La Paz yellowtail close, big and hungry;

Mazatlan offshore fishing ultraslow for March

Mexico Fishing News, March 24, 2008

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz said north winds blew early in the week but didn't stop the very good south side yellowtail run near Punta Perico. "The wind hasn't slowed the fishing down," Hernandez said.

"The whole area around Punta Perico and Isla Cerralvo is covered with yellowtail and sardina bait. The beaches are very busy and anglers are happy to stay in the good action there. We have no need to go farther out. The fishing is good right here. We invite all anglers to come and try this good fishing right now at La Paz."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of La Paz' Tailhunter International said, "Those big fat yellowtail are still on the chew off Muertos Bay with more big fish in the 20 to 40-pound class. Fish of this quality don't normally start showing up until about April or even May. The better yellowtail bite is usually north of La Paz, at the north end of Isla Cerralvo, around Isla Espiritu Santo, and at El Bajo. But these big forktails have decided to park themselves right off Punta Perico in shallow water. The area is pockmarked with terraced channels that go from about 10 to 100 feet with schools of fish swimming parallel to the shoreline. The fishing is not complicated. Pin a bait on and drift it down."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Kevin Libby of Huntington Beach reported a 42-pound yellowtail caught by his brother-in-law Travis Edsil while fishing aboard Libby's boat Mucho Pescado. "This was his first trip to La Paz and he hooked into his first yellowtail," Libby said.

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 mixed bottom fish limits or near limits on squid bait for all charter pangas fishing at the tip of Ensenada's Punta Banda last week, plus a total of 4 yellowtail to 25 pounds on aluminum surface jigs caught on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"This week was very good for bottom fish," Villarino said. "We had some nasty weather earlier, but by Monday we were out fishing again." Anglers scoring good counts of lingcod, red rockcod, mixed bottom species, and yellowtail with Capts. Beto and Hector on the pangas Vonny I and Vonny II included Rich Kubota and his daughter Kristy of San Diego, Calif., Garry Griffin and his group from Minnesota, Ricardo Rosales and Martin Crowe of Los Angeles, Calif., and calico bass specialist Brian "Calico" Foley of Ensenada who deigned not to bring in a mere yellowtail and let Capt. Beto do it. "Brian didn't want to fish yellowtail," Villarino said. Ensenada fishing area weather was cloudy in the mornings, with sunny afternoons in the mid-60s, light winds, ocean swells of 3 to 4 feet, and water temperatures at Punta Banda averaging 56 degrees.

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: Sam Saenz of Puerto Santo Tomas Resort south of Ensenada said spring season fishing activity picked up in the Puerto Santo Tomas area. "Melissa Hicks and Brian Sward from San Diego brought a group of high school students and went out fishing in 2 pangas," Saenz said. "They came back within 4 hours with lots of bottom fish, catching lingcod, whitefish, and rockcod." No surface action was observed in the Punta Santo Tomas area, Saenz said.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Brian Bunting of Huntington Beach, Calif., reported "some real nasty conditions" during an outing from San Quintin the previous week with Capt. Hector of Pedro's Pangas, but fishing by his group of 4 anglers producing some nice lingcod and calico bass. "We were able to chum up some nice ling and bass with some dinner from the night before," Bunting said. "After fishing we brought our fish to the Jardines Restaurant down the road for an excellent meal. The drive down to San Quintin was quick and easy, with a deserted road. The Old Mill area looked like a ghost town." Fishing out of San Quintin with Bunting were anglers Steve Loughery, Lawrence Loughery, and Gorge Higgie, all of Huntington Beach.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Keith Williams of Redondo Beach, Calif., reported on his group trip to San Quintin with members of the King Harbor Yacht Club, fishing on Capt. Jamie Garcia's panga with angler Tom Shaffer 2 days in good sea conditions on local spots between the boca and Isla San Martin for a good load of quality lingcod and red rockcod. "This year Mother Nature and the fish gods treated us to spectacular weather and fishing," Williams said. "Bait was plentiful in the bay. We fished some of Jaime's secret spots that he had dialed in on his GPS. We loaded up and were back to the Old Mill by noon both days." Baja driving conditions were good during the trip. "Our group caravanned down from Redondo Beach with no incidents to report. We had clear sailing from the border on down," Williams said. "Baja norte was in full bloom with the wild flowers. In all my years traveling down Baja, I’ve never seen anything like it. The fields and hillsides were lit up in many colors."

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Alex Edwards of San Diego, 2007 Bisbee's winning captain aboard the boat Angel & the Badman II, reported on skippering a run from Santa Barbara, Calif., down the Baja coast to Cabo San Lucas aboard the boat Medusa from the last week of February through the first week of March, with good fishing results for yellowfin tuna to 25 pounds on Pacific banks outside Magdalena Bay and closer to Cabo San Lucas. "At Cabo I was primarily fishing around 25 miles below the Jaime bank, working a warm edge of water coming up the line," Edwards said. "I also worked an area outside of the Magdalena Bay entrada. The bite got so ridiculous that I took the hooks off the rigs to possibly get a striper in the pattern. Down in Cabo it seems everyone is crying the blues, but we put 20-plus tuna on the boat before I put the brakes on. We found 2 kelp paddies with around 200 dorado on them, and we worked the paddies for over an hour and no hotel boats even bothered to look in our direction. I cut the boys off after hanging more than 20. After that I glassed and we found 11 stripers including a pack of 6. I hung one of the 6 tailers and got the hook back. What a cool pack of fish. The next day we hooked the biggest striper that I have ever seen. I have some good video and this fish easily topped 250 pounds. I drove on this fish for 2 hours before we got it to leader and it was the toughest striper I have ever seen. The trip in October with Angel and the Badman II was probably the most memorable not only because I won the Bisbee's. It was because the trip down was so cool. I brought down guys that have never been and they caught fish of a lifetime. So when everyone gets down on fuel prices and the price of owning a boat, I just have to say go south and use your boat. Fuel is half the price and slips are getting more affordable."

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said boats in the Magdalena Bay fishing area were kept inside by windy conditions most of the week. "The few boats that did venture outside the San Carlos boca found some breezing schools of small yellowtail just a few miles beyond the entrance," Graham said. Boats fishing inside the Magdalena Bay mangrove channels caught steady spotted bay bass and a few halibut. Magdalena Bay fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the high-80s, with water temperatures of 62 to 70 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet Sportfishing at Cabo San Lucas reported 76 percent of charters landing a total of 563 yellowfin tuna of 15 to 35 pounds, 25 percent releasing striped marlin, and 23 percent with dorado. "Thank goodness for the tuna, they were a saving grace this week and we are thankful that they are still in the Cabo San Lucas area," Ehrenberg said. "It's still slow for marlin. The squid continue to increase, with marlin feasting upon them. Even our anglers got in on the action with some catching up to 35 squid in a day in the 25 to 40-pound class." The top billfish outing for the week was by the charter boat Bill Collector for 2 striped marlin. Pisces boats fished mostly the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas, in some windy conditions that pushed some boats to the Cortez side, and water temperatures averaging 67 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO:Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 47 sportfishing trips by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo San Lucas charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, with a catch including released fish of: 2 striped marlin, 30 dorado, 43 Humboldt giant squid, 4 yellowtail, 10 bonito, and 154 yellowfin tuna.

"Yellowfin tuna were again the main catch at Cabo San Lucas," Edwards said. "Dorado counts improved a bit. An interesting twist was the daylight catch of the giant Humboldt squid. Billfish counts were again very slow." Cabo San Lucas sportfishing area weather was generally good in the high-80s, with cooler and off-colored water around land's end at about 66 to 67 degrees and a pocket of cold water at 61 to 63 degrees located about 20 miles to the south. Supplies of mackerel live baits plus some caballito remained good as boats targeted tuna with feathers, skirted heads, and cedar plugs.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO:Michael Connolly of the Pisces Fleet charter boat Falcon said many boats were fishing for giant squid tight to Cabo San Lucas. "I can see the huge fleet at the arch, about 60 boats," Connolly said. "It is all calamari, big squid, with some nice yellowtail every so often. Billfish remain a rare catch with lots of skunks. I mean nada, zero, nothing. I hope there is no connection between the dearth of marlin and the latest longline regs. That stupid Norma shark thing with the commercial fishing limits at 15 miles is still in effect."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO:Ramon Druck of the Cabo San Lucas sportfishing panga Cheer's reported on 2 outings during the week with a total of 3 anglers, for a catch including released fish of: 18 yellowtail of 6 to 15 pounds, 2 roosterfish, 3 Humboldt giant squid, 4 sierra of 4 pounds, and 7 bonito of 6 to 7 pounds. The Cheer's fished along the beaches on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas with yo-yo jigs and trolled Rapalas in water temperatures of 70 to 72 degrees and mostly good sea conditions with some light afternoon wind. Anglers fishing aboard the Cheer's included Richard Gregory and Jeff McGuiness of Seattle, Wash., and Gary Shuth of British Columbia.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO:Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing reported on 12 outings by the Cabo San Lucas sportfishing boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 75 yellowfin tuna of 20 to 25 pounds, 2 dorado of 25 pounds, and 1 Humboldt giant squid of 50 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO:George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported winds whipping up "sheep farming" conditions on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas at the end of the week. "Everywhere you looked there were whitecaps and swells that had kicked up to 4 to 6 feet with a few larger ones," Landrum said. "As a result of the wind and the strong California current there was a band of very cool water, down as low as 59 degrees right at the lighthouse. It almost made me expect albacore tuna!" Striped marlin action remained slow as football tuna filled out the fish counts for Cabo San Lucas sportfishing boats. "As a result of the wind more boats fished on the Cortez side of the cape and around the warm water south," Landrum said. "Inshore, there was a giant school of small yellowtail found on the Pacific side at Los Arcos early in the week. Thank goodness the wind kicked up, as there may be some of them that escaped to reproduce. There were a lot of the captains that limited their clients to only a couple of these for dinner, then took off to look for larger fish. They care about the future of the fishery here."

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas reported on 59 combined La Playita sportfishing pangas out of San Jose del Cabo's Puerto Los Cabos marina, with a catch including released fish of: 154 yellowtail, 9 giant Humboldt squid, 18 huachinango or true red snapper, 235 Mexican bonito, 3 hammerhead shark, 14 cabrilla, 17 yellowfin tuna, 8 roosterfish, 27 amberjack, and 128 sierra. On Sunday, the local increment of the Baja California Sur Governor's Cup fishing tournament was held at Palmilla beach with nearly 50 boats up to 28 feet competing and a 28-pound yellowtail winning $5,000 for first place angler James Rosenwald of Minnesota fishing with local Capt. Antonio Guluarte. "Rosenwald, who has been on an extended visit to southern Baja, benefitted by his local knowledge and his planned strategy of concentrating on the rock piles north of Punta Gorda and using yo-yo iron jigs," Brictson said. "It proved to be right on the money." San Jose del Cabo fishing area weather was in the high-70s, with variable winds, cool water temperatures at 64 to 68 degrees, and the whale watching season still at its peak.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: John Ireland of Rancho Leonero reported calm conditions in the East Cape fishing area, with seas flat on Thursday, water temperatures at 67 to 68 degrees, and unseasonably cool weather. "The late winter is causing slower than usual fishing at East Cape," Ireland said. "Outside fishing has been slow, but inshore is another story with an early showing of roosterfish and almost all of the typical close to the beach fish species available. Sierra, pargo, cabrilla, and jacks are all biting. We have been catching nice yellowtail to 40 pounds daily. There is a lot of bait inside, which should really help the fishing as the water warms." Yellowtail of 20 to 40 pounds were caught off La Ribera and the Punta Arena lighthouse. Just 1 striped marlin was caught during the week, in 73-degree water about 40 miles out.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported East Cape fishing area weather in the high-80s, with moderate winds earlier in the week, water temperatures at 66 to 73 degrees, and some early morning roosterfish and jack crevalle to 20 pounds caught while crashing sardina schools close to shore from Punta Pescadero to El Cardonal. "Warmer water, less wind, and bait also attracted a mix of sierra, pargo, and pompano," Graham said. Sierra and skipjack tuna or "white bonito" were also caught inshore to the south from La Ribera to Punta Colorada. Offshore boats caught scattered dorado around Bahia de las Palmas and boats running north to Ensenada de los Muertos continued to find larger yellowtail plus pargo and jacks.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Jeff deBrown of The Reel Baja fly fishing guide service said afternoon north winds were calming. "The forecast is for it to be very nice for the next 3 to 4 days," deBrown said. Beach fishing at East Cape produced a morning sierra bite ending by about 8 a.m., and some roosterfish were seen. "I was able to tease in a school of about a dozen roosterfish all in the 20-pound class for my guest the other day but he missed the shot. We also have the occasional ladyfish and jack along the beach," deBrown said. A panga outing produced sierra and roosterfish to 25 pounds, plus ladyfish and some jacks at about 10 pounds. Offshore East Cape fishing remained tough, with some dorado reported outside 30 miles and yellowtail for boats running north.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the week ending March 13, 2008, Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 35 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 98 anglers and a mixed species catch including released fish of 187 fish. East Cape fishing area weather was in the low-80s, with water temperatures of 63 to 74 degrees. "We’re still seeing mostly white bonita with several sierra and yellowtail mixed in," Moyers said. "White bonita, at 132 fish, led the way, with anglers reporting action off Punta Perico to the north and Cabo Pulmo to the south." For the week ending March 6, 2008, 60 anglers on 21 boats reported 174 total fish in water temperatures of 61 to 72 degrees, with steady north winds blowing.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: East Cape tin boat angler Torrance Eddy said he received 2 reports from different local fishermen for yellowtail in the 40 to 50-pound class. "I saw 3 of them yesterday and they were on the order of 4 feet long, all caught by Elias Aguilar, 2 by live sardina and 1 by yo-yo jigging at 7 a.m., 1 to 1.5 miles southeast of Punta Pescadero in 150 to 200 feet of water," Eddy said. "Last year, I heard of only a few yellowtail caught. This year, we're either seeing more or I'm just beginning to notice. I had 3 small yellowtail on today all on 5.5-inch silver-and-black Rebel Fastracs. They weighed 4 to 6 pounds and were caught a few hundred yards off a little cluster of houses about 4 miles south of Punta Pescadero." Eddy also noted that he has caught 43 of 57 fish species listed in the Rogues' Gallery fish identification section of the Baja fishing guidebook The Baja Catch. "I have caught 21 of them in the last 2 years using Rebel Fastracs only," Eddy said. "Almost all of those not caught are not found here at East Cape."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Simon Cazaly of the Vista Sea Sport diving service at East Cape reported on a trip to the Cabo Pulmo marine park for sea life sightings including very heavy concentrations of jumping mobula manta rays. "We’ve just had an unbelievable day here on the East Cape," Cazaly said. "All of us were just blown away by how many of these beautiful creatures there were. They blocked out any light from the surface. There was barely room for the water. One of my experienced divers said in 40 years he had never seen anything like it and probably would never see anything like it again." Other sightings in cool 68-degree water at depth included: bottlenose dolphin, humpback whales, balloonfish, guitarfish, diamond stingrays, normal and golden phase leopard grouper, yellow snapper, and dog snapper.East Cape.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Bill Erhardt of Loreto reported spotty, up-and-down yellowtail fishing for local boats. "We have whack-a-mole yellowtail in Loreto," Erhardt said. "Yellowtail action remained generally slow last week with schools of fish appearing for a day or two throughout the Loreto fishing area. Fish cruising the area are spooky and quickly driven down by boats running and gunning to the boils." Erhardt said Arturo's Sportfishing pangas fishing 35 miles north of town at the San Nicolas fish camp found the most consistent yellowtail counts but fishing was still chancy. "I made a trip north to Punta Pulpito and Isla San Ildefonso before a north wind closed down fishing for the rest of the week," Erhardt said. "When I arrived late at the bajo after slow work jigging up mackerel for bait one at a time from 400 feet, there were already 12 or 13 pangas and 2 gringo boats on the bajo with several bent rods. An hour later, before I had a single bite, the bite turned off. I motored north to Isla San Ildefonso and caught 2 yellowtail before whales and porpoise moved into the area and the fish disappeared. I returned to Pulpito before noon and found that all the other boats had moved elsewhere. Stops at 2 other bajos on the way back to the marina yielded nothing." Surface water temperatures at Punta Pulpito were at 66 degrees, 5 degrees cooler than at Isla Catalana the previous week.

LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company said persistent north winds dogged boats in the Loreto fishing area and the good yellowtail action reported earlier at La Cholla slowed down. "Our expected full moon phase springtime transition winds have started," Bolles said. "The nice yellowtail bite off La Cholla and Tintorera shut down due to increased sea surface temperatures. I imagine that when the surface calms down again, we may likely see the yellowtail bite again off La Cholla and Tintorera, because the winds will cool the water temperatures there." In good action earlier, angler Craig Dargatz had a 3-day catch with Baja Big Fish Company's Capt. Eulogio Davis Sanchez of: 16 yellowtail, 7 leopard grouper, and 3 spotted cabrilla.

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Jim Anderson of San Bruno south of Santa Rosalia reported spring-like conditions in the low-80s, with intermittent winds, water temperatures at 61 to 62 degrees, and very good yellowtail fishing on the Isla San Marcos bajos as 1 outing produced release action on 9 fish in the 25 to 30-pound class. "I had a Mexican sportfishing limit of 5 in the boat in around 20 minutes and released 4 more fish in short order before everything shut down as quickly as it started," Anderson said. "The season change is on us and sea life is responding to the changing temperatures. We saw finback whales that were up on the surface splashing and finning. On the days that the wind slowed down enough to let us get out on the bajos, things were wild to say the least. There are a lot of fish in the area right now and they seem to have large appetites. My first flylined bait was picked up as soon as it hit the water and that pace went on for the next 45 minutes or so. It was probably a good thing that they slowed down or I would have really been sore." Good numbers of tourists were present on beaches in the Santa Rosalia fishing area for the Semana Santa and Easter holidays.

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

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ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: Shawn Gustafson of Chandler, Ariz., reported on another good bottom fishing trip at Rocky Point aboard his boat Murphy Girl, this time in generally slow conditions, but with a catch of 2 gulf grouper of 55 and 60 pounds plus 2 more big fish lost to rocks. Fishing earlier in the day in some wind and swells to 6 feet, the Murphy Girl missed on its first drift, but then found a good spot. "We put some bass in the bait well and headed towards the 16-210 reef," Gustafson said. "No luck. At the second reef, on our first drop, all 3 guys were hooked up simultaneously with big fish. It was pandemonium with 3 rods doubled over at once. I was relieved to finally get some quality fish." Fishing the previous day out of Rocky Point produced slow action for a few spotted bay bass, goldspotted bass, croakers, and 1 large scorpionfish. "Several boats had returned from the deep water reefs with good catches of goldspotted bass, white seabass, a couple of red snappers, sheephead, and a 70-pound black sea bass," Gustafson said. "Although our fishing was slow, the weather at Rocky Point was beautiful and the abundant sea life was putting on quite a show. There were several finback whales, huge pods of dolphin chasing schools of bait, and hundreds of sea gulls, bluefooted boobies and terns diving. There were sea lions basking in the sunshine. It was a marvelous day for sightseeing." Also fishing aboard the Murphy Girl were Todd Stribling and Chris Burton of Phoenix, Ariz.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Jon Jen Charters of San Carlos reported on a run out to Isla Tortuga by the charter boat JonJen II with Capt. Abel Anaya for no fish in an area of jellyfish the size of basketballs on the west side of the island, followed by 5 yellowtail and 4 more yellowtail lost in good afternoon action on the northeast corner of the island. "With the bite coming late, the fishing got hot, having a fish on on every drift," Jon Jen Charters said. "The island is really rocky, big boulder types, so it's easy to break off." Fishing aboard the JonJen II were anglers Ross Splitt and Craig Splitt of Colorado.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 19 Aries Fleet offshore charter boats fishing out of Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, with a catch including released fish, in continued very slow conditions, of: 1 striped marlin, 8 yellowfin tuna, 7 dorado, and 1 mako shark. Ten inshore super pangas had a catch of: 42 lora, 2 jack crevalle, 10 baqueta, 2 sierra, and 14 snappers. "Is was another difficult offshore fishing week," Edwards said. "Mazatlan had cooler water and streaked color and current conditions." Mazatlan fishing area weather was in the mid-80s, with light breezes, cool inshore water at 62 to 63 degrees, and green water offshore at 66 to 67 degrees.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Gomez of Dhamar Sportfishing reported on 4 outings at Puerto Vallarta by the charter super panga Dhamar with angler Josh Evans, fishing inshore 3 days for a catch of 6 pargo, 1 bonita, and 2 jacks, and running offshore to El Banco 1 day for 5 yellowfin tuna of 40 pounds, 2 dorado, and 2 dog snapper. "The tuna at the banks are starting to feed up on top again," Gomez said. "The water was at 77 degrees at El Banco so there are fish on this side."

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said warm clear water was located about 10 to 30 miles out from Zihuatanejo and yellowfin tuna averaging about 30 pounds were centered about 16 miles out. "A few sailfish, dorado, and blue marlin are also being taken, with the yellowfin tuna really getting active," Kunze said. Capt. Cali of the charter boat Aloha reported raising 5 sailfish and 1 blue marlin during 2 outings with fly fishing client Robert Hoy. Capt. Margarito reported schools of jack crevalle in the 20-pound class 5 miles off the beach. Good numbers of humpback whales and sea turtles were being sighted. Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the mid-90s, with water temperatures cool inshore but 80 to 84 degrees offshore.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: John Mensik of Phoenix, Ariz., reported on 2 days of fishing aboard the charter boats Vamanos II and Vamanos III with his son Jake Mensik for a dorado landed by Jake the first day and no fish the second day. On the second day, Mensik said, "The sea was basically devoid of fish. We did not see any other fish at all the whole 16 hours out on the water. We saw lots of whales, 7 of them, and more sea turtles than I have seen in my life, 22 turtles in 2 days. The turtles were so thick we hit one with the prop at one point. It felt like hitting a floating log. It is kind of weird that we have been able to conserve and restore the turtles, but we still see billfish taken to the dock and little left in the sea. We had a great boat, a great flat sea, a green sea for the most part, and I just wish there were more fish around."

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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MEXICO: Lynn Hamman of Loreto relayed a news report attributed to the Sudcaliforniano newspaper of Baja California Sur about an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt in Loreto. Describing the abduction of a 14-year-old boy at Loreto, the report said, "He had offered a ride to someone. He was driving up on the highway. Somehow the kidnapper connected with 4 others, one a woman. They called his father and demanded 300,000 pesos. The father called the police. They set up roadblocks and about 5 p.m. they caught them, not very far from Loreto. The 270,000 pesos which the father was able to get together was found on these people, minus 1,000 pesos. Good work of the police. Big message, do not pick up hitchhikers."

La Paz Mexico Yellowtail Panga Fishing Photo 1

Ensenada de los Muertos Mexico Fishing Photo 1

LA PAZ YELLOW ALERT--Yellowtail fishing on La Paz' south side has gone from good to real good in the last couple of weeks and Sarah Galloway ran into some hog-sized forkies while fishing with her dad Jack Jay Galloway on a panga with Tailhunter International's Capt. "Jefe" Victor. They were down from Alaska on their first-ever trip to La Paz. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

La Paz Mexico Yellowtail Panga Fishing Photo 2

LA PAZ BIGGIES--As winter turned to spring, La Paz' good south side yellowtail bite got serious on big fish last week. Here are Tortuga Sportfishing panga Capts. Jorge Lucero, left, and Rigo Lucero with a couple of forkies in the 40 to 45-pound class caught close to the launch beach at Ensenada de los Muertos. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

La Paz Mexico Fishing Photo 1

FIRST-EVER YELLOWTAIL--Travis Edsil made his first trip to La Paz, got into this year's good bite, and hooked this nice first-ever yellowtail while fishing on his brother-in-law Kevin Libby's boat Mucho Pescado. The forkie was scaled at 42 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN LIBBY.

Ensenada Mexico Fishing Photo 1

ENSENADA HOME GUARD--Panga anglers fishing at Ensenada with Vonny's Fleet last week enjoyed bottom fish limits plus a steady pick of quality home guard winter yellowtail like this nice rack of 22 to 25-pound fish hooked on surface aluminum jigs by Martin Crowe, left, and Ricardo Rosales. They fished with Vonny's Fleet's Capt. Hector Zamora on the panga Vonny IV. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

San Quintin Mexico Fishing Photo 1

San Quintin Mexico Fishing Photo 2

Baja Mexico Spring Wildflowers Photo 1

QUINTIN FISH COUNT--Keith Williams, shown at San Quintin's Old Mill fish cleaning station, and his group from the King Harbor Yacht Club found great weather conditions, early spring wild flowers blooming along Baja's Mex 1 Transpeninsular Highway, and good bottom fishing out of San Quintin with local Capt. Jaime Garcia. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEITH WILLIAMS.

San Quintin Mexico Fishing Photo 1

TOUGH SEAS CATCH--Brian Bunting, right, and his group did some impromptu "chumming" in rough sea conditions off San Quintin during their fishing trip with Capt. Hector of Pedro's Pangas, but they still caught enough for a great fish dinner prepared that night by San Quintin's Jardines Restaurant. With Bunting are, from left, Steve Loughery, Lawrence Loughery, and Gorge Higgie. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN BUNTING.

Baja Mexico Grouper Fishing Photo 1

Baja Mexico Striped Marlin Fishing Photo 1

BAJA RUNNER--Bisbee's winning captain Alex Edwards with a nice grouper caught offshore of Magdalena Bay during a cruise down the Baja peninsula on the boat Medusa. Fishing southwards toward Cabo San Lucas produced good action on tuna, dorado, and striped marlin near the San Jaime Bank. Below a striped marlin estimated at over 250 pounds leadered during Edwards' run south on the Medusa. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALEX EDWARDS.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Yellowtail Fishing Photo 1

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Roosterfish Fishing Photo 1

CABO LOCAL PANGA--Gary Shuth of Canada fished close to the tip of Baja California aboard the Cabo San Lucas charter panga Cheer's with Capt. Ramon Druck for a good catch of sierra, bonito, and 6 of these yellowtail at 6 to 8 pounds. Below, Richard Gregory of Seattle with a release-size Cabo San Lucas roosterfish caught aboard the Cheer's. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Swordfish Photo 1

BAJA BROADBILLS--Among the several broadbill swordfish landed at Cabo San Lucas in recent weeks was this one by angler Tim Price, center, of Indiana, fishing aboard the Got Caught Fishing charter boat Fish Dogs with first mate Roberto Olmos, left, and Capt. Fausto Acevedo, right. PHOTO COURTESY OF TODD HOCHSTEDLER.

San Jose del Cabo Mexico Fishing Photo 1

PALMILLA YELLOWTAIL--Brian Brictson, 11, son of Eric Brictson of San Jose del Cabo's Gordo Banks Pangas, shows off a nice 20-pound class yellowtail that he caught on a trolled blue mackerel Rapala off Punta Palmilla with friend Janet Redar of Indiana. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON.

East Cape Mexico Jumping Manta Ray Photo 1

East Cape Mexico Jumping Manta Ray Photo 2

East Cape Mexico Jumping Manta Ray Photo 3

East Cape Mexico Jumping Manta Ray Photo 4

MANTAS FROM HEAVEN--Matt Mowen's dive trip to East Cape's Cabo Pulmo corral reef with the Vista Sea Sport dive service produced plenty of underwater sea life sightings plus this spectacular flying display by thousands and mobula manta rays surrounding the boat. Vista Sea Sport's Simon Cazaly called it "an unbelievable day." PHOTO COURTESY OF SIMON CAZALY.

Loreto Mexico Panga Fishing Photo 1

PUNTA PULPITO YELLOWTAIL--Capt. Talpa Martin Davis shows off a yellowtail caught by one of his clients fishing out of the Arturo's Sportfishing Camp at San Nicolas north of Loreto last week. Anglers at the camp are faring better than those fishing close to Loreto this spring as yellowtail action has been generally slow. PHOTO COURTEY OF BILL ERHARDT.

Loreto Mexico Yellowtail Fishing Photo 1

Loreto Mexico Yellowtail Fishing Photo 2

LORETO SPRING FISHING--Some good fish counts were scored in the Loreto fishing area during mid-March in typical spring-like up-and-down conditions. Here's Craig Dargatz, left, with Baja Big Fish Company's Capt. Eulogio Davis Sanchez, who went out fishing together 3 times for a catch of 16 yellowtail plus spotted cabrilla and leopard grouper. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAM BOLLES.

Rocky Point Mexico Bottom Fishing Photo 1

Rocky Point Mexico Boat Marina Photo 1

ROCKY POINT FISHING--Shawn Gustafson, center, Todd Stribling, left, and Randall Burton landed these 55 and 60-pound gulf grouper during bottom fishing out of Rocky Point aboard Gustafson's boat Murphy Girl. Fishing the previous day produced just a few bass and mixed bottom species. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHAWN GUSTAFSON.

Isla Tortuga Mexico Fishing Photo 1

AFTERNOON BITE--A late bite at the northeast corner of remote Isla Tortuga produced good yellowtail action for the charter boat JonJen II out of San Carlos, Sonora, with Capt. Abel Anaya and anglers Ross and Craig Splitt. Five forkies were landed on 9 hits over a boulder-strewn bottom. PHOTO COURTESY JON JEN CHARTERS.

Ixtapa Mexico Fishing Photo 1

SLOW-DAY DORADO--John Mensik and his son Jake found slow conditions during their fishing trip to Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, but did manage this nice dorado aboard the charter boat Vamanos III. A second day of fishing on the Vamanos II produced nada. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN MENSIK.

Ixtapa Mexico Dorado Fishing Photo 1

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO DINNER--Keith Paul, left, had a good session on the Zihuatanejo sportfishing charter boat Gringo Loco with first mate Philipe, right, also captain of the boat Maui-Maui, and regular Gringo Loco Capt. Luis Maciel, for a 3-day catch of 10 football tuna plus this nice dorado kept for dinner. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL PHILLIPS.

Ixtapa Mexico Crocodile Photo 1

CROCODILE FISHING HOLE--One of the famous Zihuatanejo crocodiles digests its last meal beside a small estero during John Mensik's recent fishing trip with his son Jake Mensik. The signs warn visitors not to get too close, and it might be assumed, especially while walking their pet Chihuahuas. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN MENSIK.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES