Yellowtail romp in new Bahia de los Angeles biosphere reserve;

Mazatlan sailfish counts increase

Mexico Fishing News, June 18, 2007

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

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Summer yellowtail action in the outer Bahia de los Angeles section of the Sea of Cortez Midriff continued very good last week, following the announcement on June 5, 2007, by the Mexican federal government that the bay and surrounding area were designated a biosphere reserve.

At Camp Gecko just south of the village, Abraham Vazquez said, "Yellowtail is still wide-open south of the big island but fishing has slowed down for a few days at the local reefs. The problem is too much bait fish on the reefs, but hopefully they will run out eventually." Dorado still had not showed up as Midriff water temperatures reached 73 to 74 degrees.

Work on the new boulevard through the village was on hold, but street lights were wired and progress continued on the new power line being brought in from Punta Prieta. Vazquez said the new biosphere reserve status of Bahia de los Angeles is not expected to preclude sportfishing. "This will not affect sportfishing at all," he said. "It's mostly to regulate the commercial use of resources and protect the environment." A management plan for the biosphere reserve would include input from local residents.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Although a management plan for the new biosphere reserve has yet to be drafted and approved, Mia Blanco of the Bahia de los Angeles website Bahiadelosangeles.info said early indications are that sportfishing activities will not be precluded. "For the sport fisherman, not much will change," Blanco said. "Many might have been under the impression that sportfishing would not be allowed any more, but in fact it still will be allowed. It's the commercial fishing that will be affected. I spoke with officials at the island visitor's office here in Bahia.

"They said sportfishing would still be allowed. As before, fishing and boat licenses are required, permitted species catch limits should be observed, and there should be no littering the waters or islands. There will be more of an effort to make sure the rules are being followed. Permits to visit the islands of the bay will still be required. The plan will be to involve the community as much as possible towards the effort of respecting the new reserve status of the bay. The officials also said that in addition to the fishing licenses and boat licenses for those towing their own boats down, visitors should be in the country legally, meaning a tourist visa, FM3, etc."

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Ruben Daggett of Daggett's Camp reported steady action for charter pangas on yellowtail into the mid-20 pound class and white seabass of 20 to 30 pounds. Boats fishing with Capt. Enrique Daggett on the camp charter super panga found good action out at the south end of Isla Angel de la Guarda and south along the Baja coast to Roca Bernabe.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Lee Wood of Oceanside Senior Anglers reported on a 4-member club trip to Bahia de los Angeles, fishing 2 days with Capt. Igor Galvan for a catch including: 10 white seabass, over 20 yellowtail, 1 nice pargo, and 1 very nice grouper. L.A. Bay fishing area weather was in the mid-90s and "as flat as we have ever seen it," Wood said. Galvan's boat fished south of Bahia de los Animas in water temperatures averaging 74 degrees. "All the yellowtail were in the 20-pound plus range, no small ones," Wood said. "Most were caught on dropper loops the second day with live bait." Other club members on the trip were: Hugh Cobb of Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle, Mike Mercado, and Ed Dennis.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Scott Woodward reported on 4 days of fishing out of his place 5 miles north of Bahia de los Angeles for a catch of 24 yellowtail to 22 pounds aboard his 20-foot boat with fellow anglers Don Weir and Elueterio Moreno. "We found good fishing for yellowtail in the Smith Island channel," Woodward said. "Most of the fish were caught on blue-and-white iron cast on boils. Trolling in close to shore on the Baja peninsula side also produced several yellowtail and some nice cabrilla up to 8 pounds." Bahia de los Angeles fishing area weather had 1 day of strong wind, with water temperatures at 67 to 70 degrees.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Fly-in angler Roger Crenshaw of Chula Vista, Calif., reported continued very good, steady yellowtail action at San Francisquito south of Bahia de los Angeles including 35 pounders as close as 4 minutes from the caleta dock. San Francisquito weather was at 98 degrees, with the water temperature at 68 degrees. "Summer is beginning," Crenshaw said. Yellows are everywhere. There isn't as much bait in the water as in most years so all lures are working. Squid is very plentiful to 30 pounds. It seems that all the yellows this year are 30 pounds or better. It's one of the best runs we have had for 10 years." The best action was on green-yellow iron, which worked better than blue-white. "Everyone seems to be catching fish regardless of their skill levels and the boils and birds are phenomenal," Crenshaw said. "I have really been preaching about getting people to do catch-and-release after their second fish. I know it is human and we have all done it, but I don't want to be the person that caught the last fish." The road from Bahia de los Angeles was in good condition.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: For the previous week, Chuck Decker of Tucson, Ariz., reported on an 8-angler fly-in trip to El Barril south of San Francisquito, fishing 3 days in 2 pangas with Capts. Martin and Agustino for constant yellowtail action. Decker said they fished 5 to 10 miles straight out from El Barril chasing birds only. "We did some bottom jig fishing for a couple of hours but the fish where all on the surface boiling on bait," Decker said. "We just followed the birds." Midriff fishing waters were flat except for 1 day of afternoon wind, with water temperatures estimated at about 72 degrees. The best action was with blue-white iron. "Surface jigs were the only thing the yellows would bite," Decker said, "6X size. We did try trolling with Rapalas and we jigged the reefs with no luck except cabrilla and pinto bass." Also fishing on the trip were: Don Whisnand, Matt Whisnand, Frank Jones, Jim Bunck, and 2 other anglers.

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 local Ensenada weather over the weekend was clear in the high-60s, with light winds, ocean swells of 2 to 3 feet, and the water temperature at Punta Banda averaging 59 degrees. Vonny's Fleet pangas caught barracuda, some calico bass, rockcods, cinnamon rockfish, lingcod, 2 yellowtail to 20 pounds, and 1 white seabass of 29 pounds caught on Tuesday by Jeff and Kim Sexton of Simi Valley, Calif., who fished with Capt. Beto on the charter panga Vonny I.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Emerald Argonza of Matador Sportfishing reported on a half-day trip Saturday by the charter boat Matador with Capt. Alex Gonzalez, fishing locally at University Point and San Miguel reef with Trampus Grindstaff's group from San Diego for tough action in red tide conditions and a catch of: 10 red rockcod to 5 pounds, and 10 mixed bottom fish. "The fishing was quite challenging for the group due to the menacing red tide and no live bait at all from Mike's or Gordo's," Argonza said. "All fish were caught using squid strips on 3-hook leaders." Ensenada fishing area weather was calm but with dirty water stained by the red tide. "I hope it goes away soon to help out the local sportfishing industry," Argonza said.

ERENDIRA FISHING REPORTS

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ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Tere Castro of Castro's Camp reported 29 boats fishing during the week in 60-degree water about 6 miles from the coast for increasing numbers of yellowtail, bonita, barracuda, a couple of halibut, and steady action on mixed bottom fish including rockcods and lingcod. Erendira weather off the Baja coast was sunny and calm for the week.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas reported on 6 boats fishing out of San Quintin during the week with red tide at Isla San Martin and most boats working rockcod and lingcod south at Socorro. "There are lots of fish but the yellowtail and white seabass turned off on us," Hillis said. "I hope the water clears up for a better report next week." Anglers fishing with Pedro's Pangas during the week included Bernie and Chato Dominguez who limited out on rockcods and lingcod to about 18 pounds.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Marita Melville of Don Eddie's Landing said more anglers were present in the San Quintin area last week, with generally good weather, some moderate winds, water temperatures of 55 to 57 degrees, and catches of yellowtail to about 24 pounds plus some white seabass. "The fish are here and ready to be caught," Melville said. "Squid are also in the area and have been brought in by a few people. The fishing in San Quintin has been very good to those who have been going out. The hotspot has been over at Socorro." On Thursday, Capts. Gordo Garcia and Roman Gonzalez took clients out on the charter boats Fanny I and Fanny II for 7 yellowtail and limits of barracuda and bottom fish. On Saturday Capt. Juan Cook found 2 white seabass to 25 pounds plus bottom fish limits for his clients on the charter boat Mona Lisa. Anglers fishing out of Don Eddie's Landing during the week included: Reynaldo Aguilar, Alex Aguilar, Ramon Cornejo, Panayotis Makris, John Siliverdis, Bud Steinert, Lee Fritz, and Ray Fritz.

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Syd Lindsay of San Lucas Cove commented on the effect of new competition in town for the infamous Baja Pemex gas station in Santa Rosalia on Highway Mex 1 just south of the main turnoff in town. "It is payback time," Lindsay said. "After the new station opened at the marina they have been pumping most of the gas in this town and are giving a gallon of gas for a gallon paid. They know what has been going on all this time and they promised a good pour. As I pass the old station, most of the time there are no cars there. If people can just fill up in Jesus Maria and then the new marina gas station in Santa Rosalia they can also avoid getting ripped-off in Mulege."

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported continued offshore winds and consistent corvina surface fishing inside the Magdalena Bay mangrove channels last week. "Deeper in the water column the grouper and pargo are the best bet," Graham said. "There was also a decent halibut bite along almost any sandy beach in shallow water." Cabrilla, grouper, and some smaller pargo were caught at the San Carlos bridge. Magdalena Bay fishing area weather was clear in the high-80s, with water temperatures at 62 to 72 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 37 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 17 striped marlin, 11 yellowfin tuna, 3 dorado, 1 mako shark, 1 hammerhead shark, 1 amberjack, 4 yellowtail, 2 pargo, 7 sierra, and 2 skipjack. "The fishing has been difficult this past week from Cabo San Lucas," Edwards said. "Finding billfish that want to bite has been difficult." Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the mid-90s, with local water temperatures of 70 to 71 degrees, warming to 75 degrees north of Punta Gorda. Fleet boats fished in all directions. Live bait available was mostly caballitos. "Live bait was best, but no matter what was used the fish were not being cooperative," Edwards said.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jorge Navarro of Pisces Fleet Sportfishing said 45 percent of fleet boats released striped marlin last week and 67 percent landed all species combined. A total of 40 billfish were caught and 34 released. "It was a bit of a slow week here," Navarro said. "The fish were moving really fast from 35 miles into the Sea of Cortez to 5 miles out on the Pacific, making them hard to find." Top catches for the week included a 250-pound class broadbill swordfish landed by angler Clint Hughey aboard the charter boat Sun Dancer. Very few dorado and yellowfin tuna were caught.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tommy Garcia of Cabo Magic reported on 40 charter boats, with a catch including released fish of: 4 striped marlin, 6 dorado, 10 yellowtail, 34 pargo, 7 roosterfish, 2 skipjack, 1 barracuda, 2 mako shark, 7 Humboldt giant squid, and 6 sierra.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported continued variation in water temperatures and fishing conditions last week, with water temperatures as low as 65 degrees on the Pacific side of Cabo and up to about 80 degrees on the Cortez side. "During the middle of the week, tides and shifting wind dropped water temperatures by 5 or more degrees and put the fish into shock mode," Landrum said. "Surface conditions remained good but the water cooled off and became very green. The water turned over and the fish moved offshore. June has always been a difficult month to figure out as things are in constant flux. This year is no different."

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 7 anglers for a catch including released fish of: 6 roosterfish of 0.5 to 1 pounds, 25 yellowtail of 1 to 8 pounds, 3 amberjack of 1 to 2 pounds, 12 sierra of 3 to 4 pounds, 1 bonito, 1 skipjack, and 5 red snapper of 8 to 10 pounds. The Cheer's fished mostly on the Pacific side up to Faro Viejo finding the best action on trolled hoochies. Local Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was mostly calm, with some light wind and swell and water temperatures of 70 to 73 degrees, but with one day of much cooler air temperatures, slower fishing, and water temperatures down to about 65 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 10 inshore and offshore outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 2 striped marlin, 37 sierra, and some limits of red snapper to over 25 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: For the previous week, Marshall Pilcher of Nashville, Tenn., fished as part of a multi-boat group aboard the Picante Sportfishing charter boat Shameless for a catch of: 1 striped marlin, and 1 jack crevalle. "That was it for our boat," Pilcher said. "Some of the others fared a little better, with several landing yellowfin tuna or double striped marlin hookups and I also saw a roosterfish and dorado flag from others in the fleet."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: David Zarraonandia reported a 200-pound class broadbill swordfish landed by his son Donald, 17, after a fight on 40-pound line of 1 hour 35 minutes during an outing with Picante Fleet. "We were fishing the Gordo Banks at about 40 miles northeast of Cabo," Zarraonandia said. "At about 11:30 a.m. we spotted a swordfish on the surface and cast a live bait. The sword took the bait and the fight was on." Another Zarraonandia son, Jordan, 13, also landed a striped marlin for the day.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Boots Fawcett of Carlsbad, Calif., fished fly tackle out of the Hotel Solmar aboard the charter boat Solmar Zero with Capt. Javier for a multi-outing catch with fishing partner Bob Newcomb of 4 striped marlin missed or broken off. "It was just plain good to be back to Luis Bulnes' Hotel Solmar," Fawcett said. "Despite the lack of blue water and water temperatures in the low-70s, there were enough striped marlin available and it was a wonderful trip in many different ways. We saw mako sharks every day. Perhaps we made a mistake in not targeting them. We saw marlin every day but were unable to set any fish up in the final 3 days."

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 89 combined La Playita fleet pangas fishing off San Jose del Cabo, with a catch of: 116 roosterfish, 7 striped marlin, 13 dorado, 32 jack crevalle, 19 amberjack, 17 pompano, 42 sierra, 5 hammerhead shark, 7 mako shark, 4 yellowfin tuna, 9 dog snapper, 46 colorado snapper, 145 yellow snapper, 23 cabrilla, 55 Mexican bonito, 38 triggerfish, and 3 halibut. Unusually strong currents and varied water temperatures continued to affect the Los Cabos fishing area, with water temperatures in the mid-60s on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas warming gradually to about 80 degrees on the Cortez side at East Cape. "There were reports of clean blue water one day turning greenish and cool the very next day," Brictson said. "This repeated pattern made for difficult offshore fishing. Overall catches were not all that impressive for this time of year. Looking back on reports from the same time period we saw similar patterns. All we can do is wait for it to pass, certainly by July."

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Randy Morishita of Carlsbad, Calif., reported on a panga fishing trip at San Jose del Cabo with Gordo Banks Pangas' Capt. Manuel for catches of yellow snapper, sierra, and a few bonito and jack crevalle, close to shore at El Cardon and Punta Gorda. Morishita noted good results with butterfly jigs, saying, "Those high speed lures did get down in a hurry. I loved being able to try again so quickly because of the speed of the fall. We were able to bring in fish from a greater depth after the live bait bite shut off and I attribute it to the ability of the lure to get to the right zone so quickly."

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported continued very good big roosterfish action on the beaches for fly fishing guide Lance Petersen including roosterfish in the grande class on 3 different outings. "So far, this year has proven to be one of the best in recent memory for large roosters," Petersen said. "On the 11th we had terrible conditions with very strong south wind but the fish went nuts again in the afternoon. I landed 2 grandes in the 40-pound class as large roosters surfed the wind waves right to the beach." Graham noted that Petersen has been using his own "Bubba" fly for big roosterfish. "I would say he has come up with a good one," Graham said. "There are even reports of others trying to copy it." East Cape offshore boats were fishing for yellowfin tuna inside 30 miles, some sporadic dorado action, and striped marlin present but still not biting actively. East Cape fishing area weather was in the high-90s, with some wind and water temperatures of 74 to 85 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Eddie Dalmau of Van Wormer Resorts reported on 270 East Cape charter fishing boats from Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, and Punta Colorada, with a catch including released fish of: 188 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 206 dorado, 1,086 yellowfin tuna, 205 roosterfish, 5 wahoo, 20 cabrilla, 41 pargo, 86 triggerfish, 1 yellowtail, 5 mako shark, 8 jack crevalle, and 15 sierra. "The tuna bite has been about 30 to 50 miles out," Dalmau said. "The dorado were at the ocho-ocho near Cerralvo Island and the rooster hotspots were near Punta Colorada, Los Frailes, and Boca Salada."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the week ending June 7, 2007, Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 442 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 a catch including released fish of: 192 striped marlin, 177 dorado, 599 yellowfin tuna, 1 wahoo, 87 roosterfish, 5 triggerfish, and 1 mako shark. East Cape fishing area weather was mostly calm in the low-90s, with water temperatures at 68 to 84 degrees. "Some anglers had fun on the inside going for roosterfish," Moyers said. "In fact, some real toads were landed. Most of the roosterfish action was inshore off Rancho Leonero, La Ribera, and El Faro."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Russ Fritz of La Ribera reported cool 74-degree water inshore from La Ribera south to Cabo Pulmo and slow billfish action for his boat. "We saw a number of tailers, but no biters after washing our lures for 4 hours," Fritz said. "We stopped inside and metered some red snapper in 300 feet of water and ended up with 12 nice fish for dinner." East Cape inshore weather was in the high-90s, with some stiff afternoon wind and chop from the east. "Everyone is waiting for the dorado arrival, with only a rare fish or two being taken all week," Fritz said. No commercial fishing boats were sighted inside of about 15 miles.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Torrance Eddy of Buena Vista reported the results of his recent experiments with trying to prepare a palatable dish with jack crevalle or toro in Spanish, saying, "Well, I poached the filleted meat and put the covered pan in the frig to cool. When I took it out and lifted the lid, the aroma and color was enough...yuk, basura. Cats really like toro raw only."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Simon Cazaly of the Vista Sea Sport diving service at Buena Vista said last week's sea life sightings at Los Frailes and Cabo Pulmo included 2 whale shark. "Dive master Juan Diego Romero had 6 divers when they came across a 21-foot whale shark," Cazaly said. "He could only convince 2 of them to jump in the water, even though it was completely harmless. The 2 that went in were rewarded with a 10 to 15-minute encounter they will surely never forget." East Cape diving waters were still chilly at about 68 degrees at depth, with visibility at about 20 feet. Other sea life sightings at El Cantil, El Bajo, and Punta Perico included large grouper, thousands of yellow snapper, Panamic porkfish, diamond stingrays, and mobula manta rays.

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said fishing weather at Las Arenas south of La Paz was summerlike last week in the mid-90s, with good humidity and water temperatures reaching 86 degrees. Tortuga pangas fished the north end of Isla Cerralvo for larger dorado to 40 pounds and some dorado were also found at the buoys averaging 30 pounds. Also caught around the island were marlin, all released, wahoo to 40 pounds, and larger pargo lisa, barred pargo. Many roosterfish to 45 pounds were caught at Las Arenas and San Isidro. Bait was in good supply at the south end of the island. "Our anglers returned happy after having good fishing days this week," Hernandez said.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International said, "The La Paz dorado season is officially open!" as school-sized dorado mixed with larger bulls were landed by pangas on both sides of the hill last week. "Dorado were the main target for our Las Arenas and La Paz boats," Roldan said. "Dorado were found in the gap between Cerralvo and Espiritu Santo Islands as well as south of Cerralvo and extending south to the buoys." La Paz dorado catches included lots of peanuts and some fish of 20 to 40 pounds. Striped marlin and blue marlin were also in the area. Variety fishing on the Las Arenas side produced larger pargo, roosterfish, and a run of 10-pound yellowfin tuna. "La Paz waters are warming and it's hot down here already," Roldan said. "It feels like July."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Betty Hill-Crofoot of La Paz reported on an outing the previous week aboard her boat WICO with Jim "Hutch" Hutchins, George "Cope" Hutchins, and Cathy Crofoot of Alta, Calif., for good results on fly tackle jack crevalle. "Our guests tried their luck at fly fishing when they got into a school of toros and had a blast catching and releasing," Hill-Crofoot said. Another outing at the north end of Isla Cerralvo produced a 50-pound class wahoo for Jim Hutchins, a first-ever striped marlin for George Hutchins, and a dorado for daughter-in-law Cathy Crofoot.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Tim Stemwedel of Fresno, Calif., fished the south end of Isla Cerralvo on a panga with Capt. Hugo out of the Las Arenas side of La Paz for wide-open amberjack plus some pargo. "We had a good supply of sardinas and fished fairly close in to the island," Stemwedel said. "We saw a number of marlin feeding and jumping but did not fish for them. There were also some scattered wahoo caught by other boats. Dorado were a bit scarce."

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company reported mostly calm seas in the Loreto fishing area, with water temperatures at 76 to 82 degrees inshore and 79 to 84 degrees offshore. Some scattered dorado were present far offshore and in areas of clear blue water closer in. "Winds and swell make it difficult to spot signs of dorado and locate that blue water," Bolles said. "We are looking for dorado from 2 to 35 miles east of Punta Lobos, the northernmost point on Isla Carmen, and from 6 to 20 miles north of Isla Coronado. We're getting them 3 miles east of Punta Lobos. Yesterday, the dorado there ranged in size from 10 to over 40 pounds." Offshore fish-attracting buoys were planned due to a scarcity of sargassum weed patches. "We could use donations of rope so we can put out more buoys," Bolles said. "If you're a local who will benefit from these artificial floating structures, feel free to drop off some rope at the shop." Bolles noted that the Loreto downtown marina launch ramp was closed for renovation on June 10, 2007. "I won't get into commenting on the lousy timing for this work by the powers that be," Bolles said, "but it will be closed until further notice."

LORETO, MEXICO: Patty Zapata of Loreto's Hotel Oasis said last week's weather was in the mid-90s as 59 hotel pangas fished 35 to 40 miles out for a combined catch on fly fishing tackle and conventional tackle of: 38 dorado from small sizes to 42 pounds, 5 cabrilla, and 5 sailfish. Anglers fishing out of the hotel during the week included: Joanne and Bret Beaudreau, Thomas Rouchj, William Minow, Norm Hartz, George Kirka, Pete McCord, Thomas Worth, Christian Dick, Steve Worth, John Cabrera, Tody Bonine, John McCormack, Kym Hofer, Robert Herdon, William Autm, Andy Paulsen, Mike Halston, Bruce and Jason Devilbiss, Gerald, Brian and Alberto Lam, Chris Worth, Grant Orr, Joe and William Santos, Brian and Jim Beckerman, Terry Smith, Bill Hall, and Lucas Sigel. Loreto sportfishing captains going out during the week included: Martín Perpuli, Francisco Martínez Jr., Servando Davis, Abraham Fernández, Joselino Murillo, Martín Davis Castro, Isidro Mendoza, Antonio Davis Castro, Alfonso Susarrey, Alejandro "Chacho" Ruiz, Francisco Martinez, and Abel Davis.

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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MULEGE, MEXICO: Gary Black of Coto de Caza, Calif., reported dozens of 20 to 30-pound catch-and-release dorado found while trolling in an area of 82 to 83-degree water about 26 miles out of Mulege aboard Carlos Benge's boat. Trolling out to about 37 miles off Punta Concepcion found no targeted marlin or sailfish, but lots of sea life including pilot whales, porpoise, mobula rays, and some billfish sighted. Black also noted commercial fishing activity for protected dorado near Mulege. "We saw a large purse seine boat wrapping a school of dorado about 25 miles off of the point," Black said. "We weren't close enough to identify the vessel. Later in the morning they had pulled their net and were heading back toward mainland Mexico. In their wake was a large grouper that had just perished but was still fresh. We pulled it aboard and called a native Mulege resident who put the filets to good use for his extended family. The fish tipped the scales at 122 pounds. Fishing is great in Mulege right now and is getting better. There is a lot of food in the water.

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Michael Kanzler of Isla San Marcos said, "Its summer for sure now, with the heat of the fishing matching that of the air." Santa Rosalia fishing area weather was hot and windless in the high-90s with inshore water greenish at 77 to 78 degrees. Offshore water was blue at 80 to 83 degrees with visibility over 70 feet. Three days of fishing at Isla San Marcos and Isla Tortuga produced a catch of: 32 yellowtail of 22 to 32 pounds, all at the Isla San Marcos 110 bajo, 2 sawtail grouper of 18 to 25 pounds, 1 sailfish, a few leopard grouper, and very hot action on dorado around weed patches about 5 to 7 miles off Isla San Marcos. "We caught and released well over 100 dorado in the 5 to 25-pound class with 95 percent caught on surface poppers," Kanzler said. "What a howl to see the hordes of green flashes rush the poppers! We kept only a few fish each day."

SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Syd Lindsay of San Lucas Cove reported 5 yellowtail to 31 pounds landed on jigs by 7:30 a.m. during an outing to the 110 bajo with Kevin Ward of the San Diego charter boat Searcher aboard Ward's boat Frigg'it, recently bought from Lindsay's brother Bob Lindsay. "After 35 years, and on its third motor and in need of a little paint, the Frigg'it is now with its new owner Kevin Ward," Lindsay said. Santa Rosalia fishing area water temperatures were in the mid-70s.

SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Larry Sovern reported on a good run to the Santa Rosalia yellowtail bajos by Tom and Kit Bishop of Vashon, Wash., for a catch of 4 yellowtail to 40.3 pounds out of San Lucas Cove.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Alex Velez of Baja Fishing and Diving reported on 6-day Midriff Islands fishing trips by the panga motherships Erik and Andrea Lynn, returning to San Felipe on June 14, 2007, with a catch of:

Andrea Lynn with 30 anglers fishing at Refugio, Isla San Esteban, Roca San Bernabe, Isla Salsipuedes, and La Asamblea: 185 yellowtail, 145 cabrilla, 32 pargo, 2 white seabass, 168 Humboldt squid, and 305 miscellaneous fish.

Erik with 27 anglers: 210 yellowtail to 32 pounds, 74 cabrilla to 16 pounds, 1 grouper of 59 pounds, 52 Humboldt squid, 39 pargo, 4 white seabass, and 169 miscellaneous fish.

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

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ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: Shawn Gustafson of Chandler, Ariz., reported on a run out of Rocky Point aboard Ric Felder's boat End Of The Line for a catch of: 1 hammerhead shark of about 10 pounds, and 5 gulf grouper of 30 to 50 pounds. The gulf grouper were all caught on sargo and bass baits about 16 miles out and at another spot during 2 hot sessions totaling about an hour at about 10 a.m. and about 5 p.m. "I've been trying to get Ric Felder to take me out so I could learn how he is always catching those gulf groupers close to shore," Felder said. "We fished rubber scampi tails on 16-ounce leadhead jigs tipped with a sand bass and a 3-way swivel rig with a live sargo on the bottom while drifting across the reefs."

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Fernando Almada of Catch-22 Sportfishing said fleet charter boats struggled to find blue water last week but still picked up some dorado and sailfish. "The dorado seem to be far out while the sailfish and marlin are closer to shore," Almada said. San Carlos fishing area water temperatures were at 78 to 80 degrees.

SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: For the previous week, Curtis Grant of Phoenix, Ariz., reported on a run out of San Carlos by his boat Bonus Time, fishing to 28 miles out on a heading of 200 degrees for a catch of: 1 bull dorado landed by his son Matt on a Mexican flag feather about 17 miles out, a few skipjack, 1 sailfish lost, and a session of peanut dorado on a weed paddy about 12 miles out. San Carlos weather was very smooth, with the water temperature at 82 degrees.

SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: John Hilderbrand of Jon Jen Charters said San Carlos boats fished in variable water conditions but landed "a lot of dorado if you can find them." Capt. Abel on the charter boat JonJen had an outing with 2 dorado to 45 pounds landed and another San Carlos boat reported 2 blue marlin released.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 25 Aries Fleet offshore boats fishing out of Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, with a catch including released fish of: 36 sailfish, and 4 striped marlin. Inshore super pangas continued to find all day catch-and-release dorado action at the buoys. "The sailfish bite picked up considerably this week. The charter boat Aries I led the pack with a 6-sailfish release day," Edwards said. "As water temperatures increase more sailfish are moving in and dorado action continues to be explosive with all you want light tackle fish in the 5 to 8-pound range. Look for these smaller dorado to begin attracting the black marlin and blue marlin soon." Mazatlan fishing area weather was partly cloudy at 90 degrees, with mostly calm seas and water temperatures at 80 degrees inshore and 85 degrees offshore. Offshore boats fished about 22 to 25 miles southwest of Marina El Cid, and the dorado were caught on buoys about 18 to 20 miles out.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing said all 4 fleet boats moved north of Puerto Vallarta to the San Blas sailfish tournament for 5 days as his brother, Capt. Scott Osuna, took first place, and his father, Jose Luis Osuna, won second place. "Alonso and I did not qualify because we caught only small sailfish," Osuna said. "We just got back this morning about 10 a.m."

HUATULCO FISHING REPORTS

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HUATULCO, MEXICO: Eric Weissman of Explore Fly Fishing reported multiple billfish releases from his Puerto Escondido and San Agustinillo fishing locations near Huatulco last week, plus roosterfish, jacks, sierra, and big dorado close to shore around the river mouths. "Storms and thunderstorms are around, the rivers are outflowing nicely, and shore action is very nice," Weissman said. "Blue water is everywhere. Multiple marlin and sailfish are common within 5 miles of shore. Some boats are hooking between 4 and 6 blue marlin in a day." Yellowfin tuna of 30 to 100 kilos were also being caught within minutes of the hotels. Huatulco fishing area weather was in the high-80s.

CANCUN FISHING REPORTS

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CANCUN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported Cancun fishing area weather mostly cloudy at 90 degrees, with easterly winds of 8 to 15 knots and the water temperature stable at 84 degrees. The El Cid Caribe fleet charter boat Pescadora II fished with Capt. Gabriel and fleet manager Mario Anzoategui during an engine check run on Thursday for a 350-pound class blue marlin broken off on 40-pound line after a fight of almost 4 hours. "The fish had dragged them around for more than 20 miles through the afternoon and in the end it was what we call an 'early release,'" Edwards said.

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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MEXICO: Jeff Klassen of Jeff Klassen Sportfishing at Melanque, Jalisco, on the Mexican Pacific Coast near Barra de Navidad said, "The fishing has been pretty good in our area despite the lengthy red tide, which is almost over. Large jacks are moving inshore and can be caught along most of our beaches as they begin to clear again. I'm sure the roosterfish are lingering somewhere around our islands or reefs. The odd guy is getting pargo by accident while fishing for other species. You should be targeting them now." Offshore boats were catching about 2 or 3 mixed sailfish and striped marlin per day, plus a few blue marlin, but few dorado. Mexico coastal water temperatures were in the mid-70s. "It won't be long until the rivers open up, letting out all the mullet and small snook, attracting the dorado in tight and large snook, roosterfish, and jacks along the shores," Klassen said. Dock fishing was slow due to the red tide condition but a couple of sessions produced a small jack, a 2-pound snook, a couple of 2-pound pargo, and a few barracuda.

El Barril Mexico Fishing Photo 1

El Barril Mexico Fishing Photo 2

FISH IN A BARRIL--Chuck Decker's 2-plane fly-in group scored constant quality yellowtail during 3 days of panga fishing out of El Barril, or The Barrel in Spanish, south of Bahia de los Angeles in the Sea of Cortez Midriff area. The fish were all caught on the surface with jigs while chasing birds. Below, Capt. Martin of El Barril running out for great yellowtail action with, from second left, Don Whisnand, Frank Jones, Matt Whisnand, and Chuck Decker. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHUCK DECKER.

Bahia de los Angeles Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SENIOR'S SEABASS--Lee Woods' 4-angler group of Oceanside Senior Anglers club members fished 2 days with Capt. Igor Galvan of Bahia de los Angeles for a great catch of yellowtail and white seabass, including these 7 of 9 croakers landed on their first day. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE WOOD.

Bahia de los Angeles Mexico Fishing Photo 3

WHITE SEABASS TOO--L.A. Bay yellowtail action last week was very good and some great catches of white seabass were also made. Here's a nice rack of croakers landed by Steve Holmes' group who fished with Capt. Enrique Daggett out of Daggett's Camp at the north end of town. At right, the Daggett's Camp super panga. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RUBEN DAGGETT.

San Francisquito Mexico Fishing Photo 1

WIDE-OPEN YELLOWTAIL--Close-in surface yellowtail action was about as good as it gets at San Francisquito last week as everyone fishing scored on forkies into the 30-pound class on birds. At right, the famous San Francisquito palapa resort facing the open Sea of Cortez on the south side of Punta Santa Teresa. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROGER CRENSHAW.

Ensenada Mexico Fishing Photo 1

PUNTA BANDA CROAKER--Jeff and Kim Sexton of Simi Valley, Calif., scored a big mix of bottom fish species, a nice yellowtail, and this 29-pound white seabass while fishing on a Vonny's Fleet panga at the tip of Ensenada's Punta Banda last week. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

San Quintin Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SAN QUINTIN YELLOWTAIL--With San Quintin's Capt. Gordo Garcia, second from left, and a good catch last week of yellowtail that was mixed with limits of rockcod, sandbass, and barracuda, are San Fernando Valley anglers, from left, Reynaldo Aguilar, Alex Aquilar, Ramon Cornejo, Panayotis Makris, and John Siliverdis. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARITA MELVILLE.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 1

FIRST OCEAN CATCH--Okay it isn't a biggie, but Sammy Christman, 5, of Strawberry, Calif., celebrates catching his first-ever saltwater fish, a nice Panama graysby or ribera cabrilla, at Cabo San Lucas aboard the boat Reel Dream owned by his grandparents Geri and Dave Christman. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERI CHRISTMAN.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 2

BAJA BROADBILL--This broadbill swordfish was landed by Donald Zarraonandia, second from left, on 40-pound line during an outing out of Cabo San Lucas with Picante Fleet. Also shown are, from left, deckhand Eduardo Rosales, Jordan Zarraonandia, and Picante Fleet Capt. Antonio Romero. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID ZARRAONANDIA.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 3

BAJA SUR SWORDIES--It's been a good swordfish year around the tip of Baja. Here's another broadbill landed last week by angler Clint Hughey of Santa Cruz, Calif., aboard the Pisces Fleet charter boat Sun Dancer. PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACY EHRENBERG.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 4

FISHERMAN'S HOLIDAY--Cabo Magic Sportfishing at Cabo San Lucas gave all crews a day off on Thursday, so Capt. Hector, left, of the charter cruiser Cabo Magic, and Capt. Hugo of the Loco Pescado decided to go fishing anyway for a nice panga load of good eating huachinango or true red snapper. PHOTO COURTESY OF LORI GARCIA.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 5

OUTSIDE JACK CREVALLE--An unusual number of jack crevalle have been caught offshore around southern Baja this spring. Here is a nice toro that was caught right after a striped marlin hookup off Cabo San Lucas on the charter boat Shameless. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARSHALL PILCHER.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 6

CABO FLY TEASERS--A selection of offshore trolling teasers used by Boots Fawcett and Bob Newcomb during their recent trips out of the Hotel Solmar at Cabo San Lucas. PHOTO COURTESY OF BOOTS FAWCETT.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 7

TINY NEAR SHORE GALLOS--This small roosterfish or gallo, one of 6 landed between one-half pound and a pound in weight, was part of a catch that also included 4 yellowtail of 7 to 8 pounds during an outing by the Cabo San Lucas charter panga Cheer's that fished from 50 to about 100 meters out from the beach at Faro Viejo. PHOTO COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 1

BUBBA FLY MAN--Baja On The Fly's East Cape fly fishing guide Lance Petersen with 1 of several big roosterfish to 40 pounds landed last week. Several of Petersen's gallos were hooked on a special "Bubba" fly that he designed. PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY GRAHAM.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 1 La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 2

LA PAZ DORADO ACTION--Alissa and Chris Dufour of Fresno, Calif., with their first-ever dorado, a nice bull hooked off Las Arenas south of La Paz in good action last week with Tailhunter International. At right Alissa with a hefty live bait amberjack caught with Tailhunter. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 3

ARENAS FLY ACTION--Fly fishing anglers Bryan Raska of Colorado and Shawn Simmons of Phoenix, Ariz., scored on some nice dorado and hard hitting barred pargo or pargo mulato on the Las Arenas side of La Paz with Capt. Jorge Lucero of Tortuga Sportfishing. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

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

CERRALVO WAHOO--George "Cope" Hutchins, left, and Jim "Hutch" Hutchins with a nice La Paz wahoo landed by Jim aboard the boat WICO while fishing about 3 miles east of the north end of Isla Cerralvo. The day also produced a first-ever striped marlin release for George and another outing aboard the WICO found catch-and-release jack crevalle on fly fishing tackle. At right, Cathy Crofoot with a nice Isla Cerralvo dorado caught aboard the WICO. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BETTY HILL-CROFOOT.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 6

LAS ARENAS SIDE--Tim Stemwedel fished Friday on a Las Arenas side panga south of La Paz with Capt. Hugo and found "wide-open amberjack and some good pargo mixed in" at the south end of Isla Cerralvo. Marlin were also seen feeding and jumping in the area. PHOTO COURTESY OF TIM STEMWEDEL.

Loreto Mexico Fishing Photo 1

LORETO OFFSHORE DORADO--Pangas fishing out of Loreto ran up to 40 miles into the Sea of Cortez to find dorado of mixed sizes last week. Here with some peanuts and a nice 42 pounder from Bajo Punta Lobos are anglers George Kirka and Pete McCord who fished with Capt. Alejandro "Chacho" Ruiz out of the Hotel Oasis. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATTY ZAPATA.

Loreto Mexico Fishing Photo 2

OUT OF SERVICE--The Loreto downtown marina launch ramp, shown here on Sunday, was taken out of service for renovation on June 10, 2007. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAM BOLLES.

Mulege Mexico Fishing Photo 1

MULEGE WARM WATER DORADO--Central Sea of Cortez water temperatures off Mulege were in the 82 to 83-degree range last week and pockets of hot dorado action were found. With some fish kept from hectic catch-and-release fishing about 26 miles out are, from left, Gary Black, Carlos Benge, and Ken Wright. PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY BLACK.

Santa Rosalia Mexico Fishing Photo 1

ROSALIA SUMMER YELLOWS--Anglers scoring very good Santa Rosalia yellowtail action with Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos last week included Tyrone Rodekuhr, Alex Bisbee, Troy Bocksell, and James Holdsworth, here with a nice bunch of forkies caught at the 110 bajo north of the island. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE KANZLER.

Santa Rosalia Mexico Fishing Photo 2

FRIGG'IT FORKIE--Syd Lindsay, 70, shows off a 31-pound yellowtail he pulled up from the Isla San Marcos bajos at Santa Rosalia last week while fishing aboard the boat Frigg'it owned by Kevin Ward, left, of the San Diego charter boat Searcher. For they morning, they caught a total of 5 yellowtail, all on jigs by 7:30 a.m. PHOTO COURTESY OF SYD LINDSAY.

San Lucas Cove Mexico Fishing Photo 1

RELIABLE FORKIE FISHIN'--Tom and Kit Bishop of Vashon, Wash., made a last-day run last week to the ultra reliable Isla San Marcos yellowtail bajos during their stay at San Lucas Cove and scored on 4 yellowtail including this 40.3 pounder. PHOTO COURTESY OF LARRY SOVERN.

Midriff Islands Mexico Fishing Photo 1

MIDRIFF BIGGIES--A pair of large gulf grouper landed at La Vibora at the south end of Isla Angel de la Guarda aboard the San Felipe panga mothership Andrea Lynn last week. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX VELEZ.

Rocky Point Mexico Fishing Photo 1

ROCKY POINT GROUPER--Shawn Gustafson with 1 of 5 gulf grouper of 30 to 50 pounds landed while fishing out of Rocky Point with Ric Felder on Felder's boat End Of The Line. The grouper hit on sargo and bass baits during 2 short bites in midmorning and late afternoon. PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAWN GUSTAFSON.

San Carlos Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SAN CARLOS RELEASE--Blue water was playing hide-and-seek for boats out of San Carlos, Sonora, last week but some action was found in water temperatures of 78 to 80 degrees. Here's Capt. Fernando Almada with a sailfish release about 3 miles from shore aboard the Catch-22 Sportfishing charter boat Rubina. PHOTO COURTESY OF FERNANDO ALMADA.

Huatulco Mexico Fishing Photo 1

HUATULCO BLUE MARLIN--Ed Mitchel of Explore Fly Fishing and Capt. Martin, left, with a blue marlin taken on conventional gear last week off Mexico's Huatulco coast. Some boats fishing around Explore Fly Fishing's San Agustinillo and Puerto Escondido locations hooked 4 to 6 blues a day. At right, 1 of 4 sailfish boated in a day takes to the air within 10 minutes of the hotel at Puerto Escondido. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ERIC WEISSMAN.

San Lucas Cove Mexico Photo 1

CHANGING BAJA SCENE--The famous Baja fishing hotspot, San Lucas Cove RV Park, south of Santa Rosalia, was once usually quiet and deserted, but is now a part of Baja's growing infrastructure. In the background, the landmark microwave tower mountain described in The Baja Catch and the setting for the book's opening photo. PHOTO COURTESY OF LARRY SOVERN.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES