White seabass caught in San Quintin fishing;

San Carlos sailfish action heats up

Mexico Fishing News, May 28, 2007

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Marita Melville of Don Eddie's Landing reported good action Friday for Capt. Jaime Garcia on kelp patches south of Arroyo Seco for 16 yellowtail plus a 40-pound white seabass.

"They stopped at La Pinta and El Socorro and the yellows were not present," Melville said. "They kept going south and they hit the spot. It's a good beginning for the fishing season. Other San Quintin anglers in the same area caught 12 yellowtail and 2 white seabass." Garcia fished with anglers Felipe Arsate and Tommy Wigington. San Quintin fishing area weather was mostly calm in the mid-70s, with water temperatures averaging 58 to 60 degrees at the 240 spot and 55 to 58 degrees at El Socorro. "The seas were calm and slightly green," Melville said. "No red tides have been present. Bottom fish such as rockcod and lingcod have been plentiful. All those who fished the bottom caught their limits before noon."

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas said last week's fishing weather had mostly light winds as boats returned with yellowtail and white seabass. "Most of the landings were bringing in 2 to 3 white seabass and 2 to 3 yellowtail per boat," Hillis said. "San Quintin waters were still a little dirty from the rough seas we had last week." Anglers landing yellowtail, white seabass, red rockcod, lingcod, barracuda, and bonita around El Socorro included Nick Montilepre's group of 15 anglers, Chuck Noice's group, Juan and Elizabeth Gonzalez, and Juan and Eva Diaz.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Kelly Catian of K&M Offshore Sportfishing reported the very unusual collection of a barely alive yellowfin tuna of about 60 pounds found wallowing in the surf near the Hotel La Pinta just south of the San Quintin boca. "Capt. Chava, a local skipper, was about to beach launch his panga to go out and check his traps when he saw something darting around in the surf," Catian said. "He and his buddies ran out into the waist deep water to see what it was. I can only imagine it was a hilarious scene. They beached the first tuna of the year, caught by hand!" Catian said the tuna had probably escaped from a tuna pen. "Due to San Quintin's frigid spring upwellings, the thing decided to beach itself rather than freeze to death," Catian said.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Earlier, Ed Kip of Lake Elsinore, Calif., reported on an outing with Capt. Oscar Catian of K&M Offshore Sportfishing, fishing together with his father Ray Kipp for a catch of: 1 bonito, 10 lingcod of 5 to 10 pounds, 4 rockcod, 2 calico bass, and a halibut missed on the lee side of Isla San Martin. "We did some slow trolling around Roca Ben but it became evident that the water was still too cold for the yellowtail," Kip said. "The next day we awoke to high winds and Kelly told us it wouldn’t be worth it to try and fish through it. We’ll be back later this summer. We fish with Kelly whenever we are in San Quintin. He’s honest and really works hard to get us fish and so does his son Oscar."

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 Ensenada yellowtail action picked up last week as his pangas fishing at the tip of Punta Banda averaged 2 yellowtail per outing, plus steady Humboldt giant squid, lots of bonita, and the usual mixed bottom fish limits. Yellowtail were running to about 22 pounds and the squid as large as 35 pounds. Anglers fishing with Vonny's Fleet Capts. Beto and Hector during the week included: John and Tom Powell, Brian Foley, Rich Bonnelly, Kenny Kano, and Kellen Mitchell and his group. Ensenada local fishing area weather over the weekend was partly cloudy in the mid-60s, with light breezes, 2-foot ocean swells, and the water temperature at Punta Banda averaging 59 degrees.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Steve Ross of the boat Bad Dog out of Ensenada's Marina Coral reported on an 80-mile run offshore for a catch of 2 yellowtail and 9 bonito to 12 pounds 10 ounces. Ensenada offshore weather was calm, with 1 to 2-foot seas and the water temperature at 62.1 degrees. Also fishing aboard the Bad Dog were Gail Ross, Juan Lu, and Cameron Carter.

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: Sam Saenz of Puerto Santo Tomas Resort reported local action still slow on the surface, but with continued excellent bottom fishing for 7 panga outings during the week. Anglers coming back with full limits of lingcod, rockcod, whitefish, and calico bass included Randy Greer and Gabino Delgadito of Bakersfield, Calif., and Bob Krieger and Mark Kleiter of Vista, Calif., who fished from kayaks in the kelp for a catch including a 9-pound lingcod. Puerto Santo Tomas fishing area weather was ideal over the weekend with no wind.

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: Joe Branco of Riverside, Calif., reported on a Baja run to Puerto Santo Tomas, fishing with local Capt. Willy for a 2-day catch of rockcod, whitefish, and lingcod. "They were all really nice fish," Branco said. "We fished around the reef and out a bit further from 90 to 120 feet deep and the conditions were perfect."

ERENDIRA FISHING REPORTS

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ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Tere Castro of Castro's Camp at Erendira south of Ensenada reported 31 boats fishing during the week, for improved action and heavy counts of bottom fish, rockcod, and barracuda, and a better showing by some bonita and yellowtail. Erendira weather was partly cloudy but with seas calm and the water temperature at 61 to 62 degrees.

ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Mike Steele of San Diego reported on 7 members of the Outcast Fishing Club of San Diego who made a run down to Castro's Fishing Camp at Erendira, fishing in 180 to 220 feet of cool 58-degree water, 7 to 10 miles out of Castro's for "the usual Mexican limits" of quality red rockcod, salmon grouper, lingcod, and treefish. "We threw back all the lings under 20 inches and still filled our cooler," Steele said. "At one stop, Capt. Romero picked up a very nice 25-pound halibut in 200 feet of water. We all thought it was a squid, nice surprise. There were lots of schooling bonito jumping out of the water, combined with schooling baits and mackerel. It's just a matter of time before that place goes off on the annual white seabass bite. We just need the water to warm up a bit." Erendira fishing conditions were calm with overcast skies. There were no problems driving down Baja Highway Mex 1. "There was lots of traffic with the Baja races to deal with and an occasional accident, so give yourself enough time to arrive and drive in daylight," Steele said.

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Gaby Diaz of Puerto Salina on the Baja coast between Rosarito Beach and Ensenada said the Third Annual Jackpot Sportfishing Tournament was scheduled June 16, 2007, with an $80 entry fee and categories for bottom and surface fish. Information: 866-365-2562, info@marinapuertosalina.com.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported Magdalena Bay fishing area weather in the mid-80s with continued strong offshore winds that kept boats close in. Boats fishing inside the mangrove channels found corvina and good sized grouper. Open water fishing inside the bay in windy conditions produced just a few firecracker yellowtail for the hardy. An occasional dorado was seen at the shark buoys by commercial shark fishermen. Magdalena Bay water temperatures were at 65 to 72 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Pete Johnson of Johnson Communications said the fishing team from Lanzarote, Spain, scored 10 marlin releases aboard the boat Bad Market on the final day of competition last week to win the 4-day Rolex Offshore World Championship tournament at Cabo San Lucas. Sixty-two teams fished 4 days during the tournament for a total of 250 marlin released. Teams qualified for the event in 132 tournaments held around the world.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 1 inshore and 44 offshore outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 25 striped marlin, 6 dorado, 18 sierra, 2 yellowfin tuna, and 2 roosterfish. "Finally, toward the end of the week, the striped marlin fishing started to pick up again and it was surely overdue," Edwards said. "Earlier in the week, it was very easy to get skunked no matter how much effort was put into the fishing plan." Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was sunny in the mid-90s, with water temperatures on the Cortez side up to about 80 degrees close to shore and 72 to 73 degrees more than 10 miles out. Most boats fished the area from the Palmilla ridge to Punta Gorda. Live bait supplies were good. "Live bait was a must," Edwards said.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 10 outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 5 striped marlin, 34 sierra, 8 roosterfish including 4 fish of 20 to 25 pounds, and 5 jack crevalle including 2 of 25 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Ramon Druck of the Cabo San Lucas charter sportfishing super panga Cheer's reported on 4 outings during the week, fishing on both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez sides with a total of 8 anglers for a catch including released fish of: 1 grouper of about 5 pounds, 16 roosterfish of 3 to 10 pounds, 3 yellowtail lost, 6 sierra of 4 to 6 pounds, 4 jack crevalle, and 1 bonita. On Tuesday, the Cheer's landed a roosterfish of about 10 pounds and 31 inches long to win second place in a 12-panga private roosterfish tournament that was won by a 37 incher. The Cheer's fished in mostly calm seas, with water temperatures of 73 to 75 degrees. Anglers fishing during the week included Sally Sargent, Ken Sargent, Kyle Sargent, Fred Voeqeli, Alexander Curri, Fernando Palacios, and Ed Buhwe.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet reported a relatively slow offshore week for Cabo San Lucas fishing boats and an overall success rate for Pisces Fleet boats of just 53 percent for all species combined. "This is low by Cabo standards," Ehrenberg said. The top outings for the week were by the boats La Brisa with an 8-release day and Rebecca with a 6-release day. Pisces boats landed a total of 72 striped marlin during the week, all of them released. Offshore action for dorado and yellowfin tuna was also slow, but inshore pangas did well on up to 10 roosterfish per outing, plus some sierra, skipjack, cabrilla, jack crevalle, and triggerfish. Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was cooler, with some wind and the water temperature averaging 68 to 72 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported warming water temperatures to 76 degrees on the Pacific side and up to about 81 degree close to shore on the Cortez side. "The warmer water is also the blue water so most of the action we have seen has been within 5 miles of the beach," Landrum said. Offshore action by Cabo boats included 2 broadbill swordfish lost and others seen, as well as the first blue marlin of the year for the charter boat Fly Hooker, a 130 pounder released at the Inner Gordo Bank.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: At La Playita Beach, Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas reported on 58 combined fleet pangas fishing off San Jose del Cabo, with a catch of: 132 yellow snapper, 78 roosterfish, 88 sierra, 13 pargo colorado, 8 dog snapper, 12 striped marlin, 2 sailfish, 3 mako shark, 15 pompano, 18 cabrilla, 6 dorado, 8 amberjack, 18 jack crevalle, 32 Mexican bonito, and 14 yellowfin tuna. San Jose del Cabo fishing area weather was excellent, with water temperatures at 72 to 78 degrees and clean blue water from Destiladeras northward. Live bait supplies were adequate. "The new jetties of La Playita’s Puerto Los Cabos marina are attracting large schools of bait fish, with caballito, mullet and sardinas all abundant," Brictson said. Some large yellowfin tuna were reported around Destiladeras by local pangueros. "One commercial panga accounted for a yellowfin in the 100-pound range," Brictson said. "These pangueros told of loosing a much larger tuna after a three-hour battle. They estimated this fish to be close to 300 pounds. It is encouraging that these tuna are finally making an appearance within range of local fleets."

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 241 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 699 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 131 striped marlin, 77 dorado, 441 yellowfin tuna, 4 wahoo, 12 roosterfish, 10 triggerfish, and 1 mako shark. East Cape fishing area weather was mostly calm at 90 degrees, with some afternoon light breezes and chop, and water temperatures of 66 to 81 degrees. "There’s a good amount of fish in the water right now, including schools of yellowfin tuna and quite a few striped marlin," Moyers said. "But there’s been a lot of squid in the water and the fish aren't as hungry as we would like. It’s just a matter of time before East Cape starts firing on all cylinders." East Cape boats fished in all directions and out to about 50 miles for tuna.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Eddie Dalmau of Van Wormer Resorts reported on 233 East Cape charter fishing boats from Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, and Punta Colorada, with a catch including released fish of: 294 striped marlin, 7 sailfish, 125 dorado, 748 yellowfin tuna, 65 roosterfish, 19 wahoo, 45 cabrilla, 50 pargo, 33 ladyfish, 52 triggerfish, 12 mako hark, and 12 sierra. East Cape fishing area weather was in the high-80s, with water temperatures of 76 to 78 degrees. "The tuna bite is still about 40 miles southeast of Cabo Pulmo and near Los Frailes," Dalmau said, "but some East Cape boats headed northeast about 40 miles for tuna and were successful."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Kayak fishing guide Dennis Spike of Coastal Kayak Fishing reported pargo, pompano, cabrilla, black skipjack to 20 pounds, jack crevalle, and a few sierra and larger roosterfish landed by kayak anglers fishing out of Rancho Leonero, as inshore water temperatures rose from 75.5 to 80 degrees during the week. "Sardinas are available and the toros and roosterfish are eating the iron as well," Spike said. "Some awesome battles have resulted in break-offs. We're just starting to see dorados inside too."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Marisol Verdugo of Verdugo's Beach Resort said 2 to 7 hotel boats per day found up-and-down action last week for striped marlin in front of the Punta Arena lighthouse, scattered dorado to about 35 pounds, and a few yellowfin tuna and roosterfish. East Cape fishing area water temperatures were at 78 to 79 degrees on Sunday.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: East Cape fly fishing guide Jeff deBrown of The Reel Baja said, "This week's East Cape beach fishing was very good for those who got out and put in some miles. Our beaches are full of bait, giving the fish plenty to eat." Beach sightings included jacks, schools of mullet, and roosterfish of 5 to 15 pounds. Inshore action also improved with the availability of sardina bait for chum. "We had good inshore action this week for jacks, roosterfish, pompano, pargo, ladyfish, and a few tugs that we never saw," deBrown said. Offshore fishing was just fair for marlin, dorado, and tuna, but also included 2 broadbill swordfish landed by the fleets. East Cape fishing area weather was in the low-90s, with the water temperature at 72 to 81 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said inshore fly fishing action produced 2 nice roosterfish plus lots of ladyfish for Ed Randall of Texas who fished on the boat Mosca I with Capt. Victor Jr. and Baja On The Fly guide Lance Peterson. "When they found a bait receiver full of sardina near La Ribera their luck improved," Graham said. "Roosterfish had gathered around the receiver and using a hookless live bait, Lance teased several of them into casting range. At the end of the day, Lance headed down to the beach to find one of his own." Offshore boats found numbers of striped marlin and yellowfin tuna, but they were not biting strongly due to concentrations of squid and sardina bait in the water. East Cape fishing area weather was clear at 90 degrees, with moderate afternoon wind and the water temperature at 70 to 81 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Bob Farrell of Corona, Calif., reported on a good yellowfin tuna trip out of Buena Vista Beach Resort while fishing on the charter boat Adeliada out of Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort with Capt. Victor for a catch in hot action about 40 miles southeast of the lighthouse of about a dozen yellowfin tuna of 12 to over 30 pounds, mostly on trolled cedar plugs. "Within a minute of getting lures out in front of porpoise, we got a quad hookup. Here we are 40-plus miles from home in a large school of nice grade of tuna with no other boats in sight," Farrell said. "Victor eventually called in some of his compadres to get them in on the action. We didn't mind because we had plenty. Several multiple hookups later, including a quint, we had no more room to put fish so we headed home." A second day of trolling produced a small striped marlin landed, a missed short bite, and some dorado seen. Another angler at Buena Vista Beach Resort named "Cal" landed a broadbill swordfish.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gordon Stanley III of San Diego reported on 3 days of fishing by his group on 2 East Cape boats including Rude Girls with Capt. Jose and deckhand Rafael for a catch on their first day of 20 yellowfin tuna of 8 to 33 pounds plus a 51-pound dorado, and slow action the following 2 days for a total of 3 marlin, a few small roosterfish, and 1 large sierra. "The tuna were caught about 50 miles out around a bunch of porpoise," Stanley said. "The big dorado came in close to the boat as we had 3 tuna hooked up on the troll. A live bait was thrown at the dorado and he ate it up." East Cape conditions were "fairly calm," with the water temperature at 70 to 80 degrees. Anglers fishing with Stanley included his father Gordon Stanley II, Ken Drinkward, Bill Bunting, and Brent Bunting.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Simon Cazaly of the Vista Sea Sport diving service at Buena Vista said the week's trips included a session with the sea lion colony at Los Frailes. "We went down to 20 feet and just hung out waiting for the sea lions to come and play," Cazaly said. "They’d buzz past your head trying to make you jump. I took my regulator out and was singing to them underwater to try and attract them. One of them boldly came over face-to-face and blew bubbles at me." Other dive trips to El Bajo, Punta Pescadero, and Cerro Verde found water temperatures of about 75 degrees and sea life sightings including golden grouper, moray eels, stingrays, nudibranchs, gobies, bat rays, puffers, and goatfish.

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said his pangas on the Las Arenas side south of La Paz had some slow offshore days around the south end of Isla Cerralvo last week as clients targeted wahoo and some of them did catch a few, including Scott Hammond of Aliso Viejo, Calif., who landed an 84 pounder with Tortuga's Capt. Nufo Green. Outside the island some marlin and a few dorado were found. Inshore pangas landed pargo and roosterfish around the Punta Arena de la Ventana lighthouse, including some larger sized gallos. Sardina bait fish were in good supply at the south end of Isla Cerralvo. Las Arenas side weather was in the high-80s.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International said his pangas fishing the Las Arenas side found some good roosterfish action last week. "This might be the best stretch of rooster fishing I have even seen these past few weeks," Roldan said. "We've got boats landing up to a dozen roosterfish a day up to 60 pounds. We are also seeing a few more willing dorado and billfish as air and water temperatures rise. Wahoo are starting to bite as well. Divers are seeing whale sharks up to 35 feet."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Leonard Phillips of Baja Pirates Fleet said angler Steve Kemp of Orange, Calif., landed a 40-pound bull dorado and broke off 2 others last week between Islas Espiritu Santo and Cerralvo. "Finally the dorados have been located this week," Phillips said. "On Wednesday we landed 15 dorados between 20 and 40 pounds. Robert Komatsu and Randy Cabral of Lodi, Calif., also caught several nice roosterfish ranging from 30 to 60 pounds on the east side of Isla Espiritu Santo, and Mike Adams scored on large pargo and cabrilla along Bonanza Beach. La Paz fishing area weather had some morning wind, becoming flat in the afternoons.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Patty Zapata of the Hotel Oasis reported continued excellent weather last week in the Loreto fishing area, with calm seas, no wind, and air temperatures at 90 degrees. Twenty-four pangas fished north at San Bruno Thursday through Saturday for a catch including released fish of: 36 yellowtail of 20 to 30 pounds, 1 striped marlin, and 4 cabrilla of about 10 pounds. Anglers fishing out of the hotel included Mary Ann and Bob Altaffer, Michael Spongberg, Kyle Spongberg, Peter, Paul and Gloria Riechers, Jeff and Josh Bordelon, Steve Nielsen, Anna Webber, Steve and Kerry Buckich, Joseph Blum, Trisha and Mark Brooks, Van Stephens, Wayne Williamson, Sean Finnegan, Jerry Hahn, Bob Mcfaden, and Lew Scheimer. Loreto captains taking clients out during the week included Isidro Mendoza, Martín Perpuli, Abraham Fernández, Antonio Monzón Nuño, Martín Davis Castro, Antonio Davis Castro, Francisco Martínez Castro, Francisco Javier Martínez Jr., Alfonso Susarrey, Servando Davis Davis, Francisco Davis Murillo, and Alejandro "Chacho" Ruiz.

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos reported Santa Rosalia fishing area weather "as good as it gets," with afternoon highs at 85 degrees, light breezes, and the water temperatures offshore and at the bajos averaging 72 to 73 degrees with clear visibility. Inshore water was dirty at 66 to 68 degrees. After a slow start, yellowtail action became very good as a 2-boat outing produced 10 forkies of 24 to 28 pounds out of 23 hooked in wild surface action. "It was the day I was waiting for this whole month," Kanzler said. "Around 9 a.m. it went nuts with miles of yellowtail boiling the surface. Hundreds and even thousands were coming up all over the place."

SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Earlier, Kanzler's Fourth Annual Isla San Marcos Yellowtail ShootOut fishing tournament saw about 40 anglers in 16 boats weigh a total of 30 fish over 2 days of action. Fernando Heredia caught the biggest fish at 36.22 pounds and also had the highest 2-fish total weight of 58.77 pounds. Because both prizes could not be won by the same angler, Carlos Garces was awarded the prize for biggest fish at 31.08 pounds. A total of 25,000 pesos was raised to benefit youth athletic programs for the community living on the island. "Fishing conditions were tough," Kanzler said. "The event also saw a lighter than usual number of entrants. But everyone had a good time and the same amount of money was raised. This tournament is fun and has become an area family event."

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

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Julio Meza of San Quintin reported on a trip across the Baja peninsula to Bahia de los Angeles, fishing with Capt. Chubasco Diaz on Saturday for 9 yellowtail of 35 to 43.8 pounds plus some cabrilla to 12 pounds at the south end of Isla Angel de la Guarda in 72-degree green water. "The biggest yellowtail of 43.8 pounds was weighed on the official scale for Guillermo's tournament," Meza said. "This was the biggest yellowtail caught out of L.A. Bay this year. We saw fish boils as soon as we showed up. It was the first fish to hit at the island. Bingo, it hit on surface iron." Another yellowtail caught during the trip weighed 42.8 pounds.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Mia Blanco of the bahiadelosangeles.info website at Bahia de los Angeles said the annual Guillermo's fishing tournament was underway last week. "The yellowtail were kind of spotty but they were getting grouper at the big island yesterday from what I heard," Blanco said. "We went out fishing yesterday too but just for bottom fish and we did fine on those. The mackerel are moving back in and we caught some without even trying for them!"

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Roger Crenshaw of Chula Vista reported on a fly-down trip to San Francisquito south of Bahia de los Angeles, with very good fishing weather in the 80s and good catches of yellowtail of 20 to 40 pounds. "The weather has been fantastic, ocean flat as a pancake, and nights great for sleeping," Crenshaw said. "The fish are everywhere. Most people are getting lots of yellowtail. They seem to prefer the small lures like 4-ounce Krocodiles, not the 5 to 8-ounce, also Rapalas. The most fun is running up on a bird boil and casting on it." Cabrilla and Humboldt giant squid were also hitting well. "You can count on getting your taco's worth," Crenshaw said. The San Francisquito fishing area had 6-knot winds from the south and the surface water temperature at 64 degrees. "No one is reporting white seabass yet, but we know that is coming next week," Crenshaw said. "All in all, this is the best time of year for San Francisquito, San Rafael, and the Midriff Islands."

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Tom Ward of The Longfin Tackle Store reported on 6-day Midriff Islands fishing trips by the Tony Reyes Fishing Tours panga motherships Jose Andres and Tony Reyes, returning to San Felipe on May 25, 2007, with a catch of:

Jose Andres, with 18 anglers led by charter master Steve Needham of Farmington, Utah: 85 yellowtail to 22 pounds, 1 grouper of 45 pounds, 211 cabrilla to 16 pounds, 22 red snapper, 1 broomtail, 4 sheephead, limits of spotted bay bass, and 44 miscellaneous and released fish.

Tony Reyes, with 26 anglers led by charter master Roger Rohm of Silverado, Calif.: 134 yellowtail to 22 pounds, 409 cabrilla to 19 pounds, limits of spotted bay bass, 22 pargo to 15 pounds, 11 sheephead, 65 whitefish, 3 golden grouper, 7 grouper to 55 pounds, 1 black sea bass of 60 pounds, and 85 miscellaneous and released fish.

Midriff fishing water temperatures averaged 71 to 73 degrees.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: At Papa Fernandez landing south of San Felipe, Doug Magee reported on a panga run to the Islas Encantadas last week by Capt. Aurelio Fernandez with anglers Dave Santos and Gary Nunas for a first-ever Baja fishing catch of 20 sierra released and a few kept for ceviche while staying at Papa Fernandez with Dave Helland.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Rich Traylor reported on a mid-May outing to the Islas Encantadas south of San Felipe by Petra and Marshall Madruga for a catch including a golden grouper, or golden phase leopard grouper.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Catalina Meders of the Title Company Bookstore overlooking Bahia de San Felipe reported the weather near perfect at 84 degrees over the weekend, with heavy Memorial Day crowds arriving. "Many people are already in town and camping out with more to come," Meders said on Saturday. "It'll peak this evening and the trek back to Mexicali will be harrowing on Monday afternoon. As usual it is very noisy with every conceivable kind of motorized vehicle racing up and down the calles. And how many more construction projects there are this year! Living right on top of it all, we lose sight of the changes going on. My store is getting quite crowded, so until next week, vaya con Dios from the bookstore by the bay."

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Fernando Almada of Catch-22 Sportfishing said sailfish arrived in good numbers in the San Carlos fishing area last week. "Lots and lots of sailfish!" Almada said. "Our charter boats have been releasing 4 to 6 sailfish on each trip. We have sailfish and marlin. Dorado were a little hard to find this week but we still managed to score on a few good ones. Everything looks great for the San Carlos Ladies International Fishing Tournament this weekend." San Carlos weather was settling after 3 days of strong winds that kept most boats off the water.

SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: John Hilderbrand of Jon Jen Charters reported consistent action for sailfish and striped marlin last week following a few days of wind. "It was a great week of fishing," Hilderbrand said. "On Tuesday it was limits for everyone, with Catch-22 Sportfishing releasing bunches of sailfish and marlin, like 10 or more. Jon Jen boats reported 4 marlin and 2 sailfish released, and lots of dorado."

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 33 offshore and inshore outings by Aries Fleet at Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, for a catch including released fish of: 5 striped marlin, 4 sailfish, 161 dorado, 29 corvina, and 20 mojarra. "The dorado have moved in full force and it's pretty easy limit fishing from the super pangas," Edwards said. "Most of the fish at the buoys are in the 10 to 20-pound range." Offshore boats continued to find the billfish bite sluggish. Mazatlan fishing area weather was cloudy at 90 degrees, with calm seas and water temperatures at 80 to 81 degrees.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing reported on 2 outings by the charter boat Marla II at Roca el Morro and Roca Corbeteña for a catch including released fish of: 3 yellowfin tuna of 35 to 75 pounds, 1 dog snapper of 75 pounds, 5 amberjack of 20 to 60 pounds, and roosterfish including an 80 pounder released. "There are a lot of nice-sized tuna and red snapper on the surface spawning," Osuna said. "The snappers are not biting but we are catching tuna on caballitos and sardinas. There is also a wide-open afternoon bite of big amberjacks, dog snapper, and some big roosterfish at Roca el Morro. The water temperature is warming up and now we have the south current. Soon we will have the cow tunas and black and blue marlin." Puerto Vallarta fishing area weather was "nice and flat," with water temperatures of 78 to 80 degrees. Anglers fishing with Marla's during the week included Justin Greenberg, Brian Harnak, Andre Harnak, Brian Clemens, and Steve Springer. Osuna also noted that Marla's now has 4 boats running, including the new 32-foot Blackfin, Marla, and the new location was operational at their home village of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. "There is a nice world class marina under construction to be ready in December," Osuna said. "We are closer to the fishing spots by miles."

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: For the previous week, Donald Rubi of Duarte, Calif., reported on an outing by 5 anglers aboard the Puerto Vallarta charter boat Karina II, fishing around Bahia de Banderas and north around Punta Mita and Islas Tres Marietas for some small "bait sized" bonita on the troll and 7 jack crevalle to about 25 pounds caught on Rapalas and bigeye baits. "We spent a good part of the morning trolling in Bahia de Banderas and catching plenty of bait-sized bonita on feathers," Rubi said. "We were disappointed to say the least because of the size of the bonita. The big jacks were great fun to pull in and brought a happy ending after all for everyone aboard." Puerto Vallarta fishing area water temperatures were at 79 degrees, with very light breezes and almost no swell.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said last week's red tide knocked out local inshore fishing. "Fishing has been below par," Kunze said. "The red tide has affected the coastline for at least 40 miles in each direction. But there are signs of it breaking up now, and it should clear out by next week." Ixtapa fishing area water was off-color out to at least 12 miles, with 82-degree blue water found 25 miles out. Offshore boats averaged about 1 sailfish per day. Capt. Santiago of the charter panga Gitana reported a 100-pound class yellowfin tuna lost on 30-pound line after a 2-hour fight with angler John Wilkinson of Michigan. "On the next trip they lost an estimated 400-pound blue marlin," Kunze said. "John ended up with only 1 sailfish released for 2 days on the water." Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area weather was in the high-90s, with water temperatures of 80 to 84 degrees.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Stan Lushinsky of Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters reported tough Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing conditions for local charter boats last week. Capt. Chiro of the boat Bloody Hook managed just 2 sailfish in 3 outings. "It's very unusual for this time of year, but a very pronounced red tide covered the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area last week," Lushinsky said. "The red tide caused a wide disbursement of the schools of bait and a colder north current caused the fishing to be most difficult. Toward the end of the week our captains were reporting more fish on the surface but they could not get them to eat." Inshore boats had some action for jack crevalle, sierra, skipjack tuna, bonito, and roosterfish. Ixtapa fishing area weather was mostly calm in the low-90s.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Boots Fawcett of Carlsbad, Calif., reported on 4 days of fly fishing on 4 different boats with angling partner Bob Newcomb, for 2 blue marlin in the 200-pound class raised on live bait teasers but not hooked and 2 sailfish also missed. "By the way, I do not like to use live bait on blue and black marlin when I am fly fishing," Fawcett said. "On the final day, a very large and hot Pacific sailfish grabbed my fly. It was a very hard hit. I went to set the hook, but there was nothing there. My rod tip was in the water. It was disengaged. I guess you can say we didn't get the job done, but that's our fault. Zihuatanejo was a very fine trip."

CANCUN FISHING REPORTS

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CANCUN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 27 outings by the El Cid Caribe sportfishing fleet at Puerto Morelos near Cancun, with a catch including released fish of: 7 white marlin, 2 wahoo, 6 sailfish, 36 dorado, 2 king mackerel, 1 Spanish mackerel, 1 barracuda, 1 shark, and 2 red snapper. "The Cancun fishing area had considerably better action week from Puerto Morelos," Edwards said. "For the 8-hour charters, the billfish were available." Cancun fishing area weather was cloudy and humid in the mid-80s, with prevailing winds of 6 to 15 knots.

CANCUN, MEXICO: Michael Tedesco of Menlo Park, Calif., and his family group reported on 4 days of fishing out of Puerto Aventuras near Cancun with the Tequila Sunrise fleet aboard the charter boats Sakitumi, Salty Hooker, and Fish Addict, for a catch including released fish of: 2 sailfish, 21 dorado to over 30 pounds, 1 white marlin of about 100 pounds, 1 barracuda, and another white marlin and sailfish lost. "On May 20th the fishing really took off," Tedesco said. "We hooked and landed 16 dorado. We had double hookups on 6 occasions." Fishing with Tedesco were his son Nick Tedesco and uncle Jim Tedesco.

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

ALL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND FISHING INFORMATION FOR MEXICO COASTAL AREAS

MEXICO: The U.S. based Billfish Foundation (TBF) issued a press release last week titled, "Pressure from within the Calderon Administration May Force Changes to Shark Norma (NOM-029)," that commented on Mexico's recent passage of fishing regulations considered to be detrimental to sportfishing and a hoped for reconsideration of that legislation by the federal government. "We are pleased to see evidence that rational minds within the administration have looked to correct this terrible rule making effort by Conapesca," TBF Chief Scientist Russell Nelson was quoted as saying, "but unfortunately experience has shown that promises made by Señor Corral [of Conapesca] are to be taken with a grain of salt." TBF President Ellen Peel was quoted in the news release as saying, "We no longer can deal in good faith with Conapesca. We are going to keep up the pressure on this issue until it is dealt with by Senator Coppola [Baja California Sur], Chair of the Tourism committee in the Mexican Senate, and we are still calling for a suspension of NOM-029 until all the required changes are formally in place."

San Quintin Mexico Fishing Photo 1

QUINTIN YELLOW & WHITE--With a nice white seabass and part of their 16-yellowtail catch south of San Quintin last week out of Don Eddie's Landing were, from left, Felipe Arsate, Don Eddie's Capt. Jaime Garcia, and Tommy Wiginton. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARITA MELVILLE.

San Quintin Mexico Fishing Photo 2

COLD TUNA MANO A MANO--In a photo Kelly Catian of San Quintin's K&M Offshore Sportfishing swears is "legit," local Capt. Salvador "Chava" Villarazaga, right, and his cousin show off a nice yellowfin tuna that reportedly was captured by hand as it floundered in the surf near the Hotel La Pinta. Catian surmised the warm water fish might have escaped from a tuna growing pen and weakened as it swam in San Quintin's cool near shore water temperatures. PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLY CATIAN.

Ensenada Mexico Fishing Photo 1

HEFTY ENSENADA HAUL--Local panga fishing around the tip of Ensenada's Punta Banda produced some nice yellowtail, bonito, and Humboldt giant squid for anglers John Powell and Tom Powell who went out with Capt. Beto Zamora, right, of Vonny's Fleet. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Puerto Santo Tomas Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SANTO TOMAS BOTTOM FISHING--Diane Lujan of Riverside and Joe Branco had some great bottom fishing out of Baja's Puerto Santo Tomas Resort south of Ensenada last week. Here's Lujan with part of their multi-sack load being filleted. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOE BRANCO.

Castro's Camp Mexico Fishing Photo 1

CASTRO'S CAMP FLATTIE--Capt. Romero of Castro's Camp south of Ensenada with a nice 25-pound class halibut landed in about 200 feet of water during an outing with Mike Steele of San Diego and the Outcast Fishing Club. Steele's group also caught their limits of rockcod, salmon grouper, and lingcod. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE STEELE.

Puerto La Salina Mexico Fishing Photo 1

BAJA FISHING TOURNAMENT--Official poster of the Puerto Salina fishing tournament scheduled for June 16, 2007. Information toll free from the U.S., 866-365-2562. COURTESY GABY DIAZ.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 1

CABO PANGA ROOSTERFISH--Last week's inshore fishing action around the tip of Baja produced good roosterfish action for Capt. Ramon Druck, center, of the Cabo San Lucas charter panga Cheer's, here with anglers Nomey and Fred Voequeli. The outing also scored a 31-inch pez gallo good enough for second place in a private 12-boat roosterfish tournament. At right, Ed Buhwe with a fun light tackle gallo caught while fishing aboard the Cheer's on the Pacific side. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 1

EAST CAPE BITE--Bob Farrell and his group fished on the East Cape charter boat Adeliada and found a great yellowfin tuna bite about 40 miles outside the Punta Arena lighthouse, including quadruple hookups on the troll until "we had no more room to put the fish." At right, a second day of fishing, though, produced just 1 striped marlin landed, and a few other missed fish. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOB FARRELL.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 3

INSHORE ROOSTERFISH ACTION--East Cape beach and inshore fishing for roosterfish improved last week. Here's Baja On The Fly guide Lance Peterson with a nice Friday afternoon pez gallo hooked from the beach with a 10WT rod. PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY GRAHAM.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 4

DEEP JIG ROOSTERFISH--Jamie Buff of Malibu, Calif., fished with Dennis Spike's Coastal Kayak Fishing out of East Cape's Rancho Leonero and hooked this beautiful 40-pound class roosterfish on a jigged Mega Bait iron. Buff was fishing on deep structure just south of the hotel. PHOTO COURTESY OF DENNIS SPIKE.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 5

EAST CAPE FLY ACTION--Fly fishing guide Grant Hartman of Baja Anglers at Cabo San Lucas with a nice 30-pound class roosterfish released during a visit to the Punta Arena lighthouse area at East Cape. PHOTO COURTESY OF GRANT HARTMAN.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 6

FLY TACKLE TOUGHIE--Kitty Wiemelt, right, of Phoenix, Ariz., fished with East Cape fly fishing guide Jeff deBrown of The Reel Baja earlier in May and she scored on this hard-fighting barred pargo. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF DEBROWN.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 7

EAST CAPE OFFSHORE--Gordon Stanley III and his group at East Cape fished 3 days aboard 2 charter boats up to about 50 miles out and landed this 51-pound dorado plus 20 yellowfin tuna, 3 marlin, and some small roosterfish. At right, Brent Buntling with 1 of the yellowfin tuna caught during the trip. PHOTOS COURTESY OF GORDON STANLEY III.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 1

FIRST TIMER'S LUCK--Cindy Colvin of Oregon went on her first-ever day of fishing with Tailhunter International last week at La Paz and she got lucky with this beautiful 45-pound roosterfish plus a dozen more just like it. "The fish were eating live sardines within yards of the beach," said Tailhunter's Jonathan Roldan. PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 2

BIG CERRALVO SKINNY--Fishing around the south end of Isla Cerralvo was up-and-down last week, but Scott Hammond made a great catch of this hefty 84-pound wahoo during an outing with Capt. Nufo Green of Tortuga Sportfishing. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

Loreto Mexico Photo 1

BAJA TRAVELS--Isla Carmen becomes a distant mound of magenta gold in the late afternoon sun off Loreto in this photo taken near the arroyo boca at the south end of town by Tim O'Brien of the Bluefish Bed & Breakfast in Harwich Center, Mass. PHOTO COURTESY OF TIM O'BRIEN.

Santa Rosalia Mexico Fishing Photo 1

YELLOWTAIL COMEBACK--After a period of slow action earlier in May, Santa Rosalia fishing area yellowtail made a super strong surface comeback last week for Mike Kanzler's 2 boats on the Isla San Marcos bajos with wide-open schools boiling everywhere. Shown with part of their morning's catch at the island boat landing are Kanzler, kneeling lower right, Daniel Lopez of Isla San Marcos, lower left, and anglers Francisco Romero, Carlos Carrizoza, Antonio Daboud, Carlos Parada, and Abraham Almirudis. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE KANZLER.

Santa Rosalia Mexico Fishing Photo 2

ISLAND WINNER--Fernando Heredia of Guerrero Negro, Baja California, hoists his 36.22-pound yellowtail, the biggest fish for this year's Isla San Marcos Yellowtail ShootOut Tournament. Heredia also brought in the biggest 2-fish total of 58.77 pounds during the 2-day event. At right, tournament headquarters on the west side of Isla San Marcos offshore of Santa Rosalia. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MIKE KANZLER.

Bahia de los Angeles Mexico Fishing Photo 1

BAHIA BIGGIE--Julio Meza of San Quintin fished the Cortez side of Baja last week at Bahia de los Angeles and ran into a great catch of big yellowtail including this officially weighed 43.8 pounder shown with his wife, Alma, and daughter Alejandra. At right, Capt. Chubasco Diaz of Bahia de los Angeles with another Midriff quality forkie weighed at 42.8 pounds on the Guillermo's tournament scale. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIO MEZA.

Enchanted Islands Mexico Fishing Photo 1

ENCHANTED ISLAND GOLD--Petra Madruga fished the northern Sea of Cortez in mid-May for a catch including this nice golden phase leopard grouper or golden grouper at the Islas Encantadas north of Gonzaga Bay. The fish hit a Rapala CD11 trolled on 30-pound braided line. PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD TRAYLOR.

Papa Fernandez Landing Mexico Fishing Photo 1

GONZAGA BAY CEVICHE--At Papa Fernandez Landing just north of Gonzaga Bay, Capt. Aurelio Fernandez, left, took anglers Dave Santos and Gary Nunas out to the Enchanted Islands last week on their first-ever Baja fishing trip, and they released 20 sierra and kept a few for making ceviche. PHOTO COURTESY OF DOUG MAGEE.

San Carlos Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SONORA SAILS--Boats fishing out of San Carlos, Sonora, on the Mexican mainland side of the Sea of Cortez scored multiple releases on sailfish last week. Here, Capt. Manriquez of the Catch-22 Sportfishing charter boat Rubina releases a sailfish in 80-degree water about 20 miles out. PHOTO COURTESY OF FERNANDO ALMADA.

San Carlos Mexico Fishing Photo 2

SAN CARLOS MIGRATORS--Sportfishing boats out of San Carlos, Sonora, found some very good action last week for migrating pelagics including striped marlin, sailfish, and dorado. Bernie Gross, left, and Jon Jen Charters Capt. Abel Anaya found this nice pair of dodos while fishing aboard the boat JonJen. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN HILDERBRAND.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Fishing Photo 1

PUERTO VALLARTA MIXER--Fishing last week aboard the Puerto Vallarta charter boat Marla II produced good mixed species action for dog snapper, amberjack, and yellowfin tuna for anglers, from left, Justin Greenberg, Brian Harnak, and Andre Harnak, shown with Marla II deckhand Alvino Osuna. At right, Brian Harnak with a real nice roosterfish also landed aboard the Marla II. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DANNY OSUNA.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Fishing Photo 3

TOROS AT VALLARTA--Donald Rubi's group trip aboard the Puerto Vallarta charter boat Karina II found lots of small bonita around Bahia de Banderas plus 7 of these jack crevalle or toro in Spanish, north along the coast around Punta Mita and Islas Tres Marietas. At right, Daniel and Tracy Liska of Green Bay, Wisc., with a load of toros caught during Rubi's outing aboard the Karina II. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DONALD RUBI.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Fishing Photo 5

NEW MARLA'S HOME--Danny Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing at Puerto Vallarta said the fleet's 4 charter boats will be operating from a new marina under construction at their home village of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. "There is a nice slip to keep our boats safe and it's a very nice launch for the anglers, way closer to the fishing spots," Osuna said. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY OSUNA.

Ixtapa Mexico Fishing Photo 1 Ixtapa Mexico Fishing Photo 2

SAILFISH #1 AND #2--Cool near shore currents and a red tide condition hampered sailfish action for boats out of Ixtapa Zihuatanejo last week, but earlier Flip Himmelreich caught this photo of his daughter Lauren Himmelreich, 11, with her first-ever sailfish, released aboard the charter boat Gitana II with Capt. Adan Valdovinos. Lauren also landed her second sailfish the following day and both fish were tagged before being released. At right, Lauren working on sailfish #2. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAUL PHILLIPS.

Mexico Fishing Photo 1

EAST CAPE TUNA FLY--East Cape fly fishing guide Jeff deBrown of The Reel Baja snapped this great shot of a fly caught yellowfin tuna landed earlier this month. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF DEBROWN.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES