Jacks are wild in San Jose del Cabo fishing;

White marlin showing up at Cancun

Mexico Fishing News, April 23, 2007

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas reported an excellent mix of species caught by the La Playita panga fleet last week, led by good action on snappers and an exceptional variety and abundance of jacks including African pompano, roosterfish, island jack, golden jack, amberjack, and jack crevalle.

Eighty-eight combined La Playita fleet pangas fishing off San Jose del Cabo had a catch of: 665 combined pargo or snapper species, 255 African pompano, 14 golden jack, 6 island jack, 11 amberjack, 14 roosterfish, 12 jack crevalle, 465 sierra, 3 striped marlin, 8 dorado, 2 halibut, 3 yellowtail, 18 surgeonfish, 66 triggerfish, 64 cabrilla, 14 grouper, 22 bonito, and 4 hammerhead shark.

"San Jose del Cabo pangas are fishing closer to shore for a smorgasbord of excellent eating species," Brictson said. "It was not uncommon to catch at least 6 different species on 1 trip. Most of the fishing was within a mile from shore in 50 feet or less of water. Anglers had success while using live sardinas and artificials. The shipwreck off La Laguna was especially productive for African Pompano, and very nice-sized golden jacks were mixed in, as well as a few island jacks."

Yellow snapper led the pargo species counts. Los Cabos fishing area weather was variable, with some winds and the water temperature at 69 to 73 degrees.

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: Ivan Villarino of Vonny's Fleet said his pangas were kept off the water by bad weather most of the week. "This week was very windy and rough so we could not fish until Saturday," Villarino said. On Saturday, the charter pangas Vonny I with Capt. Beto and Vonny III with Capt. Hector fished in calm weather for lingcod, calico bass, and mixed bottom fish limits. Anglers fishing with Vonny's Fleet during the week included Chuck Flake and his son, Mat and Ethen Porter, Toby Tilford, and Miguel Sy. Local Ensenada weather over the weekend was sunny in the low-60s, with light breezes, 2 to 3-foot ocean swells, and the water temperature at Punta Banda averaging 59 degrees.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Steve Ross of the boat Bad Dog at Ensenada's Marina Coral reported on a very slow outing the previous Saturday, with almost no fish to show for time spent at north Islas Todos Santos, 14 miles south at Punta Santo Tomas, and locally at Estero Beach and El Farito. At Punta Santo Tomas, Ross said, "The current was strong and the water was green and 57 degrees, but we did find millions of flies off the kelp. They covered the entire boat and us as well. We pulled the anchor and tried a secret spire off Roca Islote. The current was strong and I told Juan Lu to drop when I gave the order. He promptly reeled up a fat 6.5-pound lingcod. By time we boated the fish we had already drifted half-a-mile. I drove back and he boated a fat little rubber-lipped type of perch. We returned to Marina Coral with 1 lingcod, 1 perch, 100 pounds of unused ice, a lot of baits, and a boat load of flies."

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: Sam Saenz of Puerto Santo Tomas Resort said his satellite email at the resort was down, but he was able to communicate from Maneadero. Puerto Santo Tomas fishing conditions were rough and windy during the week, but Frank Cardenas and his fishing partner did well on bottom fish plus several yellowtail lost. "They spotted yellowtail schools jumping around," Saenz said, "but shortly after that the weather turned bad and they could not go out again. For Puerto Santo Tomas, this yellowtail appearance is about 6 weeks early. Let's hope this is a good indication for the coming year." Saenz also confirmed that the launch ramp on the sheltered south side of the point is in operation. "This is a public ramp developed primarily for the fishermen and there is no charge for now," Saenz said. "If you can back in and handle a steep decline and can make an 80-degree turn at the bottom, then you can launch a 20 to 28 footer on high and mid-high tide. We also have the old ramp facing the Pacific Ocean under concession. It is usable during calm water periods. The launch fee is $15 for this ramp."

ERENDIRA FISHING REPORTS

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ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Fernando Castro of Castro's Camp reported 31 boats fishing off Erendira during the week for big counts of red rockcod, lingcod, mixed bottom fish species, and continued multiple catches of big Humboldt giant squid. Some bonita were also caught, but Castro said, "We still must wait for warmer water to appear and then we'll start catching them." Erendira weather was good except for some light rain on Friday but with seas remaining calm. Baja coastal fishing waters were very clear at 56 to 57 degrees in the main fishing area 7 miles out.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas said winds were light at San Quintin last week, but few anglers were in the area. "Most came for our great rockcod fishing and no one left disappointed," Hillis said. No yellowtail were reported during the week but boats caught "limits and more limits" of large rockcods and lingcod. "The lingcod are still preferring live bait or scrambled egg jigs at the 240 and 15-fathom spots," Hillis said.

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Al Goss of Lodi, Calif., announced plans for a 3-week circumnavigation of Baja California in a 26-foot Glacier Bay boat beginning on April 30, 2007, with stops at San Diego, Ensenada, San Quintin, Turtle Bay, Punta Abreojos, Magdalena Bay, San Jose del Cabo, Los Barriles, Puerto Escondido, Loreto, Santa Rosalia, Bahia de los Angeles, and San Felipe. Also going on the Baja cruise will be fellow adventurers Dick Huie and Rick Hobbs. "We are fishing all the way around," Goss said. "Glacier Bay is picking up fuel costs and a few other incidentals. They have 3 magazines that have interest in the story. Dick Huie and I have been planning this adventure for the past 4 years and soon it will be a reality."

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said strong winds and rough seas kept most Magdalena Bay boats off the open Pacific last week. Fishing at the San Carlos entrada produced some sierra and yellowtail under birds. A few grouper, small pargo, and corvina were caught in the Magdalena Bay mangrove channels at Devil's Curve, and the San Carlos bridge also produced some corvina and small grouper. Magdalena Bay fishing area weather was at 90 degrees, with northwest winds to 20 knots and the water temperature at 65 to 72 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Mike Connolly of the Cabo San Lucas charter boat Falcon said the Pacific side continued to produce big numbers of striped marlin early last week but was slowed down by rough seas on Thursday. "The Golden Gate Bank, with water temperatures at 68 degrees or lower, continued to amaze with wide-open striped marlin fishing," Connolly said about the early week fishing. "Feeder groups under frigate birds and lots and lots of tailers have been gathered in a large area mainly within 6 miles to the north." In 2 days of fishing with Noel Maltman, the Falcon saw over 60 marlin, had 12 hits, and got 6 to leader. Another outing produced 8 releases on 10 bites. "Everything changed on Thursday," Connolly said. "The Gate is done for a while. Seas kicked up mucho on the Pacific side. One charter boat sank and the water temperature dipped to 66 degrees. The better fishing was closer to Cabo, maybe halfway to the Gate, as the fish appeared to be on the move eastward. I expect the fleet to do the same in upcoming days."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 49 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 68 striped marlin, 1 dorado, and 2 yellowfin tuna. Cabo San Lucas fishing area water temperatures were at 68 to 69 degrees on the Pacific side and up to 73 degrees on the Cortez side northwards from the Gordo Banks. "It was another great week of fishing in Cabo San Lucas, with the striper action continuing to lead," Edwards said. "The Golden Gate Bank produced excellent catches."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jorge Navarro of Pisces Fleet said 50 boats fished during the week and only 4 came back empty as many boats made multiple releases of 4 to as many as 8 striped marlin. Top outings included 8-release days for the charter boats Falcon and Yahoo, 7 releases for Bill Collector, and 5-release days for La Brisa and Rebecca.

Of 149 striped marlin landed during the week, 145 were released. Only 3 boats caught yellowfin tuna and no dorado were reported.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tommy Garcia of Cabo Magic reported on 25 Cabo San Lucas charter boats, with a catch including released fish of: 40 striped marlin, and a few mako shark, sierra, and yellowtail.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Ramon Druck of the Cabo San Lucas charter sportfishing super panga Cheer's reported on 6 outings during the week, fishing on both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez sides with a total of 10 anglers for a catch including released fish of: 40 sierra of 3 to 6 pounds, 1 pompano of 6 pounds, 1 cabrilla of 2 pounds, 2 skipjack of 4 and 5 pounds, 3 yellowtail of 4 to 7 pounds, 1 additional yellowtail, 6 roosterfish of 3 to 4 pounds, 2 pargo of 2 pounds, 2 small cabrilla of about 1 pound, and 1 triggerfish. Anglers fishing aboard the Cheer's included Bal Diel, Tom Braneato, David McNabb, Dan Daggett, Mike Eppler, Bernd Galhoff, Adolfo Rossi, Homero Castaneda, Francisco Barraza, and Raul Leon. The Cheer's fished to about 4 miles out on Cabo's Pacific side in some cool conditions and water temperatures of about 69 to 70 degrees, and also in some very calm conditions and some strong wind on the Cortez side where the yellowtail and roosterfish were caught in local water temperatures up to 71 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Capt. George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported good-sized swells coming down both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez sides, with calmer water inside 5 miles between Cabo San Lucas and Punta Gorda. Striped marlin action dropped off as the productive water on the Pacific side cooled down and turned off-color. "The number of fish spotted tailing on the surface dropped dramatically and the better catches were only in the 3-fish range instead of the 15-fish range from last week," Landrum said. Yellowfin tuna also turned scarce on the Pacific side and dorado remained scattered.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 11 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, and 1 yellowfin tuna of 25 pounds.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Greg George of Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort said offshore fishing slowed down slightly last week, but the fleet still averaged 1 to 3 striped marlin per boat. "Most of the fish were caught within 15 to 20 miles out in about 72-degree water," George said. Some dorado to about 40 pounds were caught. "I believe our boats won the Western Outdoor News Fiesta de Pesca twice this week with dorado," George said. "Wind has been a factor some days."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Axel Valdez of Buena Vista Beach Resort reported on East Cape 32 boats, with 98 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 64 striped marlin, 5 dorado, 1 yellowfin tuna, 1 shark, 1 snapper, 3 jack crevalle, 2 ladyfish, 5 triggerfish, 5 cabrilla, and 83 skipjack tuna. "It's the best marlin run of the year, with boats with multiple hookups," Valdez said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 112 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 330 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 207 striped marlin, 32 dorado, and 2 yellowfin tuna. East Cape fishing area weather was in the high-70s, with some afternoon wind and seas, and the water temperature at 68 to 79 degrees. "The striped marlin bite was absolutely hot with many charters coming in with multiple landings," Moyers said. "Not much else was biting. The dorado bite was dismal and the yellowfin tuna bite was nonexistent. Most of the marlin action was to the south."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Don Alley of Loreto and his wife Paula fished on a super panga with Capt. Ronnie out of Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort on Friday for 1 striped marlin released close-in and a 37-pound plus dorado that won a rod, hooks, box, and fishing line in the current East Cape Fiesta de Pesca fishing event promoted by Western Outdoor News. "Upon our return to Verdugo's I was urged to weigh it for a contest," Alley said "Hey, thanks, WON!" East Cape fishing area weather was warm and sunny, with light winds and calm seas. "We spotted a marlin a short distance out, before we began trolling, and baited, hooked and released the fish," Alley said. "We baited only one other marlin and he turned us down."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Torrance Eddy of Buena Vista fished aboard his beach-launched aluminum boat in windy conditions for "lots of little fish including 1 fine lizardfish" and a 20-pound black skipjack hooked by a trolled Rebel Jointed Fastrac as the wind chased him home. "I knew it would be windy in the afternoon," Eddy said. "I had decided to fish for triggerfish near the San Bartolo arroyo. The wind came so I threw out a couple of my favorite Fastracs and headed for home at about 10 m.p.h., perhaps more because I was planing. I was impressed that the Fastracs remained stable at that speed. The bad news was that it was a skipjack. The good news is that my next door neighbor has a big extended family and likes them."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said offshore fishing between sporadic north winds produced some good billfish action last week. "Many boats racked up multiple scores on the less windy days," Graham said. "Dorado were mostly singles spread throughout the bay. Yellowfin tuna catches could only be classified as dismal." Beach fishing by fly tackle guide Lance Peterson produced sightings of roosterfish and many jack crevalle, as well as Petersen's biggest jack of the year landed. "There were literally hundreds of jacks," Petersen said, "with enough chasing the flies to keep it interesting and provide nonstop action. The score was one big jack landed as they continued to prove how tough they can be to catch from shore." East Cape fishing area weather was in the mid-80s, with water temperatures at 65 to 74 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Paul Oldaker of Steamboat Springs, Colo., reported on 4 days of fishing with Leo Beeman of Durango, Colo., out of Buena Vista Beach Resort with Capt. Viktor of the super panga Mosca. "Overall we had 1 slow day for marlin, another slow day due to the north wind, and 2 good days," Oldaker said, for a total catch including released fish of: 1 black skipjack, 3 orangesided triggerfish, 1 small cabrilla, 1 small striped marlin, 1 roosterfish of 10 to 15 pounds, and 1 good-sized pargo. Wind was a factor in the fishing, Oldaker said, as during some periods their panga was confined to bottom fishing in the lee of Punta Pescadero. On one day, Oldaker said, "The north wind blew so it got rough. There were few baits available. Finally it got too rough so we bottom fished in 2 places and lost a lot of hooks and baits to sharp toothed unknown fish. One was big."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Leeper, staying at Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort, said last week's fishing was "more of the same, with plentiful stripers and few tuna and dorado." East Cape water temperatures were at 71 to 72 degrees. "The good news is that the sea surface temperature is showing a surge of warm water coming our way so things should pick up," Leeper said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Eddie Dalmau of Van Wormer Resorts reported on 100 East Cape charter fishing boats from Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, and Punta Colorada, with a catch including released fish of: 125 striped marlin, 6 sailfish, 71 dorado, 1 yellowfin tuna, 30 roosterfish, 19 cabrilla, 57 pargo, 20 ladyfish, and 13 triggerfish. "Most of the action took place 5 miles out from Punta Arena, just south of Punta Colorada," Dalmau said. "The resorts also reported plenty of sardinas available."

For the previous week ending April 13, 2007, Dalmau reported on 130 boats, with a catch including released fish of: 130 striped marlin, 20 sailfish, 66 dorado, 8 yellowfin tuna, 35 roosterfish, 1 wahoo, 15 cabrilla, 9 pargo, 12 triggerfish, 10 snapper, 9 sierra, and 8 mako shark.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Bill Roberts of Huntington Beach, Calif., and the annual Crouch Roberts East Cape fishing tournament reported on a family trip to Rancho Buena Vista last week with his son Riley, 12, brother Michael of McCall, Idaho, and friend John Veeveart of Weaverville, Calif., for a 2-day catch including released fish on the charter boat Helena with Capt. Gilberto of: 3 marlin, 1 sailfish, 1 yellowfin tuna, and 7 dorado of 25 to 50 pounds. "The weather was perfect with temperatures in the mid to high-80s and no wind or humidity to speak of," Roberts said. "I have been going to the Ranch now for about 12 years and it was a pleasure again. The people that work there have always been so friendly and hospitable."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Simon Cazaly of the Vista Sea Sport diving service at Buena Vista said East Cape diving conditions settled right down after a few days of high winds. "The sea is as flat as a pancake," Cazaly said. Visibility was improved at 45 to 50 feet, with water temperatures of 72 to 73 degrees at depth. "While diving on Los Morros we've seen a couple of large diamond stingrays, one about 6 feet across, which rose off the seabed as we drew closer and slowly disappeared from view," Cazaly said. Other sea life sightings included juvenile killer whales, banded guitarfish, electric bull's eye rays, sea lions, grouper, yellow snapper, moray eel, scorpionfish, porcupinefish, and schools of thousands of bigeye jacks.

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said Las Arenas weather was in the 80s as northeast winds arrived on the south side of the hill at the end of the week. "We have enough bait at the south end of Isla Cerralvo and we're also using small black skipjack baits for marlin," Hernandez said. "Everybody is finding fish, but the fish are not as big as usual." Although many pargos were present in the various fishing areas, they were not eating last week and the main catches were some sierra, small snappers, and small roosterfish.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International said La Paz fishing conditions continued to be inconsistent last week. "Winds would come from the north one day, then south another day," Roldan said. "There were quite a few anglers out there so traffic on the fishing grounds some days pushed the fish down. Some nice roosterfish and a few yellowtail were caught north of La Paz around the islands. The water got a little greener this week too. There were fish to be caught, just nothing spectacular." The main quarry on the south side of the hill was sierra in front of the Punta Arena de la Ventana beach, plus a few yellowtail, pargo, and red snapper mixed in.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Tim Stemwedel of Fresno, Calif., fished the Las Arenas side with panga Capt. Manuel for so-so action on sierra, smaller pargo, and a few cabrilla of 4 to 5 pounds. "There are a few occasional dorado showing but the yellowtail have left and the warmer water species are yet to arrive," Stemwedel said. "There was a large group of guys using most of the fleet. There were lots of boats fishing and plenty of sardinas for bait. Manuel worked real hard. We fished mainly on the inside between the Las Arenas lighthouse and Muertos Bay. The seamount at the south end of Isla Cerralvo was pretty dead."

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Bill Erhardt of Loreto reported his first striped marlin and dorado of the season, caught last week while fishing on his boat Soledad. Erhardt's marlin was hooked on Thursday while trolling east of town. "By sunup I was trolling for marlin that had been reported in the area," Erhardt said. "Shortly before noon I caught and released a striped marlin of about 100 pounds. There were reports on the radio of a strong north wind blowing the boats off the water at Pulpito and San Bruno. I headed in around noon and in a few minutes was in whitecaps with a 15-plus knot wind on the beam. It was a bumpy ride home." On Friday, Erhardt caught 4 small dorado while fishing northeast of town. "There were many marlin tailing on the surface, but I could not interest them in anything I had to offer," Erhardt said. "There were also schools of peanut dorado. I caught and released 4 of them, the first I have caught this year." Loreto fishing area water temperatures were cooler at 71 to 73 degrees after being churned by wind waves.

LORETO, MEXICO: Diane Berryhill of Sherwood, Ore., reported on an outing north of town with her husband Douglas Berryhill and Loreto Capt. Jose Luis Mayoral Barreno, fishing the San Bruno bajo about 100 feet deep on the charter panga Lorena for a catch of 3 cabrilla on yo-yo jigs and 1 yellowtail of 15 kilos hooked on a live mackerel bait. "We went out at 6 a.m. and bought our mackerel from the bait guys just outside the Loreto marina," Berryhill said. "Other times, we jig for bait just off Isla Coronado using 'Lucky Joes' but that day we bought 20 mackerel for $20. Other pangas in the seamount area were also taking both cabrilla and yellowtail." Loreto weather was sunny at 70 degrees.

LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company said the Loreto fishing area was still working its way out of the winter wind pattern. "The transition may last through this month," Bolles said. "As soon as the unstable weather to our north and south diminishes we will see drop-dead gorgeous flat calm days." Yellowtail fishing was slower for fish of 25 to 40 pounds as some local populations continued in spawning mode. Pargo and cabrilla fishing along the shorelines was good. "Nice-sized fish are the standard," Bolles said. "Cabrilla are coming in at over 10 pounds and some approaching 20 pounds." Loreto fishing area water temperatures were at 67 to 71 degrees.

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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MULEGE, MEXICO: Bill Coffman of Bahia Concepcion reported some small roosterfish and good action for red snapper on the far side of the bay but Mulege fishing generally hampered by winds. Few boats were in the water. "Out of 9 days I was able to fish comfortably on 2 of them," Coffman said. "Mulege had lots of wind and waves. It's been very quiet. There has been little action. The sardine and mackerel hatch is on in the bay. I fished with Adrian Osuna, a commercial fisherman, and we caught plenty of red snapper. We trolled for roosterfish and caught and released some small ones. The roosterfish are in the bay and chasing lisa." Adrian Osuna: 011-52-615-153-0731.

MULEGE, MEXICO: Patsi Hodges of Bahia Coyote south of Mulege reported on a panga outing by her husband Les Hodges and neighbor Danny Sedivec, fishing in rough seas just off Punta Concepcion for a 40-inch snapper of about 26 pounds that looked like a dog snapper but had just a few teeth. "We're sure it's not a dog," Hodges said. "It had a few teeth but nothing like you would expect in a dog snapper. The meat had the most different texture, almost like lobster."

MULEGE, MEXICO: Lou Federico, builder of the original Hotel Punta Chivato, said he's launched a new website with information about the history of Mulege and ordering information for his book about his adventures in Baja, "One Hell of a Ride." Lou Federico: bajalou.com.

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos reported erratic weather in the Santa Rosalia fishing area with some days "super windy" and other days calm. Air temperatures were in the high-70s, with the water still cool at 66 to 69 degrees and near shore visibility at 15 feet. A run to Isla Tortuga with Mike Grossman and Joe Steinman produced about 20 cabrilla, 6 chino mero, 2 yellow snapper, a few flag cabrilla and Panamic graysby, and 2 hogfish, with everything released except 7 cabrilla.

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

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Mike Steele of San Diego, Calif., reported on a spring break family trip to Bahia de los Angeles, staying at Larry and Raquel's Motel and fishing 2 days out of Casa Diaz for good action on whitefish, jawfish, triggerfish, and cabrilla north of town the first day, and 2 yellowtail of 18 to 20 pounds plus a cooler full of bottom fish at the south end of Isla Angel de la Guarda the second day. At the island, Steele said, "Birds were everywhere and the fish up and down all day. Boats that were on the spot at 6 to 7, including Igor, Rafa, etc., were rewarded with limits of yellowtail. The fish are there and it will only get better as they move further into the bay and north as the water warms." Water temperatures were still in the low-60s. Baja roads on the drive south were in excellent condition.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Ray Madrid of Long Beach, Calif., reported on a 6-day panga Midriff Islands trip aboard the Tony Reyes Fishing Tours panga mothership Tony Reyes, returning to San Felipe on April 20, 2007, after finding limits on yellowtail of 18 to 26 pounds at Isla Partida and Isla Raza, pinto bass and cabrilla at the south end of Isla Angel de la Guarda, slow action along the Baja coast at Punta Remedios, and sierra and cabrilla the last day at Isla San Luis, including a sierra of 10.4 pounds caught by Madrid. For the yellowtail, Madrid said, "The hot color was a pink MirrOlure and the green mackerel and fire tiger worked best for the cabrilla." Midriff Islands weather was cool with some wind daily. Fishing with Madrid were Art Dumont and Edo Stoove.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Adrian Sosa of San Jose, Calif., reported on a family group trip to fish between strong winds at the Islas Encantadas, or Enchanted Islands, south of San Felipe after launching his 26-foot Skipjack at Puertecitos. Fishing results for the trip included a run of spotted rose snapper of 3 to 5 pounds found at the "Hot Chocolate Cliffs" area along the Baja coastline described in The Baja Catch, sierra of about 6 pounds on jigs at the islands, a grouper broken off on 60-pound line, 3 spotted cabrilla to about 25 pounds, a gulf grouper of over 50 pounds, 2 bonefish, grunts, porgy, catfish, triggerfish, and spotted bay bass. Northern Cortez weather was sometimes windy, with water temperatures at 70 to 71 degrees. "Winds were gusty and not advisable for small craft," Sosa said. "They picked up considerably with gusts up to 40 m.p.h. We headed back to the ramp and made our way back to the States, thankful for the short window we got."

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

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ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: For the previous weekend, Ric Felder of Glendale, Ariz., reported on a solo run out of Rocky Point on Saturday by his boat End Of The Line, fishing about 100 to 120 feet deep at spots about 13 to 15 miles south in water near 70 degrees for a catch of: 1 gulf grouper at 65 pounds, 2 leopard grouper of 10 and 11 pounds, and a 42-pound mako shark on spinning gear landed during a double hookup with another grouper of 55 pounds. Of the mako shark catch, Felder said, "I saw a shark fin headed toward the rear of my boat. It sunk out of sight so I grabbed a medium action spinning rig with about 25-pound test and a 5-foot wire leader, put a mackerel on the hook and let it sink about 40 feet. I wanted the shark good and tired before bringing it aboard so I let it play out for at least half-an-hour. While I was fighting the mako, one of my other rigs with a whole mackerel on it got hit so I put the spinning rig into the rod holder and brought in a 55-pound grouper on that rig." The following day, Felder said, "The wind blew like hell which was good with me so I could relax.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Craig Collins of Rio Rico, Ariz., said his boat No Sniveling fished out of San Carlos the previous weekend for zero action about 35 to 40 miles out in clean green to blue-green water at 69 to 72 degrees. "We starting at 145 degrees from Punta Doble and returning from 35 miles out at 180 degrees," Collins said. "We saw 1 dorado and 2 marlin jumping, but nothing ever came into the spread. We saw lots of bait and several bait balls, but no fish under them." Another boat reported a dorado caught. San Carlos weather was windy from all directions and Collins said, "Every time the water warms up, the northwest wind cools it down and the blue turns to green again. Terrafin shows a large area of cleaner and warmer water to the south, so everything is in place for the bite to start."

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 24 Aries Fleet offshore boats fishing out of Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, with a catch including released fish of: 6 striped marlin, 1 mako shark, and 9 dorado. Seven inshore super pangas reported a catch of: 9 pargo, 24 red snapper, and 108 triggerfish. "It was another difficult fishing week at Mazatlan both inshore and offshore, which also slowed up angler participation," Edwards said. Mazatlan weather was partly cloudy in the high-80s, with some light winds offshore and the water temperature at 72 to 73 degrees. "There is still no significant area of concentrated fish as boats continued to travel far and wide on a daily basis, fishing 20 to 30 miles offshore," Edwards said.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Tadeo Hernandez of Flota Bibi Fleet reported on 7 charters during the week, with a catch including released fish of: 2 sailfish, 2 dorado, and 25 skipjack and bonita. "There are not many tourists in Mazatlan, or at least not many anglers," Hernandez said. Inshore light tackle fishing produced good catches of bass, mojarra, grunts, and triggerfish.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing reported very good inshore and offshore action for roosterfish and also for sailfish and dorado hitting about 5 to 15 miles north of Punta Mita. The charter boat Marla II with Capt. Danny Osuna released 13 roosterfish in the Litibu area north of Punta Mita and also scored big sailfish and dorado for angler Brad Runnerstrum of Camarillo, Calif. "All these fish are biting on caballito baits," Osuna said. "We had a slow-season week on charters, but we're busy getting our new Blackfin boat ready. She's really looking good with the new twin diesels we put in." Puerto Vallarta fishing area weather was flat, with some north breezes and the water temperature at 77 to 79.5 degrees.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Gomez of Dhamar Sportfishing reported on 2 outings by the charter super panga Dhamar for a catch with anglers Mike Miyers of Canada and Cliff Allenback of: 16 jack crevalle, 1 roosterfish, and 1 big snapper missed by Danny. "I got the big snapper that hit and then let go," Gomez said. "The fishing is good out at Roca Corbeteña and north of Punta Mita. The water is warming up to 79 to 80 degrees, a little off color, but it will be good in a matter of days. Some boats are reporting tuna, snapper, and a few dorado at Corbeteña."

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Quinonez of PV Marlin Sportfishing said they ran mostly shorter trips for jacks and pargo last week. "We have a 24-foot super panga now that we just added to our fleet so we could fish the roosters," Quinonez said. "On a test run yesterday I caught and released 4 nice ones in the 20 to 30-pound range. We heard yesterday that one boat at Corbeteña got into some tuna." Puerto Vallarta seas were moderate with water temperatures in the high-70s. "We are an official IGFA weigh station, and next week we will start tagging and releasing for the Billfish Foundation," Quinonez said. "I think it is something that is way overdue down here."

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Josh Temple of Prime Time Adventures said last week's action on the charter boat Conquistador produced good action on mid-sized yellowfin tuna to 80 pounds and some large dorado for anglers Randy and CD Bergson. Some yellowfin tuna biggies were also caught during a friends and family trip, including a first-ever yellowfin tuna of 170 pounds for Art Mendoza. "I've seen a noticeable increase in the amount and size of yellowfin tuna offshore," Temple said. "On Tuesday, tunas of all shapes and sizes descended upon us. We just hammered them on poppers, kites, flat lines, skip iron, you name it. Art succeeded in besting his first-ever yellowfin tuna. Our deckhand Bopa, who has helped many anglers land their fish of a lifetime, absolutely jackhammered a 175 to 180 pounder. Sebastian came back after losing a fish off the spear with a solid 80 pounder, and Sara and Caldo each nailed fish over 100 pounds. Comando, Meme, and Lora all took fish including a 125 pounder that Lora caught on the popper. That was a wicked bite I can assure you."

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said fishing picked up last week for boats out of Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. "We are now getting a potpourri of blue water species, including sailfish, blue marlin, dorado, and yellowfin tuna," Kunze said. "Sailfish are still the predominate catch, with most sailfish being taken between 18 and 21 miles from Zihuatanejo Bay." Capt. Santiago of the charter panga Gitana reported about 8 sailfish per day raised, and a double release day for fly fishing angler Mark Pinski of California. Capt. Adolpho on the charter panga Dos Hermanos reported jack crevalle and black skipjack inshore. Ixtapa Zihuatanejo weather was calm and partly cloudy in the high-80s, with water temperatures of 80 to 84 degrees about 15 miles out.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said, "The beginning of the week was impacted by the latest 'quake' and difficult sea conditions. As the week progressed, blue water returned and fishing dramatically improved." The charter boat Dos Hermanos I reported 7 shots on sailfish in a day and the Rosa Nautica reported 2 yellowfin tuna at 75 pounds. "This is a good sign as the arrival of the tuna is long overdue," Edwards said. Inshore fishing was good for bonito and jack crevalle but roosterfish remained absent. Ixtapa fishing conditions were calming at the end of the week, in the high-80s, with water temperatures at 74 degrees inshore and 83 degrees offshore.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Paul Phillips of the Fintastic Total Tag & Release Tournament said top Ixtapa Zihuatanejo sportfishing boats and captains were already being booked for the coming winter season. "Anglers are booking and prepaying blocks of 4 to 6 days," Phillips said. "The good old days of walking down to the pier and getting a top captain are rapidly disappearing."

CANCUN FISHING REPORTS

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CANCUN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 20 outings by the El Cid Caribe sportfishing fleet at Puerto Morelos near Cancun, with a catch including released fish of: 6 white marlin, 2 sailfish, 6 king mackerel, 3 grouper, 8 snapper, 1 wahoo, 2 barracuda, 5 yellowfin tuna, 1 cobia, and 24 dorado. "It's unquestionably the beginning of the white marlin season," Edwards said. El Cid Caribe fleet general manager Mario said, "There were lots of swings and misses this week, but the fish are moving in." Cancun fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the high-80s, with light breezes and water temperatures even at 82 degrees.

CANCUN, MEXICO: Robert Rodriguez of Wilmington, Calif., report a white marlin landed aboard the charter boat Frigate out of Cozumel south of Cancun. "It seems there've been some 6 to 8 white marlin in the last 3 weeks that have been lost," Rodriguez said. "Outside of that, we're catching the mahi-mahi, although not the bulls yet. We also have caught quite a few barracuda and wahoo."

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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MEXICO: Tadeo Hernandez of Mazatlan's Flota Bibi Fleet reported on a charter fishing trip to Teacapan, Sinaloa, about 70 miles south of Mazatlan on the Mexico Pacific coast, that produced good action for anglers Greg Loeffler and Jesus Celis including snook of 7 and 10 pounds, red snapper of about 18 and 22 pounds, yellow and black snapper species, grunts, and a fish locally called "monda." "Teacapan is the best place in the region for mangrove fishing," Hernandez said. "The best bait is live shrimp and the fishing conditions were great, like a swimming pool. I was in the super panga with them and we had a blast."

San Jose del Cabo Mexico Fishing Photo 1

JACKS GO OFF--Big numbers of mixed species jack were caught last week by the La Playita panga fleet at San Jose del Cabo. Here's Jeff Lidyoff of Sunnyville, Calif., with a beautiful African pompano of 18 pounds caught with Gordo Banks Pangas while fishing the local shipwreck off La Salina on Saturday. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON.

Ensenada Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SLOW DAY LINGCOD--Juan Lu Cardona fished in very slow conditions at several local locations around Ensenada and south at Punta Santo Tomas last Saturday on Steve Ross' boat Bad Dog for a catch that included just this 1 lingcod and 1 perch. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE ROSS.

Ensenada Mexico Fishing Photo 2

BOTTOM FISH LIMITS--Chuck Flake and his son went fishing at Ensenada on Saturday morning aboard a Vonny's Fleet panga with Capt. Beto and they caught this nice lingcod plus limits of mixed rockcods and bottom fish. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 1

CABO SIERRA--The sierra bite has turned on for inshore boats fishing at the tip of Baja. Here's Bernd Galhoff with a typical ceviche fish caught last week on the Cortez side of Cabo San Lucas with Capt. Ramon Druck on the charter panga Cheer's. At right, Capt. Ramon Druck at the Cabo arch with a couple of nice local yellowtail caught aboard the Cheer's. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 3

FIVE-FOR-FIVE--With flags flying, Mark Evasic's group from Michigan celebrates a great day of 5 Cabo San Lucas striped marlin releases aboard the charter boat Cabo Magic earlier this month. PHOTO COURTESY OF LORI GARCIA.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 1

WON EAST CAPE WINNER!--Don Alley's 37-pound 8-ounce dorado caught last week with Capt. Ronnie of Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort won Alley some nice fishing tackle prizes in the current Western Outdoor News Fiesta de Pesca East Cape fishing contest. Alley and his wife Paula also released a striped marlin for the day. PHOTO COURTESY OF DON ALLEY.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 2

EAST CAPE DORADO--Michael Roberts fished out of East Cape's Hotel Rancho Buena Vista with his brother Bill Roberts' group for a 2-day catch with Capt. Gilberto that included 7 dorado of 25 to 50 pounds. At right, group members, from left, Riley Roberts, Bill Roberts, Michael Roberts, and John Veeveart. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BILL ROBERTS.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 4

BIG BUT PICKY--Jack crevalle were present in good numbers off East Cape beaches last week, but most were not interested in eating. Baja On The Fly guide Lance Peterson managed to hook this beauty on fly fishing tackle, his biggest so far of the 2007 season. PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY GRAHAM.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 5

TOUGH WINDY FISHING--Paul Oldaker and fishing partner Leo Beeman were reduced to bottom fishing in the lee of Punta Pescadero at times during their 4 days of action out of East Cape's Buena Vista Beach resort, but they did manage to release this striped marlin with Capt. Viktor on the charter super panga Mosca. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL OLDAKER.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SOUTH SIDE SNAPPERS--Beth Sarachman of Huntington Beach, Calif., fished on the Las Arenas side south of La Paz with Tailhunter International last week for a catch including 3 of these nice pargo lisa and a bunch of good-sized sierra. PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 2

LA PAZ CHICO--Juvenile roosterfish provided light tackle action on the Las Arenas side south of La Paz last week. Here's a beautiful little pez gallo about to be released by a Tortuga Sportfishing panga. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

Loreto Mexico Fishing Photo 1 Loreto Mexico Fishing Photo 2

EARLY LORETO MARLIN AND DORADO--During breaks in last week's wind Bill Erhardt fished in the canyon east of Loreto for a striped marlin on Thursday and 4 peanut dorado on Friday, his first fish of the season for both species. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BILL ERHARDT.

SAN BRUNO FISHING--Diane Berryhill and Douglas Berryhill fished with Capt. Jose Luis Mayoral Barreno at the San Bruno bajo north of Loreto for a catch of 3 of these nice cabrilla, or leopard grouper, on jigs plus a 15-kilo yellowtail that hit a live mackerel bait. PHOTO COURTESY OF DIANE BERRYHILL.

Loreto Mexico Fishing Photo 4

PUNTA LOBOS FISHING--Capt. Francisco Muñoz of Loreto's Baja Big Fish Company with a 38-pound yellowtail and a 15-pound dog snapper caught last week at Punta Lobos on Isla Carmen. His catch for the day included another yellowtail and a pargo about the same size as the cabrilla. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAM BOLLES.

Mulege Mexico Fishing Photo 1

WHAT IS IT?--Patsi Hodges of Bahia Coyote said her husband Les Hodges, left, and neighbor Danny Sedivec, right, hooked this 26-pound snapper off Punta Concepcion that looked like a dog snapper but had only small teeth. The fish was tough to fillet and had meat something like lobster, Hodges said. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATSI HODGES.

Santa Rosalia Mexico Fishing Photo 1

KANZLER CABRILLA--Mike Grossman fished at Isla Tortuga off Santa Rosalia last week with Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos for this nice cabrilla of about 10 pounds and a mixed bag including Panamic graysby, flag cabrilla, hogfish, chino mero, and yellow snapper. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE KANZLER.

Bahia de los Angeles Mexico Fishing Photo 1

L.A. BAY BAQUETA--Armando Serrano from Club de Pesca de Baja California went last month to Bahia de los Angeles and fished aboard a Sammy Diaz panga with Capt. "Chato" for a catch including this 30-pound baqueta or gulf coney hooked at the entrance to Bahia de los Animas. Serrano and fishing partner Alejandro Vazquez also caught several yellowtail at Bajo Guadalupe. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEJANDRO ROSAS.

Enchanted Islands Mexico Fishing Photo 1

ENCHANTED ISLANDS FISHING--Victor Sosa, left, and Luis R. Sosa, fished the Islas Encantadas south of San Felipe during a family trip on Adrian Sosa's boat for action including this nice gulf grouper, plus bonefish and mixed species in some winds to 40 m.p.h. and water temperatures of 70 to 71 degrees. PHOTO COURTESY OF ADRIAN SOSA.

Rocky Point Mexico Fishing Photo 1

ROCKY GROUPER ACTION--Rick Felder's run out of Rocky Point on his boat End Of The Line produced 2 of these gulf grouper to 65 pounds, one of which hit while he was fighting a mako shark on 25-pound spinning gear. At right, Felder's mako shark, a 42 pounder, that required half-an-hour to land while he was also fighting a 55-pound grouper solo. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICK FELDER.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Fishing Photo 1

VALLARTA OFFSHORE ACTION--Randy and CD Bergeron with a pair of 45-pound dorado and a trio of yellowfin tuna caught off Puerto Vallarta last week while fishing with Capt. Josh Temple of the Prime Time Adventures charter boat Conquistador. Last week, the Conquistador also scored on tuna of 125 to 170 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSH TEMPLE.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Fishing Photo 2

BIG CREVALLE DAY--Mike Miyers of Canada fished at Puerto Vallarta last week on the charter panga Dhamar with Capt. Danny Gomez for hot action on 12 jack crevalle, plus a big snapper that got away. At right, Capt. Danny with a mangled black skipjack bait that missed its date with a big Puerto Vallarta snapper. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DANNY GOMEZ.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Fishing Photo 4

LOTSA BIG ONES--Capt. Danny Osuna of the Puerto Vallarta charter boat Marla II reported very good roosterfish action in the Litibu area north of Punta Mita. Here's Osuna with 1 of 13 roosters released during an outing last week. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY OSUNA.

Teacapan Mexico Fishing Photo 1

FISHING AT TEACAPAN--Greg Loeffler, left, and Jesus Celis fished with Flota Bibi Fleet at Teacapan about 70 miles south of Mazatlan, for good results on true red snapper, or huachinango, and snook of 7 to 10 pounds caught with live shrimp baits. "Fishing conditions were like a swimming pool," said Flota Bibi Fleet's Tadeo Hernandez. PHOTO COURTESY OF TADEO HERNANDEZ.

Loreto Mexico Sunrise Photo 1

LORETO SUN SIGNS--A photo by Pam Bolles of Loreto's Baja Big Fish Company taken on the morning of April 21, 2007, shows the sun rising off the north end of Isla Carmen. Said Bolles, "This morning's sun is rising near Punta Tintorera on Isla Carmen. Today will be the last time the sun rises over land on the island from our perspective. In midsummer the sun rises halfway between Isla Coronado and Isla Carmen at its northernmost point, and in midwinter it rises just south of the Pichachus twin peaks on Isla Carmen at its southernmost point. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAM BOLLES.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES