Main mass of striped marlin moves closer to Cabo San Lucas;

Mazatlan fish counts slow on full moon

Mexico Fishing News, December 31, 2007

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet Sportfishing reported continued outstanding striped marlin action for Cabo San Luca s charter boats working up the Pacific side as Pisces boats routinely checked in with double-digit release counts.

Top outings included: Bill Collector with 15 and 20-marlin release days, Tracy Ann with 15, Rebecca with 12, El Gallo with 14, La Brisa with 12, and C Rod with 18. "The top spots were again the Finger Bank and Golden Gate Bank," Ehrenberg said, "but we are also starting to see marlin much closer to Cabo near the Old Lighthouse. Overall, 81 percent of Pisces charters caught striped marlin, a total of 221 fish, all released.

Both yellowfin tuna and dorado counts were lower in cooling water temperatures as 13 percent of Pisces boats caught dorado and just 9 percent landed tuna. Inshore fishing produced good action on winter concentrations of sierra plus roosterfish to 20 pounds. Vacation crowds in the Los Cabos area were smaller than normal for the period. "There are not many anglers in Cabo San Lucas and the number of visitors is off by about 20 percent for this time of year, which is a shame as the weather is beautiful and the fishing amazing," Ehrenberg said. Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was partly cloudy, with the water temperature averaging 70 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 34 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 61 striped marlin, 8 dorado, and 14 yellowfin tuna. "The most notable change for the week was the movement of the billfish much closer to Cabo San Lucas and just outside the arch," Edwards said. "Billfish catches slowed up a little, but the average has remained pretty good at nearly 2 per day."

Top boats for the week included the Gaviota X with 14 stripers in 4 outings. Fleet boats fished from nearby Cabo Falso outwards to the Golden Gate Bank, getting the best results with live bait dropped back through the trolling spread. Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was cloudy in the high-70s, with water temperatures at 73 degrees at the Golden Gate Bank, rising to 76 degrees at the arch, and falling again to about 69 degrees at the Gordo Banks on the Sea of Cortez side. "The live bait supply is very good and you can add to the bait well at the Cabo Falso drop-off," Edwards said.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported on clients fishing aboard a Cabo San Lucas boat for exceptional striped marlin release action at the Finger Bank despite very large seas. "It was very windy," Graham said. "They didn't stay long. However they caught 20 marlin before heading back downhill and then caught 3 more."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 12 outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 48 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 5 dorado of 20 to 30 pounds, and 1 red snapper. Fish counts during the week included an 8-marlin release day aboard El Budster for the Mark Thomas group from San Diego, Calif.

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 few vacation travelers in the Ensenada fishing area, some surf on the panga launching beach at Campo Villarino, and few boats going out. On Monday, Joshua Chambers fished with Capt. Beto on the charter panga Vonny I for a good count of lingcod, rockcods, some "chocolate" bottom fish, and a couple of bonita for the Vonny's Fleet client fish smoker. "The surf was a little high but we still managed to put 1 boat out," Villarino said. Ensenada fishing area weather was sunny and calm in the high-60s at midweek, with 2 to 3-foot ocean swells and local water temperatures at Punta Banda averaging 58 degrees.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Andrew Harmer of San Luis Obispo, Calif., reported on a short Baja run to Popotla just south of Rosarito Beach where fishing in the surf at the evening low tide produced a couple of barred surf perch on mussel bait. "Braving the Baja roads despite all the warnings in the paper, I went down to visit my dad for Christmas," Harmer said. "I spent about a half-hour fishing the low tide on Christmas Eve on a sandy beach near Popotla. I had no luck with artificials or those Berkley sand crabs. I caught a couple of barred surf perch on mussel meat cast into the foam."

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Steve Ross of the boat Bad Dog at Marina Coral reported broadbill swordfish being caught by local Mexican commercial fishermen. "I am eating fresh swordfish received from a local gill net swordfisherman right off his boat," Ross said. "The swordfish season has begun." Ross also described the tackle used during a deep water fishing trip earlier aboard the Bad Dog when his wire leader was broken off at a depth of over 1,000 feet. "This fish was as strong as I have ever felt on rod and reel," Ross said. "The bait was a jumbo squid. The rod was bent as far as it could go, a 4-and-a-half-foot, long-range tuna stick in triple heavy weight blank. There were 2 hooks on 250-pound wire. When I got the hooks back the wire was wound up into circles like a backlash. We will wait for seas to calm down before we go back out at night again. There are some key elements to night fishing for swords. The best hook is a Mustad 7698B, the longliner's choice."

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Jim Derr of Santa Ana, Calif., reported on a late December outing at San Quintin with Pedro's Pangas, fishing aboard the charter panga Coyote with Jeff Derr of Albuquerque, N.M., and Pedro's Pangas Capt. Gato for a few lingcod and a yellowtail hookup lost on a trolled Rapala at the 50 spot, slow action at the 240 spot, easy limits of whitefish and sheephead at Ben's Rock, and near limits of bass to 8 pounds at the Isla San Martin kelp beds. Two more outings produced slow action on most local high spots, but good counts of whitefish, sheephead, and bonita to 8 pounds at Ben's Rock. The winter migration of black brant to the San Quintin fishing area was in full force. "We saw thousands of brants and other ducks in the bay and were told that they had just flown in over the weekend," Derr said. "El Gato said the hunting season had just started and the birds could be hunted until the end of February but only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The limit is 5. We also saw lots of humpback whales in the bay."

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Shari Bondy of Baja Bed & Breakfast on the central Baja Pacific coast said the town's first annual Bahia Asuncion Surf Competition was held during the week with entrants from all around Baja plus 2 visitors from British Columbia. Local panga fishing trips during the week with Capt. Juan Arce of Arce Bros. Sportfishing produced up to 3 yellowtail per panga plus calico bass and bonita. Halibut and croakers were caught in the surf. Baja fishing water temperatures at Bahia Asuncion were holding in the high-60s, with good water clarity and north wind blowing.

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Juanchys Aguilar of La Bocana on the Pacific Baja coast reported on 2 runs outside to Roca Ballena with anglers Hiroshi and Tetsu Hoshi of Los Angeles, Calif., fishing in clear blue 69-degree water for live-bait release-style action on: 33 yellowtail to 27 pounds, calico bass, small white seabass, bonito, 1 grouper, and mixed bottom fish. Aguilar's boat fished in water about 32 feet deep with 20 to 25-pound line. Another session fishing at the Glory Hole spot described in The Baja Catch inside Laguna La Bocana produced release action on: 29 grouper and "uncountable" spotted bay bass on small Rapalas and Fish Trap plastic lures. "The fishing was very good," Aguilar said. "Although the fish are small to medium sized, it's a lot of fun."

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Derek Arneson San Diego, Calif., reported on 2 days of fishing out of La Bocana with Capt. Joaquin Aguilar, finding very dirty water and scratch action for a couple of yellowtail, 1 grouper, and lots of calico bass and sandbass at Roca Ballena, and then a very good session for yellowtail on a reef about 17 miles north of the boca. "Within 30 seconds we were hooking yellowtail," Arneson said. "All of our fish were on yo-yo iron. We would have plugged the boat if it wasn't for all the seals!" Baja coastal fishing weather off La Bocana was flat, with the water temperature at 64 degrees.

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Paul Ponce of Cypress, Calif., commented on recent publicity about crime and violence along the northern sections of Baja's Mex 1 Transpeninsular Highway, saying, "I've got all kinds of stories. After I read The Baja Catch book from cover to cover, I moved to Cabo for 6 months. A few years ago right around Rosarito we blew a tire so we pulled off the road and parked in the mud. Our jack wouldn't even come close to fitting underneath the truck. A police car pulled up behind us. One of the cops told us to go sit in our truck. All of a sudden the rear of the truck started to rise. The cops were lifting it with a bumper jack. They helped us. I pulled out a twenty and offered it to them. They declined my offer and told us to have a good night. I stopped them and once again offered them the twenty. After some hesitance they did take the money but only after I persisted. I just thought I'd relate a story that you might otherwise never hear. Not all cops are bad cops. It's just that the bad cops make the news a lot more often."

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said most local activity was centered on preparations for the Magdalena Bay winter whale watching tourist season. "Whales have already been reported on their way down the west coast of Baja," Graham said. Fishing in the Magdalena Bay mangrove channels produced consistent corvina, grouper, small sierra, and some pargo to good sizes. Magdalena Bay offshore fishing waters were rough as most yachts left the area. Magdalena Bay area weather was cloudy in the low-70s, with water temperatures at 66 to 73 degrees.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas reported on 49 combined La Playita fleet pangas fishing off San Jose del Cabo, with a catch including released fish of: 26 yellowfin tuna, 124 dorado, 3 striped marlin, 114 sierra, 28 roosterfish, 22 jack crevalle, 19 pargo, 15 amberjack, and 17 cabrilla. San Jose del Cabo fishing area weather was mostly sunny in the mid-70s, with persistent north wind averaging 15 m.p.h., as most boats fished in calmer waters close to shore south of Punta Palmilla. Water temperatures were sharply cooler at 68 to 72 degrees with greenish color. Sardina bait fish remained plentiful from Santa Maria to Punta Palmilla. Yellowfin tuna counts dropped in cooler water temperatures as just a few were caught from San Luis to Vinorama. The best offshore action was for dorado of mostly under 15 pounds found southwards toward Cabo San Lucas. Striped marlin moving down the Pacific side of Baja were found in greater numbers close to Cabo and some stripers were also moving off Chileno.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO:San Jose del Cabo species fishing specialist John Snow reported recent inshore collections including an unknown fish species tentatively identified as an estuarine frillfin, Bathygobius andrei. "If so, it's far out of range," Snow said. "I have him packed for transit north." A panga outing with Capt. Pata on the Salome found fish species including a 2-inch blunthead triggerfish caught offshore in a bait net. San Jose del Cabo fishing area weather was windy with panga fishing possibly limited. "Eight new species for the week. I might be limited to surf fishing tomorrow morning," Snow said.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: John Ireland of Rancho Leonero reported very limited angling activity at East Cape between the winter holidays and very few boats fishing. "We have had northerly winds and no boat departures all week," Ireland said. "I guess this is payback for almost no wind at all in November."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Russell Fritz of La Ribera reported winds blowing daily and during the night as well. Local fishing by Fritz' son Dan Fritz and his wife Sonya produced plenty of bait, some sierra, and 2 kawa kawa tuna caught on Tuesday morning just before winds moved into the East Cape fishing area. "The sea temperature is still in the mid-70s, so the fish should still be there if this wind will ever quit," Fritz said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported some good early morning beach fishing found before daily strong winds arrived. "The north winds are howling," Graham said. "Gray light action before the wind got wound up provided sierra, jacks, and ladyfish to satisfy the few guests in the hotels." A few boats picking through wind offshore found a few small yellowfin tuna and dorado, Graham said, "as well as some marlin that have refused to leave and will probably remain until spring." East Cape fishing area weather was in the high-70s, with northwest winds of 15 to 20 knots and the water temperature at 67 to 73 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Jeff deBrown of The Reel Baja East Cape fly fishing guide service said, "Santa brought a strong north wind that has been blowing for the last few days." Some good fishing along the beaches was found during early morning hours before the wind began with catches including sierra, good numbers of ladyfish, and a few jack crevalle. Hotel fleets sent few boats out. "Not many boats have gone out, with the hotels not having many guests due to the holiday," deBrown said. "Guests that are here decided not to brave the wind and instead enjoyed the festivities on land. A few days ago before the wind we still had a fair number of smaller tuna and a few dorado in the East Cape fishing area as well as a few marlin."

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International said consistent winter winds limited opportunities for pangas in the La Paz fishing area. "La Paz fishing was defined by one thing, wind," Roldan said. "Winds coming from the north are the problem. It has pretty much been windy either hampering or canceling trips over the last week. When we did get out, the inshore fishing was great for sierra, cabrilla, some pargo, and even a few wandering dorado." La Paz fishing area weather was pleasant in the 70s, but few vacationers were present. "There were not many anglers to speak of but we did put out a few boats," Roldan said. "Everyone fished out of Ensenada de los Muertos where we could keep pangas close to shore and where we know there are still fish. The sierra were on the chew and if you put in enough time you could fill a box with the toothy speedsters." Roldan also noted that Tailhunter International was booking California gray whale watching trips to Magdalena Bay for the peak migration from January to March.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said lower air temperatures and steady north winds returned to fishing areas south of La Paz after a few days of calmer weather. Pangas getting out between winds caught some dorado at the south end of Isla Cerralvo on some days and some pargo lisa at Punta Perico. "There are a lot of pargos that you can see in this area, but of course, they are very difficult to land," Hernandez said. Commercial Mexican fishing pangas were doing well on sierra north of Punta Arena de la Ventana.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company said, "Wind, wind, and more wind! 'Tis the season for it!" Loreto fishing was generally slow. "Making bait was difficult today," Bolles said on Thursday. "We have a small window of opportunity to fish and only for half-a-day because of the winds. All boats took over an hour to net sardinas and the larger baits are not biting at all so my advice for this period is to use Rapala-type lures. We have winds predicted through January 3rd. With the winds, the bait situation, and the slow fishing, it's really not worth going out for now. I have gotten to the point that I am very honest in giving the weather conditions. The problem is getting bait early enough to take advantage of calm conditions and have enough fishing time before the winds come up. But this is totally normal for this time of year." Boats fishing the Loreto area were catching occasional yellowtail plus some cabrilla, pargo, barracuda and bonita along shore to the north. Inside Puerto Escondido, mixed catches included large sierra, mackerel, and roosterfish. Loreto fishing area water temperatures were very cool in the mid-60s along shore locally, rising to about 73 degrees south of Isla Carmen.

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Jim Anderson of San Bruno reported "occasionally calm" conditions in the Santa Rosalia fishing area, with air temperatures at 73 degrees and local water temperatures averaging 60 to 63 degrees. A run to the Isla San Marcos yellowtail bajos found slow action, but did produce 3 yellowtail to 35 pounds on 5 hookups. "I am sure that the 2 that took us in the rocks were at least 45 pounders and they may be up to 50 pounds by next week!" Anderson said. "That is my story and I am sticking to it. We expect yellowtail fishing to pick up with changes in the tides, but the bad news is that Bouyweather.com is predicting heavy north winds." Late season bonita were still biting locally. "The bonito are normally gone this time of the year, but they have really stayed around and provided some fine eating for those pulling Rapala-type lures," Anderson said.

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

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Jay Hammer of Riverside, Calif., reported on the Bahia de los Angeles segment of his overland trip down the northern Cortez coast of Baja, fishing on a Sammy Diaz panga with Capt. Jose for local cabrilla, grouper, barracuda, bonito, and big numbers of spotted bay bass, but no yellowtail. After being blown off Punta Remedios, Hammer said, "We had wanted to go to Los Machos, but the tide was running and the wind was blowing. Remedios was unfishable and we retreated to Isla Alcatraz and started trolling Rapalas inshore. All the fish were good eating so I was happy. The weather had been perfect for 7 days but the next day the Santa Anas returned and there was no fishing. Time to leave." Hammer said he stayed at Casa Diaz for $20 and paid $150 for the panga.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Jay Hammer reported on his overland run down the Cortez coast of Baja with stops at San Felipe and Puertecitos and fishing out of Campo Bufeo just north of Bahia Gonzaga for a catch at Isla Salvatierra, or San Luis, of: cabrilla, bonito, sierra, and a 30-pound shark, probably a blacktip. At Campo Bufeo, Hammer said, "There were no guides but the boys who fish for the restaurant agreed to take me out for $150. I woke up to see the boys launching at low tide. The jeep was 20 feet into the water, almost touching the top of the tires. I just stood in amazement as they launched with seemingly little concern. We started trolling MirrOlures and instantly got hit. We also ran into a school of sierra. There were hundreds." Hammer also noted that American boats from Puertecitos were catching juvenile totoaba. "Totoaba are endangered. They are very vulnerable and easy to catch," He said. "Julio said in the early days commercial fishermen stretched a net from the island to the coast and took tons of fish out of the area." Hammer left the Gonzaga Bay area by the southern road to Mex 1 and said that Coco Corral was not at his "Coco's Corner" place at the Calamajue turnoff. "Unfortunately Coco was in Ensenada doing a medical check-up which had been neglected for some time," Hammer said.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Katherine Hammontré of the Sanfelipe.com.mx website said an all-women's fishing trip was being booked out of San Felipe for the 2008 season of the Tony Reyes Fishing Tours panga mothership Jose Andres. "I think it's a great idea," Hammontré said. "The trip will be in April, May, or June, for women only. It is for the adventurous and sometimes a bit rustic, but all of your meals are cooked and served for you. There are hot showers and a few staterooms where you can book 2 to a room comfortably. Sun bathe, drink Tecate, explore parts of the Sea of Cortez that you can only see from the water, swim, fish, or just read a good book. You can bring your kayaks or little rafts, or just have a guide take you out in the panga. There is so much history, beauty, and magic to the Sea of Cortez and you'll hear all about it. There is a maximum number of beds available for each voyage and a 'couples' trip is also in the works. Our weather gal, Shirley, and a friend went on a trip and they loved it." Information: Sanfelipe.com.mx.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Several messages were received about the previous week's photo of a dead leatherback sea turtle found decomposing on the beach at San Felipe that was incorrectly identified as a turtle with its shell removed. Todd Mora said, "That is a leatherback sea turtle, the most endangered of all the sea turtles. Its shell is still on in the photo. It just looks missing because it has a leathery covering that looks fleshy. His left fin is cut open by entangled netting. It probably drowned and was cut loose and then floated ashore." Bart Jackson of Imperial Beach, Calif., wrote, "It's hard to tell why it died. It's often due to longliners. It looks like it floated around a while." Dayanan Ramsaran said, "The picture appears to be that of a large leatherback. They are on the endangered species list and nest in only a few beaches in the world. The turtle actually still has its shell, decomposition being the cause of the loss of top pigmentation."

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Catalina Meders of the Title Company Bookstore at San Felipe said hard winds blew for several days during the week. "Christmas Day was unbelievable," Meders said. "The vendors nearly all gave up after their booths were repeatedly blown down. Huge clouds of sand blew along the streets and across all the intersections. But quite a few people did venture up to the bookstore where we had free coffee and cookies and people enjoyed hanging out and talking." San Felipe weather at midweek was in the mid-50s, with few tourists in town as Meders reported long lines at the Mexicali pedestrian border crossing. "The line must have been a quarter of a mile long," Meders said. "The lines continue to be very slow, for cars especially, at both the old and new gates. Even the Sentri exit, I am told, is taking half-an-hour or so. This situation, plus gasoline prices and high prices in general, are really hurting tourism here. Let's hope 2008 brings some good news."

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

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ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: Mike Auditore of Phoenix, Ariz., reported on a weather-shortened run out of Rocky Point aboard his boat El Gato Blanco, that scored an unusual catch of a few Pacific cutlassfish about 2 feet long in 60-degree water about 16 miles out. The rarely seen cutlass fish hit a Sabiki rig about 170 feet deep for angler Dennis Dermyer of Phoenix. "I had planned to go out 50 miles," Auditore said. "We left Rocky Point in calm seas but the farther we went the bigger the seas got. I stopped to make bait about 10 miles out with not too much luck, a few macks and small sandbass. The seas were 3 to 4 feet. We only made 3 drifts before heading back. We headed back to Rocky Point with just bait and 1 sick guy."

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: John Hilderbrand of Jon Jen Charters at San Carlos reported a billfish release rate of about 95 percent during the 2007 season. "We estimated 180 or more marlin and sailfish caught, with a less than 5 percent loss rate," Hilderbrand said. "That would average more than 1 per trip. And many, many peanut dorado were released. I am proud of our captains and anglers for a job well done.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 35 Aries Fleet offshore charter boats out of Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, with a catch including released fish of: 7 striped marlin, 7 sailfish, 21 dorado to 50 pounds, and 53 yellowfin tuna to 80 pounds. "The full moon has taken its toll on Mazatlan fishing and slowed the Christmas bite considerably," Edwards said. "With the full moon came cooler waters." Mazatlan fishing area weather was sunny in the low-80s, with unusually cool inshore water at 62 degrees and offshore water up to 71 degrees. Offshore boats worked a temperature break about 30 miles out of Mazatlan.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: For the previous week, Edwards reported on 22 Aries Fleet offshore boats, with a catch including released fish of: 8 striped marlin, 3 sailfish, 25 dorado to 50 pounds, and 57 yellowfin tuna to 70 pounds. Four inshore super pangas had a catch of: 33 sierra, 3 dorado, and 3 jack crevalle. "Passenger counts slowed this week and the fish count reflects that, especially with the billfish," Edwards said. "The dorado were all bigger fish. The tuna are offshore about 30 miles and running with porpoise. Most are school sizes, 15 to 30 pounds." Mazatlan fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the low-80s, with mostly calm seas and water temperatures at a cool 64 degrees inshore and 72 to 73 degrees offshore. All billfish were hooked on rigged mullet trolling baits and tuna were taken on feathers.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Stan Gabruk of Master Baiters Sportfishing & Tackle said the Puerto Vallarta fishing area was clearing after a period of dirty water, red tide, and rough seas in cooling water temperatures. The best action was found at 15 miles and outwards from Punta de Mita on headings of about 300 degrees for dorado, sailfish, snappers, and some striped marlin. "The hot bottom line this week continues to be the areas north of Punta de Mita," Gabruk said. El Banco produced some yellowfin tuna to about 75 pounds and Roca Corbeteña boats found some sailfish, dog snapper, dorado, and jack crevalle in clear blue water.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said fish counts dropped at midweek during the full moon phase. "Once we are out of this moon phase, all conditions point to getting back to good fishing," Kunze said. Ixtapa fishing area weather was calm and sunny in the mid-90s, with water temperatures at 80 to 84 degrees.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Earlier, Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported a nice uptick in dorado counts as sportfishing Capt. Temo averaged 5 to 6 dodos per day to the 40-pound mark and most boats also averaged about 2 sailfish per day. Inshore fishing improved as Capt. Adolofo reported an 8-roosterfish day including fish at close to 50 pounds, and another day with 4 good roosterfish plus a mixed bag of jack crevalle and sierra. "Top water pencil poppers continue to be the hot ticket for big roosterfish," Edwards said. Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area weather was clear in the high-80s, with calm seas and water temperatures at 81 to 82 degrees. Bait supplies were excellent.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Paul Phillips of the Fintastic Total Tag & Release Tournament said last week's fishing by Capt. Santiago on the charter boat Gitana included 2 outings with a total of 4 sailfish released on 33 sailfish raised to the teasers.

CANCUN FISHING REPORTS

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CANCUN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 8 outings by the El Cid Caribe sportfishing fleet at Puerto Morelos near Cancun, with a catch including released fish of: 6 king mackerel to 25 pounds, 5 Atlantic barracuda to 29 pounds, 4 dog snapper, and 4 school-sized tuna. "We finally got a few fisherman out this week but the full moon made the catching a little difficult," Edwards said. Cancun fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the high-80s.

CANCUN, MEXICO: For the previous week, Edwards reported on 3 outings by the El Cid Caribe fleet, with a catch including released fish of: 1 sailfish, 1 barracuda, 1 tuna, 4 red snapper, and 7 king mackerel. "Customer action was very slow, but for those that did fish, it wasn't too bad," Edwards said. "The bulk of the fish were taken by the Hanssen group from Colorado during their 8-hour fishing day." Cancun fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the high-80s, with prevailing winds of 6 to 15 knots and stable water temperatures at 81 degrees.

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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MEXICO: Ensenada based sportfishing writer Tom Gatch said his new Baja California fishing book "Hooked On Baja" was in print and available at stores and online. "I'm in both Barnes & Noble and Borders and my cousin in Columbia, South Carolina, just picked up a few copies at their local Bass Pro Shop," Gatch said. "Hooked On Baja" was also listed on Amazon.com for $17.12 with 224 pages, 75 photos, and 10 maps.

San Jose del Cabo Mexico Dorado Fishing Photo 1

BAJA STOCKING STUFFERS--David Rose and his daughter were visiting southern Baja from Los Angeles over the Christmas holiday and caught their limits of dorado while trolling close to shore off Chileno. They fished out of San Jose del Cabo with Gordo Banks Pangas Capt. Clarin. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON.

Ensenada Mexico Lingcod Fishing Photo 1

STEADY AT ENSENADA--Only a few anglers fished out of Ensenada last week as some high surf rolled into the area, but Joshua Chambers snuck out on a Vonny's Fleet beach-launched panga with his grandfather Jay Johnson and Vonny's Fleet's Capt. Beto for action including these lingcod, lots of mixed bottom fish, and a couple of bonito for the Vonny's Fleet fish smoker. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

La Bocana Mexico Yellowtail Fishing Photo 1

LA BOCANA CAPTAIN--Local Capt. Joaquin Aguilar with a nice yellowtail caught in good action near the semi-remote Pacific Baja village of La Bocana during an outing with angler Derek Arneson of San Diego, Calif. At right, Arneson and another quality La Bocana yellowtail caught on iron. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEREK ARNESON.

Lopez Sportsman's Lodge Mexico Photo 1

MAG BAY HOLIDAYS--Magdalena Bay's newly-opened Lopez Sportsman's Lodge celebrated its first winter holidays this year at Puerto Lopez Mateos. At right, the outdoor patio wall mural. The lodge's Jeff Petersen said of the local artist, "I know him as Marcos, a shrimper who lives at Campo Las Vacas a few miles north of Lopez. He is an amazing talent." PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF PETERSEN.

San Jose del Cabo Mexico Estuarine Frillfin Photo 1

WHAT IS IT?--San Jose del Cabo fish species specialist John Snow collected this sinister looking customer during a recent outing and called it "Black Bart." Snow tentatively identified it as an estuarine frillfin, Bathygobius andrei. The fish is about an inch long. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN SNOW.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 1

LATE SEASON TUNA--Verda Boyd and her husband Tim Zimmer fished with Tailhunter International between winds in cooling conditions at La Paz for late season yellowfin tuna, plus dorado, sierra, and a lot of these skipjack and bonito. "Things are definitely tapering down," said Tailhunter's Jonathan Roldan. "We're getting cooler and windier as we move into our winter mode." PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 2

SIERRA AT LA PAZ--Randy Lyons fished on the Las Arenas side at La Paz aboard a Tailhunter International panga for a seasonable catch of these cool water sierra. Said Tailhunter's Jonathan Roldan, "These speedy sierra are abundant and great fighters and you can hook dozens in a day if you get into the right spot. PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

Santa Rosalia Mexico Yellowtail Fishing Photo 1

BAJO HEFTY FORKIE--Marika Anderson of San Bruno south of Santa Rosalia shows off a nice 30-pound-plus class yellowtail caught in relatively slow conditions Tuesday at the Isla San Marcos 110 bajo with husband Jim Anderson aboard their Moosea boat. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JIM ANDERSON.

Sea of Cortez Mexico Blacktip Shark Fishing Photo 1 Sea of Cortez Mexico Totoaba Fishing Photo 1

SALVATIERRA BLACKTIP SHARK--Jay Hammer of Riverside, Calif., with a northern Sea of Cortez blacktip shark caught at Isla Salvatierra, also known as Isla San Luis, in the Enchanted Islands group south of San Felipe. Hammer fished on a panga out of Campo Bufeo. At right, a juvenile totoaba, or chamorro, being released. Hammer reported American boats out of Puertecitos catching the endangered fish. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAY HAMMER.

Rocky Point Mexico Pacific Cutlassfish Fishing Photo 1

RARE CUTLASSFISH CATCH--Dennis Dermyer dropped a Sabiki rig down about 170 feet in 60-degree water south of Rocky Point and pulled up these rarely seen Pacific cutlassfish, Trichiurus lepturus, during a trip aboard Mike Auditore's boat El Gato Blanco. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MIKE AUDITORE.

Campo Bufeo, Baja California, Mexico Photo 1

BAJA CORTEZ COAST--Campo Bufeo, operated by the Fernandez family just north of Gonzaga Bay on Baja's northern Sea of Cortez coast, during Jay Hammer's recent overland trip southwards from San Felipe and back to Mex 1 at the Laguna Chapala turnoff. PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY HAMMER.

Campo Bufeo, Baja California, Mexico Boat Launching Photo 1

BUFEO LAUNCH--A jeep goes deep to launch a panga at Punta Bufeo south of San Felipe during Jay Hammer's overland Baja trip. Fishing around Isla San Luis on the horizon produced sierra, bonito, cabrilla, and a 30-pound probable blacktip shark. PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY HAMMER.

"Hooked On Baja" Book Cover Photo 1

NEW BAJA FISHING BOOK--Tom Gatch's Baja fishing book, "Hooked On Baja," is now available online and in stores.

San Felipe Mexico Leatherback Sea Turtle Photo 1

LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE--A large sea turtle found recently on the beach at San Felipe was identified by readers as an intact leatherback sea turtle. It was earlier thought to be a turtle with its shell removed due to the appearance of its decomposed leather-like carapace. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHERINE HAMMONTRE.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES