Loreto yellowtail springing into action;

Rocky Point bottom fish mixer

Mexico Fishing News, March 17, 2008

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: With the spring equinox fast approaching, Pam Bolles of Loreto's Baja Big Fish Company reported signs of seasonable improvements in yellowtail action at nearby Isla Carmen. "I just got back, another great day of yellowtail," Bolles said. "We've waited patiently for several months and finally we're being rewarded. Sea surface temperatures have risen and the fish are feeding again."

Top catches during the week included a 25-pound yellowtail submitted as a potential women's fly fishing record for 16-pound tippet. "The populations of yellowtail at La Cholla on Isla Carmen are on a seriously hot bite," Bolles said. "Although they're feeding at the surface this should not be confused with spawning behavior as they have not yet spawned. They are feeding at the surface due to the ideal conditions of water temperature, bait availability, and favorable currents off the north and northwest parts of the island." Another outing during the week produced 8 yellowtail of 25 to 38 pounds plus 7 cabrilla to 25 pounds. "There are a lot of fish feeding in these locations and a lot of competition among them so the chances of hooking up with them are good," Bolles said.

The Baja Big Fish Company call-in radio fishing report for Loreto was also being heard on the Ronnie Kovach Radio Fishing University program on AM 830 Saturday mornings from 5 to 7 a.m. Pacific Time. "On Saturdays at those hours I'm at the marina dispatching boats, so listen in on a typical Saturday morning at the marina as we work, watch the sun rise, and talk fishing," Bolles said.

Bolles also noted a new bar for Loreto that will be opened at Baja Big Fish Company's downtown store by sportfishing Capt. Francisco Muñoz and his son Chuy, with a poll for naming the new business being taken on the Baja Big Fish Company website, www.bajabigfish.com.

LORETO, MEXICO: Rich Robinson of San Diego reported on a 10-angler group panga trip to the San Nicolas remote fish camp operated by Arturo's Sportfishing about 35 miles north of Loreto for tent camping and 2.5 days of fishing that produced 26 yellowtail to 30 pounds, with most at 22 to 23 pounds. "We also caught some very respectable cabrilla in the 8 to 12-pound class while trolling Rapalas within 50 yards of Punta Pulpito," Robinson said. "We had our fair share of north winds. We had great food and lots of laughs. It was hard to find bait. When we did get the macks, they were effective on the flyline. Jigs in blue-white and green-yellow were also effective." Just 1 or 2 private boats per day were making the run north to the Punta Pulpito area from Loreto.

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 continued good bottom fishing results including some limits for his beach launched pangas at Punta Banda. Anglers scoring limits or near limits at Ensenada with Capts. Beto Zamora and Vicente Flores on the charter pangas Vonny I and Vonny III included Lester Ellet and his fishing partner Joe, Dawn Hook of San Diego, Brian Foley of La Joya at Ensenada, and first-timers Giovanny Corral and his group from Los Angeles, Calif. "This week was good fishing again," Villarino said. Ensenada fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the high-60s, with winds calm, ocean swells at 3 to 4 feet, and water temperatures off Punta Banda averaging 56 degrees.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Pete Hillis of Pedro's Pangas said a few more anglers were fishing at San Quintin last week, in favorable sea conditions, for good results on lingcod of 12 to 20 pounds, limits of rockcod, and some good-sized sheephead. Eric Amer and Sam Lunde of Cardiff, Calif., fished south in 60-degree water at Socorro with Capt. Hector on the charter boat Rommy for limits of calico bass, lingcod, rockcods, sandbass, and whitefish. Other anglers fishing mainly at the 240 spot included David Sheerin and his group from Los Angeles, Calif.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Marita Melville of Don Eddie's Landing said, "We are finally seeing fishermen back in San Quintin. Now that summer is just around the corner I hope more start making their way down here." Anglers doing well with Capt. Juan Cook on the charter boat Sofia for rockcod limits, lingcod to 10 pounds, and 1 Humboldt giant squid during the week while fishing at Ben's Rock and the 240 spot included Everett Beck, Jack Beck, and Kennedy Woodruff, all of the King Harbor Yacht Club, Mo and Hani Shamout, Ryan Rawson, and Flying Samaritans anglers Michael Don, Norman Don, Philip Don, and Alan Colorado. San Quintin fishing area weather was sunny, with light winds and water temperatures averaging 56 degrees.

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Shari Bondy of Baja Bed & Breakfast on the Pacific Baja coast at Bahia Asuncion reported calm winds, with some swell, water temperatures at 62 degrees, and panga catches by Capt. Juan Arce of Arce Bros. Sportfishing including bonita to 15 pounds, whitefish, sheephead, and rockcods. Visitors during the week included fly-in angler Phil Olsen of Oregon and his wife Gretchen. "They took our nephews and niece up for their first-ever plane ride!" Bondy said. "The kids even got to fly the plane! It was an experience of a lifetime." Bondy noted that local Mexican commercial fishermen at Bahia Asuncion were transitioning from the lobster to the abalone seasons. "Lobster season ended with a big beach party lobster feast in San Roque," she said. "Now the fishermen are readying their equipment to start the abalone season after Easter week."

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said whale watching was still in progress last week at Magdalena Bay. "Whales continue to be the crowd pleaser," Graham said, "much to the delight of both visitors and locals." Magdalena Bay boats fishing the Pacific off Cabo San Lazaro found surface schools of yellowtail and small yellowfin tuna under birds. Boats fishing the inside mangrove channels caught good numbers of mixed pargos, grouper, and cabrilla. Magdalena Bay fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the low-80s, with water temperatures of 62 to 70 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 34 Cabo San Lucas sportfishing trips by Gaviota Fleet and the charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 327 yellowfin tuna of mostly 10 to 15 pounds but including some of 25 to 30 pounds, 1 striped marlin, and 11 dorado. Five inshore boats fishing locally at Cabo San Lucas reported: 51 yellowtail, 12 bonito, and 4 sierra. "The yellowfin tuna bite again provided excellent angler action at Cabo San Lucas this week," Edwards said. "It was just a matter of locating the porpoise schools to the south and southwest. Inshore action also provided some topnotch yellowtail catches." Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was mostly sunny in the mid-80s, with variable water color best to the southwest and water temperatures from as low as 67 degrees up to 71 degrees outside 10 miles to the southwest. The best tuna counts were found 25 to 40 miles southwest of Cabo. "Feathers were the hot ticket for the tuna and all colors produced well," Edwards said.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet Sportfishing at Cabo San Lucas reported record numbers of striped marlin released by Pisces boats during the peak October 2007-January 2008 season mostly on the Pacific side banks with a total of 4,061 striped marlin landed and 98.4 percent released. "In February, I traveled to Miami to receive awards for our captains from The Billfish Foundation," Ehrenberg said. "Roberto Sandez, formerly of our boat Rebecca and now aboard the Valerie, was awarded top captain for releasing the most striped marlin worldwide, and Edgar Rentaria, now aboard the Libre, won the award for most shortbilled spearfish released worldwide. Pisces deckhand Luis Cota worked with both of these captains and was recognized also with the top mate award. Of course we are thrilled and very proud of our winning crews." In slowing action during February 2008, a total of 254 striped marlin were landed. "This pattern is actually quite normal for Cabo San Lucas although generally in the month of March," Ehrenberg said.

February dorado catches were so unusually low at 27 fish, they were actually outnumbered by mako shark at 34. Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather in the second week of March 2008 was clear, with some windy days and the water temperature averaging 69 degrees. For the first week of March 2008, Ehrenberg reported just 12 percent of Pisces charters releasing striped marlin, 58 percent landing yellowfin tuna of 15 to 30 pounds, with release counts of up to 40 tuna per boat, and 26 percent with dorado of 15 to 30 pounds. Fleet boats fished 22 to 40 miles offshore on the Pacific side and around the tip of Baja into the Sea of Cortez as far northwest as Chileno, in water temperatures averaging 68 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 15 outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter fishing boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 2 striped marlin, 1 wahoo of 80 pounds, 85 yellowfin tuna of 15 to 25 pounds, 2 boats with limits of yellowfin tuna, 2 yellowtail of 20 pounds, 21 sierra of 5 to 7 pounds, and 1 boat with 12 more sierra.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Mike Connolly of the Pisces Fleet charter boat Falcon reported continued slow striped marlin action for offshore Cabo sportfishing boats but good results on smaller yellowfin tuna. Exceptional catches reported by the Cabo fleet included a 400-pound class blue marlin landed Tuesday by the boat Vaquero on a tuna school about 25 miles south of land's end, an 80-pound wahoo landed and another blue marlin lost by the boat Kathey Too, and a 400-pound class broadbill swordfish lost about 8 p.m. by the Valerie. Another swordfish of about 250 pounds was lost after 3 1/2 hours by the boat Dalriada. "Yellowtail have also been biting well along the rocky beaches on the Pacific side and at the arch," Connolly said. "David Graham of Cabo and Belfast experienced a wide-open bite on Rapalas west of Cabo San Lucas with his top fish over 40 pounds."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Todd Hochstedler of Got Caught Fishing at Cabo San Lucas said recent catches by the charter boat Fish Dogs with Capt. Fausto Acevedo and first mate Roberto Almos included a broadbill swordfish landed on the Cortez side by angler Tim Price of Indiana. Other outings by the boats Fish Dogs, Caught Again, and Got Caught produced double-digit counts of up to 38 yellowfin tuna, up to 12 yellowtail, and 3 dorado, plus bonita, skipjack, and sierra.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Ramon Druck of the Cabo San Lucas charter sportfishing super panga Cheer's reported on 5 outings during the week with a total of 12 anglers, for a catch including released fish of: 71 sierra of 3 to 5 pounds, 27 bonito of 5 to 7 pounds, more bonito of 8 to 9 pounds, and 6 yellowtail of 6 to 8 pounds. The Cheer's fished with trolled live bait and Rapalas, light tackle, and fly fishing tackle on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas at Hotel Finisterra, Faro Viejo, and Sunset Beach in water temperatures of 70 to 73 degrees and some windy sea conditions. One run to the Las Margaritas spot offshore, Pozo de Cota, and El Migriño produced 16 yellowtail of 6 to 10 pounds. Anglers fishing aboard the Cheer's included Al Trask, Charlie Trask, Gwyme Cleveland, Pete Mammery, and Bob Pezda, all of Canada, Andrew Panbi and Arianne Marsengal of California, Renee Shnttack of San Francisco, Miguel Hernandez of Mexico City, Matt Christians, Tom Smith, and Von Bobbett.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Grant Hartman of the Baja Anglers Cabo San Lucas fly fishing guide service reported good inshore action on fly and light spinning tackle for abundant sierra, plus roosterfish, mixed jacks, and snappers. Doing well on sierra was first-time fly fishing angler Rick Walls of Houston, Texas. "Rick wanted to try fly fishing," Hartman said. "We went out of the marina and I taught Rick how to cast, strip, and fight the fish. Rick was a heck of a fast learner and ended up catching a ton of sierra mackerel on the fly."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: For the previous week ending March 9, 2008, George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported Pacific side water temperatures as low as 64 degrees near shore, 66 degrees at the Cortez side Gordo Banks, and up to 72 degrees about 30 to 50 miles southwest of the arch. "The striped marlin catch remained slow this week," Landrum said, "but there were plenty of the football-size yellowfin tuna to be found on the edge of the warm water at 30 to 50 miles with a few fish pushing 40 pounds." Inshore fishing continued productive for good counts of sierra and smaller yellowtail.

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 37 combined La Playita fleet sportfishing pangas fishing out of San Jose del Cabo's Puerto Los Cabos marina, with a catch including released fish of: 19 huachinango or true red snapper, 215 yellowtail, 106 Mexican bonito, 32 amberjack, 31 sierra, and 16 cabrilla. Red snapper were feeding deep on pelagic red crabs and good action for yellowtail was found by some pangas. "Early in the week the yellowtail were found off Palmilla Point, mainly small firecracker sizes up to 6 or 8 pounds," Brictson said. "But by midweek this bite slowed almost to a standstill and fleets were once again heading north to the Iman or San Luis areas to see what they could find." The San Jose del Cabo fishing area had good numbers of vacationers present but not many fishing. Baja fishing weather was generally near-perfect in the high-70s, with some north winds and water temperatures ranging from about 66 degrees near shore to about 72 degrees from 30 miles outwards.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: San Jose del Cabo species fishing specialist John Snow reported slow action generally, as 4 outings on the panga Salome produced no major game fish species and 3 surf fishing sessions were hampered by big waves. A total of 105 fish were caught or observed, including 22 species. Four new species caught or observed included the freshwater channel catfish, spiny star, toothed halibut, and a black tilefish. Snow noted the remarkable list of species in his fishing records shown caught from a single spot near San Jose del Cabo known as Roca de Patrick: argus moray eel, banded wrasse, bigeye croaker, blue bronze chub, bullseye pufferfish, bumphead parrotfish, burrito grunt, concentric stingray, Cortez chub, Cortez grunt, Cortez rainbow wrasse, Cortez round ray, dog snapper, emerald wrasse, finescale triggerfish, flag cabrilla, flatiron herring, gafftopsail pompano, giant hawkfish, giant Mexican needlefish, graybar grunt, green jack, Guineafowl pufferfish, jack crevalle, jewel moray eel, jumping halfbeak, ladyfish, largehead morray eel, largemouth blenny, Latin grunt, leopard grouper, longfin croaker, Mexican goatfish, Mexican hogfish, Mexican night sergeant, orangeside triggerfish, Pacific needlefish, Pacific sierra, Pacific stargazer, Panamic green moray eel, Panamic sergeant major, reef cornetfish, roosterfish, round stingray, shortfin humpback grunt, spinster wrasse, spottail grunt, spotted boxfish, sunset wrasse, tinsel squirrelfish, whiptail stingray, white grunt, yellow snapper, yelloweye croaker, yellowfin croaker, and zebra moray.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported warming weather in the East Cape fishing area, with sunny days in the mid-80s and water temperatures at 66 to 70 degrees, but angler activity still down. "East Cape weather has definitely turned a corner but still, there were not many boats out fishing," Graham said. Inshore fishing produced sierra and skipjack tuna, locally called "white bonita," and boats running outside caught a few dorado and yellowfin tuna. "Certainly not a bonanza," Graham said. East Cape beach fishing produced sierra plus some small jacks and roosterfish, and a few ladyfish. Yellowtail and pargo continued for boats running north to Punta Perico near La Paz.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: East Cape tin boat angler Torrance Eddy, 67, of Buena Vista reported on a fishing trip with his mother Barbara Eddy for a catch of bonita and sierra. "Yes, there is an older son too," Eddy said. "We left the beach near the Pemex station at about 8 a.m. and took a quick run down to just south of the Rancho Buena Vista reef, and we picked up our first sierra there. We then headed up the coast and found large schools of surface jack crevalle just north of the San Bartolo canyon in water about 200 feet deep. These 'toro' were not interested in biting but among and below them were some bonita and sierra. We picked up 2 more sierra and one bonito." All fish were caught with 4.5-inch or 5.5-inch silver-black or silver-blue Rebel Jointed Fastrac lures trolled at 5 to 6 m.p.h., Eddy said. "We called it a morning and were back on the beach by 11:30."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Simon Cazaly of the Vista Sea Sport East Cape diving service reported on a dive straight off the beach at Buena Vista where sea life sightings included a school of bigeye jacks. "It was a little murky as we were so close into shore, maybe 10 to 15 feet deep," Cazaly said. "When a sea lion passed right in front of my face I almost jumped out of my skin! Three of them danced around us for a few minutes before we had to make our way back in."

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing reported calming winds and seas on the Las Arenas side south of La Paz and good action for yellowtail found by his pangas working Punta Perico on the Baja shore and also at both the north and south ends of Isla Cerralvo. "We also have pargo lisa at Isla Cerralvo and sierra at Las Arenas," Hernandez said. "Bait is abundant at both Punta Perico and around the island. La Paz weather is good in the 80s, with the nights in the 70s." Few anglers were present at La Paz, but those fishing had good action. "They went home very happy," Hernandez said. "We're hoping news of the good fishing brings more of them to this part of Baja."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International said pangas fishing out of Ensenada de los Muertos south of La Paz continued to score good yellowtail counts just off Punta Perico. "It's been the yellowtail honey hole for a month-and-a-half now and the fish continue to be quality at 20 to 40 pounds and 2 to 8 fish per boat," Roldan said. "The bite seemed to get even better last week. They are eating live bait in relatively shallow water. I have no idea how long this will last." Other species caught along the beach included roosterfish, jack crevalle, and bigeye jacks. "These are making for some great fun on light tackle," Roldan said.

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Jim Anderson of San Bruno said, "Spring has definitely sprung. There is a noticeable change in the weather as things really start to warm up." Santa Rosalia fishing area weather was at 80 degrees, with water temperatures on the Isla San Marcos yellowtail bajos at 61 to 62 degrees and good yellowtail action found on afternoon tidal currents. "Low tides are happening early in the morning and there has been some real yellowtail activity in the afternoons with fish on the surface eating everything in sight," Anderson said. Live bait continued scarce as yellowtail were hooked throughout the water column. A local Mexican panguero reported a 100-pound grouper landed and several more broken off in the rocks. Spotted bay bass and goldspotted bass were very active for boats fishing inshore as the spring season approached. "The plants are blooming, the wind is dying, and you do not need 5 layers of clothing to go out fishing in the morning," Anderson said. "We think things are definitely looking up."

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Catalina Meders of the Title Company Bookstore overlooking Bahia de San Felipe said the week's weather was "sinfully perfect" in the mid-70s, with relative humidity at 50 percent, as anticipated crowds for the Baja 250 race and the spring break season were not arriving in town. "Many people at San Felipe are commenting on the strange emptiness of the town," Meders said. "Considering that the Baja 250 starts tomorrow, normally there would be so many vehicles and people in town at this point that you wouldn't be able to hear yourself think. There are some people here but nothing like in past years. People tell me that there are lots of racing people out at Pete's Camp and Playa de Oro but the usual Malecon crowd is ominously missing. It'll be interesting to see how many folks show up for Semana Santa. Everyone is hoping for a huge crowd but the price of gasoline is prohibitive. It's averaging $60 each way to San Diego with no end in sight. This is bad news for a town that depends on driving tourists. We can only keep a positive attitude and keep on truckin'."

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

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ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: Shawn Gustafson of Chandler, Ariz., reported on 2 days of lively multi-species fishing in good pre-spring sea conditions out of Rocky Point aboard his boat Murphy Girl with Bill Biebesheimer of Minnesota and Dave Karle of Pennsylvania for a combined catch with live baits on offshore reefs to 50 miles out of: 2 gulf grouper of 35 to 40 pounds, 1 leopard grouper of 15 pounds, 4 white seabass of about 15 pounds, 1 red snapper, 1 yellowtail of about 20 pounds, 1 baqueta of about 12 pounds, 3 ocean whitefish, 2 croaker, lots of goldspotted bass, and a few scorpionfish and lizardfish. "What a variety!" Gustafson said. "Along the way we saw dolphins, but for some unknown reason not a single whale." Another outing the following day with Tim Larson of Minnesota and Gene Sandoval of Tucson, Ariz., found difficult winds and currents, rough seas to 6 feet, and a catch of just 2 white seabass and a few goldspotted bass. "What a difference one day makes!" Gustafson said. "I never heard a single complaint the whole day and was thankful to have a hardy crew."

ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: Ric Felder of Glendale, Ariz., noted that he's caught a good number of the unusual, unidentified bass with markings seeming to resemble both spotted bay bass and goldspotted bass that were reported earlier at Rocky Point. "I have caught quite a few of them over the years fishing out of Puerto Peñasco," Felder said. "They are found in the same depths and areas as the goldspotted bass. I have never picked one up shallower than 200 feet deep. They have many similarities to goldspotted bass and spotted bay bass but do not look exactly like either. My guess is it's a hybrid between a goldspotted bass and either a pinto cabrilla or spotted bay bass. If you notice the spots right around the fish's tail, it looks like the spots are pretty big which makes me believe it's more likely a cross between a goldspotted bass and pinto cabrilla than the spotted bay bass. We catch quite a few Panama graysbys around Rocky Point and it's definitely not one of those."

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Capt. Fernando Almada of Catch-22 Sportfishing at San Carlos reported a very hot afternoon bite found by the charter boat Rubina for 14 yellowtail of 18 to 25 pounds at the south end of Isla San Pedro Nolasco after a slow morning and a lucky call from the boat Bob-a-Roo. Fishing earlier in wind and fog had produced just 1 more yellowtail at 24.6 pounds plus a few small bottom fish and a red snapper. "At about 2.45 p.m. we decided to try the south end of the island for one very last drift," Almada said. "We got a call from the Bob-a-Roo who was 200 yards from us saying the fish were biting where they were. We headed there and as soon as we dropped our jigs we had a double, next drop another double, next drop a triple, and so on. A slow morning turned into a spectacular afternoon." The Rubina fished about 250 feet deep in water at 62 degrees with Almada and anglers Alex Liogon, Gabriel Larios, Iram Castelo, and Pepe Ramirez.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: In show offshore action including 4 days with no catches for the fleet, Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 26 Aries Fleet charter boats fishing out of Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, with a catch including released fish of: 1 yellowfin tuna, 44 skipjack tuna, and 1 mako shark. Six inshore super pangas had a catch of: 7 baqueta, 12 lora, 4 corvina, 5 triggerfish, 3 cabrilla, 2 pargo, 10 lengua, 1 conejo, and 4 roncacho. "Mazatlan offshore fishing has nearly come to a standstill this week," Edwards said. "Unfortunately, the yellowfin tuna that were milling around the area have departed and left a vacuum, creating long, hard fishing days for Mazatlan passengers and crews." Mazatlan fishing area weather was mostly sunny in the low-80s, with cooler water temperatures inshore at 66 degrees and offshore at 68 degrees.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Stan Gabruk of Master Baiters Sportfishing & Tackle reported steady action north off Sayulita for Puerto Vallarta sportfishing boats. "If you were anywhere near Sayulita this week you were in the chips," Gabruk said. "This past week it's been the place to be." Sportfishing runs to the Sayulita area included spring breakers Ryan Bailes, Ryan Thomas, Naralie Walker, Leanne Forestiere, Brent Hargrave, and Davis Walker aboard the charter boat Terminal Blues who cast live bait into boils about 20 miles out and returned with a mix of dorado, football yellowfin tuna, and jack crevalle. "This group boated their fish on light gear hitting the afternoon bite," Gabruk said. Some boats reported marlin and tuna offshore at Roca Corbeteña and mixed pelagics outside of El Banco. The Islas Marietas and El Morro areas produced jack crevalle, bonito, sierra, mixed snappers, pompano, and occasional sailfish.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Gomez of Dhamar Sportfishing reported on a trip by the charter super panga Dhamar for a catch at the outside banks of 3 yellowfin tuna and 3 dorado of 35 to 50 pounds. "We fished clear out to the banks," Gomez said. "The water condition was a little green but 75 degrees." Fishing aboard the Dhamar were anglers Mike Egan and his trip partner Jim from Chicago, Ill.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said, "Blue water is somewhere way off Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, with no real definition of how far out, but clean fishing water is encountered at 12 miles and is producing a few fish." Ixtapa fishing boats averaged less than 1 sailfish per outing, but scored a steady 1 dorado per boat at 25 to 40 pounds. Yellowfin tuna were seen in 3 areas. Capt. Santiago on the charter panga Gitana scored 5 tuna while fishing 18 to 22 miles out and the panga Mirada landed a 90 pounder. One blue marlin was weighed at the dock at a little over 400 pounds. Ixtapa fishing area weather was in the mid-90s, with mostly calm winds and water temperatures at 80 to 84 degrees.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported water temperatures in the Ixtapa fishing area at 75 to 76 degrees inshore and up to 83 degrees beyond 50 miles out as boats caught some yellowfin tuna of mostly 20 to 30 pounds outside 30 miles. Few boats were fishing. Inshore catches were steady for jack crevalle, sierra, and skipjack tuna. Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the low-80s, with some large swells.

Loreto Mexico Fly Fishing Photo 1

YELLOWTAIL PENDING RECORD--Pre-spring yellowtail fishing came to life last week for boats fishing at Loreto and the action included this 25 pounder, a pending women's 16-pound tippet fly fishing record, landed by Dotty Ballantyne, shown with Capt. Abel Davis of Loreto's Baja Big Fish Company. The current record is 8 pounds 6 ounces. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAM BOLLES.

Loreto Mexico New Bar Owners Photo 1

NO NAME BAR--Capt. Francisco Muñoz, right, and his son Chuy are opening a new bar at the downtown store of Loreto's Baja Big Fishing Company and they are asking for suggestions for the bar's name. Name's may be submitted at the website, www.bajabigfish.com. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAM BOLLES.

Ensenada Mexico Sandbass Fishing Photo 1

CALICOS TOO--Vonny's Fleet panga regular Brian "Calico" Foley fished at Ensenada's Punta Banda on the panga Vonny I with Capt. Beto for limits of sandbass like this plus a good count of calico bass of 4 to 5 pounds and 1 calico of 7.5 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

San Quintin Mexico Bottom Fishing Photo 1

SAN QUINTIN QUALITY--With a great catch of good-sized bottom fish including red rockcod and lingcod are, from left, San Quintin sportfishing Capt. Juan Cook of Don Eddie's Landing, Mo Shamout, Hani Shamout, and Ryan Rawson. They fished on the Don Eddie's charter boat Sofia. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARITA MELVILLE.

Bahia Asuncion Mexico Small Airplane Photo 1

Bahia Asuncion Mexico Cultural Center Photo 1

BAJA FLY-BY--Briseyda Arce, niece of Shari Bondy at Bahia Asuncion's Baja Bed & Breakfast, about to take her first-ever airplane ride with Phil Olsen of Oregon who recently fished at Bahia Asuncion with his wife Gretchen for mixed rockcod, sheephead, and whitefish. Below, the new sports and cultural center of the rapidly growing Baja Pacific coast town of Bahia Asuncion. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHARI BONDY.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Panga Fishing Photo 1

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Pelican Photo 1

CABO SIERRA SEASON--Inshore sierra led the fish counts as the winter fishing season came to an end at Cabo San Lucas and Gwyme Cleveland, left, and Charlie Trask hooked this pair aboard the Cabo charter panga Cheer's with Capt. Ramon Druck. Below, Renee Shnttack of San Francisco gets acquainted with a friendly pelican about to decorate the outboard motor cover during a run for 21 sierra by her group aboard the Cheer's last week. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Fly Fishing Photo 2

FLY FISHING 101--Fast learner Rick Walls of Houston, Texas, got a quick lesson in fly casting and stripping from Cabo San Lucas fly fishing guide Grant Hartman of Baja Anglers and scored a good catch of sierra on his first outing. They fished on the Cabo charter boat Flying Fish IV. PHOTO COURTESY OF GRANT HARTMAN.

Jumping Dog and Porpoise Photo 1

WHAT IS IT?--This unknown species was caught on the internet last week as it jumped with porpoise, and possibly with yellowfin tuna in the good school-sized ahi bite now happening off the coast of southern Baja.

San Jose del Cabo Mexico Cabrilla Fishing Photo 1

BAJA SUR CABRILLA--This nice cabrilla or leopard grouper was yo-yoed up last week off San Jose del Cabo's Punta Palmilla during a Gordo Banks Pangas trip by Capt. Chame Pino that also scored good numbers of firecracker yellowtail for Pino's clients. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON.

East Cape Mexico Fishing Photo 1

REBEL TROLLIN' MOM--Barbara Eddy trolled Jointed Rebel Fastac lures out of Buena Vista for a catch of sierra and bonita with her son, East Cape tin boat angler Torrance Eddy, 67. They fished along the Baja coast from the Pemex station northwards to the San Bartolo canyon. PHOTO COURTESY OF TORRANCE EDDY.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 1

HOT ON YELLOWS--This winter's run of quality yellowtail at La Paz continued last week as some fish into the 40-pound class were scored by Las Arenas side pangas fishing at Punta Perico and Isla Cerralvo. Here, Deal Tanner, left, of Huntington Beach, Calif., shows off a great rack of fish caught with Capt. Rigo Lucero of Tortuga Sportfishing. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

Mexico Toothed Halibut Photo 1

ANOTHER BAJA SPECIES--New fish species caught or observed by San Jose del Cabo species fishing specialist John Snow included this toothed halibut, Cyclopsetta querna, about 6 inches long. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN SNOW.

Santa Rosalia Mexico Small Boat Fishing Photo 1

SAN MARCOS BAJO--A flotilla of sportfishing boats found yellowtail from the surface to the bottom in good sea conditions at the famous 110 bajo of Isla San Marcos last week near Santa Rosalia. "The boats are from San Lucas Cove, San Bruno, Santa Rosalia, Punta Chivato, and Mulege," said Jim Anderson of San Bruno. "You can tell that none of the other areas are producing well when everyone makes the run to the bajos of San Marcos Island. I counted 15 to 16 boats at any given time in the area." PHOTO COURTESY OF JIM ANDERSON.

Rocky Point Mexico Fishing Photo 3

Rocky Point Mexico Fishing Photo 4

NORTHERN CORTEZ GROUPER--Bill Biebesheimer with a nice gulf grouper caught during an offshore run out of Rocky Point at the north end of the Sea of Cortez aboard Shawn Gustafson's boat Murphy Girl. The trip also produced a big variety catch including red snapper, yellowtail, croaker, baqueta, goldspotted bass, scorpionfish, and ocean whitefish. Below, Shawn Gustafson with a nice Rocky Point white seabass caught aboard the Murphy Girl. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHAWN GUSTAFSON.

Rocky Point Mexico Fishing Photo 2

ROCKY POINT TACOS--With a very good eating huachinango or true red snapper, left, and an almost as good cabrilla or leopard grouper, is Ric Felder of the Rocky Point boat End of the Line. Felder also landed white seabass, whitefish, and goldspotted bass while fishing about 40 miles out. PHOTO COURTESY OF RIC FELDER.

Rocky Point Mexico Fish Photo 1

ROCKY MYSTERY BASS--The unidentified bass species caught of out Rocky Point and described by Ric Felder of the boat End of the Line looks something like a cross between a goldspotted bass, a spotted bay bass, and perhaps a sandbass or pilotfish. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE AUDITORE.

San Carlos Mexico Yellowtail Fishing Photo 1

San Carlos Mexico Red Snapper Fishing Photo 1

San Carlos Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SAN CARLOS AFTERNOON--Alex Liogon and his group had a slow morning at San Carlos with Capt. Fernando Almada at Isla San Pedro Nolasco aboard the Catch-22 Sportfishing charter boat Rubina, but they came back with this great late afternoon catch of 14 yellowtail following a call from the nearby boat Bob-a-Roo. Below, Liogon with a real nice San Carlos true red snapper or huachinango, and Almada working a stiff spinning rig aboard the Rubina. PHOTOS COURTESY OF FERNANDO ALMADA.

Puerto Vallarta Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SPRING BREAK FISHING--With a nice catch of mixed dorado, tuna, and jack crevalle from Puerto Vallarta's Sayulita fishing area aboard the Master Baiter's Sportfishing & Tackle charter boat Terminal Blues are spring breakers Ryan Bailes, Ryan Thomas, Naralie Walker, Leanne Forestiere, Brent Hargrave, and Davis Walker. PHOTO COURTESY OF STAN GABRUK.

Ixtapa Mexico Fishing Photo 1

Ixtapa Mexico Fishing Photo 2

IXTAPA SAILFISH--Sandy Thomas of Alaska with a sailfish about to be released during a trip out of Ixtapa Zihuatanejo aboard the charter boat Gaby while fishing with Capt. Margarito Romeo and first mate Adan, right. Below, Gary Thomas with a nice Ixtapa bull dorado and Capt. Luis Maciel of the charter boat Gringo Loco. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAUL PHILLIPS.

Big Dog Photo 1

BAJA FISHING BUDDY?--This friendly pup's photo was being circulated around the internet last week with the suggestion that he needs a new home as there are no more robbers left to eat in his neighborhood. With recent widespread concerns about highway safety in northern Baja, perhaps he might make a good fishing partner for someone with a big, big tin boat. No 13 footers, please! PHOTO COURTESY OF LARRY EDWARDS.

Baja Mexico Fishing Hat Photo 1

HAT BITES DUST--"Mexico Fishing News" editor Gene Kira's Baja hat finally spilled the beans last week after logging many miles in Baja and Mexico's mainland coast. Minerva Saenz of Cabo San Lucas' famous Minerva's Baja Tackle Store promised a replacement. PHOTO COURTESY OF GENE KIRA.

Baja coastal fishing reports and articles.

Ensenada fishing reports and articles.

Puerto Santo Tomas fishing reports and articles.

Erendira fishing reports and articles.

San Quintin fishing reports and articles.

Magdalena Bay fishing reports and articles.

Cabo San Lucas fishing reports and articles.

San Jose del Cabo (Los Cabos) fishing reports and articles.

East Cape fishing reports and articles.

La Paz fishing reports and articles.

Loreto fishing reports and articles.

Mulege fishing reports and articles.

Santa Rosalia fishing reports and articles.

Bahia de los Angeles (L.A. Bay) fishing reports and articles.

San Felipe fishing reports and articles.

Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) fishing reports and articles.

San Carlos (Sonora) fishing reports and articles .

Mazatlan fishing reports and articles .

Puerto Vallarta fishing reports and articles.

Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing reports and articles.

Huatulco fishing reports and articles.

Cancun fishing reports and articles.

Mexico coastal fishing reports and articles.

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