Yellowtail fishing is hot at San Quintin's Isla San Martin;

Good roosterfish numbers at Ixtapa

Mexico Fishing News, July 2, 2007

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas said, "The island seems to be the place to fish," as Capt. Hector on the charter boat Calimar took his group of anglers to Isla San Martin last week for limits of yellowtail and large barracuda plus 2 halibut of 38 and 40 pounds on jigs.

Also fishing on the bottom for limits of rockcod and lingcod during the week with Capt. Miguel on the Pelicano were Bob Badillo and his group from Chino, Calif. San Quintin fishing area weather was uncommonly good. "Mother Nature has been kind to us," Hillis said. "No winds and air temperatures in the 80s."

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Marita Melville of Don Eddie's Landing reported about 17 boats fishing out of San Quintin during the week and very good yellowtail action for Capt. Juan Cook on the charter boat Mona Lisa on Wednesday for 27 yellowtail of 10 to 26 pounds plus a halibut weighed at 43 pounds. The Mona Lisa fished in 61-degree water at Isla San Martin with anglers Victor Gonzalez, Richard Carson, Richard Garcia and Albert Sanchez, all fishing at San Quintin for the first time. San Quintin fishing area weather was sunny in the afternoons, in the high 70s, with light winds and the water mostly calm.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Beverly Martin of Santee, Calif., reported a yellowtail weighed at 42 pounds caught at Isla San Martin on Wednesday while fishing with her husband Joe Martin aboard the charter boat Fany II with Capt. Bear out of Don Eddie's Landing. "We had a great day of yellowtail fishing," Martin said. "We caught 9 yellowtail between the 3 of us and this one was twice as big as the others." Martin noted that Don Eddie's Landing now has 12 bay front lots for sale.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Kelly Catian of K&M Offshore Sportfishing said, "Wide-open yellowtail at San Martin!" as a great white shark was seen thinning out the local sea lion population at the island last week. "We found lots of yellows and some white seabass just outside the cove at San Martin," Catian said. "Sea lions were taking some fish, but a huge white shark chomped one right next to the boat. The next day I got to the isla early, dumped kayaks right where whitey was the day before, and no sharks, just lots of yellowtail!"

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: Ivan Villarino of Vonny's Fleet reported Ensenada fishing area weather over the weekend with sunny afternoons, air temperatures in the mid-70s, light breezes, 2 to 3-foot ocean swells, and the water temperature at the tip of Punta Banda averaging 61 degrees. Vonny's Fleet pangas fishing close to the point scored on mixed bottom fish and limits of calico bass, plus a catch of 3 Humboldt squid on Friday by Jeff Sexton of San Diego, Calif., who fished on the panga Vonny III with Capt. Hector.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Alejandro Rosas of Tijuana reported on a fishing trip out of Ensenada on Wednesday aboard Rene Gonzalez boat Magu, fishing in choppy seas amid a flotilla of commercial boats at the Butterfly Bank in water temperatures of 64 to 68 degrees for 8 yellowtail on a huge weed paddy, but just a few skipjack on the troll. "We saw more than 10 tug boats with bluefin tuna cages, probably going all the way to Salsipuedes at Ensenada where they feed them before exporting them to Japan," Rosas said. "Before trolling for albacore we saw next to one of those cages the biggest sargasso I've seen in years. In spite of the passing tug boat and cage, we caught 8 yellowtail from 12 to 16 pounds in about an hour. After that we trolled and trolled for more than 6 hours and the only catch was 4 skipjack. In the sky, there were helicopters and small Cessna planes looking for bluefin tuna. No wonder there were no tuna. Too much pressure from the commercial fleet."

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: David Arambula of San Diego, Calif., reported on his group's trip to Puerto Santo Tomas the previous weekend, fishing with Capt. Marcos in some wind and swell for good counts of red rockcod, lingcod, whitefish, treefish, starry rockfish, and other mixed bottom species, plus a nice yellowtail that hit a squid strip on the bottom and 1 bonito caught on the troll back to port. "The drive was decent with no major traffic or delays," Arambula said. "Sam had us taken care of and we went right into our cabañas, which were set up for us. The trip was short but sweet."

ERENDIRA FISHING REPORTS

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ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Tere Castro of Castro's Camp reported 32 boats fishing off Erendira during the week for even better bottom fishing for lingcod, rockfish, and rockcod, plus barracuda, some yellowtail, and a couple of white seabass. Erendira fishing area water temperatures about 4 miles off the Baja coast were at 61 degrees.

ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Ron Welter of Las Vegas and his group fished 2 days out of Castro's Camp with Capts. Fernando and Waldo and reported "bags and bags of fillets" caught about 7 to 10 miles out on jigs and squid. "We headed out for huge counts of reds, lingcod, and a 30-pound Humboldt squid caught by Bruce Black," Welter said. "Waldo is a great singer. He took us about 10 miles south to look for yellowtail. Due to the red tide the white seabass and yellowtail were not present. But we had a blast catching huge amounts of reds. The boats had really nice outboard motors and ran great all day. We can't wait for our next chance to get back to Castro's."

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: At La Bocana on the Baja central Pacific coast, Juanchys Aguilar reported on 2 days of fishing at the Baja Catch "Glory Hole" fishing spot in the middle of the laguna with his father Sr. Juan Aguilar for an "all-but-one-released" catch of: 32 halibut, 52 spotted bay bass, and 3 grouper. "All the fish were returned to the water except for 1 halibut of 22 pounds," Aguilar said. "We fished about 4 to 6 feet deep with the water temperature at 65 degrees and no wind." La Bocana boats fishing on the Pacific caught halibut, lots of whitefish, a few large black sea bass, white seabass, and calico bass while fishing about 40 feet deep in water temperatures of 58 to 59 degrees. "This is going to be a great season at La Bocana," Aguilar said.

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO:Baja fishing writer Tom Gatch of Ensenada announced the publication of his new book "Hooked on Baja", to be officially released by W.W. Norton & Co. in September. "It's been rough for me to get out on the water much over the past several months because of the book, but summer is here, the book is now at the printers, and I'm ready to bend a rod on some of the local forkies and checkerboards that have been on the chew recently," Gatch said. "Hooked on Baja" may now be pre-ordered at Amazon.com.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported warming water temperatures and quickly improving offshore and mangrove channel action for the Magdalena Bay fishing area, including confirmed dorado sightings about 6 miles out, good small yellowtail catches at the San Carlos entrada, commercial fishermen reported with 20 to 60-pound snook in the surf outside Boca de Soledad, and good mangrove fishing for spotted bay bass, leopard grouper, pargo, and halibut on sandy beaches. "Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come," Graham said. "Out at the 20-mile mark, good-sized schools of tuna were found feeding on sardines under birds." Magdalena Bay fishing area weather was party cloudy in the low-80s, with water temperatures of 64 to 73 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 48 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 40 striped marlin, 1 mako shark, 2 wahoo, 40 dorado, and 21 yellowfin tuna. "Water temperatures are climbing," Edwards said. "Just to the south of Cabo San Lucas and out to the Jaime Bank, water temperatures rise to 78 degrees.

However, a cold band of inshore water persists from Cabo San Lucas to San Jose del Cabo." Boats fishing 2 days in the Big Brothers and Sisters Tournament had top catches including a 189-pound yellowfin tuna, 7 marlin released by the boat Cabo Chica, and 6 marlin releases each for the Fish Cabo I and Minerva IV. Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was in the mid-90s with mackerel live bait plentiful as most boats fished up the Sea of Cortez side.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 13 outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 6 striped marlin, 13 yellowfin tuna of 15 to 60 pounds, 11 dorado of 20 to 40 pounds, and 2 wahoo of 40 to 80 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jorge Navarro of Pisces Fleet said water temperatures began recovering last week from a long period of cold upwellings from the Pacific side. "Water temperatures were as low as 65 degrees," Navarro said. "With this current gone, it is getting back to normal. We are up to 74 degrees and getting warmer."

Billfish action was still slow, with 50 percent of Pisces Fleet boats flying marlin flags, but other species were already improving as 50 percent of Pisces boats landed dorado of 25 to 50 pounds and some yellowfin tuna were caught in the 20 to 60-pound range. Pisces boats fished the San Jaime Bank, the 1150 spot, and off Faro Viejo.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Ramon Druck of the Cabo San Lucas charter sportfishing super panga Cheer's reported on 3 outings during the week, fishing on both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez sides with a total of 5 anglers for a catch including released fish of: 1 yellowtail of about 8 pounds, 4 jack crevalle to about 5 pounds, 3 skipjack, and 1 roosterfish. Local fishing conditions at Cabo San Lucas and outwards to the "Pedregalito" spot about 8 to 9 miles off the Pacific side were poor, with water temperatures as low as 68 degrees and a lot of bait in the water. The Cheer's had an unusual skunk day on Tuesday.

"Conditions were highly variable," Druck said, "with some really ugly water temperatures and times when nothing wanted to bite." Anglers fishing aboard the Cheer's during the week included Harry Wong, Brian Wong, Kamal Iscander, Stepha McElt, and Joe Kelly.

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 59 combined La Playita fleet pangas fishing off San Jose del Cabo, with a catch of: 215 yellow snapper, 7 dorado, 21 huachinango, 11 yellowtail, 20 colorado snapper, 4 striped marlin, 3 hammerhead shark, 26 sierra, 27 amberjack, 14 roosterfish, 13 jack crevalle, 12 barred pargo, 15 cabrilla, 72 bonita, 8 dog snapper, 16 surgeonfish, 22 pompano, and 28 triggerfish. "Unpredictable, cooler than normal ocean conditions continued this week," Brictson said. "The relentless breeze from the south pushed cold and dirty currents into the lower Sea of Cortez. Ocean swells increased and stirred up the inshore areas." San Jose del Cabo fishing area water temperatures were at 72 to 73 degrees as La Playita pangas worked mostly on rocks close to shore.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Bob Lewis of San Jose del Cabo said, "The San Jose area is still dealing with icy water and low fish counts. Beach conditions are nice with the cool water balancing the 95-degree plus air temperatures and surf has been fun lately." Some boats checked in with small numbers of pargo and various bottom fish.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: San Jose del Cabo species fishing specialist John Snow said the week's lucky new species collections included a 7.8-cm toadfish or saddle midshipman caught in a bait scoop as it floated by offshore and a 30-cm leg from a Panamic spider crab found on the beach at Todos Santos. Overall, 3 surf fishing sessions and 4 outings on the panga Salome produced 42 fish of 27 species for the week, including 10 other new species caught or collected: longspine croaker, a Panama spadefish, Pacific moonfish, Pacific sharpchin flying fish, Argus moray eel, bigwing halfbeak, Pacific bumperfish, four-eyed flounder, speckled guitarfish, and black croaker. Of the toadfish, Snow said, "The tattoo-like markings are actually light emitting organs. This is one of the few fish that can produce light." Panga fishing action in slow conditions included getting spooled on 60-pound line by a manta ray estimated at 200 kilos that hit a flylined mullet bait.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Harvey Barish of Cyress, Calif., reported on 25 boats fishing for 3 days out of Hotel Palmas de Cortez during East Cape's Los Amigos Marlin Tournament on June 21-25, 2007, with an all-billfish release format and a catch including released fish of: 67 striped marlin, 1 blue marlin of about 220 pounds, 1 sailfish, 80 dorado to 53 pounds, 9 football yellowfin tuna, 1 wahoo, 5 sharks, and 7 other fish. First places were won by: boat, Margarita with Capt. Arturo; team, Ray Berry, Rob Berry, and Steve Bee; and angler, Bill Schultz. East Cape fishing conditions were windy and choppy for the last 2 days of fishing, with water temperatures of 70 degrees locally to 84 degrees north of the 88 Bank. Inshore water was green. "The striped marlin were found not to be very hungry as there was plentiful bait in the water," Barish said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 312 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 905 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 162 striped marlin, 121 dorado, 87 yellowfin tuna, 8 pargo, 2 wahoo, 25 roosterfish, and 3 mako shark. "Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, it actually got a little bit worse," Moyers said. "The fish-per-angler numbers are just about at an all-time low for this time of year. Part of that was due to a cold water front moving into the East Cape from down south. The fishing is just plain slow."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO:East Cape fly fishing guide Jeff deBrown of The Reel Baja reported improved beach action last week for roosterfish including 8 grande class gallos landed during a 2-day session of fishing by 4 anglers with fly fishing guide Jeff Solis. "While one big roosterfish photo was being taken by Justin Crump of AEG media," deBrown said, "I was chasing the school trying to get one like it myself." East Cape inshore fishing was still hampered by a lack of sardina bait, but some pargo, smaller dorado, and tuna were found from Buena Vista south to La Ribera. Offshore fishing improved for marlin both north and south and included a 3-hookup day for fly fishing anglers Bruce Berman and his group. "Unfortunately none of the hooks stuck and with a run, and a jump, and a final head shake, each marlin got off," deBrown said. More yellowfin tuna were also found under porpoise 20 to 30 miles out and some quality dorado to 50 pounds were caught north around the 88 Bank. East Cape fishing area weather was in the low-90s, with light breezes and warming water temperatures at 72 to 84 degrees. "This past week, for those that were here, the weather could not have been better," deBrown said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said East Cape fishing area water temperatures were recovering from a cold spell and the action at the end of the week improved for billfish from Punta Pescadero north to the 88 Bank, tuna from 6 to 30 miles straight out and south, and inshore roosterfish and jacks. "As last week’s cold, off-color current receded, the fishing immediately picked up," Graham said. "Inside close to shore, there were plenty of roosterfish and jacks feeding on breezing bait schools and the best opportunities for sight casting to 'Bubba'-class fish were from the beach from La Ribera to the Punta Arena lighthouse. We are also beginning to find some pompano schools up and down the beach." East Cape fishing area weather was in the low-90s, with water temperatures at 69 to 83 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Rob Hixson reported on 3 days of slow fishing out of Rancho Buena Vista. "We had rough seas on Friday, then 2 nice days on Saturday and Sunday," Hixson said. "No mackerel, just dead ballyhoo. There were lots of marlin to see and some hitting, but most not hitting. There were a few dorado and a very few single small tuna. If they could get some good bait the fishing would be great."

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said good offshore action on the south side of La Paz was snuffed out last week by strong winds from the south that scattered bait supplies and made looking for big dorado difficult at Punta Pescadero, the inshore buoys, and out at the 88 Bank. Tortuga pangas fished sheltered waters to the north around Las Cruces but found no action there. "We had no success on any species of fish," Hernandez said. "On Saturday, some small tuna appeared around the south end of Isla Cerralvo, but the wind, rough seas, and haze have made it difficult to look for the more desired fish." Some sardina bait was found at the middle coast of Isla Cerralvo, winds permitting. Anglers going out with Tortuga Sportfishing during the week included Larry Powers of Tucson, Ariz., who caught a keeper dorado of about 30 pounds and some good-sized barred pargo with Capt. Rigo Lucero.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International said La Paz side fishing "went stink" late in the week after a good start. "Some boats did okay, but mostly it was a pick bite blamed on everything from green water to the full moon to too much traffic on the fishing holes," Roldan said. Dorado were scarce and small on the north side. On the Las Arenas side, pangas found some decent mixed species action for wahoo, billfish, roosterfish, cabrilla, amberjack, pargo, and some dorado.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Patty Zapata of the Hotel Oasis reported 32 pangas fishing at Loreto during the week, with a catch including released fish of: 1 marlin of 105 pounds, 14 yellowtail of 22 to 28 pounds, 15 small dorado, 50 pinto bass, 50 triggerfish, and 1 cabrilla of 14 pounds. Loreto fishing area weather was sunny in the high-80s, with water temperatures of 82 to 84 degrees.

Anglers fishing during the week included: George and Parker Mortis, Troy and Jack Mendenhall, William Riedelbach and his son, Santino Bosco, Greg Soash, Daniel and Hollis Ferris, Tom and Mary Quinn, Joe González, David Canfield, Daniel Anderson, Sallenger González, Kip Adams, Bob Johnston, Scott Schumacher, Scott Schumacher Jr., and Greg, Lisa, Jack and Kosey Matthess.

Captains fishing out of the hotel during the week included: Alfonso Susarrey, Servando Davis, Martín Perpuli, Isidro Mendoza, Francisco "Chacho" Martínez Jr., Antonio Davis Castro, Francisco "Choqui" Murillo Davis, José "Cusi" Ildefonso Amador, and Joselino Murillo.

LORETO, MEXICO: Bill Erhardt of Loreto reported slow fishing outside on Saturday as his boat Soledad found no action over the canyon east of town. "We found choppy water and no fish while the boats that stayed inside between the islands in flat water loaded up on small dorado and a few billfish," Erhardt said.

LORETO, MEXICO: On Saturday evening, Erhardt reported the downtown Loreto launch ramp reopened for service after being closed for renovation since June 10, 2007. "When I launched this morning at 5:30 a.m. it was over the beach," Erhardt said, "but by the time I returned the new ramp in the marina was open for business. There apparently was no fanfare and there were no functionaries on hand to charge user fees which have been the subject of rumors since the repairs began. The contractor who built the ramp simply removed his equipment that had been blocking access and boaters commenced launching and retrieving. The contractor said he was leaving for La Paz mañana."

LORETO, MEXICO: Earlier, Pam Bolles of Loreto's Baja Big Fish Company reported recent fly fishing action that included record size yellowtail and dorado on 20-pound tippet. "There are lots of smaller dorado and good numbers of pargo, cabrilla, roosterfish, and jack crevalle," Bolles said. "It had been a good fishing season for us so far."

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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MULEGE, MEXICO: Diana Johnson of Mulege's Hotel Serenidad said summer water temperatures were averaging about 85 degrees last week and good numbers of dorado, marlin, and sailfish were present in the area. "The fishing weather is hot," Johnson said.

MULEGE, MEXICO: Marv Perrigo of Mulege reported on a run about 25 miles straight out by Rich, Connie, and Tom Leach of New Mexico aboard John Haberman's boat Juanita II for a catch including dorado of 25, 35, and 44 pounds. "They turned a few heads at the dock," Perrigo said. "The 44 pounder was taken on a cedar plug. Mulege dorado fishing has been fair but the norm has been small to medium dorado. With the sea swell calming and the water warming up, this should improve quickly." Water temperatures offshore of Mulege were at 81 degrees and good numbers of billfish were also seen from about 10 miles outwards.

MULEGE, MEXICO: Bill Coffman of Bahia Coyote on Concepción Bay south of Mulege said, "It is steaming." Trolling yellow Rapalas close to shore with Capt. Adrian Osuna produced catch-and-release action for 13 cabrilla, 2 pargo, and a triggerfish. "All the fish we needed for one week," Coffman said. "I saw a commercial boat looking for Humboldt squid offshore. The Alaska Airlines flight down to Loreto reminded me of the old days with lots of fishermen and a few ladies. It sure beats our old Navion, 6 hours from Camarillo."

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos reported good fishing at the beginning of the week, but later action slipping into the summer doldrums. Santa Rosalia fishing area weather was hitting the 90s, with water temperatures at 78 to 80 degrees inshore and consistently over 80 degrees offshore, and with very poor clarity in all areas. Kanzler fished 7 days during the week for a catch of 37 yellowtail in the 25 to 30-pound plus class. "The last day of fishing saw a huge drop-off on action with only a fish or 2 for the 17 boats fishing the bajos and very poor offshore fishing with a stray dorado or billfish," Kanzler said. "It's just too hot and with poor fishing overall. So north I shall be. I will be making trips back and forth during the rest of the summer."

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

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Mia Blanco of the Bahia de los Angeles website Bahiadelosangeles.info relayed a weekend fishing report from Guillermo Galvan of Guillermo's Sportfishing Hotel & Restaurant for "lots of yellowtail still around." Larger yellowtail were being caught at the south end of Isla Angel de la Guarda and at Roca Bernabe south of the bay. "Some large yellowtail have also been caught around Isla Coronado, or Smith Island, some up to 40 pounds," Galvan said, "but the catch there is spotty." Some boats also had good catches of white seabass.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Ruben Daggett of Daggett's Camp at Bahia de los Angeles reported continued good yellowtail action inside and outside the bay, including 2 days of super panga fishing by Yolanda and Robert Gagne with himself and his son Capt. Enrique Daggett for 13 yellowtail of 20 to 30 pounds caught south of Roca Bernabe and south of Isla Estanque on iron and live mackerel baits. Bahia de los Angeles fishing area weather was mostly favorable, with some southerly winds and water temperatures averaging 67 to 69 degrees in most places. Earlier, Gary Holmes of Orange County, Calif., had good yellowtail fishing in the same areas on fish of 12 to 30 pounds.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Paul Lopez of Imperial Valley, Calif., reported good yellowtail action at Bahia de los Angeles during a 2-panga, outing by his 9-angler group fishing 2 days with Joel's Ecotours. "We caught limits of yellowtail on both days in addition to many bottom fish," Lopez said. "The yellowtail were in the 10 to 20-pound range. Robert Rodriguez caught the biggest at about 35 pounds. Krocodiles were the lure of choice with blue-white second best. The Costa del Sol motel and restaurant did a great job of cooking up our fish with all the sides."

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Robert Rodriguez of Wilmington, Calif., said the trip with Paul Lopez' group also included anglers Rudy Lopez, Juan Pablo Lopez, Fred Johnson, Jose Martinez, Terry Kramer, Tim Mullins, and Bob Bischof. "We all had a great time catching daily limits of 10 to 15-pound yellows, triggers, jawfish, and bass," Rodriguez said. "We fished just west of Isla Angel de la Guarda." Rodriguez' total catch including released fish for 2 days of fishing was: 16 yellowtail, 40 bass, 20 jawfish, 8 triggerfish, and 6 sculpin.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Brett Fillis of Grants Pass, Ore., and his group fished at Bahia de los Angeles in the first week of June for a few yellowtail and mixed bottom fish around Isla Angel de la Guarda, a couple of big yellowtail of 42 and 47 pounds hooked on the troll at Isla Smith, and then a good catch of 23 yellowtail of 15 to 20 pounds on iron under birds. "Towards the end of the week the winds calmed a bit and the bait was active on the south end of Isla Smith," Fillis said. "We were moving around following the birds and dropping iron." Fillis and his group including his wife Connie and their friends Hersch and Brad fished on Fillis' boat in water temperatures averaging about 70 degrees.

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 June 29, 2007, with a catch of:

Tony Reyes, with 27 anglers led by charter masters Dennis and Pat Riegle of Encinitas, Calif., and including 6 youths who enjoyed kayaking and swimming: 246 yellowtail to 28 pounds, 95 bass, 40 pargo, 10 sheephead, 10 whitefish, 9 grouper to 75 pounds, 1 broomtail grouper, 2 white seabass to 58 pounds, and 66 miscellaneous and released fish.

Jose Andres, with 18 anglers led by charter master John Sheppard of Costa Mesa, Calif.: 121 yellowtail to 32 pounds, 7 grouper to 75 pounds, 1 pinto bass of 25 pounds, 137 cabrilla to 17 pounds, 52 giant squid to 35 pounds, 36 red snapper, 5 sheephead, 150 bass, and 45 miscellaneous and released fish.

Midriff fishing area water temperatures averaged 83 degrees.

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 28, 2007, with a catch of:

Erik, with 24 anglers fishing at Refugio, Isla San Esteban, and La Vibora: 522 yellowtail, 198 cabrilla, 3 white seabass, 2 grouper, and 200 miscellaneous fish. "Two guys that have worked with the Eric for 22 years said they hadn't seen so much fish since the days we were on the Santa Monica," Velez said.

Andrea Lynn, with 27 anglers fishing at Isla Partida, Refugio, and Isla Angel de la Guarda: 217 yellowtail, 135 cabrilla, 48 pargo, 1 "caballo," 50 squid, and 353 miscellaneous fish.

Midriff fishing area weather was hot with very little wind.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: For the boats' previous trips ending June 21, 2007, Velez reported:

Erik, with 24 anglers fishing much of the time at Isla San Esteban in windless conditions: 270 yellowtail, 210 cabrilla, 60 squid, 4 white seabass, and 200 miscellaneous fish.

Andrea Lynn, with 30 anglers who did well at Isla Partida: 437 yellowtail, 180 cabrilla, 6 grouper of 25 to 60 pounds, 160 squid, and 200 miscellaneous fish.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Craig Jones of Los Angeles, Calif., said he was selling his spot on the July 8-13, 2007, Tony Reyes fishing trip aboard the mothership Tony Reyes due to a work conflict. The trip, charter mastered by Mike Cross, has rides available to San Felipe, Jones said, and he is asking $650 for the $875 trip. "I'm willing to sell it for any reasonable offer," he said. Information: cj92262@hotmail.com, 213-489-7688.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Catalina Meders of San Felipe's Title Company Bookstore reported weekend weather at 99 degrees with 46 percent relative humidity "although it feels much higher than that." Dozens of people were out walking the beach which was exposed far out from town due to the extreme full moon tides. Big crowds of vacationers were expected for the Fourth of July holiday and San Felipe's big fireworks show. "As long as people drive that one section of the road just north of town carefully, and use a designated driver at night of course, it should be a fun week here," Meders said. The Title Company Bookstore was closing for the summer season and scheduled to reopen in mid-September.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: John Hilderbrand of Jon Jen Charters said San Carlos fishing area weather was bumpy every day last week, but with winds laying down in the afternoons. The charter boat JonJen II fished 3 days for dorado limits plus a sailfish and a striped marlin released. The JonJen fished 2 days for some larger dorado, 2 sailfish, 2 marlin, and a wahoo lost at the boat. The Catch-22 released several sailfish and marlin. "The bites have been later in the day," Hilderbrand said. Referring to the Mexican federal government's recent liberalization of commercial fishing restrictions with the new regulation known as Shark Norma 029, Hilderbrand said, "Overall fishing is good but the Shark Norma thing is having an impact on us. You can see it. When will everyone learn? Probably when the fish are all gone." San Carlos fishing area water temperatures were at 81 to 85 degrees as Jon Jen Charters boats fished about 26 miles out on a heading of 220 degrees.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 29 offshore Aries Fleet charter boats fishing out of Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, with a catch including released fish of: 4 blue marlin to 350 pounds, 8 sailfish, 23 striped marlin, and 48 dorado. Inshore super pangas continued to score unlimited dorado catches on fish of 10 to 12 pounds. "And the mob of fish is building every day," Edwards said. "It's been another dorado daze week, with very easy limit fishing and catch-and-release of as many as you wish." Offshore billfish action produced many missed hookups and some boats with 2 or 3-fish days. Mazatlan fishing area weather was partly cloudy at 90 degrees, with mostly calm seas and water temperatures at 83 degrees inshore and 85 degrees offshore. Offshore boats worked rigged baits for billfish and anything for dorado about 23 to 27 miles southwest of Marina el Cid.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Porfirio Galindo of Culiacan, Sonora, reported on a mid-June outing with his father out of Mazatlan for a catch of about 12 mixed size dorado, including a nice one of about 25 pounds landed during his third-ever fishing trip. "It was my third time fishing and I had the opportunity to catch a huge, to me, dorado!" Galindo said. "It took me 15 minutes to get it out of the water and for an amateur like me it was tooo much!"

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing reported 5 outings during the week for the Puerto Vallarta charter boats Marla, Marla II, and Arca de Noe, fishing offshore with himself and Capts. Scott and Alonso Osuna at Roca Corbeteña and El Banco for good numbers of yellowfin tuna seen up to about 150 pounds, several tuna caught at 80 to 100 pounds, and some sailfish, plus steady good action on dog snapper, dorado, pargo, and jacks. "We saw a lot of tuna in both spots chasing and feeding," Osuna said. "The only problem is bait. The skippies around Roca Corbeteña and El Banco have been so tough to catch. We are drifting and kite fishing for tunas and flylining caballitos." Puerto Vallarta fishing area weather was flat, with a light northwesterly breeze and slightly green water at 82 degrees. "The water is still green but some big fish are moving in now," Osuna said.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Gomez of Dhamar Sportfishing said the Puerto Vallarta charter super panga Dhamar was down for maintenance last week but he fished 2 days with his father-in-law on the sister super panga Gabriela with angler Randy Kanemaky of California for good action at Roca Corbeteña on 4 yellowfin tuna of about 60 pounds, 3 pargo of about 40 pounds, and "a lot, and I mean a lot" of jack crevalle. Puerto Vallarta fishing area waters were still slightly green at about 82 degrees. The Dhamar was scheduled to be fishing again within the week.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported "sailfish almost nonexistent" for some offshore boats last week, but good roosterfish numbers found inshore. "Capt. Adolofo raised over 20 roosterfish in 4 days, hooking 7 and landing 4," Edwards said. "Two of the Roosterfish exceeded 70 pounds and were caught on Yozuri surface lures." Offshore catches included a 450-pound black marlin landed with Capt. Chivo on the charter boat Bloody Hook. "The red tide has moved south and our captains are reporting better water to the north around Pantla," Edwards said. "Blue water is at the 25-mile mark and the band of green water between shore and the blue water is holding large schools of bonito and some marlin." Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area weather had the first rains of the summer season, air temperatures in the low-90s, moderate to rough seas, and water temperatures at 84 to 85 degrees, with the color slightly off out to 24 miles.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly said very warm water temperatures continued in the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area as some offshore boats averaged about 2 sailfish releases per day about 12 to 14 miles out and inshore boats had some good catches of roosterfish in the Los Troncones area. "Inside the 1,000 fathom line, which is 30 miles from Zihuatanejo Bay, the water temperature is as warm as 90 degrees," Kunze said. "Beyond the 1,000 fathom line the water is a more reasonable 86 degrees." Some marlin and good numbers of yellowfin tuna were reported at 30 miles out.

San Quintin, Mexico Photo 1

YELLOWTAIL AT THE ISLA--With a great catch of yellowtail plus a beautiful halibut caught at San Quintin's Isla San Martin last week are, from left, Victor Gonzalez, Richard Carson, Richard Garcia, Capt. Juan Cook, and Albert Sanchez. They fished out of Don Eddie's Landing with Capt. Cook skippering aboard the charter boat Mona Lisa. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARITA MELVILLE.

San Quintin, Mexico Photo 2

NO SHARKS TODAY--Dave Carter landed this beautiful 28-pound yellowtail from a kayak after launching off the charter boat Offshore III at San Quintin's Isla San Martin with Capt. Kelly Catian of K&M Offshore Sportfishing. The previous day a great white shark was seen chomping on sea lions in the area. PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLY CATIAN.

San Quintin, Mexico Photo 3

MARTIN AT MARTÍN--Beverly Martin of Santee, Calif., fished at San Quintin's Isla San Martín with her husband Joe Martin for a great catch of 9 yellowtail. They fished out of Don Eddie's Landing with Capt. Bear on the charter boat Fany II. PHOTO COURTESY OF BEVERLY MARTIN.

Ensenada Mexico Fishing Photo 1

PUNTA BANDA PANGAS--Jeff Sexton, right, fished on the Vonny's Fleet panga Vonny III with Capt. Hector Zamora, left, for limits of calico bass, 3 Humboldt giant squid, and a hard pulling ray. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Ensenada Mexico Fishing Photo 2

ENSENADA TO SAN DIEGO--Alejandro Rosas fished the Butterfly Bank with Rene Gonzalez aboard Gonzalez' boat Magu for a catch of 8 yellowtail and a couple of skipjack amid a fleet of Mexican commercial boats. They launched at Ensenada and came in at San Diego, planning a return trip for the following week. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEJANDRO ROSAS.

Castro's Camp Mexico Fishing Photo 1

CASTRO'S 2-DAY TRIP--Rick Welter of Las Vegas, Nev., with a couple of nice sheephead caught during a 2-day group trip to fish with Capts. Fernando and Waldo at Castro's Camp south of Ensenada. At right, Ron Welter with one of many red rockcod caught during the trip, in addition to lingcod and a 30-pound Humboldt giant squid. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RON WELTER.

La Bocana Mexico Fishing Photo 1

LENGUADO FOR PAPA--Sr. Juan Aguilar fished 2 days at the "Glory Hole" spot described in "The Baja Catch" at Laguna La Bocana with his son, the well known Baja sportfishing captain Juanchys Aguilar, for a catch that included 32 halibut or lenguado in Spanish to 22 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY OF JUANCHYS AGUILAR.

Hooked On Baja bookcover photo 1 Tom and Lynn Gatch Photo 1

NEW BAJA FISHING BOOK--Tom Gatch's new book "Hooked on Baja" is scheduled for a September release and may now be pre-ordered on Amazon.com. At right, Tom Gatch and his wife and official photographer, Lynn Gatch. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOM GATCH.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fishing Photo 1

TOUGH CABO CONDITIONS--Brian Wong did well to land this 8-pound yellowtail last week as very cold water and mixed conditions slowed the action at the tip of Baja. Wong fished out of Cabo San Lucas with Capt. Ramon Druck aboard the charter super panga Cheer's. At right, Joe Kelly with a lucky light tackle roosterfish caught aboard the Cheer's while struggling in slow conditions along the beaches as far as 18 miles up the Pacific side. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

Saddle Midshipman Photo 1

Saddle Midshipman Photo 2

ALL LIT UP--Last week's catch by San Jose del Cabo species fishing specialist John Snow included this rare saddle midshipman, Porichythus ephippiatus, that was caught with a bait scoop as it floated near Snow's panga. The white dots on its sides are light emitting organs. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN SNOW.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 1

BEACH FLY GALLOS--East Cape fly fishing guide Jeff Solis poses for a quick release photo with a grande class roosterfish or pez gallo in Spanish, 1 of 8 biggies landed during a hot 2-day session with Jeff deBrown's The Reel Baja fly fishing service that included Justin Crump and Chris Owens of AEG media. Crump took this photo as deBrown hurried down the beach in search of another hookup. PHOTO COURTESY OF AEG MEDIA.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 2

OREGON TRAILER BOATER--Brandon Brady of Florence, Ore., pulled his 18-foot aluminum boat down to Baja's East Cape area and caught his first-ever keeper dorado, this nice bull, in 78-degree water about 20 miles off Punta Pescadero. PHOTO COURTESY OF JORGE BERGIN.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 1

LAS ARENAS SKINNY--Johnny Bartee, right, of Glendora, Calif., got his first-ever wahoo while fishing off Las Arenas south of La Paz last week with Tailhunter International. The big wahoo was taken on the troll and weighed at 60 pounds. Helping Bartee with the fish is Alan Isham of Claremont, Calif. PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 2

WINDY LA PAZ WATERS--Fishing conditions included some stiff southerly wind and swell last week, but Larry Powers, right, of Tucson, Ariz., managed to get out on a Tortuga Sportfishing panga with Capt. Rigo Lucero, left, for a quality Las Arenas side dorado plus some barred pargo or pargo mulato in Spanish. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

Loreto Mexico Fishing Photo 1

MIXED SIZE DORADO--Mary and Tom Quinn got into a mix of dorado from peanut sized to 42 pounds last week while fishing out of Loreto's Hotel Oasis with Capt. Ismael Murillo. They fished at "Bajo los Lobos," about 20 miles north of Punta Lobos on Isla Carmen. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATTY ZAPATA.

Loreto Mexico Boat Launch Ramp Photo 1

BACK IN BUSINESS--The Loreto downtown marina launch ramp was back in business on Saturday evening, June 30, 2006, as boats began launching again after 3 weeks of closure for renovation work. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL ERHARDT.

Mulege Mexico Fishing Photo 1

MULEGE BIG ONES--Rich, Connie, and Tom Leach of New Mexico fished about 25 miles out of Mulege for these quality dorado to 44 pounds caught aboard John Haberman's boat Juanita II. Good numbers of billfish were also seen from about 10 miles outwards. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARV PERRIGO.

Santa Rosalia Mexico Fishing Photo 1

HEAVY HOOKUP ACTION--Jamie, Billy, and Jim Higgings of San Diego, Calif., fished the twin bajo yellowtail spot off Santa Rosalia with Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos last week for a catch including 6 quality yellowtail landed on about 15 hookups. They're shown here at the San Lucas Cove Trailer Park fish cleaning palapa. At right, John Tsuji and Ryon Dawson of San Diego, Calif., also had a good run to the bajo with Kid Jurel Kanzler. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MIKE KANZLER.

Bahia de los Angeles Mexico Fishing Photo 1

ISLA SMITH BIGGIES--Brett Fillis and his group fishing at Bahia de los Angeles in early June landed plenty of yellowtail including this 47 pounder caught at Isla Smith. At right, a 42 pounder being weighed aboard Fillis' boat. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRETT FILLIS.

Bahia de los Angeles Mexico Fishing Photo 3

FISHING WITH DAGGETT'S--Yolanda and Robert Gagne ran south of Bahia de los Angeles on a Daggett's Camp charter super panga and found good yellowtail action south of Roca Bernabe with Capt. Enrique Daggett. At right, Yolanda hoists a good one aboard the Daggett's camp boat, with Capt. Enrique Daggett behind her. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RUBEN DAGGETT.

Bahia de los Angeles Mexico Fishing Photo 5

JOEL'S ECOTOURS TRIP--Robert Rodriguez, left, Juan Pablo Lopez and their group had great yellowtail and mixed species fishing at Bahia del los Angeles' Isla Angel de la Guarda on 2 pangas out of Joel's Ecotours. At right, Juan Pablo Lopez with a real nice L.A. Bay jawfish. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAUL LOPEZ.

San Carlos Mexico Fishing Photo 1 San Carlos Mexico Hooked Sea Turtle Photo 1

SAN CARLOS FISHING--Offshore action by San Carlos' Jon Jen Charters last week produced an average of about a billfish released per day, plus some quality dorado landed. Here's a striped marlin coming in for release aboard the charter boat JonJen II with Capt. Abel Anaya. At right, a San Carlos area sea turtle headed for slaughter on the black market awaits its fate as it floats hooked on a commercial longline late last month. It was 1 of 3 turtles seen during the day in similar straits. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN HILDERBRAND.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Fishing Photo 1

CORBETEÑA MIXED SPECIES--Randy Kanemaky, left, fished at Puerto Vallarta's Roca Corbeteña aboard the charter panga Gabriella with Capt. Danny Gomez for a good mixed catch of 4 tuna of about 60 pounds, a big run on jack crevalle, and 3 of these pargos. Gomez' regular boat, the Dhamar, was scheduled to be out of maintenance this week. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY GOMEZ.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Fishing Photo 2

VALLARTA OFFSHORE DAY--Puerto Vallarta anglers Barry Hyatt from Surprise, Ariz., and Tim Martin and Ken Martin of Garden Grove, Calif., fished at Roca Corbeteña aboard the charter boat Marla with Capt. Danny Osuna for a catch including a sailfish release, a 65-pound yellowfin tuna, and 2 nice dog snapper. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY OSUNA.

Mazatlan Mexico Fishing Photo 1

THIRD TIME CHARM--Porfirio Galindo landed this nice dorado during his third-ever fishing trip, in Mazatlan's current very hot June dorado bite. Galindo and his father caught about a dozen dorado of mixed sizes for the day. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PORFIRIO GALINDO.

Tecate Mexico Bass Fishing Photo 1

BAJA "INSHORE" FISHING--Alejandro Rosas of Tijuana fishes saltwater locations all around Baja, but here he is with a bass weighed at 13.575 pounds caught at his private pond near Tecate. Rosas hooked the biggie on 8-pound line and a bluegill bait. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEJANDRO ROSAS.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES