonny I.

Over the weekend, limits of rockcod, lingcod, olive rockfish, and 1 yellowtail, were caught by Larry Robles of Santee and Jose Osuna of El Cajon. Ensenada weather was windy in the afternoons, in the low-70s, with water temperatures of 60 to 63 degrees, and ocean swells of 2 to 3 feet.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Dennis Spike of Coastal Kayak Fishing said, "I can't take it! I've got to go!" Spike said he was scheduling a special guided trip to La Bufadora for Dec. 5-7: "We'll target yellowtail, white seabass, lingcod, cabezon, bonito, barracuda and rockfishes. The calico bass action is phenomenal in the boiler rocks, coves, and kelp forest, and 8-plus pounders are released almost every trip." Details, www.kayakfishing.com.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Sammy Susarrey of Lily Fleet said late week boats scored on medium barracuda and some 5-pound bonito at San Miguel reef. Punta Santo Tomas produced good counts of bottom fish, lingcod, and snappers, plus some nicer grade calico bass tight to the kelp beds. Private boats out of Marina Coral found yellowtail to 15 pounds, on kelp paddies 15 miles outside Isla Todos Santos, on a heading of 230 degrees. Offshore water temperatures averaged 62 degrees.

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR SAN QUINTIN

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas said about 5 boats fished over the weekend. Most of the action was on bottom fish including rockcod, lingcod, and whitefish. One boat at the 6 Spot did well on bonito, barracuda, and 2 yellowtail. White seabass were reported at El Socorro, but Hillis said he had no boats going that far south. San Quintin weather was noticeably cooler, with calm seas.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Bill Lyles and his group of 4 anglers trailered 15 and 16-foot boats to Don Eddie's Landing and did well on bottom fish: "Weather was great. No problem getting out of the bay, the breakers were small.

"Because of the size of my boat, I did not try to make the island. After a while, we were so tired and had our limits that we just caught and released until it was time to head in.

"The rooms were great at Don Eddie's. My buddy broke his trailer and it was immediately repaired by the efficient welders on site."

Lyles said his GPS numbers, taken from Fishing Spot Locator, for the 15 Spot, 6 Spot and Ben's Rock were inaccurate. "Two boats came up with the same results. Maybe there is a correction in a later edition."

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Joe and Bev Martin of Santee left the California fires behind and also fished out of Don Eddie's, with Capt. Bear, for excellent action on bottom fish around Isla San Martin and Ben's Rock. A second day with Capt. Jaime Garcia at El Socorro missed the while seabass, but found lots of large barracuda, and large sandbass of 6 to 8 pounds. Martin said on the way in, Jaime hooked an 18.5-pound halibut, and he and Bev both missed two.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR MAGDALENA BAY

MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said offshore water conditions were rough last week and few boats ran out to test the Thetis Bank fish pileup. "It was pretty much Victory at Sea for the few yachts venturing out," Graham said. "More yachts are heading down, so the action should heat back up as the winds and high seas subside." San Carlos weather was in the low-80s, with water temperatures of 67 to 78 degrees.

A fly fishing group from Alaska led by Pudge Klienkauf did well in the mangroves on snook, corvina, cabrilla, pompano, grouper, and other species. "The group spent most of the trip experimenting with floating lines and surface poppers. The results were encouraging," Graham said, who himself landed a bigmouth bastard, rarely caught on the fly.

MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: John Gilkerson of Cypress, CA trailered his 21-foot Bayrunner A-SALT-WEAPON to San Carlos with Jim and Jimmy Bentley, and ran out to Santa Maria Bay to fish out of the Mag Bay Tours camp. They found rough seas and slow action during their first day at the Thetis Bank, but wide-open action on yellowtail and barracuda inshore. The next several days outside produced lots of wahoo to 40 pounds, plus several dorado, and a striped marlin.

MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: John Gilkerson--For many years we had wanted to fish and explore the waters off of Bahia Magdalena, but because of difficult access and our relatively small boats we never made the journey. However, after reading in Western Outdoor News about a camp operated by Mag Bay Tours that offered a "Trailer Boaters" package, we decided to investigate further. It sounded perfect, with the camp located on Punta Hughes about 18 miles from the Thetis Bank. We decided to give it a try, and made reservations to stay in the Mag Bay Tours surfing/fishing camp in late October.

After receiving our confirmation and instructions on what to bring and do, we were feeling pretty comfortable about the trip. We opted to pay $10 extra per day for secure parking offered by the folks at Mag Bay Tours, and after seeing San Carlos and the launch ramp, I would recommend this option to anyone making the trip. Otherwise, your vehicle, trailer, and gear would be left totally unattended while you are away.

There were three of us on the trip, Jim Bentley, Jimmy Bentley and myself, and we took my 21-foot Baja Bayrunner A-SALT-WEAPON. We arrived in San Carlos on schedule and went to the Hotel Alcatraz as instructed. Within five minutes Olga with Mag Bay Tours met us and guided us to her house where we got our gear loaded on the boat. When ready we headed to the launch ramp, put the boat in the water, and started for the waypoint at Punta Entrada, the main entrance to Bahia Magdalena. In the mean time, our truck and trailer were driven back to the secure parking area.

The run to Punta Entrada was over 20 miles across the bay. After rounding the point we set the GPS and autopilot to GO TO the camp at Punta Hughes. A snotty wind was blowing out of the North West and we had to head straight into it, which limited our speed to about 12 miles per hour. This leg took a good two hours, was wet and bumpy.

As we neared the camp we radioed in, and Steve (camp operations) came down with his crew to what I will describe as "The Landing Area". Here they directed us into a small cove with rocks on both sides and a bit of surge. Ropes tied to the rocks were quickly fastened to the port and starboard stern cleats and another to the bow eye. The boat was tethered by these three points into position for unloading! This process of bringing the boat into shore was at first a little intimidating and had to be repeated twice each day. However, we never even dinged the prop, and by the end of the trip had it down. For those with bigger boats, the camp can arrange to get you and your gear back and forth from landing area to anchorage in one of their boats. After unloading, a kayak and paddle were put into my boat and I was off to the anchorage about 200 yards offshore. After setting the anchor in about 25 feet of water it was over the side with the kayak and back to camp.

The camp is located on Isla Magdalena at Punta Hughes, and is up on a bluff overlooking the anchorage and the surf breaks the camp was established for. Each campsite is set up for a maximum of four people and there are two, four-man tents under another large protective canopy. In each tent are two cots with air mattresses that turned out to be very comfortable. The whole ground area under the canopy is covered with astro turf, and had a table with chairs and a hammock. Excellent accommodations for such a remote location. The camp also has a central cooking and eating area with a ping-pong table. There is no electricity other than a 12-volt solar system that provides lights and power for the radios, so there are no refrigerators or freezers. Everything requiring refrigeration is kept on ice that is brought over by boat with the other supplies. Because there is no refrigeration except the ice chests, it makes sense to release all the fish you can that will not be consumed at camp until a day or two before you are leaving. We let the guys at camp know a couple days in advance and they provided plenty of ice for our boat chest and the fillets we packed to bring home.

Our first day of fishing started out in choppy rough seas, but being the determined type we pounded all 18 miles to the Thetis bank. It was so rough we dipped the tip of the starboard outrigger and broke it off at the base. We had no luck at all and were bouncing around so bad we headed for the shelter on the lee side of the point in front of the camp. We had to try to catch something so we put out small Rapalas and found the inshore fishing pretty much wide open! We ended up catching a bunch of yellowtail and some barracuda.

Day two was a little bumpy but fishable. We followed the advise of "Super Mario" at camp, and headed to one of his GPS coordinates that was out in a more south westerly direction. When we hit the 100 fathom curve, we found a seemingly endless string of shark buoys. No wonder we never saw a single shark on the whole trip. We started trolling and had a couple of expensive marlin lures just disappear without the reels making a sound. We figured it had to be wahoo and out went the grande Marauders with 250# wire. We were right and that day we caught some nice wahoo between about 25 and 40 pounds. We also caught and released several nice dorado.

Day three was beautiful with smooth seas. We headed back out to the buoys and out went the Marauders. In came several more wahoo. After we had enough wahoo, we headed back up to the Thetis bank where we trolled around for marlin with some big American yachts. We were the only boat under 35 feet on the bank. After catching more dorado on the marlin lures, but no marlin we trolled back towards Punta Hughes and the camp. A couple of miles from the Thetis my green and blue "Marlin Magic" lure got eaten by a striped marlin! The first and only marlin of the trip was brought to leader, photographed and released.

The last day it was TARGET WAHOO!! We headed for the same hot spot by the buoys. Wide-open wahoo fishing is a lot of fun, but brutally destructive on tackle. I was trolling a big purple/black Marauder and hooked a very large wahoo. The first run was so fast and long I had trouble getting my rod out of the holder and the side plate on my Newell 636 was hot to the touch. The fish made several more long and fast runs, and right at color made one last wild dive under the boat and popped my 60-pound line on the outboard motor. I had my fun with that fish even though it won my favorite Marauder. We continued having a blast with wahoo that were up to 40 pounds (my really big one got away) including a couple of double hookups that were absolute chaos. We quit early when our cooler had enough fillets for our bbq's at home and our supply of Marauders had dwindled to nearly zero.

When we got back to camp it was early so we decided to do some snorkeling. It really is amazing how many lobster can live in one place. I also swam through a large school of amberjack in the 30 to 40-pound class that were within casting distance of shore!

That night we packed our gear and went to the cook tent for our nightly dose of sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce and chips with guacamole and salsa. The appetizers were followed by our second lobster dinner. The next morning at first light, we retrieved the boat and brought it into the landing area. The camp crew carried all our gear down, loaded it into the boat, and we were off on the 46-mile run back to the ramp at San Carlos. This time we had calm waters and following seas. The guys at camp radioed ahead and the truck and trailer were waiting at the ramp in San Carlos. Everything went off without a hitch and coordination between the camp staff and the staff in San Carlos was excellent. We trailered the boat back to Steve and Olga's house where they provided fresh water to wash our gear.

This kind of trip is definitely not for everyone, and shouldn't be attempted if you are not at least a moderately experienced boater with reliable equipment. A good radio and GPS chart plotter are a must. Because of the 880+ mile drive down the Baja peninsula, the condition of your trailer and tow vehicle also have to be top notch. However, if you are the adventurous type, and like to camp in wild pristine places, the Mag Bay Tours camp at Punta Hughes is ideal, and provides the best possible access for the small boater to the incredible fishing off of Bahia Magdalena. The folks at the camp can provide just about anything you need including fuel for your boat, and on our trip the food, service, and accommodations, were outstanding. For more information about the camp and the fishing opportunities, go to www.magbaytours.com or call them at 800-599-8676. We are already planning another trip for the fall of 2004.

John Gilkerson--Cypress, CA

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR CABO SAN LUCAS

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Fishing was slower than normal at the tip of Baja last week. Picante Fleet, fishing from the 95 spot up to the Golden Gate Bank, reported on 7 boats with a catch including released fish of: 1 blue marlin, 32 yellowfin tuna, and 5 dorado.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Capt. George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported on 6 boats with a catch including released fish of: 1 striped marlin; 1 dorado of 50 pounds; and 16 yellowfin tuna, 5 to 35 pounds. Cabo weather was excellent in the high-80s, with 2 to 4-foot swells and water temperatures up to 84 degrees at the Jaime and Golden Gate Banks. Mackerel and caballito baits were in short supply, but sardina was plentiful.

"Action was slow on billfish," Landrum said. "The action seemed to be either just off the lighthouse, at the 95 spot, or up past the Golden Gate."

Landrum described the slow tuna action during the WON Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot Tournament: "Some boats reported big fish jumping, but they would not eat. Most of the fish were found more than 15 miles out and some boats reported traveling as far as 70 miles. Some boats working way up on the Pacific side reported fish in the 200 to 300-pound range, but there was no way anyone was getting bit by them. Most of the fish were slightly larger than footballs."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: At Pisces Fleet, Tracy Ehrenberg said, "I have to be totally honest and say fishing is just not what it should be for this time of year." Pisces Fleet had a billfish catch rate of 46 percent, and 68 percent for all species combined.

Ehrenberg commented on last week's Pete's Sake Tournament: "This worthy event doesn't get much press but is a valuable asset to Cabo, raising funds for children from this area in need of life saving medical procedures. Ehrenberg fished in the tournament on Ni Modo, with a catch including released fish of: 2 striped marlin, 2 dorado, and a 360-pound blue marlin, hooked just a mile off shore. Ni Modo also landed a 200-pound yellowfin tuna, one day before the WON Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot Tournament began.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters had complete results for the Pete's Sake charity tournament: "The new, all-billfish-release format, proved to be a big success this year, with a total of 38 billfish released over the 2 fishing days. Charlie, took first place with 6 billfish released; followed by Edith I, with 5 released; and Bonanza, with 4 released. In the non-billfish arena, Chuck Faith of San Diego, CA had a 34-pound yellowfin tuna, and Billy Williams of White Stone, VA took second place with a 29-pound dorado.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Solmar Fleet reported a catch including released fish of: 28 striped marlin, 10 dorado, 58 yellowfin tuna, and 5 blue marlin. Water temperatures as high as 88 degrees were seen at the Jaime Bank, the fleet reported. The top boat for the week was the Solmar I with Capt. Federico Marron and a 6-trip catch including released fish of: 6 striped marlin, 20 yellowfin tuna, and 1 wahoo.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR SAN JOSE DEL CABO

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas said the bite was generally improved around local hotspots, including the Gordo Banks, where yellowfin tuna to more than 150 pounds were caught during last week's WON Tuna Jackpot Tournament, some by anglers who, due to tournament rules, were not allowed to sign up at the last minute, as they had expected. "There were some extremely disappointed local anglers," Brictson said.

Some pangas scored on 1 to 2 wahoo per day, trolling lures from the Gordo Banks north to Vinorama, and about 3 miles offshore from Cardon to Iman. Some anglers caught as many as 5 in a morning, from 25 to 65 pounds, Brictson said. Some wahoo were also caught on chihuil live bait. Dorado continued to be scarce, and bottom fishing produced spotty action on a mix of pargo, amberjack, grouper and triggerfish.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: San Diego species specialist John Snow reported an excellent day with his regular panguero, Capt. Pata, on the Salome: "One phenomenal day yesterday! We made only one 5-hour drift. When the first flylined sardine hit the water, the action took off and continued until we ran out. I went to my bottom rig while I tried to clean up the total chaos in the panga. WHAMO! -- blancos!"

Snow, who fishes mainly with small hooks and cut bait, had a multi-day panga and surf species catch including: Pacific creole fish, palometa pompano, guineafowl puffer, orangeside triggerfish, longfinned wrasse, Cortez rainbow wrasse, jack crevalle, Panamic sergeant major, bonito, dorado, finescale triggerfish, flag cabrilla, blue-and-gold snapper, leopard grouper, Pacific porgy, Panama graysby, yellow snapper, yellowfin tuna, needlefish, hogfish, barred serrano, and sierra. Water temperatures near La Playita averaged 85 degrees.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR EAST CAPE

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 224 boats from combined fleets including the Van Wormer resorts of Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, and Punta Colorada, with a catch including released fish of: 8 blue marlin, 20 striped marlin, 78 sailfish, 20 dorado, 738 yellowfin tuna, 13 pargo, and 1 wahoo. East Cape weather was variable, with some wind and chop, in the high-80s, with water temperatures of 81 to 85 degrees. Boats were fishing in all directions, up to about 40 miles out. Most of the tuna weighed 30 to 40 pounds.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: At Rancho Buena Vista, Tami Mouyeos said, "Not a lot of activity this week. Must be winter." Nine RBV boats for the week had a catch including released fish of: 2 striped marlin, 2 blue marlin, 4 roosterfish, 6 dorado, 48 tuna, and 18 skipjack.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Marisol Verdugo of Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort said the cruisers were going out when the wind allowed and were finding quite a bit of tuna, but few billfish, and very few dorado.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Rod Albright of Los Barriles said winter winds are beginning to dominate East Cape conditions: "The seas have been rough and the wind has been blowing for the last 7 days. On our last trip, we landed 5 nice tuna and 1 half-eaten. A hungry shark took a huge bite out of our 35-pound tuna. Hopefully we will get to go fishing a few more times before we pull our boat for the season and leave the rough days for the diehards."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Chuck Meredith of Los Barriles reported: "Sixth straight day of hard winter-style north winds. Most hotel cruisers going north, so the ride back is nicer. Wind surfers are loving it. The so-called shrimp trawlers wiped out the red snapper bite in front of La Ribera. Hopefully, we will get a calm day or two real soon. Getting cabin fever."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: At Baja On The Fly, Gary Graham said, "The dreaded north winds have begun. Between that and the big tuna tournament in Cabo, few were fishing locally." Species caught before the wind hit included yellowfin tuna, skipjack, bonito, dorado, small jack crevalle, and sierra. The dorado were found under a buoy in front of Palmas de Cortez, and the sierra were in front of La Ribera.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: John Ireland of Rancho Leonero said: "A decent beginning of the week with lots of sails and striped marlin mixed with tuna, dorado, and a few wahoo. Excellent bottom fishing for big jacks and pargo." Jeff Fujioka of Auke Bay, AK, fished 3 days on a super panga and had a catch including released fish of: multiple sailfish and roosterfish, 1 dorado of 20 pounds, and 4 tuna to 35 pounds.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Local shore fishing guide Mike Reichner of Baja Beach Captain said beach water temperatures averaged 82 degrees, with cloudy water clearing quickly. At Punta Arena, Reichner said he hammered the ladyfish before the winds came up, and also landed pompano to 25 pounds, and 3 sierra. Bait was finally returning after the hurricanes. "We are finding sardina imitation jigs working best but have also experienced moderate success with countdown Rapalas," Reichner said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Mark Rayor of the Vista Sea Sport dive service said north winds have made water travel difficult, but conditions at Cabo Pulmo continued outstanding, with 80-degree water temperatures at depth. Recent sea life sightings included large schools of manta rays and cownose rays.

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR LA PAZ

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Mino Shiba of Mosquito Fleet said some dorado in mixed sized were caught with sardina and caballito around Isla Espiritu Santo, and others were caught in the bay with strip baits. La Paz weather was occasionally windy with water temperatures of 80 to 84 degrees. Some blue and striped marlin were caught with lures, and north at Isla Catalan larger tuna were reported on squid and sardina.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: At Tortuga Sportfishing, Gerardo Hernandez said no dorado at all were caught on the Las Arenas side, in windy conditions, but his captains did manage 2 sailfish and some pargo inside. Las Arenas weather was in the mid-80s, with water temperatures averaging 82 degrees.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Skip Coomber of San Diego fished with Tortuga Sportfishing's Capt. Nuffo, and had a good trip with his daughters, Caroline and Amelia, despite slow conditions: "We were able to get some interesting bottom fish, and while dragging a bonito we had a quite large sailfish come up. It was the largest sailfish I've ever seen, 7 or 8 feet long. Naturally, I let it go."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Baja old timer Larry Powers of Tucson spent 2 days with Tortuga, and was impressed despite the slow conditions: "We used live sardines and tried several types of feathers and lures. We started out at Los Muertos and worked our way north. Our second day was a nit more productive. I have fished for about 60 years along the west coast of Mexico. Tortuga goes far beyond the average expected."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Carlos Touche of Tuscon reported on another angler who blamed his guide service for the slow conditions: "We met another fisherman who complained since his boat returned without fish while ours had 4 dorados. The fishing was totally off. Five other boats from different outfitters also returned without fish.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Earlier, Betty Hill-Crofoot of La Paz and her husband Tad had an outstanding day on released blue marlin at El Bajo on their boat Wico: "The blues were hot! We had the best billfish day recorded per my husband in the last ten years.

"The first strike came around 9 a.m. on a feather. After setting the hook I passed the rod off to John Ferlin of Bellingham, WA as I knew we had a marlin and I was not geared up. After a battle of 30 to 40 minutes the blue was ready to quit, with a weight estimate of between 150 to 200 pounds.

"I then donned the harness. All of a sudden we had 2 marlin. I had a blue that wanted to dance! An estimate of 350-plus pounds!

"When I finally got him to the boat he was so tired he went vertical and started sinking. Just about the time we decided to bring him aboard, he decided to cooperate and swim under his own power.

"We started trolling back towards La Paz. A strike really surprised us. We thought we had a huge dorado but, no, it was another billfish, this time a nice sail, which we also released!"

"A captain friend was fishing in the same area and reported hooking up 3 times, managing to get 1 blue to the boat, well over 400 pounds."

Hill-Crofoot said La Paz weather was windy in the afternoon, with water temperatures of 82 to 83 degrees, and the action was on the deep water just outside the bajo.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR LORETO

LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company said, "Lots of wind this week made fishing really tough. Big yellowtail and roosterfish are off Isla Carmen, and tuna are off Isla Catalan." Baja Big Fish has begun running shorter trips for the winter season, and Bolles said her new web page on local guides would soon be up at loretopangueros.com. Loreto weather was much cooler, with some rough seas and shoreline wind waves.

LORETO, MEXICO: Gregoriano Segoviano of the Carnaderos baitsellers cooperativa said the nightly mackerel hunt has been up and down: "Three nights and two nights ago, mucha macarela. Last night, ni una. Nada. Last night we caught 20 large jurelito and some small jurelito." Segoviano said that possibly the arrival of porpoise on the bait grounds had chased the mackerel off. Plentiful sardina and bubbling lisa fry were near the marina rocks, and yellow snapper fingerlings were under the pangas, Segoviano said. Loreto water temperatures averaged 77.8 degrees.

LORETO, MEXICO: Earlier, Bill Sumner of Newport Beach, CA fished with Gary Morrison and his two sons: "The fishing was far north at Punta Pulpito and in the bay just south. It was a long and bumpy boat ride to wide-open fishing for smallish school size yellowtail, 12 to 20 pounds. Above the yellowtail were some of the biggest bonito I have ever caught, 15 to 20 pounds. Gary and his son Dan spotted one breezing school of good size dorado near Isla Coronado while slow trolling for yellowtail. They nailed one 30-pound bull and one smaller female. Other than that one encounter, the summer species seemed to be gone."

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR MULEGE

MULEGE, MEXICO: Jon Lambert of Phoenix, AZ spent a week at San Lucas Cove: "The rate that the spaces are going to year-round residents is accelerating. It wouldn't surprise me to see in two years that there's no beach front space left for short timers.

"A 140-pound blue marlin was taken by a husband and wife team on 20-pound test, on a 17-foot Whaler about 8 miles out straight east.

"Isolated dorado. Lots of sierra. We must have caught at least 15 different varieties of fish including one that fought for 30 minutes in 20 feet of water. The hook finally pulled through on the fifth run from the boat. My mistake for not using the boat to chase instead of relying on drag. Our guess was either amberjack or rooster.

"Yellowtail were sporadic and bait was best taken off San Marcos and not off the cove breakwater."

Lambert reported San Lucas Cove water temperatures of 80 to 82 degrees.

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

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: At Bahía de los Angles, Capt. Igor Galvan had a good run to Punta las Animas, in water temperatures of 73 to 75 degrees. Galvan said his panga found 8 yellowtail, 1 grouper of 39 pounds, and a 20-pound white seabass.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Abraham Vazquez of Camp Gecko said yellowtail of 5 to 10 pounds were still holding on the back side of Horsehead Island, and a very few diehard dorado were also outside.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR SAN FELIPE

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Filiberto "Fily" Espinoza of Tony Reyes Fishing Tours reported on a 6-day Midriff Islands trip by the panga mothership Jose Andres, returning to San Felipe on Nov. 1 with a catch of: 246 yellowtail, 18 to 24 pounds; 8 dorado, 12 to 14.5 pounds; 107 cabrilla, 9 to 14 pounds; 19 red snapper, 12 to 14.5 pounds; 5 broomtail grouper, 14 to 28 pounds; 1 sheephead, 8 pounds; and 135 spotted bay bass. Midriff water temperatures were 75 to 80 degrees.

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR ROCKY POINT

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO), MEXICO: One body was reported recovered, but the sea search for four other Tucson area anglers lost since their boat capsized two weeks ago was canceled. Recovered was the body of Joshua Howard, 21. Still missing were Mark Brinke, 47, Daryl Holland, 42, Carl Hopper, 42, and Howard's father, Randy, 47, according to reports by the Arizona Daily Star.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR SAN CARLOS

SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Bill Molden of San Carlos said water temperatures fell to 72 to 75 degrees, and the action was on yellowtail, sierra, and bonito, at Isla San Pedro Nolasco, and around the points north and south of the bay. The best catches were made with fast retrieve jigs, or trolled Rapalas.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR MAZATLAN

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said Aries Fleet boats averaged more than 2 sailfish per day, with a total catch including released fish of: 47 sailfish, 1 blue marlin of 230 pounds, 1 striped marlin, and 7 dorado over 40 pounds. Mazatlan weather was partly cloudy, in the upper-80s, with calm seas and water temperatures in the low-80s. The best fishing was 20 to 30 miles southwest of Marina el Cid.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR PUERTO VALLARTA

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Capt. Ed Moore of Charter Dreams said several black marlin per day were caught at El Banco, most of them in the 300 to 500-pound range, on live bonita and lures. Sailfish were abundant at El Banco and El Moro. Dorado, yellowfin tuna, and wahoo were scattered. The Anticipation's top day produced a catch including released fish of: 2 black marlin, 1 sailfish, 1 dorado, and 1 tuna. Puerto Vallarta weather was calm, with water temperatures averaging 80 degrees.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said Aries Fleet boats averaged more than 2 sailfish per day, with a total catch including released fish of: 47 sailfish, 1 blue marlin of 230 pounds, 1 striped marlin, and 7 dorado over 40 pounds. Mazatlan weather was partly cloudy, in the upper-80s, with calm seas and water temperatures in the low-80s. The best fishing was 20 to 30 miles southwest of Marina el Cid.

Fish Photo 1

WIDE OPEN BOTTOM--Punta Banda produced a great catch of bottom fish, including a nice yellowtail, for Larry Robles of Santee, CA and Jose Osuna of El Cajon CA. They fished on Vonny's Fleet's Vonny I. Photo courtesy Ivan Villarino.

Fish Photo 1

ENSENADA YELLOWTAIL LIMITS--Jay Johnson fished at the tip of Punta Banda with Vonny's Fleet Capt. Beto Zamora for limits on yellowtail of 25 to 35 pounds. Photo courtesy Ivan Villarino.

Fish Photo 1

MAG BAY RELEASE--John Gilkerson of Cypress, CA trailered his 21-foot Bayrunner A-SALT-WEAPON to San Carlos with Jim and Jimmy Bentley, and found good action on wahoo and this striped marlin. Photo courtesy John Gilkerson.

Fish Photo 1

MAG BAY TRIP--Scenes from John Gilkerson's trailer boat trip to fish out of Mag Bay Tours' camp on Punta Hughes. Photos courtesy John Gilkerson.

Fish Photo 1

LA PAZ KIDS' DAY--Skip Coomber's daughters, Caroline (left) and Amelia had fun on mixed species on the Las Arenas side with Tortuga Sportfishing's Capt. Nufo. Coomber also released a big sailfish. Photo courtesy Skip Coomber.

Fish Photo 1

HOT VALLARTA ACTION--Harry Albrech and Kenny Pittman's group had a great day on Charter Dreams' Anticipation last week, scoring on 2 black marlin, 1 sailfish on 25-pound line, 1 dorado, and 1 yellowfin tuna. Photo courtesy Kim Moore.

Fish Photo 1

RARE FLY CATCH--Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly caught this giant jawfish, or bigmouth bastard, during his recent trip to Mag Bay: "I caught it on a Clouser at Los Barriles Estero where we usually do well on snook. Enrique Soto calls it a lengua fish. It lives in a hole on the bottom and darts out to eat whatever comes its way." Photo courtesy Gary Graham.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES

Fishing at Ensenada's Punta Banda produces quality yellowtail

Mexico Fishing News, November 10, 2003

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

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS