Loreto yellowtail fishing is on the surface for spring

Mexico Fishing News, March 20, 2006

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company reported yellowtail coming off their spawn in the Loreto area last week and feeding at or near the surface at spots north of town including La Cholla and Tintorerra at the northeast corner of Isla Carmen, the San Bruno bajo along the Baja coast about 12 miles north, Punta Pulpito about 35 miles north, and Isla San Ildefonso, about 45 miles north.

"The hottest bite is taking place over the San Bruno reefs," Bolles said. However, fishing was up-and-down in some areas due to large numbers of squid in the water. "Anglers really didn’t have a chance against the squid as yellowtail much preferred them over their platano baits...At Punta Pulpito anglers described the squid as 'very thick at the surface with red water everywhere.'" Loreto water temperatures were 62 to 72 degrees.

LORETO, MEXICO: Earlier, Don Bear of Loreto reported excellent yellowtail action, mostly on flylined baits, on the north side of Isla San Ildefonso while fishing on his boat with Capt. Paulino Martinez and Fabrizio Maragoni of Nopolo and Thousand Oaks. "We caught 20 yellowtail of 6 to 30 pounds and 2 cabrilla of 4 to 8 pounds," Bear said. "The yellowtail action was wide-open for about an hour-and-a-half...with a few triple hookups...With the numerous hookups lost, there wasn't a single bait left in the tanks when we headed for home." Another fish camping trip to Saquicismunde, about 3 miles south of Punta Pulpito blanked on yellowtail due to a lack of bait, but some huachinango and cabrilla were caught on the bottom and by trolling Rapalas along shore.

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: July Ostberg of the boat Melody out of Ensenada's Marina Coral reported on a Saturday run to the Banda Bank, finding cold, windy, scattered showers, but a good early bite in 58-degree water for a catch including: 15 red rockcod, 4 salmon grouper, 1 whitefish, and 4 Johnny bass. "The fish were quite hungry," Ostberg said. "Spring is coming."

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Ivan Villarino of Vonny's Fleet said his pangas fishing at the tip of Ensenada's Punta Banda did well on bottom fish plus some yellowtail of 25 to 30 pounds toward the end of the week. "We got out Monday after a big storm," Villarino said. "The water was cold but calming down and we caught plenty of bottom fish. Anglers fishing with Capt. Beto on the Vonny I and Capt. Hector on the Vonny II included Brian Foley of Campo La Joya, Rick Watson and his friend from Campo Rancho La Bufadora, Jay Johnson of Ensenada, Kathy, Pat, and Opal Griffin, Gather Cohen, and Juan Leal. Punta Banda weather over the weekend was cloudy in the low-60s, with some wind to 6 m.p.h., ocean swells at 3 to 5 feet, and water temperatures at 56 degrees.

ERENDIRA FISHING REPORTS

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ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Lee Wood of Oceanside Senior Anglers and 5 club members fished 2 days early in the week out of Castro's Camp at Erendira and Wood reported good results on nice-sized lingcod, some red rockcod, giant Humboldt squid, and mixed bottom fish species. "It didn't matter how we rigged up," Wood said. "Dropper loops, Scampis, and jigs, all tipped with squid and or small mackerel...I used the new Gulp bait, shrimp, just to see how it was in comparison to the other 2 in my panga, and it did just as well or better than the squid or mackerel." Wood said he rigged with 1/4-ounce leadheads and 4/0 hooks plus a 3-ounce sinker to get to the bottom. "The first day we filled our cooler 3/4 full of assorted fish, many of which were lingcod, and the second day was even better on the lings," he said. Erendira fishing area weather had some winds after about 10 a.m. Other Oceanside Senior Angler club members on the trip included Ed Dennis, George Ruble, Vern Francis, Fred Kaczmarek, and Hal Reeser. Wood and his group fished about an hour north of Castro's Camp, about 150 to 200 feet deep, and about 5 miles from shore. "Going north made the ride back to camp very pleasant as we were going with the wind, but we still got wet at times," Wood said. "Actually, we were soaked by the time we got back to camp, but the ride was not too bumpy."

ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Fernando Castro of Castro's Camp reported on 16 boats fishing out of Erendira during the week. "It was good fishing week," Castro said. "We caught lots of reds, whitefish, and lingcod, and we think all anglers were very happy and we're glad we did a good job." Erendira water temperatures were at 56 to 57 degrees in the main fishing area north of Castro's Camp and 4 to 6 miles off the coast. Northwest winds were moderate and allowed fishing all week, although there was some rain during the night.

ERENDIRA, MEXICO: For the previous week, Castro reported 13 boats fishing out of Erendira, with calm seas but lots of clouds and some wind and rain, for good counts of bottom fish including good-sized halibut caught about 120 feet deep in water temperatures of 55 to 57 degrees. "We had a lot of weather cancellations," Castro said, "but it was still a good week of fishing."

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas reported most boats kept off the water by wind and rain last week. "But we did get lucky enough to have 6 to 8 whales playing and feeding in the bay," Hillis said. "So some of our boats did get out, but not for fishing, just to see the whales. For 2 or 3-hour bay trip we have been getting $100 per panga up to 4 people, and $150 for the larger boats and up to 6 people."

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Stan Vath of Oxnard fished on Lorenzo Biedebach's 26-foot boat out of Campo Lorenzo at San Quintin and reported a good catch of mixed rockcod and larger lingcod, plus some giant Humboldt squid. "We got into a bite of huge squid on chrome Krocodiles," Vath said. "Lorenzo bagged one of 15 pounds. We headed to the Jardines Restaurant with part of our catch to have it prepared and hoist a few cool ones." San Quintin weather was "cool, but worth it," Vath said, with the water temperature at 57 degrees.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: For the previous week, Kelly Catian of K&M Offshore Sportfishing reported 2 days of rain, rough seas, and slow fishing conditions out of San Quintin, followed by a local surfing trip. "I had the King Harbor Yacht Club with L.A. County lifeguard "Shark" Harkins and friends for some bottom fishing," Catian said. "It was pretty bad, even on our 28-foot pilothouse boat. We could only make 8 to 10 knots through the big swell and wind...The guys ended up taking a rain check...so I got to go back to bed...But after the rain came the swell and we were on it!...We paddled out at a spot called Robert's near Cuatros Casas and got some fun waves."

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Hugh Cobb of Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle in Oceanside reported a potential IGFA all-tackle record spotfin croaker caught by Lance Rigg of El Segundo at Morro Santo Domingo on Baja California's Pacific Coast. The croaker was weighed at 9 pounds, 7 ounces on the store scale, Cobb said. It would easily beat the existing IGFA record of 7 pounds, 10 ounces set at San Onofre in 2002. Rigg's spotfin croaker hit a sand crab, Cobb said. Rigg also holds the IGFA all-tackle record for the burrito grunt, listed under the name Harold Rigg, set on the same Baja beach at Morro Santo Domingo in 2003, Cobb said.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said the migrating California gray whales were returning to their northern waters last week, as rough seas persisted offshore and the best fishing in the Magdalena Bay area was for yellowtail under birds at the San Carlos entrada. "All but a few whales have begun their long journey northward," Graham said. "It has been one of the better whale watching seasons in recent memory...Water temperatures are beginning to creep up...The locals...are already reporting lots of bait." Corvina were also reported around the San Carlos pier. Magdalena Bay weather was foggy in the low-70s, with water temperatures at 60 to 66 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tommy Garcia of Cabo Magic reported on 81 boats, with a catch including released fish of: 29 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 2 yellowfin tuna, 15 yellowtail, 12 skipjack, 12 dorado, 1 wahoo, 1 cabrilla, 6 mako shark, 132 sierra, 4 roosterfish, and 26 boats skunked.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Mike Connolly of Cabo San Lucas and the boat Falcon reported "tough marlin fishing" at the end of the week. "The chosen got to release a marlin or two, but for most Cabo San Lucas boats it was long days," Connolly said. "The main fishing area was once again the 1150 spot and east, although there were some feeders and jig strikes to be had on the temperature break that has been holding near the Jaime Bank on the Pacific side. The Jaime Bank also produced some small yellowfin tuna in large schools of white belly porpoise at midweek." Connolly also noted that commercial seiners and a helicopter were again working the Jaime Bank. Dorado and wahoo were scarce and a few swordfish were seen on calm water days.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 13 outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 18 striped marlin, 3 dorado of 25 pounds, 1 jack crevalle of 20 pounds, and good numbers of sierra. The top anglers for the week were Chuck Fleming and his wife, of Indianapolis, with 6 marlin releases on Monday.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 27 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Fish Cabo charter boats, with a catch including released fish of: 18 striped marlin, 1 mako shark, 1 dorado, and 10 sierra. "This was a difficult fishing week that encompassed some hard winds and of course, the full moon," Edwards said. "The warmer water currents are starting to pull together...so we should begin to see some improvements, especially for the dorado and tuna." Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the mid-80s, with water temperatures at 70 degrees at the Jaime Bank on the Pacific side and 73 degrees on the Cortez side. The better fishing was around the 1150 spot and outside the Palmilla ridge.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet said her boats found up-and-down action on the Cortez side last week, as about one-third were skunked, but others did well, including quadruple-release days for Rebecca, Valerie, and C Rod, and several other boats with triples. "All the fish were on the Sea of Cortez between Chileno to Punta Gorda with some days better at the 95 or 1150 spots," Ehrenberg said. "A total of 118 striped marlin and 1 sailfish were caught by Pisces anglers and 111 were released. Still it was tough, with great catches one day followed by nothing the next." About 24 percent of Pisces boats also caught dorado, but very few yellowfin tuna were found. Other catches included 3 small mako shark, and sierra and jack crevalle inshore.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported Cabo weather in the mid-70s with clouds and northwest winds to 25 knots over the weekend. Water temperatures were at 73 to 78 degrees on the Cortez side and 67 to 71 degrees on the Pacific side. "The billfish seem...to have improved quite a bit," Landrum said. "Most of the action has come from either the Destiladeras area up the coast or in a triangle between the Outer Gorda Bank, the Cabrillo Seamount, and the 1150 spot. One of the reasons may be the 78-degree water that moved in to the seamount, but whatever the reason, that is where the fish have been." Large yellowfin tuna into the 200-pound class were seen at the Jaime Bank, Landrum said, but they would not bite, although 1 boat brought back 2 fish over 100 pounds. Dorado were scattered and scarce. Sierra counts were good for inshore pangas and a few small roosterfish to about 10 pounds were caught.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Charlie Whitesell of Cabo San Lucas and Don Fowler of North Hollywood fished in 69-degree water with live bait and Rapalas along the Hotel Solmar beach on the charter panga Cheers, finding wind but with calm seas and slow action for 2 football tuna plus some sierra. "The town is full of spring breakers, so there is not much fishing going on," Whitesell said. "We fished the Solmar Beach from the arch to the Hotel Sunset Pueblo Bonita."

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS), MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas reported on 62 combined La Playita fleet pangas fishing off San Jose del Cabo, with a catch of: 240 sierra, 142 pargo, 6 dorado, 22 amberjack, 16 yellowtail, 14 pompano, 32 cabrilla, 8 grouper, and 6 striped marlin. "The full moon seemed to effect the fishing this past week, Brictson said. "Besides the spotty billfish action there was not much else going on offshore...With the lack of consistent offshore action...the panga fleets were fishing closer to shore...The most common fish was sierra...from 2 to 5 pounds...striking best early in the morning on sardinas, with Palmilla Point to Chileno being the most consistent spots...On some days anglers accounted for a handful of quality amberjack, cabrilla, and yellowtail...but this bite was not consistent...On a couple of days, pelagic red crabs floated to surface on the Gordo Banks and anglers who happened to be there at the right time were able to use them as bait for huachinango and other pargo species." Surf fishing was slow for a few jack crevalle and sierra. San Jose del Cabo weather was in the high-80s, with water temperatures of 70 to 72 degrees. Mackerel live bait was scattered, but caballito, mullet, and sardina were available.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS), MEXICO: Bob Lewis of San Jose del Cabo fished early in the week with friends on his boat Dos Gueros, finding a hot inshore sierra bite just east of El Tule near the old Hotel Cabo San Lucas with 15 keepers and many others released or broken off. "We...worked it over for a couple of hours," Lewis said. "There were several beach fisherman working the spot too as we were only 50 yards or so outside the surf line. They were dragging fish after fish up the beach and were really having fun...Very fun on light tackle. We had no bait so were trolling hoochies, Rapala's and even Krocodiles with all working well." San Jose del Cabo weather was sunny and calm, with a water temperature of 71 degrees.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Axel Valdez of Buena Vista Beach Resort reported on 7 East Cape charter boats, with 20 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 2 striped marlin, 13 dorado, 1 skipjack tuna, and 1 sierra. "The water temperature continues to be cold, and with wind almost the whole week it is hard to find warmer water," Valdez said. "We were limited to going north about 15 to 20 miles because of the wind...Even though we had a good number of guests at the resort they weren't too interested in fishing, good thing. We continue to find dorados almost every day. Not many and they are small to middle size ones...Inshore fishing was not good, except for some sierra."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Tami Gaussoin of Rancho Buena Vista reported on 18 boats, with a catch including released fish of: 8 striped marlin, 19 dorado, and 2 wahoo.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: John Ireland of Rancho Leonero reported a strong dorado bite offshore, with most boats limiting out toward the end of the week. "The bite was south, with dorado and striped marlin the primary action," Ireland said. "Striped marlin are feeding about 10 miles out, from Punta Colorado to Los Frailes, taking live mackerel and tuna lures. They are picky biters, averaging 1 per boat...There are lots of free swimmer dorado in the same area as the marlin, a bit larger this week, averaging 20 pounds." Yellowfin tuna moved farther out, as most boats concentrated on the dorado, Ireland said, and few boats fished inshore. East Cape fishing area weather was in the mid-80s, with water temperatures in the mid-60s to the north and up to about 74 degrees to the south.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 52 charter boats from combined fleets including Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, Punta Colorada, Buena Vista Beach Resort, Rancho Leonero, and Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort, with 155 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 26 striped marlin, 79 yellowfin tuna, 76 dorado, 1 wahoo, and 20 pargo. "The fishing on the East Cape is anything but wide-open," Moyers said, "but we still saw some par numbers...this past week...Southern locales were the ticket this past week with little or no fishing action being reported to the north." East Cape weather was in the mid-80s, with some north wind and water temperatures at 65 to 71 degrees, as charter boats fished about 40 to 50 miles straight out and south.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the previous week, Moyers reported on 54 boats, with a catch including released fish of: 12 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 45 dorado, and 3 sierra.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported continued local dorado and a few yellowfin tuna and billfish plus some swordfish sightings in the East Cape area as warmer waters were coming up from the south. "The swordfish showing has been enough to suck out some of the locals on calm days," Graham said. "North winds continue to hamper the boats in getting out to locate the schools." Inshore water continued off-color with poor action. East Cape weather was clear in the high-70s, with water temperatures at 65 to 73 degrees.

Graham also noted that Baja On The Fly's fishing operation in Guatemala was reporting spectacular sailfish action, with boats reporting releases of about 40 to as many as 124 fish in a day. One boat reported 57 sailfish releases on fly tackle, Graham said, and 54 of those fish were released by a single angler. Guatemala weather was in the low-80s, with water temperatures of 78 to 82 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Ash Pickering of the Vista Sea Sport dive service at Buena Vista said visibility improved at the end of the week, although water temperatures were still cool at 66 to 68 degrees. "There are a variety of nudibranchs around at the moment and we have even seen some mating," Pickering said. "There are a large variety of rays around, including schooling bat rays, and we continue to see the odd whale and the mobula manta playing around on the surface."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Leeper, staying at Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort, said his boat capsized at its mooring early in the week, but he relayed reports of good dorado counts from 50 miles off Cabo Pulmo. "The weather was windy the night it capsized," Leeper said of his boat. "Mooring was not an issue...I have to suspect that my only through-hull fitting that feeds my salt wash-down and bait tank failed." Over the weekend, Leeper said the Verdugo cruisers came back with dorado to 30 pounds caught about 45 miles southeast: "You can see the warm water ball on Terrafin. Wish I were there."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Torrance Eddy of Buena Vista said, "The water temperature here in East Cape is not as warm as I would have expected...A few boats are going out and doing pretty well on dorado...Bottom fishing continues to be mediocre even when the wind does not blow."

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tail Hunter International reported the port of La Paz closed due to wind for at least one day last week, but boats still able to fish on the Las Arenas side of the hill. "The winds seem to vary from side to side and they can blow pretty strong," Roldan said. "Fortunately, with our fleet of boats on both sides we're able to shift our anglers around so they can get into the fish." Some yellowtail to 40 pounds were caught by boats fishing at El Bajo on the La Paz side, however, and Roldan said, "Snapper, cabrilla, and some pargo have also been taken and it's often hard to know when the fish are big pargo or big yellowtail because quite a few anglers never get to see the fish, losing quite a few into the rocks. I'd say half the fish hooked never get to the boat." La Paz weather was cool in the 50s during the early hours, but warming by midmorning.

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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MULEGE, MEXICO: Rick Barber of Mulege said, "As far as I'm concerned, you can bury this week's report! Fishing sucked." Fishing around local Mulege spots was still slow over the weekend, following big winds earlier in the week. "Last Saturday was blowing a storm, big-time," Barber said. "On Tuesday...the Bay of Concepcion and the Sea of Cortez were still white. It started settling down on Wednesday and Thursday, long enough that the guys found the bait has scattered and the yellowtail were not to be found. Greenjacks were still off Punta Concepcion and gave the guys something to play with on light gear. A few more guys went out on Friday with the same results...This is the time of year that we just have to play it day by day and take our chances on the regular hot spots and holes when and if we can get out. This weather pattern tends to pass rather quickly though so we're thinking positively to the week's ahead."

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos reported mixed weather in the Santa Rosalia area and fishing slow on local bajos but somewhat better out at Isla Tortuga. Santa Rosalia weather was at 70 degrees, with high winds and rough seas early in the week, the water temperature stable at 61 to 63 degrees, and very poor inshore visibility of about 10 feet. Kanzler fished the Isla San Marcos bajos on Wednesday after scratching up 12 baits, caught no yellowtail, and settled for about 15 goldspotted bass on iron. A run to Isla Tortuga with deckhand Danny "Piojo Loco" Chiqueta found flat seas for the 40-minute trip and 5 yellowtail plus a large baqueta. "We found the bait up at the haystack," Kanzler said. "However, the trick was they were in much shallower water than in past weeks...As we neared the island, we noted the whole San Bruno armada was out there fishing." Kanzler said recent spring tides in the area have been well before the full and new moons, reducing fishing opportunities during those periods. "Along with cooler than normal water temps, that is also playing a part in the erratic fishing here," he said.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Fernando Almada of Guaymas reported on a run to Isla San Pedro Nolasco by the charter boat Little Catch-22, finding the first yellowtail of the day under birds right outside the San Carlos marina, but slow trolling action at the island in rough conditions for no yellowtail but plenty of smaller bottom fish including triggerfish, red snapper, and yellow snapper. Moving to the south tip of the island, angler Pedro Ortiz scored on a baya grouper of about 40 pounds and the boat lost another big fish while trolling blue mackerel Rapalas in 62.5-degree water about 150 feet deep. "I went to my favorite spot, the south tip, and started making several passes at it," Almada said. "On the third pass we had a violent hit and a fish on for a few minutes and lost it. On the next pass we had an even more aggressive hit and Pedro boated this beautiful baya...Pedro had never fished on a boat, always from shore, so you can imagine his joy." Other anglers fishing on the Little Catch-22 included Oscar Urbalejo and Alejandro Garza.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 11 Aries Fleet offshore boats out of Mazatlan's Marina el Cid, with a catch including released fish of: 11 striped marlin, 1 mako shark, and 1 dorado. Inshore super pangas continued to score good counts of about 37 mixed-species fish per boat, with 3 boats reporting a catch of: 6 sierra, 5 jack crevalle, 68 red snapper, 65 seabass, and 5 triggerfish. Mazatlan weather was partly cloudy in the low-80s, with rigged mullet working best offshore and shrimp heads or cut bait inshore.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Bill Heimpel of Star Fleet said his boats caught dorado to 44 pounds last week and some sailfish were also showing in the Mazatlan area, plus a few remaining striped marlin, in the main offshore fishing area about 15 miles off the lighthouse. Mazatlan sea conditions were calm, with the water temperature at 73 degrees.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Gray Palmeter of Vikings Fleet said offshore catches included striped marlin, sailfish, and a few mako shark, about 18 to 25 miles out, and inshore boats had good counts of snapper, triggerfish, a few grouper, and mixed small game fish species.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing reported a very good catch of 21 yellowfin tuna of 50 to 140 pounds on Friday by the charter boat Marla II with Capt. Scott Osuna, who fished at Maria Cleofas Island in the Tres Marías group about 60 miles off Puerto Vallarta. Anglers Joe Wchwall, William Galm, and Patricia Galm of New York landed the tuna in 2 to 3-foot swells and 77-degree water and also released 3 striped marlin during the trip. "We were thinking to find tunas," Osuna said, "but the only tunas were around Roca Corbeteña and they were very difficult to catch because they were feeding on very small bait. We decided to take a chance and we ran to Isla Maria Cleofas with enough fuel, live bait, and food for 2 days of fishing. We got to the spot, and tuna were crashing all over. It did not take longer than 10 minutes to start nailing the tunas. We had to come back the same night. We had no more room in the boat. The fishing at the island was very impressive."

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Quinonez of PV Marlin Sportfishing reported on 5 boats fishing out of Puerto Vallarta last week. One outing in 72-degree water produced 15 jack crevalle plus sierra and mixed jacks, and 2 offshore runs to Roca Corbeteña produced 1 dorado, 4 striped marlin, and a few jack crevalle, plus good counts of bonita and mixed species. Two other mixed species trips found good action for jacks, pargos, and amberjack. "The jack crevalle have came into full force here in Puerto Vallarta," Quinonez said. "Most boats have been doing well here on lots of our smaller game species...I am seeing more striped marlin this year than I can ever remember for March." Puerto Vallarta sea conditions were fairly calm, but with some swells to about 6 feet at times."

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported generally slow fishing in the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo area. "The fishing has not been up to par for the past couple of weeks and some boats were returning without anything to show for the day at all," Edwards said. Thirty offshore boats reported a catch including released fish of: 9 sailfish, 2 blue marlin, 14 yellowfin tuna to 50 pounds, and 4 dorado. Thirty inshore boats reported a catch of: 1 roosterfish, 1 rainbow runner, 1 pompano, 3 sierra, 1 needlefish, and 112 jack crevalle. "This is just a transition period...as water temperatures are okay, clarity is good, and the weather is near picture perfect," Edwards said. Ixtapa Zihuatanejo weather was sunny at 90 degrees, with calm seas and water temperatures at 76 degrees inshore and 78 degrees offshore. Blue water was 15 miles out, and the tuna were found 25 to 50 miles out.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Paul Phillips of the Fintastic Total Tag & Release Tournament said offshore action was hit-or-miss but some boats fishing at night under the full moon did well on barracuda. "Several captains convinced the anglers to change tactics and it paid off with some boats landing as many as 20 fish," Phillips said. "This is a great fishing trip, full moon, cool air, some wine and cheese, and calm seas...They slow troll Rapalas, small hoochies, and feather jigs around the offshore rocky islands and the onshore rocks. Great fishing for those that can't stand the heat of day but wish to fish."

HUATULCO FISHING REPORTS

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HUATULCO, MEXICO: Eric Wiessman of Explore Fly Fishing reported clear blue water a quarter-mile offshore at his San Agustinillo fishing location near Huatulco, with lots of jacks, snook, sierra, pompano, and mixed species being caught. Yellowfin tuna and skipjack of 20 to 50 pounds were landed "half-a-mile from my front door," Wiessman said, plus salema, rainbow runner, and dorado. Bait supplies included red crab, sardina, and bigeyes. Huatulco weather was humid at 90 degrees, with the water temperature about 88 degrees.

Loreto Sportfishing Photo 1

LORETO YELLOWTAIL SURFACE BITE--Capt. Francisco Muñoz of Baja Big Fish Company with a 25-pound class yellowtail caught on the surface with a flylined platano bait at the San Bruno bajo north of town. "Lots of activity from 30 feet to the surface," said Baja Big Fish's Pam Bolles. "This is the beginning of the surface yellowtail bite." PHOTO COURTESY OF PAM BOLLES.

Loreto spring yellowtail map

SPRING YELLOWTAIL SPOTS--Map shows locations of early-March yellowtail on the surface north of Loreto, including La Cholla and Punta Tintorerra off Isla Carmen, the San Bruno reef north of Isla Coronado, Punta Pulpito, and Isla San Ildefonso. MAP COURTESY OF BAJA BIG FISH COMPANY.

Ensenada Sportfishing Photo 1

FISHING WITH BETO--Juan Leal and Gather Cohen of San Diego fished at Ensenada's Punta Banda on the Vonny's Fleet panga Vonny I, and Vonny's yellowtail guru Capt. Beto did it again, leading them to 2 nice yellowtail plus the usual bottom fish. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Castro's Camp Sportfishing Photo 1

CASTRO'S CATCH--The fillet table was loaded with lingcod, rockcods, mixed bottom species, and giant Humboldt squid during last week's trip to Castro's Camp south of Ensenada by Lee Wood and his Oceanside Senior Anglers group. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE WOOD.

Castro's Camp Photo 1 Castro's Camp Photo 2

CASTRO'S $5 HAT TRICK--Former Oceanside Senior Anglers president Hal Reeser, right, lost his hat when a gust of wind blew it over the cliff during a recent club trip to Castro's Camp south of Ensenada. Not wanting to take the long walk to the beach to retrieve his hat, Reeser offered a $5 reward to a fillet table helper if he would go and get it for him. Instead of taking the long hike, the young man got a rope, lowered himself down the cliff, and was back in about 3 minutes with Reeser's hat. "Not bad for a 3-minute climb," said club member Lee Wood. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LEE WOOD.

Castro's Camp Sportfishing Photo 2

CASTRO'S HUNKY HALIBUT--Herb Spencer of Carlsbad, right, and Lee Petersen, left, fished out of Castro's Camp south of Ensenada with Capt. Pancho, center, and they scored on this excellent pair of halibut while fishing about 120 feet deep. PHOTO COURTESY OF FERNANDO CASTRO.

San Quintin Sportfishing Photo 1

SAN QUINTIN CALAMARI--Lorenzo Biedebach of San Quintin's Camp Lorenzo fished on his boat with Stan Vath, and they scored on rockcod, lingcod, and some of these giant Humboldt squid including this 15 pounder, in cool 57-degree water. PHOTO COURTESY OF STAN VATH.

San Quintin Surfing Photo 1 San Quintin Photo 1

SAN QUINTIN SURFING--K&M Offshore Sportfishing's Kelly Catian found rough seas and slow fishing off San Quintin, but conditions were fine for an overland surfing trip. At right, some San Quintin locals checking out the action. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KELLY CATIAN.

Baja California Coastal Sportfishing Photo 1

ALL-TACKLE CROAKER?--Lance Rigg, shown, of El Segundo fished at Morro Santo Domingo on the Pacific coast of Baja and used a sand crab to catch this big spotfin croaker that was weighed at 9 pounds, 7 ounces on the store scale at Hugh Cobb's Pacific Coast Bait and Tackle in Oceanside. The fish is being submitted for an IGFA all-tackle record, Cobb said. PHOTO COURTESY OF HUGH COBB.

La Paz Sportfishing Photo 1

EL BAJO YELLOWTAIL--Jake Simpson, left, and his dad Bob Simpson fished at El Bajo north of La Paz with Tail Hunter International's Capt. Chito, right, and they scored on 7 of these nice yellowtail of 30 to almost 45 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

Santa Rosalia Sportfishing Photo 1

ISLA TORTUGA BAQUETA--Danny "Piojo Loco" Chiquete of Isla San Marcos fished last week at Isla Tortuga off Santa Rosalia with Mike Kanzler and they scored on 5 yellowtail plus this nice 30-pound class baqueta. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE KANZLER.

Santa Rosalia Sportfishing Photo 2

WHAT IS IT?--Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos near Santa Rosalia said, "I caught this little guy with my dip net swimming by a large jellyfish at Tortuga island. About 3 inches total length. The water temperature was 62 degrees. Kind of a cute little guy." PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE KANZLER.

San Carlos Sportfishing Photo 1

AT SAN PEDRO NOLASCO--Fernando Almada, right, of the San Carlos charter boat Little Catch-22 found this nice 40-pound class baya grouper for angler Pedro Ortiz while trolling a Rapala in 62.5-degree water at the south tip of Isla San Pedro Nolasco. PHOTO COURTESY OF FERNANDO ALMADA.

Puerto Vallarta Sportfishing Photo 1

VALLARTA ISLAND TUNA--Capt. Scott Osuna, left, of Marla's Sportfishing and Capt. Danny Osuna ran their charter boat Marla II 63 miles out of Puerto Vallarta to Isla Maria Cleofas, the most southerly of the Trés Marías group, on Friday and they found 21 yellowfin tuna of 50 to 140 pounds for these happy anglers from New York. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY OSUNA.

Puerto Vallarta Sportfishing Photo 2

TUNA ISLAND--Isla Maria Cleofas, about 60 miles off Puerto Vallarta, where the charter boat Marla II landed 21 tuna of 50 to 140 pounds last week. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY OSUNA.

Bahia de los Angeles Photo 1

BACK FROM ISLA LA GUARDA--Baja author-adventurer Graham Mackintosh returned to San Diego from his month-long stay on Isla Angel de la Guarda off Bahia de los Angeles. Just visible at far right is Mackintosh's camp at Este Ton on the west shore of the island. PHOTO COURTESY OF GRAHAM MACKINTOSH.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES