Dorado fishing solid for La Paz pangas;

Puerto Vallarta boats scoring black marlin

Mexico Fishing News, August 20, 2007

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said full tropical summer fishing conditions prevailed on the Las Arenas side of La Paz last week, with some clouds, some light rain on Saturday, and good dorado fishing fishing in all areas, including dorado of 40 to 50 pounds caught outside Isla Cerralvo at the 88 Bank.

"When the wind and sea conditions didn't let us get out to that area, we caught dorado of 20 to 30 pounds inside around Punta Perico and San Isidro, and dorado of 30 to 35 pounds north of Isla Cerralvo and at Las Cruces where there is a lot of sargassum weed," Hernandez said. Sardina bait fish were in very good supply at El Sargento and mackerel were available as well at Isla Cerralvo.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International reported good dorado and billfish action despite some weather flurries that produced wind and rain. "Marlin, including stripers and occasional big blues, were the main feature whether you were fishing Las Arenas or La Paz, with solid dorado fishing most days," Roldan said. Yellowfin tuna were also caught on both sides of the hill, with the larger fish coming off the La Paz side. Fewer wahoo were landed, but counts stayed steady for roosterfish, pompano, cabrilla, and pargo. "More rain is expected later this week but most days it's not a big deal with only a few minutes of precipitation," Roldan said.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Louie Prieto of Ontario, Calif., reported on 3 days of panga action on the Las Arenas side with fishing partner Roger Cortez and Capt. Enrique of Fisherman's Fleet, finding 1 very windy day and a total catch for 3 anglers including released fish of: 14 dorado to 54 pounds, 3 marlin, 1 sailfish, 1 wahoo, and 5 yellowfin tuna of about 5 pounds.

"We also had a blue marlin estimated at 250 pounds jump a yellowfin tuna right behind the boat," Prieto said. "After about a 10-minute fight, that big blue decided he didn't want to play anymore and snapped the leader." Prieto's group fished about 2 to 3 miles off the beach during windy periods and found the best action on shark buoys about 15 miles outside Isla Cerralvo.

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: Ivan Villarino of Vonny's Fleet said his pangas fishing at the tip of Ensenada's Punta Banda had good summer fishing all week long, with steady limits of mixed bottom fish, red rockcod, bonita on the surface, some calico bass, and a 30-pound yellowtail caught last Sunday by Raymond Parra of Clairemont, Calif., with Capt. Vicente Flores on the Vonny II. "Our fish smoker has been working every day," Villarino said. "Not bad this week. What a good summer!" Other anglers fishing during the week with Vonny's Fleet Capts. Vicente, Beto, and Hector included: Walter Kobler, Jay Johnson, Marilyn Bednarski and her son Bryan, and Ricardo Rosales. Local Ensenada fishing area weather was cloudy in the mornings, sunny in the afternoons, in the mid-70s, with light winds, 2-foot ocean swells, and the water temperature at Punta Banda averaging 64 degrees.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Judy Ostberg of the boat Melody out of Ensenada's Marina Coral reported on an offshore run with 3 anglers Saturday for 5 kelp paddy yellowtail to 28 pounds found in 70.1 to 76.4-degree water, plus a double jig strike for 2 yellowfin tuna of 15 and 18 pounds. "The early birds got all the bait from Gordo's," Ostberg said. "The yellowfin were with porpoise and probably the biggest boil I have ever seen."

Puerto Santo Tomas Fishing

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: Sam Saenz of Puerto Santo Tomas Resort said about 8 pangas fished during the week for full Mexican limits of bottom fish, plus barracuda and bonita on the surface, and 3 yellowtail and 2 white seabass of 15 to 20 pounds caught on the Soledad Reef north of Punta Santo Tomas. "The yellowtail and white seabass can be seen in shallow water but they are slow to bite," Saenz said. Puerto Santo Tomas weather and fishing conditions were excellent all week long.

ERENDIRA FISHING REPORTS

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ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Tere Castro of Castro's Camp on the Baja coast south of Ensenada said 34 boats fished during the week. Erendira fishing weather off the Baja coast was very good all week with no wind. Catches in the main fishing area about 7 miles off the coast included a few white seabass, the usual heavy counts of larger rockcods, lingcod on the bottom, barracuda, and yellowtail. Baja coastal fishing water temperatures averaged 65 degrees.

ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Jeff Squires reported on 2 days of fishing by his group out of Castro's Camp, going out in 2 pangas with Capts. Oscar and Pancho for no white seabass but good action and full ice chests of mixed rockfish and lingcod to 13 pounds. "We headed south and saw lots of bait," Squires said. "We were pinning the mackerel on large chrome Krocodiles and also slow trolling. We ended up as far south as Colonet and saw another boat pull in 2 white seabass and a black sea bass as well. Another boat got a nice thresher shark. We had a great time and caught lots of fish."

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Marita Melville of Don Eddie's Landing reported much warmer weather in the San Quintin fishing area and about 20 boats going out during the week for limits of mixed rockcods and some yellowtail. "It's all blind luck at the moment," Melville said. "One day you hit a paddy and catch a lot of fish, and you go out the next day and get nothing." Don Eddie's captains missed on white seabass and albacore during the week, but yellowtail were caught to 14 pounds in addition to the usual bottom fish limits. San Quintin fishing waters were calm and blue, with light breezes at the end of the week.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Julio Meza of San Quintin reported on a yellowtail trip by his boat Santa Monica on Friday with Genaro Lopez and Luis Pueyo for a catch on trolled live mackerel at the 240 spot of 3 yellowtail of about 12 to 15 pounds. "We didn't have good reports for white seabass so we decided to look for yellowtail," Meza said. "We started to troll at the 240 spot and Luis immediately hooked the first one. Genaro followed with a good-sized one, and I got another with a cast Salas 6X Jr. We went out 20 miles but didn't have any luck on tuna. There are lots of whales out there." Meza's boat also landed a nice halibut at the entrance to the bay while returning to the launch ramp. San Quintin fishing area conditions offshore were calm, with strong blue water color and the water temperature at 69 degrees.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: For the previous week, Adam Ramirez of Santa Barbara, Calif., reported a day of slow panga fishing in windy conditions, but a 55-pound white seabass landed the following day while kayak fishing. "I launched my kayak from the beach and saw birds working just offshore," Ramirez said. "Once I cleared the surf, there were so many birds that I just didn't have the patience to make bait. I trolled an 18-centimeter Yo-Zuri and I hooked up. After about 5 minutes on 30-pound test, I saw a huge seabass making slow runs along the surface and spinning the kayak in 180-degree twists, and I gaffed a personal best."

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Ken Oda of the private long range boat Breezers reported on a 12-day run down the Baja coast to visit Isla Cedros, the Uncle Sam Bank, and Magdalena Bay. At Isla Cedros some yellowtail action was found, plus good release fishing on calico bass of 3 to 8 pounds. The Uncle Sam Bank was green at 69 degrees, and the 23 Fathom Bank was warmer and blue, but neither area was fished. At Magdalena Bay, Oda's group had good "no-take" release fishing action with Capt. Enrique Soto out of San Carlos for 8 small to medium-sized snook plus spotted bay bass, leopard grouper, jacks, corvina, and pargos.

"Enrique was kind enough to shop for us in town prior to our arrival and brought us a bounty of local seafood prepped by a fabulous cook, Carolyn Lilly, who often relief cooks on many of the sport boats," Oda said. Heavy commercial gill net fishing was observed in prime spotted bay bass areas. "This has definitely affected the fishery here," Oda said. "In the past on good days you could easily do 100 quality fish averaging 1 to 2 pounds. On this trip I had to fish twice as hard for 75 fish. Per my policy, I release every spotted bay bass."

Commercial fishing was also observed on The Ridge. "The commercial guys had already laid a gill net completely encircling one high spot," Oda said. "The 'death ship' was laying out a baited longline across the top of the spot. Meanwhile, both pangas were handlining the bottom. Wow! Talk about 'strip mining.' It was very disheartening to see."

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: David Sigman of Fullerton, Calif., reported on a visit to La Bocana on the Baja Pacific coast during a 10-day trip that also included Mulege on the Cortez side. At La Bocana, Sigman, Mike Panagioutou, and Rondall Wright met Capt. Juanchys Aguilar but were unable to fish because no pangas were available. "He said he did not have a boat and could not take us out," Sigman said. "He explained that all the pangas in the bay were for commercial use and we needed to bring our own boat. Then he would take us out." Many small halibut were caught from the beach with Krocodiles at Punta Abreojos. At Campo Rene on the shore of Estero de Coyote, camping was $15 per day and a panga was available for fishing inside the estero only at $50 per day.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said few boats fished out of Magdalena Bay during the week although offshore yellowfin tuna and dorado action was reported. Closer in to the Puerto Lopez Mateos boca, schools of smaller yellowtail were chasing bait on the surface. "The area near Boca Santo Domingo provided the best action for grouper, corvina, and a few pargo plus several snook bites that didn’t work out," Graham said. Magdalena Bay fishing area weather was cloudy in the high-80s, with water temperatures at 64 to 76 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 52 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 3 blue marlin of 200 to 300 pounds, 2 sailfish, 102 striped marlin, 1 mako shark, and 77 school-sized yellowfin tuna. With boats averaging just over 2 billfish per outing, Edwards said, "This week reminds me of days gone by in Cabo when billfish were everywhere and nearly every boat had multiple billfish."

Fleet boats fished both sides of the arch, with the best action found with live bait on the Pacific side at the Golden Gate and Jaime Banks. Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was mostly sunny at 100 degrees, with light westerly winds and chop, and the water temperature ranging from 77 degrees at the Golden Gate Bank to 87 degrees at the Gordo Banks on the Sea of Cortez side.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 10 outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 16 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 9 yellowfin tuna of 10 to 35 pounds, and 11 dorado of 10 to 25 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jorge Narro of Pisces Fleet reported 89 percent of charters releasing billfish during the week, 86 percent landing dorado, 17 percent with yellowfin tuna, and over 98 percent with all species combined. "It was a fantastic week," Narro said. "Most boats had multiple hookups and all but one caught fish." All billfish caught were striped marlin except for 1 blue marlin. No sailfish were caught. All striped marlin except 1 were released. The top outing for the week was for 8 striped marlin and 4 dorado by the charter boat Ni Modo. Pisces boats fished mostly on the Pacific side at the Jaime and Golden Gate Banks in water temperatures averaging 79 to 80 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Ramon Druck of the Cabo San Lucas sportfishing super panga Cheer's reported on 2 local outings during the week, fishing on both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez sides with a total of 3 anglers for a catch including released fish of: 2 yellowfin tuna of 3 to 5 pounds, 2 skipjack of 3 to 5 pounds, 14 sierra of 4 to 6 pounds, 1 pompano, 1 bluefin trevally, several miscellaneous fish, and 5 marlin seen. The Cheer's fished in front of Hotels Solmar, Playa Grande, and Finisterra, from the beaches out to about 2 miles. Local Cabo San Lucas fishing area water temperatures were at 76 to 78 degrees, with sunny and hot weather and some moderate swell. Anglers fishing aboard the Cheer's during the week included Herb and Teresa Bradley, and Miguel Hernandez of Mexico City.

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 47 combined La Playita fleet pangas fishing off San Jose del Cabo, with a catch of: 214 yellowfin tuna, 132 dorado, 14 striped marlin, 4 hammerhead shark, 65 mixed snapper species, 8 cabrilla, and 4 amberjack. San Jose del Cabo fishing area weather was "relentlessly" hot and humid but without tropical storms developing, minimal swells, and light winds. Bottom fishing was hampered by strong currents but steady surface action was found at the Inner Gordo Bank. "Dorado were found throughout the area," Brictson said. "Yellowfin tuna of 10 to 20 pounds were found 2 to 4 miles off Palmilla and Red Hill. Closer to shore, bottom fishing anglers had fair catches of yellow snapper, and at the San Luis Bank there were a handful of 6 to 12-pound huachinango or red snapper caught."

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: San Jose del Cabo species fishing specialist John Snow said midsummer angler activity was light for the panga fleets at La Playita Beach. "The Puerto Los Cabos marina is open but has no boats within and zero infrastructure," Snow said on Friday. "I didn't have to drive down the streets of La Playita to get to the launch site which is a big change. There are perhaps 50 pangas sitting on the beach and 3 panga launches with gringos for the day." Fishing with Capt. Pata on the panga Salome produced a total of 23 fish including 2 dorado of about 25 pounds but no new species for the day.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Bob Lewis of San Jose del Cabo fished on Saturday aboard the La Playita charter panga Miriam with Capt. Javier for 1 dorado of 17 pounds and a larger one lost. Another panga had a catch of: 2 dorado, 4 small yellowfin tuna, and 1 wahoo of 60 pounds. "Conditions in the San Jose de Cabo area are very good for prime summer fishing," Lewis said. "The satellite shows storms to the south so we may be in for some weather. Fortunately, the fish are right on the beach so seas were not a problem. Small Rapalas, hoochies, and cedar plugs worked well, along with slow-trolled sardinas or bolito. The fish are bunched up 2 to 4 miles off the Palmilla-Westin Hotel area." San Jose del Cabo fishing area weather was hot and clear, with some light wind and rain on Saturday.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 376 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 1,109 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 16 blue marlin, 494 striped marlin, 1 black marlin, 78 sailfish, 269 dorado, 668 yellowfin tuna, 1 pargo, 7 wahoo, 1 amberjack, and 5 roosterfish. East Cape fishing area weather was mostly calm in the low-90s, with water temperatures at 80 to 88 degrees. "The billfish bite just about doubled," Moyers said. "The hot spot for billfish this past week would have to be Cabo Pulmo between 2 and 7 miles out." Most yellowfin tuna were footballs to about 25 pounds, concentrated to the north from Punta Pescadero to Punta Perico and outwards to the 88 Bank.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said beach fishing in front of the East Cape hotels produced hookups on pompano and shortfin corvina, plus other species seen but not biting. Panga action included good numbers of small roosterfish, pompano, ladyfish, and needlefish. "The sardina bait fish have attracted schools of 5 to 6-pound roosterfish along with jack crevalle, sierra, green jacks, triggerfish, and enough needlefish to be a nuisance," Graham said. "Unfortunately most of the action was deep and not suitable for the fly." Richard Negley Gill and John "Cuarto" Smith fished fly tackle aboard the cruiser Jen Wren for several striped marlin shots per day and 1 dorado." East Cape fishing area weather at the end of the week was overcast and sprinkling in the high-80s, with water temperatures of 78 to 87 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Jonathan Schwartz reported details of his recent kayak fishing trip out of Hotel Rancho Leonero. "Sometimes I launch from shore to try my luck at the dodos that lurk about one-half mile offshore by the boat moorings, just trolling dead squid," Schwartz said. "Sometimes I get a panguero named Rene who captains the super panga Ole to take me to different spots and drop me and my kayak. Marlin were just off the lighthouse about 4 miles offshore, or even closer, just off Rancho Leonero about 2 to 3 miles. It is so close you can't believe it."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Jeff deBrown of The Reel Baja East Cape fly fishing guide service reported on several days of fishing with a 9-angler group from Arizona Fly Fishing at Tempe, Ariz., with some windy conditions but action including medium-sized roosterfish, bonita, and 2 anglers with pargo, plus shots at yellowfin tuna and jack crevalle.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Eddie Dalmau of Van Wormer Resorts reported on 285 East Cape charter fishing boats from Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, and Punta Colorada, with a catch including released fish of: 75 blue marlin, 286 striped marlin, 37 sailfish, 238 dorado, 620 yellowfin tuna, 57 roosterfish, 10 wahoo, 10 cabrilla, 45 pargo, 45 triggerfish, and 5 amberjack. "There were more marlin this week than any other," Dalmau said. "The best part is that they are only 5 to 15 miles out."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Simon Cazaly of the Vista Sea Sport East Cape diving service reported water temperatures at depth of 80 to 82 degrees and 50 to 60 feet of visibility at Punta Perico, with good diving including swim-throughs in large rock formations. "Punta Pescadero has also been great this week," Cazaly said. "Large green moray eels seem to be everywhere amongst the rocks or swimming freely amidst the coral." Other sea life sightings during the week included nudibranchs, corals, graybar grunt, yellowtail surgeonfish, burrito grunt, Mexican goatfish, several types of rays, and lobsters.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Jim Sammons of La Jolla Kayak Fishing said some spots are available for his East Cape kayak fishing trip out of Hotel Punta Colorada on Oct. 12-17, 2007, with conditions expected to be improved from mid-July. "Our July trip to the East Cape was a bit tough this year with much colder than normal water temperatures and more wind than we would like," Sammons said. "Things down south have since gotten back on track which should give us a great trip in October." Information: www.kayak4fish.com/baja_trips.shtml.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Bill Erhardt of Loreto said his boat Soledad was busy during the week with guests from the U.S. wanting to go whale, dolphin, and sea lion watching, but he did release 1 marlin east of Isla Carmen. A long trip around Isla Catalana produced no fish. Water temperatures peaking at 90.4 degrees were found between Isla Catalana and Isla Monserrate. "Dorado fishing action throughout the Loreto area seems to have slowed to nearly a stop," Erhardt said, "but boats that went north to Mercenarios Reef before the wind kicked up on Saturday found schooling marlin and sailfish."

LORETO, MEXICO: Patty Zapata of the Hotel Oasis said Loreto fishing area water temperatures at the end of the week were at 80 to 85 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies and some southerly wind. Sixteen charter pangas fished out of the hotel during the week, mostly at Bajo Punta Lobos about 15 miles north of Punta Lobos on Isla Carmen, for a combined catch including released fish of: 2 sailfish, 1 marlin, and 25 dorado averaging about 25 pounds. Anglers fishing during the week included: James Vanantwerp, Bill Bowie, Dennis Michael, Melvin Brewer, Robert Wenkly, Ed Hirsh, John Dampman, Terry and Rick Hodgen, Mike Hodgen, Corey Spada, Jesse Paul, Paul Papp, and Phillip Ganwish. Loreto sportfishing captains working out of the Hotel Oasis during the week included: Isidro Mendoza, Martín Perpuli, Alejandro Ruiz, Martín Davis Castro, Antonio Davis Castro, and Abel Davis Manríquez.

LORETO, MEXICO: Michael Clayton of Avila Beach, Calif., reported on 2 days of panga fishing out of The Inn at Loreto Bay with his wife Jenni and children Missy, Brandon, and Ryan, for an average of 5 sailfish released per day plus striped marlin, a blue marlin, and dorado of 20 to an estimated over 60-pounds found in large schools 35 miles northeast of Isla Carmen. "The sailfish took trolled lures as well as trolled live and dead bait," Clayton said. "The boys and Missy caught many dorado. Missy caught her first sailfish, marlin, and dorado in one day." Loreto fishing area water was calm and warming. Clayton and his family also snorkeled and picnicked at the north end of Isla Carmen. "Sea turtles were numerous and swam right up to the boat for the kids to take pictures. Flying fish were plentiful and water conditions were improving as we left for home," Clayton said.

LORETO, MEXICO: Earlier, Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company said Loreto fishing conditions improved during the week, except for one night of thunderstorms followed by a day of unsettled water. Dorado to about 50 pounds were caught under floating debris and other objects in a wide offshore arc from Isla Carmen northwards. "Dorado fishing improved with the sea and weather conditions," Bolles said. "We finally got clear, calm, and warm conditions necessary to bring fish to the surface. There is little sargasso but we're finding floating objects, dead or otherwise, with dorado under them, a discarded red cooler, turtles, a plastic bag, and other flotsam. The dorado we're encountering well offshore are not vomiting up squid and are hungry for lack of bait. There are also a lot of sailfish and marlin being caught." Loreto fishing area water temperatures were at 82 to 89 degrees. Bolles also noted that Baja Big Fish Company's downtown Loreto store would be closed except for appointments on Aug. 25-Oct. 8, 2007, due to scheduled street paving but fishing charters would continue.

LORETO, MEXICO: Randy Langley of Hesperia, Calif., said his group's major fish count including released fish during his recent 6-day Loreto trip with Arturo's Sportfishing was about: 9 sailfish, 3 striped marlin, 1 black marlin, and about 40 to 50 dorado. "We practiced catch-and-release especially when it comes to sailfish and any kind of marlin," Langley said. "We only kept the largest of the dorado, 4 large cabrilla, and 4 red snapper. The pangueros are really hard to convince to catch-and-release. It seems that they want to display how successful they are when they return to the fillet station. There was a large bait tank that the dorado were kept in, a lot fresher than when they sit in the sun for several hours. When prepared at the restaurant you could tell the difference."

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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MULEGE, MEXICO: Jeff Rumble of Whittier, Calif., reported on a 6-day Baja beach camping and fishing trip with Pete Jenista to the Bahia San Nicolas area south of Mulege, finding generally slow fishing, especially for offshore dorado. "We'd heard that the fishing this year was a bit on the slow side. We found this to be accurate," Rumble said. "The offshore fishing for dorado was dismal. The fish were few and tiny. We did get a couple but that’s all. We had lots of trouble with wind and cooler water temperatures, but our success over the inshore reefs still gave us a decent trip." Rumble reported 141 fish of 25 species caught during 5 days of fishing that included deep bait over the reefs, casting lures from shore, and inshore trolling. "We found inshore trolling to be quite successful. There were times when we couldn’t go 50 yards without a fish," Rumble said.

Species caught during the trip included popeye catalufa, triggerfish to 4.5 pounds, leopard grouper, mixed grunts and snappers, a Mexican goatfish, chino mero, and a manta ray hooked in the mouth. "They are supposed to be plankton feeders and are occasionally snagged, but it seems quite unlikely that one would be snagged in the mouth," Rumble said. "Kelly and Kira also report one hooked in the mouth in The Baja Catch, so maybe it’s not all that unheard of."

Rumble also noted that construction on a fly-in resort was underway at the tip of Punta Pulpito. "We love that some of the people of the area may find opportunities to better their financial situation through this," Rumble said. "They are good, hardworking, friendly, wonderful people and we cheer for the possibility that nice things might happen in their lives. However, as it ceases to be remote, it ceases to be as special. This makes us quite sad. The Baja of even 5 to 10 years ago is disappearing."

MULEGE, MEXICO: David Sigman of Fullerton, Calif., reported on the Mulege segment of his group's Baja fishing trip that also included Pacific side visits to Punta Abreojos, Estero de Coyote, and Laguna La Bocana. At Mulege, Sigman, Mike Panagioutou, and Rondall Wright fished with Capt. Victor Mayoral for good results including a day that produced 3 yellowtail to 40 pounds about a mile northeast of Isla San Marcos plus limits of dorado to 30 pounds and 2 sailfish. "One sailfish was hooked from a school of 8 that swam right towards our panga," Sigman said. "The dorado were all caught on paddies northeast of the island. While everyone was hooked up, dorado were jumping all around the boat. Even when reports seem dismal and bleak Victor says, 'I always find the fish,' and he does every time. Depending on the fishing he will either fish out of Mulege or out of San Bruno." Sigman said a stop at Bahia de los Angeles on the way home was cut short when all rooms were found to be already booked. "I still do not believe it," he said. "I knew someday people would find out about Bahia. Soon you won't be able to get a boat. Things are moving fast in Baja."

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Brent Watson of Imperial, Calif., reported on 5 days of fishing out of Punta Chivato south of Santa Rosalia for a combined catch of over 30 dorado, including a wide-open session on a dead porpoise about 4 miles from camp. "There were literally hundreds of dorado under the boat!" Watson said. "We caught over 20 in about 2 hours with the average being around 25 pounds or so. We kept 3 for dinner. We sat for 15 minutes just drinking beer and watching them jump around the boat." Three marlin were also hooked and lost out of about 20 sighted per day. Santa Rosalia fishing area weather was in the mid-90s, with water temperatures at 83 to 85 degrees.

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

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Ruben Daggett of Daggett's Camp at the north end of Bahia de los Angeles said the week's fishing included 1 female dorado caught on a feather in the middle channel with angler Esteban Chipital and his fishing partner during an outing with Capt. Enrique Daggett. Local Bahia de los Angeles water temperatures were at 78 to 79 degrees, with 80 degrees showing up in patches. Other catches with Capt. Enrique during the week included a few medium-sized yellowtail at Isla Smith and a black sea bass of 97.6 pounds caught along with 10 yellowtail, also at Isla Smith, by angler Alfredo Ozuna Jr., of Sinaloa, Mexico, fishing with Alfredo Ozuna and Miguel Ozuna. The black sea bass hit on a big piece of bonita.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Abraham Vazquez of Camp Gecko at Bahia de los Angeles reported fair weather at 100 degrees, with light winds from the southeast, no rain, and the water temperature re-warming to 80 degrees after dipping into the mid-70s. Yellowtail action was starting to pick up on 20-pound fish at Guadalupe Reef after a slowdown earlier. Dorado were still not present locally in significant numbers. "The dorado that have been caught are over 40 miles away," Vazquez said. "No matter what you hear they are not here yet. They will not come until the water gets blue and that only happens here when it gets to 82 degrees. So maybe after next Monday's dead tides it will get to that point." Good numbers of summer whale shark were present inside the bay. Bait was hard to find in warming waters, and many bonita and skipjack were present.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Chris Okamoto of San Pedro, Calif., reported on a 5-day trip to Bahia de los Angeles with Larry Fukuhara and Justin Elizondro, fishing 2 days with Capt. Roberto of the panga Hurican for "mostly a scratch bite" and a total catch of about 21 yellowtail to about 15 pounds over deep reefs on the back side of Isla Smith. "The fish were down near the bottom and we fished Salas 6X Jrs. in blue-white and Tady 4/0s in green-yellow colors," Okamoto said. "There were no dorado in the area but the day we left some fishermen said they caught some large ones trolling. We saw whale sharks and large minke or blue whales."

Bahia de los Angeles fishing area weather was mostly calm with some night rain and high humidity, in the high-90s, with water temperatures to 84 degrees. Okamoto said both village Pemex stations were pumping gas and electrical power was getting closer. "They should have electricity available in the town 24 hours a day very shortly," he said. Okamoto also noted that he was "fined" $35 in Tijuana by a policeman who said his fishing rod cases were hanging too far over the rear of this truck, about 6 inches.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Tom Ward of The Longfin Tackle Store reported on a 6-day Midriff Islands fishing trip by the Tony Reyes Fishing Tours panga mothership Tony Reyes, returning to San Felipe on Aug. 17, 2007, with 23 anglers and a catch of: 160 yellowtail to 30 pounds, 74 cabrilla to 15 pounds, 18 pargo to 12 pounds, 245 bass, 4 dorado, 2 grouper, 10 sheephead, 19 whitefish, and 219 miscellaneous and released fish.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Fernando Almada of Catch-22 Sportfishing at San Carlos reported on an outing Friday by the charter boat Rubina with angler Craig Collins of Rio Rico, Ariz., fishing on flat water at 82 to 85 degrees about 24 miles out for a catch including released fish of: dorado limits of mixed-size fish, 1 sailfish, and 1 marlin on light tackle. Earlier, the Rubina and the Pez Vela fished together in 82 to 83-degree water 21 miles out on a heading of 200 degrees for good action on marlin, sailfish, and dorado.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 17 Aries Fleet offshore charter boats out of Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, with a catch including released fish of: 3 blue marlin, 8 sailfish, 15 dorado, and 6 yellowfin tuna. Six inshore super pangas caught continued dorado limits plus many releases. "The action seems to be endless," Edwards said of the ongoing dorado bite. "It was another week of easy limit fishing for dorado at the buoys." The largest fish of the week was a 320-pound blue marlin landed by the Mazatlan charter boat Aries IX with Capt. Gilberto Quintero. Mazatlan fishing area weather was cloudy at 90 degrees, with light winds, westerly swell, and water temperatures at 88 to 89 degrees. Offshore boats fished 21 to 27 miles southwest of Marina El Cid.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing at Puerto Vallarta said green water with temperatures in the high-80s dominated the offshore scene at Roca Corbeteña and El Banco during the week as charter boats found some wide-open dorado action on floating debris and the boat Marla also landed 3 black marlin estimated at 350 to 550 pounds during 4 outings with anglers Merle Erickson of Chicago and Doug Hanna of Dallas. The Marla had 1 skunked fishing day at Roca Corbeteña and outwards about 20 miles. The charter boat Marla II caught dorado, striped marlin, and 9 yellowfin tuna to about 100 pounds. Puerto Vallarta fishing area weather was hot and humid with light offshore winds.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Quinonez of PV Marlin Sportfishing said the Puerto Vallarta charter boat Lorena tagged and released blue and black marlin of 300 to about 500 pounds during the week. "Most have come on the big skipjack baits," Quinonez said. Striped marlin moved out to cooler water and yellowfin tuna were still slow with no cow class fish found. "There are smaller tuna out there, but most of us are using the big skipjacks for bait," Quinonez said. Dorado fishing was very active for fish to about 40 pounds and many sailfish were also present. "Puerto Vallarta fishing weather has been a little on the warm side, to say the least, but who cares when the fish are biting," Quinonez said.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Gomez of Dhamar Sportfishing said the Puerto Vallarta charter super panga Dhamar fished 4 times during the week for a catch including released fish of: 1 black marlin of about 300 pounds, 4 snapper, many dorado, 4 roosterfish to 40 pounds, and 1 yellowfin tuna of 135 pounds. "The water at Roca Corbeteña was off color this week but there's fish out there and they are biting good," Gomez said. For the previous week, the Dhamar fished 2 times for a catch including released fish of: 2 blue marlin, 3 yellowfin tuna of 30 pounds, 1 dorado, and 3 rainbow runner.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Merle Erickson of Chicago reported on his 4-day Puerto Vallarta fishing trip with Doug Hanna aboard the charter boat Marla. "Danny’s new 32-foot Blackfin is a beautiful fishing platform with all the bells and whistles," Erickson said. "The new marina in La Cruz is just coming together. We could see it is going to be beautiful. Fishing with Danny and Alvino was the same as always. They work hard all day long and are great guys to fish with. We were fortunate to get 3 nice black marlin in the final 3 days of the trip in generally tough conditions with green water. Both Doug Hanna and I caught personal best marlin. In just over 12 months of fishing with Danny and Alvino, I have caught my personal best yellowfin tuna, dorado, and marlin."

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said unsettled weather including a port closure on Friday hampered fishing last week at Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. "Prior to the barometer taking a nosedive Ixtapa sailfish action was averaging about 1 to 2 fish per boat," Kunze said. Yellowfin tuna of 60 to 80 pounds were also caught at the 1,000-fathom line about 30 miles out. "For the boats that traveled the distance for tuna, sailfish action was much better than in the traditional 10 to 14-mile areas," Kunze said. Inshore roosterfish action was on hold due to rough conditions. Ixtapa fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the low-90s, with water temperatures at 80 to 84 degrees.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said inshore fishing action for roosterfish was not as consistent as the previous week but fish were still being caught. "Capts. Adolofo and Temo reported many schools of roosterfish along the beaches just south of Zihuatanejo Bay," Edwards said. "At times the fish were very cooperative, but at other times they were fast moving and ignored all offerings." Roosterfish caught averaged about 35 pounds. Jack crevalle and bonito were also present in good numbers. Close-in offshore action was slow. "The open rivers have pushed blue water to beyond the 10-mile mark and those boats venturing out have reported very little action," Edwards said. Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area weather was cloudy and rainy in low-90s, with moderate to rough seas and water temperatures at 85 to 86 degrees.

CANCUN FISHING REPORTS

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CANCUN, MEXICO: Robert Rodriguez of Wilmington, Calif., reported on 2 days of fishing with his group on the Albatross Charters boat Albatross out of Cozumel near Cancun for a catch including released fish with Capt. Pedro and deckhand Julian of: 1 wahoo of 14 pounds, 10 Atlantic barracuda to about 12 pounds, and 10 blackfin tuna. "Pedro fixed a great ceviche with the wahoo and tuna and we all ate our fill," Rodriguez said. "Pedro and Julian made our fishing trip a blast and helped us." Also fishing on the Albatross were anglers Rudy and Helen Lopez and Theresa Rodriguez.

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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MEXICO: Baja old-timer Maynard Sorensen, 82, of Ivins, Utah, reported drastically reduced fishing in Mexican waters during his recent small boat cruise on the Sea of Cortez, as compared to cruises he made beginning in 1968. Sorensen's 2007 trip aboard his 18-foot boat Pez Vella III began in early June at the old Islandia Marina at Kino Bay, Sonora, crossed the Sea of Cortez to Santa Rosalia and San Francisquito on the Baja coast, and returned to Kino Bay. He was accompanied by his sons Victor and Dan Sorensen in their 22 and 24-foot boats.

"I have seen the decline in the fisheries today that is astounding to me," Sorensen said. "We failed to catch any significant fish during our voyage. The sharks have all but disappeared. Porpoises, not yellowtail, now inhabit the 'fish pileups.' Dorado, which were once easily caught with a few hours of trolling, now are seldom seen in our old areas just north of Cabo Virgines. A full day of trolling 20 miles out of Santa Rosalia south of Tortuga Island produced no catch. We had to be satisfied with a few squid, bonita, small grouper, barracuda, triggerfish, and the like to keep our young crews happy. Jacques Cousteau once called the Sea of Cortez the aquarium of the world. Sadly, that no longer holds true. It was surprising that power boats seldom travel the areas anymore as they once did in the Ray Cannon period. It was a great trip nevertheless, minus good fishing, especially for the grandsons who had no memories of the earlier years."

Eight large dorado caught while fishing at La Paz, Mexico.

LA PAZ HOT DORADO--Roger Cortez, left, and Louie Prieto got into a good bite of quality dorado to 54 pounds while fishing the Las Arenas side of La Paz on a Fisherman's Fleet panga with Capt. Enrique. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIE PRIETO.

Dorado caught while fishing at Las Arenas, La Paz, Mexico.

LA PAZ DORADO--Tom Teichman, right, fished on a panga out of La Paz' Las Arenas side with Capt. Rigo Lucero of Tortuga Sportfishing for good results on dorado that were found in steady action last week in all areas including Las Cruces in the north, inside around Punta Perico, and outside Isla Cerralvo at the 88 Bank. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

Bonito and red rockcod caught while panga fishing at Ensenada, Mexico.

ENSENADA SUMMER FISHING--Marilyn Bednarski of Los Angeles, Calif., and her son Bryan found good mixed top and bottom fish action at Ensenada while fishing on a beach-launched Vonny's Fleet panga with Capt. Vicente Flores. Ensenada fishing weather was warm and calm with a 2-foot summer swell. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Lingcod caught while fishing at Castro's Camp, Erendira, Mexico.

CASTRO'S CATCH--Jeff Squires' group fished 2 days out of Castro's Camp south of Ensenada for full ice chests of bottom fish including lingcod like this one to 13 pounds with Castro's Camp Capts. Oscar and Pancho. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF SQUIRES.

Yellowtail and halibut caught during fishing at San Quintin, Mexico.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING--Genaro Lopez and Luis Pueyo fished on Julio Meza's boat Santa Monica out of San Quintin last week for 3 yellowtail at the 240 spot plus a nice halibut at the entrance of the bay during the return trip. PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIO MEZA.

Large white seabass caught while kayak fishing at San Quintin, Mexico.

KAYAK CROAKIN'--Adam Ramirez kayak trolled a plug under birds near San Quintin and landed this beautiful 55-pound white seabass on 30-pound line. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ADAM RAMIREZ.

Bluefin trevally caught while fishing at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Dog snapper caught while fishing at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

CLOSE TO CABO--Teresa Bradley and Herb Bradley fished close to shore at Cabo San Lucas last week aboard the charter panga Cheer's with Capt. Ramon Druck for a catch including 8 sierra to 5 pounds and this nice bluefin trevally. At right, Miguel Hernandez of Mexico City with a nice dog snapper caught aboard the Cheer's near shore on the Pacific side of Cabo. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

Striped marlin fighing on fly fishing tackle at East Cape, Mexico.

EAST CAPE FLY MARLIN--Richard Negley Gill works a striped marlin on fly fishing tackle last week during an outing off Punta Pescadero with the East Cape fly fishing guide service Baja On The Fly. PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY GRAHAM.

Sailfish caught while fishing at Loreto, Mexico. Sailfish leaping in the air during fishing at Loreto, Mexico.

LORETO OFFSHORE SUMMER--Mark Meloy released this good-sized sailfish of about 130 pounds during a Loreto panga outing with Capt. Eulogio Davis Sanchez of Baja Big Fish Company. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAM BOLLES.

Five dorado caught while charter panga fishing at Loreto, Mexico.

LORETO DORADO SEASON--This year's dorado season at Loreto has not been stellar so far, but James Vanantwerp, left, and Dennis Michael managed a few dodos this week with Capt. Antonio Davis Castro out of the Hotel Oasis while fishing at Bajo Punta Lobos north of Isla Carmen. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATTY ZAPATA.

Popeye catalufa caught while Baja beach camping at Bahia San Nicolas, Mexico.

PUNTA PULPITO CATALUFA--Pete Jenista with a popeye catalufa caught on cut squid in 200 feet of water off Punta Pulpito south of Mulege during a Baja fish camping trip with Jeff Rumble. The bandage on Jenista's finger was due to an earlier encounter with the gill plate of a yellow snapper. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF RUMBLE.

Two dorado caught north of Isla San Marcos, Mexico.

GOOD MULEGE FISHING--David Sigman, left, and Mike Panagioutou fished with Mulege's Capt. Victor Mayoral for good action on yellowtail, 2 sailfish, and a big dorado bite on fish like these to 30 pounds found swarming northeast of Isla San Marcos. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID SIGMAN.

Fishing boat at Punta Chivato, Mexico.

WIDE-OPEN DORADO--Brent Watson, above, and his group fished 5 days out of their camp at Punta Chivato and found good dorado fishing just 4 miles out that included a catch-and-release run of 20 fish in about 2 hours. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRENT WATSON.

Black sea bass caught in fishing at Bahia de los Angeles, Mexico. Capt. Enrique Daggett with black sea bass caught during fishing at Bahia de los Angeles, Mexico.

BAHIA DAGGETT'S BLACKIE--Alfredo Ozuna, left, and sons Alfredo Jr. Ozuna and Miguel Ozuna with a 97.6-pound black seabass hooked on a big piece of bonito while fishing at Bahia de los Angeles' Isla Smith with Capt. Enrique Daggett of Daggett's Camp. Water temperatures inside the bay were nearing 80 degrees. At right, Capt. Enrique Daggett shows off the same fish, caught along with 10 yellowtail during the outing. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RUBEN DAGGETT.

Dorado caught while fishing at San Carlos, Mexico. Charter fishing boat Pez Vela with marlin caught off San Carlos, Mexico.

SAN CARLOS SUMMER--Craig Collins of Rio Rico, Ariz., with a dorado caught while fishing about 20 miles out of San Carlos aboard the Catch-22 Sportfishing charter boat Rubina with Capt. Fernando Almada on Friday. The day's action also included mixed-size dorado limits and releases of a sailfish and a light tackle striped marlin. At right, the Catch-22 Sportfishing charter boat Pez Vela with Capt. Gerardo Fausto about to release a striped marlin. The photo was taken by Capt. Fernando Almada from the boat Rubina. PHOTO COURTESY OF FERNANDO ALMADA.

Black marlin caught during fishing at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Charter fishing boat Marla at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

VALLARTA PERSONAL BEST--Doug Hanna, left, of Dallas with a personal best 406-pound black marlin caught aboard the Puerto Vallarta charter boat Marla last week with Capt. Danny Osuna, fishing partner Merle Erickson, center, and Marla first mate Alvino, right. At right, Marla's Sportfishing's new fully equipped Puerto Vallarta charter boat the Marla with "all the bells and whistles." PHOTOS COURTESY OF MERLE ERICKSON.

Atlantic barracuda caught while fishing at Cancun, Mexico

MEXICO ATLANTIC BARRACUDA--Rudy Lopez fished 2 days with Robert Rodriguez' group on Mexico's Atlantic coast at Cozumel aboard the charter boat Albatross for a catch at included 10 of these toothy Atlantic barracuda, 10 blackfin tuna, and 1 wahoo. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT RODRIGUEZ.

Maynard Sorensen with Sea of Cortez cruising group.

Aerial photo of Kino Bay, Mexico.

RAY CANNON MEMORIES--Maynard Sorensen, center, with a copy of Ray Cannon's seminal 1966 book, The Sea of Cortez, began small boat cruising on the Cortez in 1968. He returned this year with an 18-foot boat trip that followed the classic Midriff crossing route from Kino Bay to San Francisquito. Fishing was disappointing compared to the old days, as Sorensen said, "I have seen the decline in the fisheries today that is astounding to me." Below, Kino Bay, Sonora, the original departure point for small boat cruises across the Sea of Cortez Midriff to the Baja coast at San Francisquito. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAYNARD SORENSEN.

Formation of rays swimming in a school at Loreto, Mexico.

CLOSE ORDER DRILL--During a break in the fishing, Bill Erhardt's boat Soledad found these rays skimming in formation over the shoals last week in the beautiful north-facing anchorage at Isla Coronado just north of Loreto. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL ERHARDT.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES