Inshore roosterfish action in East Cape fishing area;

San Carlos dorado numbers rising

Mexico Fishing News, May 14, 2007

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: As spring roosterfish landings increased along the lower Sea of Cortez last week, Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported good inshore panga action for roosters to 10 pounds close to the beach at East Cape and a "grande" class gallo lost on the fly when it came unbuttoned.

"The roosterfish with its comb fully extended tracked the fly for a short distance and devoured it," Graham said. "Those big ones are really tough to get a good hook-set into.

It was tough to see a grande swim away, but that's roosterfishing." Fly fishing guide Lance Petersen also found good-sized jack crevalle on the beach. Some larger dorado were available "for the few lucky ones who stumbled on the right school," Graham said, but yellowfin tuna fishing was slowed by helicopter-aided Mexican commercial seiners at midweek. "However, by the end of the week the seiners had been run off by the government and the tuna action picked back up," Graham said. East Cape fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the high-80s, with water temperatures at 65 to 74 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Jeff deBrown of The Reel Baja reported good beach fly fishing conditions at East Cape, with flat mornings and light southern breezes during the day, air temperatures in the high-80s, water temperatures of 66 to 77 degrees, and some good action found inshore for roosterfish. Sardina bait fish were less abundant near shore and were being replaced by mullet, attracting jacks and roosterfish to the area. "If you are willing to spend the time and get out there and walk some of the beaches, you will get some good shots," deBrown said. Fly fishing angler Steve Landy's trip included a large jack of about 40 pounds released on Friday. Inshore fishing during the week produced action on ladyfish, jacks, barred pargo, and 13 roosterfish released for Gerry and Kitty Wiemelt of Arizona.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Eddie Dalmau of Van Wormer Resorts reported on 162 East Cape charter fishing boats from Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, and Punta Colorada, with a catch including released fish of: 96 striped marlin, 38 sailfish, 274 dorado, 498 yellowfin tuna, 56 roosterfish, 11 wahoo, 6 cabrilla, 57 pargo, 56 ladyfish, 12 mako shark, and 17 jack crevalle. East Cape fishing area weather was in the high-80s, with water temperatures at 76 to 78 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the week ending May 3, 2007, Axel Valdez of Buena Vista Beach Resort reported on 36 boats, with 108 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 15 striped marlin, 3 sailfish, 16 dorado, 36 yellowfin tuna, 1 wahoo, 27 roosterfish, 1 shark, 15 snapper, 8 jack crevalle, 24 ladyfish, 1 pompano, 1 triggerfish, 11 skipjack tuna, and 2 sierra. East Cape fishing area weather was in the high-80s, with water temperatures at 71 to 75 degrees. Fleet boats were fishing 15 to 35 miles out in all directions.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Barb Albright of Buena reported a large and very rarely seen oarfish found barely alive but missing the end of its tail near the beach in front of her home on Tuesday morning, May 8, 2007, between Buena Vista Beach Resort and Rancho Leonero. "The oarfish came ashore about 7 a.m. this morning right in front of our home," Albright said. "The guys got it on shore and then we called Palmas de Cortez. They sent a panga over. It's now in the freezer. We contacted Scripps and they are very interested." Assisting in the collection of the fish were Troy Tinney, Steve Lawrence, and Mike Shaw. "The fish was in excellent condition, but without a tail, that is," Albright said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: East Cape resident Connie Unmacht described the incident. "It was swimming about 3 yards off shore, turning on its side now and then and slowly drifting in," Unmacht said. "You could see its tail had been chewed off by something big, but the injury had healed. We guessed it was 14 feet long and weighed between 250 and 300 pounds. The coloring on this fish was incredible, nearly every color in the rainbow. It was in excellent condition and there were no telltale signs of why it was dying."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Torrance Eddy of Buena Vista fished aboard his beach launched tin boat early in the week with his brother Dorr Eddy or Santa Rosa, Calif., for a catch including a 20-pound jack crevalle caught on the troll home from Punta Pescadero. "We watched as the fish took a number of passes at the trolled lure before finally nailing it," Eddy said. Other fish caught during the outing included yellow snapper, skipjack, triggerfish, and ocean whitefish. On Friday, Eddy fished again, but with no results. "I got skunked for the first time since moving to Mexico," he said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Simon Cazaly of the Vista Sea Sport East Cape diving service at Buena Vista reported on a night dive at Punta Pescadero. "Fantastic," Cazaly said. "Many parrotfish were seen amongst the rocks where they had settled for the night. A lot of corals had their polyps out, giving a completely different perspective. A sea hare was the most unusual find of the night, settled on a rock in the open. By day they are hidden away and aren’t usually seen. We also saw a couple of lobsters out on the sand." East Cape water temperatures were at 73 degrees at depth, with the visibility at about 40 feet. The previous week, Cazaly made his first dive at Punta Perico and found "big boulders and impressive rock formations and many swim-throughs, making for an exciting dive."

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 reported good fishing conditions at the end of the week for his pangas at the tip of Ensenada's Punta Banda. "We finally got good weather," Villarino said. On Friday a group from the Ventura County Sportfishing Club fished on the Vonny I, Vonny II, and Vonny III with Capts. Beto, Vicente, and Hector, for a good assortment of bottom fish, bonito, and 2 yellowtail of 10 and 12 pounds. Anglers fishing with Vonny's Fleet included: Jerry Stussman, Bill Bohannan, Bob Mandell, and Mike Pitcher. Ensenada fishing area weather over the weekend was partly cloudy in the high-60s, with 3-foot ocean swells and the water temperature at Punta Banda averaging 59 degrees.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Sergio Susarrey of Sergio's Ensenada Sportfishing Center reported on 16 anglers fishing at midweek aboard the charter boat Shir-Lee, for a catch of: 6 yellowtail, 20 lingcod, 20 rockcod, and 21 miscellaneous fish.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Steve Ross of the boat Bad Dog out of Ensenada's Marina Coral reported on a run to the Banda Bank in 57-degree water on Saturday, fishing in choppy sea conditions for 24 Humboldt giant squid on Ahi jigs, 1 lingcod, 9 rockcod, and 8 bonito caught on iron. Also fishing aboard the Bad Dog were anglers Gail Ross, Juan Lu, and Joseph Carter.

ERENDIRA FISHING REPORTS

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ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Fernando Castro of Castro's Camp reported on 32 boats fishing the Baja Pacific coast out of Erendira during the week, with some wind, swells, and "a lot of seasick people," but with continued good action for bottom fish, bonita, barracuda, and some yellowtail showing up. "The fishing was really good this week," Castro said. "The yellowtail will bite for a day, and then they get lost for a couple of days." Water temperatures were variable, beginning the week at 59 to 60 degrees, and later dropping to 51 to 52 degrees.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas reported more wind blowing Sunday morning in the San Quintin fishing area. "I sure wish I had a better report," Hillis said. "The few boats that did get out got the usual limits of rockcod and lingcod, and Humboldt squid. I expect a full weekend next week and possibly we will scare up a little yellowtail."

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Julio Meza of San Quintin reported continued tough spring fishing conditions off the Baja coast. "Nothing much good has been happening with San Quintin fishing," Meza said. "For the last 2 months, we've had wind 5 or 6 days per week, and the usual bottom fishing when the wind dies down. We've had some kind of red tide along the coast." Meza said he's been fishing the surf around San Quintin for small barred surf perch and no croaker or corbina. On Thursday, 2 white seabass were seen in commercial gill nets south of El Rosario and 2 medium black sea bass were also reported. Despite some local reports, no white seabass have been brought into the landing by sport boats recently, Meza said.

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Robert Rodriguez of Wilmington, Calif., reported on an outing out of Popotla on the Baja Pacific coast south of Tijuana, fishing with John Urrea and commercial Capts. Pepe Martinez and Pepe Martinez Jr. on the panga Boa for a catch of: 15 red rockcod, 4 bonita, 5 giant Humboldt squid, and 4 large lingcod. "One of the giant squid was at least 30 pounds, using a small fish scale," Rodriguez said.

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Tyler Sterling of Spring Valley, Calif., reported on a run to the Coronado Islands off the Baja Pacific coast with his son Travis aboard his boat Lorilynn over the weekend for a good bite of bonito at South Island plus 3 yellowtail of 12 to 18 pounds mixed in. All fish were taken on flylined mackerel. Coronado Islands fishing water was slightly stained at 61 to 62 degrees, becoming clearer at high spots outside.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported Magdalena Bay fishing area offshore weather windy and clear in the high-80s, with water temperatures at 65 to 72 degrees. Fishing conditions improved late in the week as the San Carlos mangrove channels produced spotted bay bass, halibut, grouper, and a few corvina. Small yellowtail and schools of bonito were chasing surface bait at the entrada and a few grouper were caught on Baja Deepdiver flies. Fishing conditions at the entrada continued to be hampered by big swells coming in from the open Pacific and few boats ventured out.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jorge Navarro of Pisces Fleet Sportfishing said offshore action at Cabo San Lucas was returning to normal after some slow days during the full moon period. "The last day of the week was the best with multiple catches for most of the boats," Navarro said. Pisces Fleet boats scoring multiple releases during the week included the Yahoo, Falcon, Andrea, Rebecca, Valerie, Libre, and El Gallo.

Overall, 62 percent of Pisces boats released marlin during the week. Just 2 dorado were caught, and no yellowfin tuna. Cabo San Lucas fishing conditions were choppy, with the water temperature at 72 to 76 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 20 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 16 striped marlin, 2 dorado, 3 roosterfish, and 3 sierra. "Billfish are still the primary focus but the bite has remained off since the full moon and has yet to bounce back," Edwards said.

"Cabo skippers are seeing plenty of fish but they seem to be on a diet for now. Most boats are having to really work hard for the bite." Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was clear in the mid-90s, with warming water temperatures of 74 to 76 degrees on the Cortez side. Most boats fished from Punta Gorda north to Destiladeras.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tommy Garcia of Cabo Magic Sportfishing reported on 72 boats fishing during the week, with a catch including released fish of: 35 striped marlin, 3 yellowfin tuna, 38 yellowtail, 1 dorado, 12 skipjack, 1 wahoo of 100 pounds, 1 hammerhead shark, 3 mako shark, 1 blacktipped shark, 3 cabrilla, 16 roosterfish, 15 pargo, 93 sierra, and 12 jack crevalle.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 8 outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 7 striped marlin, 2 dorado of 25 pounds, 1 jack crevalle of 25 pounds, 1 sierra, 1 grouper of 15 pounds, and 1 roosterfish of 5 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Ramon Druck of the Cabo San Lucas charter sportfishing super panga Cheer's reported on 5 outings during the week fishing on both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez sides with a total of 7 anglers for a catch including released fish of: 5 yellowtail of 6 to 10 pounds, 8 sierra of 2 to 4 pounds, 1 ladyfish, 2 pargo of 12 to 25 pounds, 2 skipjack of 6 to 8 pounds, 1 shark of about 10 pounds, 1 huachinango, 1 triggerfish, and 5 roosterfish of 4 to 5 pounds. Anglers fishing aboard the Cheer's included Gewe Peterson, Kevin Sheeha, John Johnson, fly fishing tackle angler Daniel Danes, Jim Midglel, and Ali Boyd. The Cheer's fished inshore along Cabo's Pacific side beaches to Faro Viejo in generally good sea conditions, some moderate winds, and water temperatures of 69 to 70 degrees.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas reported on 49 combined La Playita fleet pangas fishing off San Jose del Cabo, with a catch of: 244 yellow snapper, 22 huachinango, 13 striped marlin, 5 dorado, 184 sierra, 13 pompano, 7 amberjack, 3 dog snapper, 4 sheephead, 122 triggerfish, 16 cabrilla, 8 roosterfish, and 42 surgeonfish. Los Cabos fishing area weather was warming in the high-80s, with water temperatures up to 75 degrees at the Gordo Banks and 78 degrees north at Los Frailes. La Playita pangas continued to find the best action in 50 feet or less of water for mixed bottom species. Sardina bait was plentiful at La Playita and mullet schools were moving into the area, attracting more roosterfish and jacks. "The Puerto Los Cabos marina project is now in the final stages and everyone is anxious to finally have it finished," Brictson said. "This week the project has been stalled due to protests by Green Peace, which has been camped out in the midst of the construction zone, blocking access roads for the heavy equipment. It is hard to say what this group is trying to accomplish. It appears to be much too late to halt the project."

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Bob Lewis of San Jose del Cabo reported continued slow overall action for local boats, with marlin and bottom fish available but few tuna or dorado around. "There are few tourists and the pangas are not seeing many takers right now," Lewis said. Green Peace ecoactivists were placing tents in the area of the new Puerto Los Cabos marina construction project. "Some tents and people are right at the opening area that is waiting to be dug out," Lewis said. "Their concern is that the project has tapped into the underground aquifer and when opened to the sea could pollute the local ground water with sea water. There are hundreds of millions of dollars at stake and I am doubtful that anything will stop this project, especially at this late date."

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International reported roosterfish showing up in good numbers on the Las Arenas side. "If you wanted a rooster, you could almost pick the size," Roldan said. "Isla Cerralvo had the smaller but aggressive little pugs, medium fish were around Ensenada de los Muertos, and the big ones to 50 or 60 pounds were on the west side of the lighthouse." The larger roosterfish were hitting on ladyfish baits. Mixed jacks and pargo were also caught inshore, and offshore signs were seen for wahoo, billfish, and some yellowfin tuna hooked and lost.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said last week's weather on the south side of La Paz was summer-like in the 90s, with the water temperature at 74 to 76 degrees. The best fishing was found outside Isla Cerralvo at the 88 Bank and also at the commercial buoys where dorado of 30 to 40 pounds were caught. "The best action was south of Isla Cerralvo," Hernandez said. "We caught red snapper and dog snapper, and anglers this week had to decide to fish for pargos or dorado and wahoo. Bait fish were still in good supply at the south end of the island where anglers also landed roosterfish mixed in with the pargos.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Vincent Freeman of Baja Vinnie's Bait & Tackle in Temecula, Calif., reported on a family trip to Loreto with his trailer boat Finstinct, with slow yellowtail fishing locally but steady action on 25 to 35-pound fish on a reef outside Isla Carmen, and a trip 30 miles out with Manuel Torres for wide-open dorado in 74.2-degree blue-purple water. "Outside of Punta Lobos we found tons of sargasso paddies," Freeman said. "We started chumming sardinas and all hell broke loose! There were schools of 50 to 60 dorado at a time! We ended up catching and releasing. I lost count at 30! We ended up keeping 6 between 20 to 30 pounds. It was an absolute blast!" Fishing conditions were windy for several days afterwards, Freeman said, but he still managed 5 dorado per outing while trolling Mexican flag tuna feathers in the same area.

LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company reported the tapering off of the yellowtail season as warmer water temperatures and early dorado were arriving in the Loreto sportfishing area. "We may be in for the end of the season for yellowtail," Bolles said. "Yellowtail fishing has been lean since the 28th of April and we've lost interest in them now. We're more focused with offshore these days. A dorado bite has taken place less than one hour east of port. The schools are very loosely packed. They are not feeding very competitively yet probably due to the cool water temperatures. We're looking forward to the 2007 season." Loreto offshore water temperatures were at 70 to 76 degrees.

LORETO, MEXICO: Jaime Cayuela of Van Nuys, Calif., reported on an outing to the north side of Isla San Ildefonso the previous Sunday with Loreto Capt. Francisco Martinez, for a catch on a 12 to 15-inch barracuda live bait of a large grouper weighed at 150 pounds. "The time to bring it to the boat was 1 hour and 15 minutes," Cayuela said. "It got stuck in the rocks and was hard to get out." Loreto fishing area sea conditions were windy from the north. "It was a great experience and fantastic good time," Cayuela said.

LORETO, MEXICO: Victor Cruz of Los Angeles and Jose Navarro fished 3 days in early May with Capt. Chuy of Mañanero Sportfishing for a catch along the back side of Isla Carmen of: 3 yellowtail of 20 to 30 pounds, about 10 pinto bass, 2 sheephead, 20 triggerfish, 3 cabrilla, 6 whitefish, 5 sculpin, and 2 pargo. "Fishing with Capt. Chuy on the Mañanero was a wonderful experience," Cruz said. "The weather in Loreto was very nice and Capt. Chuy said he gives it a couple more weeks before more exotics like dorado and marlin start showing up in good numbers." Info: Julio Cesar, juliomq58@hotmail.com.

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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MULEGE, MEXICO: Patti Higginbotham of Mulege said arriving dorado were caught by local boats last week. "Gary Bendix and John Dinning caught and released numerous small dorado trolling feathers off the south end of Isla Tortuga, and John Haberman landed a keeper 28 miles out from Mulege," Higginbotham said. A marlin was also seen but not hooked about 25 miles out in 74.3-degree water. Water temperatures up to 76.5 degrees were found to the south off the slide and the mine fishing areas. Mulege's 2007 dorado tournament was scheduled May 25-26, 2007, with the angler's meeting May 24 and the awards banquet May 27 at Bart's Jungla Jims.

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

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Abraham Vazquez of Camp Gecko just south of Bahia de los Angeles reported early May weather in the mid-80s, with clear skies, light winds from the west, and the water temperature at 62 degrees. Fishing was slow, as good numbers of yellowtail reluctant to bite were seen at the south end of Isla Angel de la Guarda. Cabrilla were caught at the island and along the Baja shore at Punta Remedios. The second Pemex gas station in the village was open for business. The electrical power line to Bahia de los Angeles reached the 19-kilometer point from Highway Mex 1 at Punta Prieta. "Soon it will be here and according to the Escalera Nautica people the tourists will be pouring in once the power comes to town," Vazquez said.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Alex Velez of Baja Sportfishing and Diving reported on a 6-day Midriff Islands fishing trip by the panga mothership Erik, returning to San Felipe on May 10, 2007, with 16 passengers and a catch of: 82 yellowtail of 12 to 22 pounds, 3 grouper of 45 to 62 pounds, 2 black sea bass of 53 and 56 pounds, 7 white seabass, 4 red snapper, 32 cabrilla, and 210 miscellaneous fish. Midriff area fishing weather was favorable with very little wind.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Catalina Meders of the Title Company Bookstore overlooking Bahia de San Felipe reported 91 degrees on the store balcony Saturday morning. "The tide is all the way up and the bay is a pale cobalt blue," Meders said. "In short, it is beautiful." The Cinco de Mayo holiday was quiet, but the town was busy for Mexico's celebration of Mother's Day on Thursday. "I myself received 2 bouquets and a plant that is so big I had to get help carrying it to my car," Meders said. San Felipe's real estate boom continued. "From the window of my store I can see the two largest condo buildings as they go up, the Diamante and the Paraiso. As do many of the citizens of San Felipe, I have conflicted feelings about it. The new influx of permanent residents will bring more financial prosperity to the town, but there was something really wonderful about the 'quiet fishing village' that my husband and I moved to 14 years ago."

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

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ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: Esther Johnson of Santiago's Ocean Services said Rocky Point sportfishing boats caught grouper of 40 to 45 pounds about 22 miles out. "The weather is warming up but the waters are still cool enough for big fish to be running," Johnson said.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Fernando Almada of Catch-22 Sportfishing reported some quality dorado caught among lots of peanuts at 12.5 and 31 miles straight south. "San Carlos fishing is great right now," Almada said. "I found a nice seaweed patch full with dorados. There are lots of marlin at the reef and still nice yellowtail at Isla San Pedro." San Carlos offshore water temperatures were at 74 degrees.

SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: John Hilderbrand of Jon Jen Charters said the charter boat Too Much Fun fished in 71-degree plus water at Isla San Pedro Nolasco on Wednesday for a catch in "too warm water" of 2 yellowtail of over 25 pounds out of a big boil on the south side of the island, plus a couple of dorado. "This huge boil the size of a football field of yellowtail came up almost below us and everything went off," Hilderbrand said. On Thursday, the JonJen and Andale both hooked large dorado and lost them but also landed some fish on weed patches. "On Friday, the Catch-22 and several San Carlos marina boats reported dorado by the hundreds and many catch-and-release marlin," Hilderbrand said. "So in short, it has started."

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported Mazatlan fishing area weather mostly calm at 90 degrees, with water temperatures at 72 degrees inshore and 75 degrees offshore. Aries Fleet manager Geronimo Cevallos at Mazatlan's Marina El Cid said fleet boats found good numbers of smaller, school-sized yellowfin tuna, about 1 billfish per day, and some bigger dorado in the 45 to 50-pound class. "Overall, Geronimo said it was a much improved fishing week for the fleet as the moon phase moves into the dark," Edwards said. "Finally, the bigger dorado are starting to show up, with most boats having an opportunity at 1 or 2. They were seeing fish but having difficulty in getting them to bite." Offshore boats fished about 22 miles southwest of Marina El Cid.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Gina Gomez of Dhamar Sportfishing reported few anglers in the Puerto Vallarta fishing area and no charters for the super panga Dhamar last week. A Humboldt giant squid was found dying on the beach during a family outing at Anclote de Punta Mita.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area offshore boats were averaging 6 to 8 sailfish strikes per day after a lull during the full moon and the recent sailfish tournament. "There were just too many boats out there pounding the water with 114 boats in the tournament," Kunze said. About 1 boat in 3 also got a shot at a blue marlin, some dorado were caught, and yellowfin tuna were present about 30 miles out. Inshore, some roosterfish were beginning to show up. Fly fishing angler Jim Coulthurst of Portland, Ore., fished at Puerto Vicente Guerrero with Capt. Cali and Kunze guiding for 20 roosterfish of 12 to 25 pounds raised by 11 a.m. "He finished up the day catching several black skipjack tuna," Kunze said. "At times there were so many breaking the water, it sounded like a rainstorm. Acres of fish. Almost a fish a cast. Cali got into the action with his first time ever at casting a fly rod and managed to land several from the bow. He is hooked!" Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area weather was calm in the high-90s, with water temperatures at 80 to 84 degrees.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 9 offshore outings by the boats La Bamba, Marlin Azul, Bloody Hook, and Janeth, for a catch including released fish of: 15 sailfish, many bonito and skipjack tuna, 1 blue marlin of 250 pounds, and 1 shark. "It was a transitional week in Ixtapa with changing water conditions and the hangover effect of the full moon," Edwards said. "Our captains reported sighting many more fish than were willing to bite." Capt. Adolofo fished inshore for a catch including released fish of: 3 roosterfish to 20 pounds, 7 jack crevalle or "yellowtail jacks," 1 wahoo, 7 sierra, and 8 skipjack tuna. "Although not quite there yet, the inshore fishery looks to be showing signs of a quick improvement," Edwards said.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: For the previous week, Grant Marohnich followed up on earlier reports for his outing on the Vamonos III with Capt. Reuben Laura for a catch including released fish of: 2 sailfish, and 2 blue marlin of about 180 and about 350 pounds. "I had a fantastic day," Marohnich said. "The first sailfish swallowed the hook and was taken, but the other fish I directed the crew to release unharmed. Heading back towards the Zihuatanejo pier at about 2 to 3 miles out, we hooked into a very large blue marlin estimated by the captain to be between 350 and 400 pounds and I fought it for over an hour before we released it at the boat."

HUATULCO FISHING REPORTS

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HUATULCO, MEXICO: Eric Weissman of Explore Fly Fishing reported glassed off southern swells of about 4 feet, air temperatures in the low-90s, and water temperatures in the low-80s at his San Agustinillo and Puerto Escondido fishing locations near Huatulco.. Water color was green inshore and "blue, blue, blue" at 5 miles. Heavy bait concentrations were present and game fish available included dorado of all sizes, jacks, roosterfish, sierra, black skipjack, sailfish, and marlin. "The fish are loving trolled and cast flies as well as Yozuris and squid plugs trolled fast," Weissman said. "It's getting hot and humid here and that means the billfish, wahoo, and roosters are in."

CANCUN FISHING REPORTS

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CANCUN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 24 outings by the El Cid Caribe sportfishing fleet at Puerto Morelos near Cancun, with a catch including released fish of: 2 white marlin, 2 sailfish, 3 wahoo, 9 king mackerel, 1 barracuda, 7 snapper, 2 jack crevalle, 1 tuna, and 19 dorado. "The bite following the full moon has not regained it's strength," Edwards said. "But the fish are moving back and the end of the week was better than the first part by far." Cancun fishing area weather was in the low-90s, with scattered showers, light breezes, and the water temperature stable at 83 degrees.

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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MEXICO: Minerva Saenz of Minerva's Baja Tackle and president of the Cabo San Lucas sportfishing union said a demonstration at the marina was planned for 3 p.m. last Saturday to protest the Mexican federal government's unanticipated passage of Shark Norma 029, which included some measures considered detrimental to sportfishing. Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet at Cabo San Lucas said, "The protest will not block the marina entrance. It is just a show of unity in the bay. The protest is against Norma 029 going into effect without listening to our problems with it. The way they did this was just to post a message on the internet, so that we didn't know about it. The commercials took advantage and asked for the distances to be moved for the boats. Because there was no input from our sector they got what they wanted. The public consultation was closed without us realizing it, and now legally they cannot accept our proposals. The final version is due to go into effect May 15th. There are over 631 permits, which cover close to 4,000 boats. Boats from other states come and fish here. We want it changed so that only local ribereño fisherman can fish these waters. We want a percentage set for incidental catches, and we want the non-commercialization of sport fish."

MEXICO: Baja species fishing specialist John Snow of San Jose del Cabo reported on a trip to Todos Santos on the Pacific coast of Baja north of Cabo San Lucas. "The commercial fishermen I think were out setting long lines," Snow said. "Three pangas came in with nothing. There were remains on the beach of several small and different sharks. It is a little sad. I brought a dead one home which I think is a horn shark that had only small pieces of the 2 dorsal fins removed." Snow's species fishing catch in the area included a rare vermiculated croaker.

San Carlos Mexico Fishing Photo 1

MID-CORTEZ DORADO--The summer dorado migration up the Sea of Cortez is getting an early start this year with some good numbers already scored by boats out of San Carlos on the Mexican mainland side. Here's a nice one landed on Saturday by the San Carlos charter boat Catch-22 Rubina with Capt. Fernando Almada. PHOTO COURTESY OF FERNANDO ALMADA.

East Cape Mexico Orca Photo 1 East Cape Mexico Orca Photo 2

CLOSE-IN ENCOUNTER--Renee Ericson and Dale Darling of Tucson, Ariz., got lucky with this approach close to a pair of killer whales at East Cape on April 19, 2007. The orcas were found tight to the beach between Buena Vista and Rancho Leonero. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAUL OLDAKER.

East Cape Mexico Oarfish Photo 1

SPECTACLE AT EAST CAPE--This rare oarfish was found barely alive near the beach at East Cape on Tuesday last week. The fish was taken to Hotel Palmas de Cortez to be frozen for study. It is being held by, from left, Troy Tinney, Steve Lawrence, and Mike Shaw. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BARB ALBRIGHT.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 1

PESCADERO GOATFISH JACK--Tim O'Brien of the Bluefish Bed & Breakfast in Harwich Center, Mass., fished the surf with light spinning tackle just south of East Cape's Punta Pescadero last month and scored 2 of these jack crevalle, one of them on a live goatfish bait that the toros had chased to his feet. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TIM O'BRIEN.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 3

JACKS ON THE FLY--East Cape fly fishing guide Lance Peterson of Baja On The Fly with a quality jack crevalle hooked along the south shore of the bay on Tuesday. PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY GRAHAM.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 4

EAST CAPE TORO--Dorr Eddy of Santa Rosa, Calif., landed this nice 20-pound jack crevalle, or toro in Spanish, while trolling back to Buena Vista aboard his brother Torrance Eddy's beach launched tin boat. The outing also produced triggerfish, whitefish, yellow snapper, and skipjack. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TORRANCE EDDY.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 6

JACK ON THE BEACH--Steve Landy, right, and The Reel Baja fly fishing guide Jeff deBrown with a nice East Cape jack crevalle released after a beach hookup last week. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF DEBROWN.

Ensenada Mexico Fishing Photo 1

PUNTA BANDA PANGAS--Members of the Ventura County Sportfishing Club with a nice mixed bag of bottom fish, bonito, and yellowtail caught on 3 Vonny's Fleet pangas last week at the tip of Ensenada's Punta Banda. Anglers fishing on Friday included: Bob Mandell, Bill Bohannan, Jerry Stussman, Mike Pitcher, and a couple of friends. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Castro's Camp Mexico Fishing Photo 1

CASTRO'S CAMP TRIP--Jim Turley, seated, and his group fished 3 days at Castro's Camp south of Ensenada, finding some swelly conditions, but steady action for bottom fish, bonita, and some yellowtail. PHOTO COURTESY OF FERNANDO CASTRO.

Popotla Mexico Fishing Photo 1

POPOTLA FISHING--John Urrea fished the Baja Pacific coast on a panga out of Popotla south of Tijuana last week for a good catch of red rockcod, bonita, Humboldt giant squid, and lingcod. Urrea fished with Robert Rodriguez aboard the panga Boa with Capt. Pepe Martinez. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT RODRIGUEZ.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 1

MAGIC MOMENT--Robyn Holt fights a blue marlin last week aboard the Cabo San Lucas charter boat Cabo Magic with Capts. Hector and Rafael. Her fish was measured at 7 feet 4 inches long and released after a battle lasting 1 hour and 15 minutes. PHOTO COURTESY OF LORI GARCIA.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 2

CABO ARCH FORKIES--Kevin Sheeha fished around the Pacific Ocean side of the Cabo San Lucas arch with Capt. Ramon Druck of the charter panga Cheer's for a catch with fishing partner Gewe Peterson of 3 of these yellowtail on yo-yo jigs. At right, Ali Boyd fished aboard the Cheer's on Thursday with trolled Rapalas along the beach at Faro Viejo where this nice dog snapper came aboard, followed by sierra, skipjack, and roosterfish. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

Mexico Fishing Photo 1

TRACY ANN DAY--Bill Jolley of Renton, Wash., fished off Cabo San Lucas last week aboard the Pisces Fleet charter boat Tracy Ann for action including the release of this Cabo striped marlin. PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACY EHRENBERG.

San Jose del Cabo Mexico Green Peace Protest Photo 1

GREEN PEACE PROTEST--Members of Green Peace block access to the Puerto Los Cabos marina construction project last week at San Jose del Cabo. According to Bob Lewis of San Jose del Cabo, their demonstration was to protest against the danger of saltwater intrusion into the local aquifer caused by earth moving for the new marina. Said Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas, "They are in our way, also blocking water trucks that bring in our fresh water supply, but we are trying to work around them as best as possible." PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON. At right, Green Peace tents set up at the marina. PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB LEWIS.

San Jose del Cabo Fishing Photo 1

LA PLAYITA COLOR--Bill Spaulding of Sunnyvale, Calif., caught this rare golden cabrilla, or golden phase leopard grouper, on Saturday while fishing with sardina baits in 50 feet of water off El Cardon aboard the Gordo Banks Pangas super panga Katie. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 1

LAS ARENAS SNAPPERS--Capt. Nufo Lucero, left, of Tortuga Sportfishing got his anglers into last week's productive mixed pargo bite at Las Arenas south of La Paz. Shown with some nice pargo lisa or mullet snapper are Tortuga anglers Tim Pace of Colorado and Bob Bergman of San Diego. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 2 La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 3

LA PAZ DORADO SEASON--Things are finally starting to heat up around La Paz as water temperatures climb. Dorado like this nice 30-pound class bull held by Dave Manning of Los Angeles are popping up in the fish boxes. Dave fished outside Ensenada de los Muertos south of La Paz with Capt. Adolfo of Tailhunter International. At right, Bob Hughes of Oregon with a beautiful barred pargo, or pargo mulato, caught with Tailhunter International at the islands north of La Paz. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 4 La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 5

DORADO ON DECK--Vincent Freeman and his son Peyton Freeman fished 30 miles east of Loreto for wide-open, catch-and-lease schooling dorado action on May 3, 2007, aboard their boat Finstinct with Capt. Manuel Torres. "I lost count at 30!" Freeman said. PHOTOS COURTESY OF VINCENT FREEMAN.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 6

LORETO MIXED SPECIES--Victor Cruz, left, of Los Angeles and Jose Navarro fished at Isla Carmen with Loreto Capt. Chuy, right, of Mañanero Sportfishing for a good mixed bag of 3 of these yellowtail plus cabrilla, whitefish, sculpin, pargo, triggerfish, sheephead, and pinto bass or spotted cabrilla. PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTOR CRUZ.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 7

LORETO BIGGIE--Jaime Cayuela fished north of Loreto with Capt. Francisco Martinez and hooked this big grouper at Isla San Ildefonso on a live barracuda bait. "It's taller than me!" Cayuela said. PHOTO COURTESY OF JAIME CAYUELA.

Rocky Point Mexico Fishing Photo 1

ROCKY POINT REDS--Mike Auditore, left, fished out of Rocky Point, Sonora, on his boat El Gato Blanco during the last week of April for a good catch of 25 of these huachinango or true red snapper, plus white seabass, whitefish, and goldspotted bass. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE AUDITORE.

San Carlos Mexico Fishing Photo 2

ISLA SAN PEDRO YELLOWS--Cortez waters are warming and dorado are appearing in San Carlos waters, but angler Robert Amador, left, and Capt. Abel Anaya of the Jon Jen Charters boat Too Much Fun scored these cool water yellowtail while fishing on the south side of Isla San Pedro Nolasco last week. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN HILDERBRAND.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Beach Photo 1

VALLARTA BEACH DAY--With few anglers in the Puerto Vallarta fishing area last week, Dhamar Sportfishing's Capt. Danny Gomez took his family out for an outing at Anclote de Punta de Mita, where the day's diversions included finding a Humboldt giant squid dying on the beach. From left, are family members: Misael, Jose Luis, Capt. Danny Gomez, Danny Jr., Angelita, Ariana Dhamar, Rumania, and Alejandra. PHOTO COURTESY GINA DE GOMEZ.

Ixtapa Mexico Fishing Photo 1

IXTAPA MARLIN RELEASE--A striped marlin about to be tagged and released by the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo charter boat Gitana II with Capt. Adan Valdovinos during the Cinco de Mayo tournament. The Gitana II released 8 fish and kept 1 for 7th place in the 114-boat competition. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL PHILLIPS.

Ixtapa Mexico Fishing Photo 2

JET BLUE--An big Ixtapa blue marlin of about 350 to 400 pounds, one of 2 blues released during the day, goes airborne before its release by angler Grant Marohnich, who fished on the charter boat Vamonos III the first week of May with Capt. Ruben Laura. PHOTO COURTESY OF ED KUNZE.

Huatulco Mexico Fishing Photo 1

HUATULCO FLY FISHING--Light tackle and fly fishing action was good for a wide range of species last week at Explore Fly Fishing's San Agustinillo and Puerto Escondido fishing locations at Huatulco as this Norwegian fly fishing lady scored on a pint-sized barrilete with guide Eric Weissman. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC WEISSMAN.

Pacific Ocean Mexico Fishing Photo 1

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING--Capt. Burt Wald of the boat Rudder Chaos scored some good eaters during a cruise from Barra de Navidad to La Paz early this month. The yellowfin tuna was caught in 78-degree water at Islas Tres Marias north of Puerto Vallarta and the nice wahoo just north of San Jose del Cabo in 75-degree water. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BURT WALD.

East Cape Mexico Diving Photo 1

East Cape Mexico Diving Photo 3

EAST CAPE WONDERS--Sea life sighted last week during East Cape area dives by the Vista Sea Sport diving service at Buena vista included, clockwise from upper left, bigeye jacks, green moray eel, coral sea fans, and resting guitarfish. Dive sites visited during the week included El Bajo, Punta Pescadero, Punta Perico, and Los Morros. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SIMON CAZALY.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES