Yellowtail, bottom fish hitting at Bahia de los Angeles

Mexico Fishing News, February 27, 2006

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: Abraham Vazquez of Camp Gecko south of Bahia de los Angeles (L.A. Bay) reported yellowtail of 15 to 25 pounds at Los Machos on Isla Angel de la Guarda, at Bajo Guadalupe in the channel, and at Punta Remedios on the Baja coast north of the village. "It is a long run and the weather has to be perfect," Vazquez said.

"Otherwise stay local and catch bottom fish." With bait scarce, most fish were caught on iron jigs. Bahía de los Angeles weather was in the mid-60s, with some winter winds, no rain, and water temperatures at 58 to 60 degrees.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Eddie Abate of San Diego and his group reported on 2 days of fishing on 3 super pangas out of Capt. Igor Galvan's sportfishing service at Bahia de los Angeles, for a catch including yellowtail into the 30-pound class, sheephead, grouper, cabrilla, cabezon, and red snapper, plus a large bottom fish broken off. "Jay Ressler got one bite on an extremely large fish that doubled his rod," Abate said. "However, the fish was lost...When he brought up his line, it still had a 2-pound cabrilla on it that had tooth marks down both sides." Abate's group, including Pete Ressler and his son Jay, Bill Biehler and his son Jacob, Jim McNamara and his sons Taylor and Ryan, and Mark Atherton, fished at Isla Angel de la Guarda their first day and about 15 miles north on the Baja coast their second day. "Our boat made bait, which was a difficult task with the bait being caught between 180 to 200 feet," Abate said. "Overall, it was another good trip to my favorite place in Baja. The boys had a fishing trip of a lifetime and I was glad to teach some things to these up-and-coming anglers." Bahia de los Angeles weather was cool with afternoon winds in the 50s and water temperatures in the high-50s to low-60s.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Scott Woodward of San Diego reported on a 5-day trip to his place between Punta la Gringa and the village of Bahía de los Angeles, with 3 days of fishing on his boat producing a catch of 7 yellowtail from 15 to 20 pounds. "We...found yellowtail biting at the Bajo de Guadalupe and at Punta Remedios," Woodward said. "Each day the bay was calm until about 10 a.m. when the north wind started blowing." Woodward said the yellowtail were caught in water at 58 to 60.4 degrees, from 150 to 220 feet deep, with blue-white and green-yellow heavy iron.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Chuck Decker of Tucson reported on two-plane group fly-in trip to Punta San Francisquito south of Bahía de los Angeles, from Feb. 18-20, 2006, for limits of large pinto bass, spotted cabrilla, to almost 9 pounds, whitefish, large sheephead, but only 1 yellowtail caught at about 20 pounds. "All the time I have fished there we never caught such large pintos," Decker said. "We fished 3 guys out a panga...and a commercial guy came up from Rancho El Barril to take the other 3 guys out each day." San Francisquito weather was mostly windy and variable with clouds and sun. Other anglers in the group included Tim James of Westminster, Matt Whisnand of Huntington Beach, and Bob Baily of Westminster. "San Francisquito had hot water for showers which was great and the food was good, once again no ice," Decker said. "Genaro was not there so Juan was running the place and appeared to have things in order."

"We fished on 3 reefs ranging from 28 fathoms to 40 fathoms about 3 miles straight out from the San Francisquito beach...We used the new butterfly jigs with 2 hooks that appear to work very well."

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR ENSENADA

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Ivan Villarino of Vonny's Fleet reported good counts of mixed bottom fish species, including an 11-pound lingcod for angler Mike Mitschke of San Diego last week, but no yellowtail found by his pangas fishing at the tip of Ensenada's Punta Banda. "This week, we're catching lingcods and bottom fish," Villarino said, "but no yellows. Maybe next week we will get them again." Ensenada fishing area weather at Punta Banda was partly cloudy, with light breezes, 2 to 3-foot ocean swells, and an average water temperature of 58 degrees.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Sammy Susarrey of Lily Fleet reported on a run to the Punta Banda Bank by the charter boat Amigo, for limits of large red rockcod, salmon grouper, and 1 Humboldt giant squid of 25 pounds, plus many lost. "We hooked 12 squids, but we landed only one," Susarrey said. "My group got limits today. We called it a day at 11:45 a.m." Gordo's had medium-sized sardine bait. Sea conditions at the Banda Bank were calm at 58.5 degrees, Susarrey said. Good bird action was seen at the bank, but no yellowtail were caught under them.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Memo Gomez of El Dorado Sportfishing reported on a late-week run with 3 anglers to the El Farito area 3.5 miles off Ensenada for a catch in 90 feet of water including: 16 sandbass, 6 lingcod, 8 red snapper, 5 whitefish, 4 scorpionfish, 12 "barrosos," 2 bocaccio, and 2 calico bass. Gomez fished in water temperatures averaging 57 degrees, using live sardines and cut mackerel.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: For the previous week, Emerald Argonza of Matador Sportfishing reported on a run with 4 anglers to the Isla Todos Santos area, fishing in calm seas, 58-degree water, and 2 to 3-foot swells for limits of red rockcod to 3 pounds, some salmon grouper, and 1 lingcod. "We were using 3-hook leaders and chunking sardines," Argonza said. "The bite continued good until noon and then just went dead...There were also a few reports of barracuda being caught on the north side of the island."

ERENDIRA FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR ERENDIRA

ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Fernando Castro of Castro's Camp reported on 22 boats fishing out of Erendira during the week, for very good action on red rockcod, whitefish, and lingcod. "We're still seeing lots of bait," Castro said. "The sea water is very clear now." Erendira weather was mostly calm early in the week, with some afternoon wind Thursday to Saturday, and very calm again on Sunday. Water temperatures were 56 to 58 degrees.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR SAN QUINTIN

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas said only a few boats fished out of San Quintin Bay last week, even though the weather was mostly calm. Dan Dallenbach's group of 8 anglers fished with Capt. Hector on the Romy and Capt. Miguel on the Pelicano for limits of red rockcod, lingcod, and whitefish on their first day, and lots of calico bass and sandbass on their second day during a run south to Socorro, but no white seabass. Other anglers fishing during the week included Stan Struka of Bloodydecks.com who said he had never caught so many fish in so little time. Hillis said, "Maybe that will be our new slogan, 'So Many Fish...So Little Time!'"

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR MAGDALENA BAY

MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported wind, sloppy seas, and cooler water temperatures in the 60-degree range offshore of Magdalena Bay. Inside the bay, the San Carlos entrada produced some firecracker yellowtail and leopard grouper. A few corvina were caught north at Puerto Lopez Mateos. "Whale watching continues to keep the panga fleet busy," Graham said. "Same deal up at Lopez Mateos, more whales than fish this week." Magdalena Bay weather was in the mid-70s, with local water temperatures of 68 to 73 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR CABO SAN LUCAS

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tommy Garcia of Cabo Magic reported on 90 boats, with a catch including released fish of: 33 striped marlin, 1 yellowfin tuna, 3 yellowtail, 19 dorado, 21 pargo, 126 sierra, 4 roosterfish, 4 skipjack, 5 mako shark, 3 hammerhead shark, and 26 boats skunked.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet reported good striped marlin action on the Cortez side of Cabo San Lucas, with Pisces sportfishing boats averaging 4 stripers per outing toward the end of the week off Punta Gorda, and a 7-release day turned in by Valerie for angler William Black of Scotland. "The week started out a bit up-and-down," Ehrenberg said. "Most boats fished in front of San Jose del Cabo, 18 miles offshore, and averaged 2 striped marlin each, as well as an odd sailfish here and there...This was the hot spot and we saw the average rise to 3 marlin per boat...At the close of this report the average catch was 4 marlin per boat." Only 2 Pisces boats caught yellowfin tuna, of about 30 pounds, and only 11 percent landed dorado. All but 2 of the 118 billfish caught during the week were released.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: For the previous week, Ehrenberg reported 43 percent of boats landing striped marlin, 15 percent with dorado, and 6 percent with yellowfin tuna. The best billfish action was later in the week on the Cortez side, around the 1150 spot and off Red Hill.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Mike Connolly of Cabo San Lucas and the boat Falcon reported fairly consistent striped marlin action on the Cortez side, but with fish moving around and sometimes requiring luck to hook. "The Cabrillo Sea Mount has had its day to shine, with Senior Moment having a good day there on Thursday with 8 jig strikes," Connolly said. "The next day the fish were gone...The Falcon had a triple at midday and they all came off, sort of a good luck, bad luck thing. On Saturday, the Falcon was 4-for-4 on tailers 4 miles east of the 1150 spot in heavy wind. The fish were in small groups with some feeder action...You may need a few days of fishing to have a good one...The best advice is to be out there on the water...The good days are worth waiting for. Tuna are nowhere to be seen and dorado few and far between. Do not count an catching a wahoo." The Falcon fished in water temperatures of about 71.5 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported Cabo weather in the mid-80s, with some chop on the Pacific side and water temperatures at 68 to 70 degrees near shore and a cool 67 degrees at the Jaime Bank. On the Cortez side, water temperatures were up to 74 degrees at the Cabrillo Sea Mount. Marlin fishing was up-and-down, with some good counts on the Cortez side but other days slow. "Striped Marlin were the fish of the week this week," Landrum said, "but it was not because the fishing was red hot or there were amazing numbers of them being released. Rather, it was because there was not a lot else going on." Yellowfin tuna and dorado were scarce, and inshore fishing was also generally slow. "Not a lot to say about the fishing this week other than if you were looking for a marlin you might have had some fair luck," Landrum said.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 13 outings by the Cabo charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 16 striped marlin, and 3 dorado of 25 to 30 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 42 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 29 striped marlin, 2 dorado, and 1 mako shark. "Almost all of the billfish came from areas offshore of 20 miles or so and ranged from south of Cabo Falso and around to Chileno, with much of the catches coming from the 95 fathom spot," Edwards said. Cabo San Lucas weather was mostly sunny in the mid-80s, with water temperatures ranging from 68 degrees on the Pacific side to 72 degrees on the Gordo Banks. Boats fished in all directions, but most of the marlin were caught about 20 miles south of the arch.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Benjamin Ortega of Solmar Fleet reported a catch including released fish of: 22 striped marlin, 32 dorado, and 29 sierra. Solmar's top boat for the week was the Solmar I with Capt. Federico Marron and a 4-outing catch including released fish of: 8 striped marlin, 13 dorado or mahi-mahi, and 23 sierra. Overall, Solmar Fleet averaged better than 1 marlin per 2 outings, Ortega said.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: The World Championship Billfish Release Tournament, with an all-release circle hook format, was announced for Cabo San Lucas on May 14-18, 2006. The tournament, a qualifying event for the Rolex/IGFA Offshore Championship, will be hosted by the Playa Grande Hotel and part of the proceeds will benefit the Fundacion para la Conservacion de los Picudos and Los Ninos del Capitan of Cabo San Lucas. Info: 800-398-6863.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS), MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas reported on 88 combined La Playita fleet pangas fishing off San Jose del Cabo, with a catch of: 395 Mexican bonito, 640 sierra, 155 pargo, 82 triggerfish, 3 striped marlin, 4 hammerhead shark, 6 dorado, 11 amberjack, and 42 cabrilla. San Jose del Cabo sportfishing area weather was in the high-70s, with water temperatures at 68 to 72 degrees, north winds of 10 to 15 m.p.h., and choppy conditions for boats fishing up the Cortez side. "The San Luis Bank continued to attract massive schools of Mexican Bonito," Brictson said. "They were dominating the action, with anglers commonly reporting catches of 20 or more fish in the 3 to 8-pound class...Live bait supplies remained steady for sardina, caballito and mullet, but there was still a problem trying to find the preferred offshore bait of mackerel...The La Playita panga fleets found the most consistent action...closer to shore...From Cardon to San Luis was most productive...Some anglers did well with yo-yo jigs off the bottom, but that was when the wind briefly laid down enough for them to effectively work the rock piles."

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS), MEXICO: Bob Lewis of San Jose del Cabo reported on a launch out of Cabo San Lucas by his boat Dos Gueros, with no fish caught during a run toward the Golden Gate Bank on the Pacific side. "We ended up enjoying a nice day on the water but did not see, smell or catch any fish at all," Lewis said. "The water was off color and cool and there was no sign of life. There were lots of pangas fishing right on the beach, but I did not see anyone hooked up at all."

At San Jose del Cabo, Lewis said local boats caught a few skipjack tuna or "white bonita," and some scattered rockfish. "During the week I have been over to the beach to check the catch," he said. "I did hear of one boat that had a dozen sierra and some small cabrilla. There may be some marlin outside but not many boats going out."

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 46 charter boats from combined East Cape fleets including Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, Punta Colorada, Buena Vista Beach Resort, Rancho Leonero, and Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort, with 138 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 3 striped marlin, 182 dorado, 3 yellowfin tuna, and 4 pargo. North winds reduced East Cape sportfishing counts, Moyers said, as water temperatures averaged 64 to 72 degrees. Most dorado weighed about 15 pounds and were caught 8 to 25 miles off Punta Pescadero to the north, or up to about 23 miles straight out.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: John Ireland of Rancho Leonero reported a few boats getting out all week for continued strong dorado action on 5 to 25-pound fish in a concentrated area about 20 miles due east of Rancho Leonero. "It was nearly a carbon copy of last week," Ireland said. "An increasing number of striped marlin are south of Los Frailes, taking mostly live mackerel...following the warmer water as it moves north...It was another overall good week for early spring...warm water early this year...Things can break open at any time." Inshore fishing produced skipjack tuna, sierra, jacks, and pargo. Large roosterfish were seen but not hooked. East Cape fishing area weather was in the mid-80s, with calm mornings and afternoon breezes. Water temperatures were at 69 to 71 degrees locally, and up to 73 degrees to the south.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Chris Llewellyn of Los Barriles, after catching a yellowtail from the beach near his house the previous week, reported the landing of an uncommonly caught golden jack, or palometa amarilla last week, while casting his lucky 3-inch Krocodile on the evening of Feb. 18, 2006. "He was fishing off the beach in front of our house in Los Barriles," Debbie Llewellyn said. "The evening was calm and...the fish put up a great fight and has nice white fillets."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported East Cape fishing area weather as clear and windy late in the week, in the high-70s, with water temperatures of 62 to 72 degrees. "Early in the week...the north wind took a few days off allowing a few boats to get in on the unusual winter dorado bite," Graham said. "Nothing huge, but 15-pound dorado aren't to be sneezed at." Skipjack tuna were also caught, but fishing was generally slowed by the wind. "Even the early risers in search of some gray-light sierra action were greeted with blown out beaches and few if any fish," Graham said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Small boat angler Torrance Eddy of Buena Vista reported East Cape weather in the mid-70s, with plenty of winter wind on most days. "Four days out of five a good 20 to 30 m.p.h. wind with a stunningly beautiful whitecap sea literally arrives at between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. It begins out of the northwest and steadily rotates to come from almost true north. As early as dawn, a thin dark line can be seen just below the horizon. That dark line is the wind whipped sea. The dark line thickens throughout the morning and within 1 to 2 hours before it arrives on shore you can see the whitecaps through binoculars. So, while the fishing may be good, it comes at a wet price, especially if you go far out..And then there's the 1 day out of 4 when the breeze is light and the seas are calm."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Mark Rayor of the Vista Sea Sport dive service at Buena Vista said, "There are not many folks at East Cape right now for our diving and snorkeling tours...The tours we did take found cool, 68-degree water with 20 to 40-foot visibility...Humpback whales are in big numbers in the Sea of Cortez right now. We have been sighting them on most tours."

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR LA PAZ

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Darrell "Smitty" Smith of Redondo Beach reported on a run north of La Paz by his boat Reel Estate that found very slow fishing in the Isla San Diego area. "Dropping jigs and trolling everything trying to catch anything...We landed 4 nice sierra, a couple triggers, 1 small pinto bass, and a couple sculpin," Smith said. "We ran over 150 miles in pursuit of yellowtail and didn't do too hot...The highlight of the trip was a lot of finback whales feeding on small sardines just off shore from San Evaristo. We stopped dead in the water with them all around the boat and had 2 come up right under the bow...Unless you are looking for whales, I would not go there now." Smith said few other boats were in the area and the water was green and mostly flat at 66 to 68 degrees. Other anglers on the trip included Keith Williams and Randy Bundschuh.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR LORETO

LORETO, MEXICO: Bill Currie of Long Beach reported on 6 days of fishing out of Loreto's Hotel Oasis with Capt. Valente, Feb. 15-20, 2006, with 2 skunked days in windy conditions, but up to 13 yellowtail to 40 pounds caught on other days. Currie's total catch for the 6-outing trip was: 25 yellowtail, and 1 cabrilla. Of his 13-yellowtail day, Currie said, "All the yellowtail were between 20 and 40 pounds, caught on blue-and-white 6X Juniors under bird schools...at three different places...We started at Puerto Almeja, then went to Punta Mangles, and then ended up at San Bruno...All of these places are north of Loreto...Everyday I used 60-pound test." Bait was available at the Loreto downtown marina some days, Currie said, but most fish were caught on jigs anyway. Water temperatures averaged about 68 degrees.

LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company reported a sighting by Capt. Joel Davis of about a dozen commercial pangas using nets inside the Loreto Marine Park off Punta Cholla on the northwest corner of Isla Carmen. "They're going after yellowtail, and this is exactly what happened in 2001 and 2002 and we lost those seasons because of it," Bolles said. "I wanted to jump in the boat and go there to check it out myself and take photos. I still may do that tomorrow."

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR MULEGE

MULEGE, MEXICO: Rick Barber of Mulege reported the results of the recent local yellowtail tournament, with Gary Bendix taking the 30,000-peso first prize with a 31-plus pounder, John Dinning taking 15,000 pesos with second place, and Marv Perrigo third with 5,000 pesos. The team of Mike Kanzler and Alan Lewis actually caught the third largest yellowtail, Barber said, but was awarded fourth place and 5,000 pesos, plus an award for a large baqueta, because of a tournament rule prohibiting multiple prizes. "The Awards Banquet on Saturday was a huge success with nearly 300 guests attending the roast pork and blackened fish dinner," Barber said. "Scotty Crouch, the chef at the Pelican Reef Bar & Grill, did another of this outstanding jobs on the dinner...PAW, the Mulege volunteer spay and neuter clinic...received a $562 donation...and a $500 donation from the tournament's grand prize winner, Gary Bendix." Mulege weather for the tournament was in the mid-70s, with swells of 1 to 2 feet, some wind after 10:30 a.m., and water temperatures at 62 degrees.

Winds returned to the Mulege fishing area after the tournament, as the few boats going out found yellowtail in the 30-pound class. "Not too many guys braved the winds and the chop," Barber said. "The few who did got some yellowtails for their efforts...pulled in from Isla San Marcos and from the Punta Concepción areas, with Wilbur's Hole being especially productive. At Wilbur's, the 'tails like to work the surface and the birds are plentiful. Trolled MirrOlures or flylined bait work very well."

MULEGE, MEXICO: Fly-in Mulege angler Ron Grant reported on a week of cooler weather in the high-60s to low-70s, with north winds, afternoon wind chop, and "yellowtail in all directions hitting live bait and jigs, and larger fish found in the deep holes north of San Marcos Island." The Mulege area was busy with visitors and the runway at the Hotel Serenidad was in "real good condition," Grant said.

MULEGE, MEXICO: John Downing of Anaheim reported just a few barracuda and small spotted sand bass while trolling Rapalas off Punta Concepcion in a 10-foot inflatable. "The weather has been wonderful," Downing said. "I was able to stay out in my little 10-foot inflatable well past noon before the winds chopped it up too much."

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR SANTA ROSALIA

SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos reported "pretty slow" fishing in the Santa Rosali a area, with winds and sloppy seas bringing poor conditions early in the week, the air temperature at 80 degrees, fishing water clear green and variable at 60 to 61.5 degrees, and visibility at 30 to 50 feet. "The fishing...I would call...the worst action I've seen in the past 14 years of living here," Kanzler said. "Just dead and strange, lots of whales, dolphins, tons of squid, but few fish in the area around Isla San Marcos...I did better fishing 1 day last week out at Tortuga Island than all the days fished here locally." Kanzler said local commercial fishermen were handlining a few yellowtail on plastic squid-iron combos, but "sorry that's about it for this week."

SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: At San Lucas Cove, Syd Lindsay said, "The Mexican government is now requiring boat owners to import their boats temporarily for 10 years before you can get a regular boat permit. This does not mean you cannot take your boat home with you. You will need a current U.S. passport or photo I.D, boat registration and ownership papers, and current tourist visa, FM3 or FM-2. This does not include boats under 14.5 feet long or any inflatable. Assistance in the Santa Rosalia area: 011-52-615-152-1399, oliviac01@prodigy.net.mx, ask for Olivia.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR SAN FELIPE

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: At San Felipe, Catalina Meders of the Title Company Bookstore overlooking the bay said the seagoing raft of "Poppa Neutrino" David Pearlman was scheduled to depart Laguna Percebu on Sunday for its voyage down the Sea of Cortez. "Poppa Neutrino takes off for the south today on the noon tide!" Meders said. "Excitement rules. Lots of people are expected to show up at Rancho Percebu to see him and his raftmate Joel off." San Felipe weather was near-perfect in the mid-70s with little wind, and local activities for Carnaval included parades and a Hobie Cat regatta. "There are lots of people in town so the vendors are happy, and there will be a dance in the street this evening," Meders said. "Until next week, vaya con Dios from the book store by the bay."

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR ROCKY POINT

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO), MEXICO: Shawn Gustafson of Chandler, Ariz., reported on a run with his wife Tina to the 51-mile reef on Feb. 19, 2006, by his boat Murphy Girl, for a catch of: 9 goldspotted bass, a small 15-pound black sea bass, an 8-pound sheephead, and 1 red snapper. "We left the harbor at Rocky Point at 7:30 a.m. and headed straight for the 51-mile reef," Gustafson said. "We arrived at the reef...and started drifting from the main waypoint with sardines on two-hook bottom rigs. We immediately had hookups on both rods...Although we had..heard of whale sightings...we only saw two lone dolphins and two sea lions all day." Water temperatures south of Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) were at 61 to 65 degrees.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR MAZATLAN

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported inshore super pangas still averaging about 23 mixed-species fish per outing, with a fish count of: 49 snapper, 9 baqueta, 92 "rabbits," 94 seabass, 51 cochitos, 6 corvina, 15 barracuda. Referring to some local fish names used in the Mazatlan area, Edwards said, "Geronimo will be at the Long Beach Fred Hall Show next week and will hopefully bring me some pictures of the varieties of bottom fish, allowing us to attach some scientific name to some of them. In the meantime, the 'rabbit' fish is similar to our rockcod and called 'conejo' in Spanish, seabass are the 'mojarras,' triggerfish are the 'cochitos,' and 'picudas' are barracudas. Offshore fishing was slower with about 25 percent of Aries Fleet boats out of Marina el Cid scoring on billfish, as 35 outings produced a catch of: 8 striped marlin, and 8 yellowfin tuna.

Mazatlan weather was sunny in the low-80s, with water temperatures at 73 degrees inshore and 71 degrees in the main offshore fishing area 25 miles out of Marina el Cid.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Bill Heimpel of Star Fleet reported fair offshore fishing out of Mazatlan last week. "Striped marlin are present but with few catches," Heimpel said. "Yellowfin tuna are scattered around, but no big schools." Star Fleet boats fished in water temperatures averaging 68 degrees, about 15 miles out of Mazatlan harbor.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR PUERTO VALLARTA

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing reported on 3 days of fishing by the Puerto Vallarta charter boat Marla II, with a catch around the Marietas Islands in Bahía de Banderas including good numbers of african pompano, amberjack, snappers, groupers, and other mixed species. "These fish were so aggressive, nailing the live caballitos and Diamond Jigs," Osuna said. "We had great action all day. The Marla III and Arca de Noe also did well." Puerto Vallarta weather was flat, with calm seas and the water temperature at 74 degrees. Anglers fishing on the Marla II included Lou Martinez, Ed Baldrian, Ray McCombs, Paul Lapinski, and William McCombs of Montauk, N.Y. Osuna also said the bait fish referred to locally at Puerto Vallarta as the "blue runner" is a greenjack, also called a "cocinero" in Spanish.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said Ixtapa Zihuatanej o sportfishing area weather was clear in the high-80s, with water temperatures at 80 to 84 degrees. "Blue Marlin are the big story this week," Kunze said. "There have been, literally, a ton of them caught." The combined charter fleet had about 5 combined hookups per day, with several fish of 250 to over 400 pounds landed. "One fish boated this week was almost 700 pounds," Kunze said. "Yesterday, Mike Griffen of Alaska...fishing with Captain Poli on the Don Gordo...only 4 miles outside Zihuatanejo Bay...released a sailfish and a few minutes later hooked into a 350-pound marlin." The local sportfishing fleet also averaged about 2 sailfish per outing, and 1 roosterfish at 75 pounds was reported inshore at White Rocks.

HUATULCO FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR HUATULCO

HUATULCO, MEXICO: Eric Weissman of Explore Fly Fishing reported from his operation at San Agustinillo near Huatulco, "The water has cleared after a dirty spell and is green to crystal blue in the mid-80s. Red calamari, sardines, and small 'ohoton' are showing up and...large schools of skipjack and yellowfin tuna are feeding on the surface, but are also finicky and sometimes hard to hook on flies...However, we have had a few 40 to 50-fish days on both gear and flies." Weissman also reported large sailfish in the area, as well as greenjacks, jack crevalle, rainbow runner, wahoo, and sierra, plus pargo and snapper on the bottom. "The sea is calm this week," Weissman said. "Last night, the village kids and I caught hundreds of small greenjacks just inches from the beach."

Bahia de los Angeles Sportfishing Photo 1

SCORING WITH IGOR--Jay Ressler, left, fished at Bahia de los Angeles with Capt. Igor Galvan, right, and landed this nice 30-pound class yellowtail at Isla Angel de la Guarda. PHOTO COURTESY OF EDDIE ABATE.

Bahia de los Angeles Sportfishing Photo 2

QUALITY SHEEPHEAD--Mark Atherton fished at Bahia de los Angeles with Eddie Abate's group on 3 super pangas out of Capt. Igor Galvan's sportfishing service and he scored on this nice pair of good-sized sheephead. PHOTO COURTESY EDDIE ABATE.

Ensenada, Mexico Sportfishing Photo 1

PUNTA BANDA BIGGIE--Mike Mitschke of San Diego with a hefty, 11-pound lingcod caught last week at Ensenada's Punta Banda during a family outing on the Vonny's Fleet panga Vonny I with Capt. Beto Zamora. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Cabo San Lucas Sportfishing Photo 1

HAPPY HAULER--With his brother Hayden looking on, Clark Houser, 10, of Flower Mound, Texas, lands one of 5 striped marlin caught with his family aboard Pisces Fleet's Cabo San Lucas charter boat Valerie. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN HOUSER.

Cabo San Lucas Sportfishing Photo 2

CABO STRIPER--A Cabo San Lucas striped marlin comes to the boat during Brian Houser's family outing on the Pisces Fleet charter cruiser Valerie. Last week, 115 of 117 billfish landed by Pisces Fleet were released. PHOTO COURTESY BRIAN HOUSER.

East Cape Sportfishing Photo 1

LUCKY KROCODILE--East Cape's Chris Llewellyn used his lucky 3-inch chrome Krocodile to land this golden jack, or palometa amarilla, from the beach near his home at Los Barriles. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS LLEWELLYN.

Loreto Sportfishing Photo 1

LORETO YELLOWTAIL--Bill Currie was blown out 2 days, but fished 4 more days out of Loreto's Hotel Oasis and was rewarded with 25 yellowtail to 40 pounds, plus 1 cabrilla. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL CURRIE.

Mulege Sportfishing Photo 1

FIRST BAJA FISH--Mike Aukland with a 27.5-pound yellowtail he bagged off Mulege while fishing with Cody Spahn last week. The fish was Mike's first yellowtail and his first fish in Baja. PHOTO COURTESY OF RICK BARBER.

Midriff Sportfishing Photo 1

MIDRIFF FLY-IN--Chuck Decker's group flew into San Francisquito, south of Bahía de los Angeles in the Sea of Cortez Midriff area, and they scored on a mixed bag of large pinto bass, or spotted cabrilla, whitefish, and sheephead, but just 1 yellowtail. Included, from left, were anglers Tim James, Matt Whisnand, Bob Baily, and Decker. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHUCK DECKER.

Rocky Point Sportfishing Photo 1

ROCKY POINT RUN--Shawn Gustafson's boat Murphy Girl ran out to Rocky Point's 51-Mile Reef for a catch including this nice red snapper, plus goldspotted bass, a sheephead, and a small black sea bass, right PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHAWN GUSTAFSON.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Sportfishing Photo 1

AFRICAN POMPANO HAUL--Lou Martinez, Ed Baldrian, Ray McCombs, Paul Lapinski, and William McCombs fished 3 days out of Puerto Vallarta on the charter boat Marla II and scored on a big haul of African pompano plus snappers, groupers, and other species at the Marietas Islands. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY OSUNA.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Sportfishing Photo 2

MARLA'S VALLARTA FLEET--The Marla's Sportfishing charter boats operating out of Puerto Vallarta, from left, the Marla II, Marla III, and Arca de Noe. PHOTOS COURTESY DANNY OSUNA.

Huatulco, Mexico Sportfishing Photo 1

HUATULCO CATCH--Anglers fishing near Eric Weissman's Explore Fly Fishing operation at San Agustinillo, near Huatulco, scored on some beautiful snappers while trolling Rapalas in front of the hotel. PHOTO COURTESY ERIC WEISSMAN.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES