"Loco" white seabass fishing for Ensenada pangas;

Loreto's dorado party keeps on jumping

Mexico Fishing News, July 21, 2008

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: Vonny's Fleet charter pangas fishing at Ensenada's Punta Banda scored big white seabass all week long in an amazingly consistent bite of 1 to 5 fish of about 37 to 50 pounds, plus the usual mixed bottom fish, halibut, and 1 yellowtail of 25 pounds.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime run," said Vonny's Fleet's Ivan Villarino, whose family helped settle the old Punta Banda area. "This is absolutely the best white seabass bite in 14 years for Ensenada."

Many white seabass were caught on the Ensenada-made surface aluminum jigs that are a mainstay for Vonny's Fleet captains fishing for yellowtail.

White seabass counts for some Vonny's Fleet pangas fishing during the week with Capts. Beto, Hector, and Vicente included: Jorge Taylor of Rancho La Bufadora with 3 white seabass of 46 to 48 pounds; Mario Mejorada and friend of Mexicali with 5 white seabass at 38 to 47 pounds; Dan Irvin and Jim Elliot of Lakeside, Calif., with 2 white seabass of 35 and 37 pounds; Jay Johnson of Ensenada with 1 white seabass of 48 pounds; Clayton Barnett, Rob Barnett, and Tyler Hazlett of Temple City, Calif., with 5 white sea bass of 40 to 50 pounds; Brian "Calico" Foley of Ensenada with 2 white seabass of 38 and 40 pounds; and Joe Mead of San Diego, Calif., with 1 white seabass of 38 pounds.

Ensenada fishing area weather throughout the week was mostly sunny in the mid-70s, with light winds, ocean swells at 2 feet, and the water temperature at Punta Banda averaging 62 degrees.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Steve Ross of the Ensenada sportfishing boat Bad Dog at Marina Coral reported an offshore run in generally spotty conditions but with a good fish count of: 12 albacore, 2 bonito, and 1 blue shark released. "The game plan was developed from 976BITE reports," Ross said. "All the fish were caught on trolled lures, nothing from throwing live bait. We began fishing in 66.9-degree water at the 385 fathom spot with a group of tuna seiners, but soon after we arrived they disappeared. By noon I had traveled through the deep water between the inner banks and the 295 fathom spot to 73.8-degree water and our first albacore. We got a double albacore jig strike at 1 p.m. and another at 2 p.m. This area housed 12 San Diego party boats, all stopped with hooked up anglers.

"My wife Gail reeled up a 38-pound toad albacore, and for the grand finale at 7:30 p.m., and 50-plus miles from home, five jigs got bit in honor of the sundown, but as luck would have it, 3 got off. We returned to our Marina Coral slip at 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning."

Offshore Ensenada fishing conditions were calm, with winds under 5 knots.

Ross described the lures trolled by the Bad Dog. "Daisy chains ruled over single lures," he said. "All the lures were 7-Strand tuna clone feathers. These fish were hungry with empty stomachs. The two best colors were Zucchini and Carrot Top. On some paddies we chummed heavy. On one stop we chummed for ten minutes, sending a constant flow of bait down, but nothing came up. We caught not one fish on bait."

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Louie Prieto of Ontario, Calif., reported on a Baja trailer boat run to Ensenada with his boat It's 4 Reels!, launching at Maria Coral for an offshore albacore run and a catch of: bonito found 2 to 3 miles off La Bufadora on the way out, a spinning rod kelp paddy yellowtail of 11 pounds caught about 10 miles out, porpoise but no bites at the 500 spot, and 3 albacore on 6 hookups about 10 miles farther out. "We didn’t find the volume of fish we were hoping for but we had a great time out there," Prieto said. "For anyone looking for bonito, there is tonnage of them in front of La Bufadora, along with the squid, dolphins, and pilot whales." Mike's bait barge was selling good sardines at the Ensenada harbor.

Prieto also noted a speeding ticket given to him at the Mirador curve on the Ensenada toll road. "I got pulled over by the Mexican Federales as we rounded the corner near Salsipuedes," Prieto said. "The sign was 60 k.p.h. and he showed me that I was doing 84 on his radar gun. He was very professional and polite and showed me that I can pay online. It should be no more than $20 for the infraction. Remember to slow down around that area."

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Sammy Susarrey of Lily's Fleet Sportfishing at Ensenada said he was back from an extended stay at Cabo San Lucas and was opening the six-pack summer season for the 40-foot Tamara and 33-foot Amigo charter boats, both berthing at Marina Coral. Information, lilyssportfishing@hotmail.com, 619-307-8980.

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: For the previous week, Capt. Kelly Catian of K&M Offshore Sportfishing reported continued good offshore fishing for boats out of San Quintin. "Fishing is the best it's been in years," Catian said. "We're catching albies, yellowfin, bluefin, dorado, and yellowtail on the troll, bait, and jigs. It's all working."

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Jim Heath of Roseville, Calif., commented on his previously reported stay at Bahia Asuncion's Baja Bed & Breakfast and fishing with Capt. Juan Arce of Arce Bros. Sportfishing for a catch that included a 10-pound sheephead on 12-pound test line. "We caught lots of calicos and my son got the sheephead on a very light bass rig which by rights should not have been in the boat," Heath said. "It was touch-and-go for about 10 minutes but he very carefully kept the fish off the rocks and Juan actually backed down on the fish with the boat. That’s gotta be a first, backing down on a sheephead!"

Heath noted Baja Pacific coast water temperatures at Bahia Asuncion still cool. "The yellowtails have not turned on," he said. "Warmer water is just south and north of the bay so this should change soon. We saw lots of halibut being caught off the short town pier by kids so the shore fishing should be getting good any day now. We stayed in one of Shari Bondy’s houses and Shari cooked up the sheephead into a great caldo that night as everyone gathered around for stew, music, and one of those great Baja evenings that makes the trip all worthwhile."

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported Magdalena Bay fishing area weather in the mid-100s, with water temperatures of 60 to 76 degrees. Fishing in the Magdalena Bay mangrove channels produced lots of small corvina for kids on the new Puerto Lopez Mateos boat ramp dock, and boats running offshore reported tuna, wahoo, and dorado in warming water temperatures. The recent Magdalena Bay segment of the statewide Governor's Cup fishing tournament had 13 boats, 35 adults, and 30 children entered.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet Sportfishing at Cabo San Lucas reported 32 percent of the week's charters releasing billfish, and 68 percent landing billfish, dorado, and tuna combined. "There weren't a huge number of anglers in Cabo San Lucas this week," Ehrenberg said. "This is a shame, as blue marlin are starting to show up at Cabo and some notable catches were had." Blue marlin reported during the week included a 425 pounder landed by the Pisces charter boat Ruthless and another marlin at about 500 pounds brought in to the Cabo dock. "The feeling is that with the onset of hotter weather, Cabo fishing should be wide-open within the next 15 days," Ehrenberg said. During the week, Pisces boats landed a total of 10 striped marlin, 1 blue marlin, and 2 sailfish. Dorado were caught mostly in singles to nearly 50 pounds, and boats reported up to 7 tuna per outing in the 15 to 40-pound class. Inshore boats did well on roosterfish and jack crevalle, plus some grouper and bonita.

Ehrenberg noted that Pisces Fleet has opened an office at the Puerto Los Cabos marina at San Jose del Cabo. "We are now getting firsthand reports of what is happening over there," she said. " In San Jose there were lots of red snapper from 12 to 25 pounds caught at San Luis and they have had some encounters with blue marlin."

Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was humid and hot, with partly overcast skies, calm sea conditions, and water temperatures averaging 81 degrees.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: For the week ending July 10, 2008, Ehrenberg reported 28 percent of charters releasing billfish, 38 percent landing dorado, and 21 percent with yellowfin tuna. In combined billfish action, Pisces boats landed 17 striped marlin, 1 blue marlin, and 1 sailfish, with all of them except for 1 striped marlin released. Ehrenberg noted the delayed appearance of warm water this year, as the season's first Pisces Fleet blue marlin, at 220 pounds, was released by the charter boat La Brisa. "It has been a bit of a strange week," Ehrenberg said. "We are in mid-July and Cabo San Lucas weather is still cool enough to sleep without air conditioning. Indications are that once Cabo gets really hot temperatures, fishing will take off in a spectacular way." Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was partly cloudy, with mostly calm seas, water temperatures averaging 77 degrees, and the best catches coming from the Sea of Cortez side as far north as Los Frailes.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 32 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo, Fish Cabo I, and Tuna Time, with a catch including released fish of: 13 striped marlin, 11 dorado, 1 wahoo, and 4 yellowfin tuna. "As Cabo San Lucas water temperatures increase, one would think the blue marlin and black marlin fishing would be in full swing but only a couple have been caught," Edwards said. Cabo San Lucas weather was in the high-90s, with warm, stable water at 81 to 83 degrees around the tip of Baja and up to the Gordo Banks on the Sea of Cortez side, as most boats fished around the 95 spot and about 10 miles straight south of the arch.

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: 1 blue marlin of 200 pounds, 4 striped marlin, 11 yellowfin tuna of 10 to 20 pounds, 2 dorado of 10 to 15 pounds, 1 hammerhead shark of 30 pounds, and 2 amberjack of 15 and 40 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Ramon Druck of the Cabo San Lucas charter sportfishing super panga Cheer's reported on 1 outing during the week with 1 angler aboard, for a catch including released fish of: 5 roosterfish of 6 to 7 pounds, and 1 small skipjack. The Cheer's fished with trolled Rapalas and live baits off the Hotel Solmar and Faro Viejo on the Pacific side in water temperatures averaging 74 degrees, hot weather and good sea conditions. "We had very slow fishing," Druck said. "But weather conditions were good."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: For the week ending July 13, 2008, George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing at Cabo San Lucas reported spotty action for striped marlin and yellowfin tuna, but slightly better counts on dorado, in Cabo fishing waters warming to 76 to 77 degrees on the Pacific-side banks and up to 80 to 84 degrees on the Sea of Cortez side. "It was a spotty fishing week for striped marlin," Landrum said. "A few Cabo San Lucas boats were able to get one or two fish but many had trouble finding marlin willing to eat. One boat managed to catch a blue marlin weighed at 350 pounds on the API scales. A few other blue marlin were seen in the same area outside Punta Gorda. Most of the yellowfin tuna were in the 25 to 40-pound range."

Cabo San Lucas fishing area weather was in the low-90s, with some humidity and cloud cover, and generally good sea conditions. "Cabo San Lucas weather was about as good as you could wish for at this time of year," Landrum said. Live baits available at the downtown Cabo marina were mostly caballito with some mullet mixed in, at $3 per bait. Sardina baits were available from pangas at Punta Palmilla at $25 per scoop.

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 56 combined La Playita fleet pangas fishing out of San Jose del Cabo's Puerto Los Cabos marina, with a catch including released fish of: 98 roosterfish, 9 rainbow runner, 36 amberjack, 66 yellow snapper, 28 huachinango, 3 sailfish, 1 blue marlin, 14 striped marlin, 41 dorado, 7 yellowfin tuna, 42 bonito, 6 dogtooth snapper, 19 pompano, 15 sierra, and 44 jack crevalle. Brictson noted the early appearance this year of tropical weather systems making their way northward along the Mexican Pacific coast. "Tropical storm activity continues surprisingly active for this early in the summer," Brictson said. "Off southern Mexico we have Tropical Storm Fausto developing, but fortunately it is projected to follow a more western course, keeping it a safe distance from Los Cabos. With the warming water temperatures now in the low-80s conditions are ripe for hurricane development. For the sake of local businesses already hurting from the poor economy we hope these storms continue to stay away."

Los Cabos fishing conditions continued to stabilize as the summer developed, but with green color out to about 5 to 15 miles. "In the middle of July and we are still waiting for conditions to become more stable," Brictson said. "Offshore action is showing signs of more life."

La Playita sportfishing panga fleets found the most consistent action on rock piles near shore. "Drifting or slow trolling live sardina or mullet baits was very effective closer to shore, while retrieving yo-yo iron jigs off the bottom was most productive in depths of 100 to 80 feet," Brictson said.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the first 10 days of July, Christi Jones of Rancho Buena Vista reported on 12 boats fishing, with a catch including released fish of: 12 dorado, 106 yellowfin tuna, 4 blue marlin, and 6 striped marlin. "The number of boats going out fishing has slowed down but we have still been able to find the fish," Bender said. "The water temperature is very warm. The wind has been blowing from the south and we have been fishing off Punta Colorada and Lighthouse Point."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Jody Hawkins of Twin Falls, Idaho, reported on the final part of his month-long trailer boat stay at East Cape, saying, "The last 2 days were great. The water was warm and folks were catching marlin right off La Ribera. On Friday I got a couple of little tuna right off the lighthouse and had a good marlin run-out.

The fishing water was getting cooler to the south so we headed to Punta Pescadero and picked up one nice marlin. On Saturday we went to north to the 88 spot and had 3 really nice marlin shots, but messed them all up. We saw lots of fish and picked up a nice 50-pound class dorado at the 88 spot buoys. It was a really tough ride home though."

Hawkins noted some rough spots on Baja's Mex 1 Transpeninsular Highway during the ride home. "Mex 1 is getting better but we saw lots of widening projects," he said. "Some of the construction between Cataviña and El Rosario is tedious and rough driving right now but will make things great when it's done. Guerrero Negro and Jesus Maria were both out of gas, and I'm glad that had some gas in the boat to make it through. The fellow at the L.A. Bay junction did have some gas for sale in his drums."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly reported on-again, off-again wind during the week as offshore counts were paced by striped marlin, a few blue marlin, sailfish, and dorado, and lots of football-sized yellowfin tuna plus a few tuna into the 40-pound class. East Cape inshore fishing produced roosterfish in all sizes, jack crevalle, pompano, triggerfish, and ladyfish. East Cape fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the high-90s, with water temperatures at 73 to 78 degrees.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: John Ireland of Rancho Leonero reported clear, flat weather a little cooler than normal in the high-80s, with water temperatures of 78 to 80 degrees near shore and 81 to 83 degrees farther out. "Yellowfin tuna schools are both inside and outside," Ireland said. "A large stationary school of tuna is located between the lighthouse and Cabo Pulmo, 4 to 5 miles offshore. It has been producing tuna limits of 10 to 25 pounders, almost all on sardinas. There is lots of fishing pressure on these schools." Top results for the week at Rancho Leonero included 6 outings on the charter boat High Roller with anglers Gary Benes of Aurora, Ill., and Mike Paukstiff of Gilbert, Ariz., for a catch including released fish of: 5 striped marlin, 1 blue marlin, 31 yellowfin tuna to 30 pounds, 1 dorado, 5 roosterfish, 4 skipjack, 17 triggerfish, and 1 pompano.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the week ending July 10, 2008, Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 285 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 849 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 972 yellowfin tuna of 10 to 60 pounds, 7 blue marlin, 94 striped marlin, 2 sailfish, 109 dorado, 2 pargo, 1 amberjack, and 12 roosterfish. East Cape sportfishing area weather was in the low-90s, with water temperatures of 67 to 86 degrees, smooth to moderately choppy sea conditions, and winds of 3 to 15 knots. "East Cape fishing is as good as it has been this year for yellowfin tuna," Moyers said. "The tuna seem to be just about everywhere. The name of the game was simply to find the porpoise and go from there. Many of the tuna are in the 10 to 15-pound class although we did catch some fish between 20 and 60 pounds."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: East Cape beach launched boat angler Torrance Eddy of Buena Vista reported on a run out to 2 miles off Punta Pescadero in rough sea conditions that produced a hard fighting jack crevalle, or toro, meaning "bull" in Spanish, that fought like a larger fish. "The devil made me do it," Eddy said. "It was rough from the first minute but the boat did fine. The toro kicked me up one side and down the other. I thought I had a 40-pound tuna. I caught it on a very large blue mackerel Rapala Magnum and it must have taken me 30 minutes to boat it using 30-pound line. I think that's about what it weighed."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the week ending July 11, 2008, Eddie Dalmau of Van Wormer Resorts reported on 360 East Cape charter fishing boats from Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, and Punta Colorada, with a catch including released fish of: 1,244 yellowfin tuna, 18 blue marlin, 123 striped marlin, 22 sailfish, 87 dorado, 34 roosterfish, 12 cabrilla, 8 pargo, 17 triggerfish, 6 pompano, 16 skipjack, 8 sierra, and 5 amberjack. East Cape fishing area weather was in the mid-90s, with water temperatures at 75 to 85 degrees. "Schools of yellowfin tuna are moving closer to shore," Dalmau said. "They have been mostly football size with fish to over 100 pounds mixed in."

Dalmau noted the 4th annual Van Wormer Resorts Dorado Shoot Out fishing tournament scheduled for July 19, 2008, with the grand prize being a super panga and more than 150 teams expected."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the week ending July 10, 2008, Ana Lizeth Velazquez of Buena Vista Beach Resort reported on 52 boats, with 189 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 2 blue marlin, 31 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 16 dorado, 155 yellowfin tuna, 23 roosterfish, 1 shark, 5 snappers, 1 jack crevalle, 2 triggerfish, and 1 cabrilla. East Cape fishing area weather was in the high-90s, with water temperatures at 79 to 84 degrees. "Fishing distances are ranging from 15 to 35 miles either north, south or east, just decide," Velazquez said.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: James Voelzer of Brush Prairie, Wash., commented on his fishing at East Cape with trolled Jointed Rebel lures as described in The Baja Catch. "I read the narratives about the Rebel Fastrac on the Mexfish.com website," Voelzer said. "I had four silver-blue 4-1/2 inch Rebels that I'd caught roosters on before. I had a young guide by the name of Marcos that wasn't afraid to troll slowly, and my wife and I caught 6 nice tuna. Like the Baja Catch stories, they tore up the lures and I was busy replacing hooks. After 2 days of fishing, I had one badly beaten-up Fastrac left."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Domenic Drago of Del Mar, Calif., reported on 2 outings with his daughter Nicole, 14, fishing out of Cabo Pulmo with Capt. Kiki and his son for catches including 3 yellowfin tuna to 35 pounds, a striped marlin, an amberjack of 14 pounds caught on a yo-yoed jig, and a trolled dorado of 10 pounds. "The winds were up much of the week from the tail-end of tropical storms to the south but laid down nice on Monday for some good fishing," Drago said.

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International at La Paz said dorado led the counts for his pangas on both sides of the hill last week. "The big news of the week is dorado," Roldan said. "Our La Paz panga fleet pushed north and found fish in several areas between Las Cruces in the channel between the peninsula and north Cerralvo Island all the way up to the El Bajo Seamount. There are lots of small fish, but bruiser quality bulls can be lurking anywhere. The largest dorado we scaled this week topped a 50-pound scale and there was no shortage of 30 and 40 pounders.

"For our Las Arena panga fleet, there was lots of variety again with roosterfish along the beaches mixed with pompano and jacks, and offshore, if you hit the right spots, dorado plus billfish and even some breezing tuna and wahoo."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said his charter pangas fishing on the Las Arenas side south of La Paz had some cloudy mornings but without rain during the week and found good numbers of dorado of 30 to 40 pounds on buoys about 15 miles out. "We also found large dorado out at the 88 bank, and smaller ones of 15 to 25 pounds north of Punta Arena de la Ventana," Hernandez said. Black skipjack and small greenjack or cocineros in Spanish were being used for bait at the offshore buoys. "We are finding these baits right at the buoys so we can start fishing early," Hernandez said. "For fishing close to Isla Cerralvo, we're using sardina baits that we find in that area, and we're still catching snappers there, but they are smaller now."

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: This summer's very good Loreto dorado fishing season continued last week as boats found consistent catches of quality dorado mixed with sailfish and marlin within a short run from the downtown marina.

Patty Zapata of Loreto's historic Hotel Oasis reported on 17 pangas fishing out of the hotel during the week, with a combined catch including released fish of: 238 dorado of 25 to 51 pounds, 3 yellowtail of 36 to 38 pounds, and 2 marlin. "The pangas fished east of Isla Coronado and north of Punta Lobos," Zapata said. Loreto fishing area weather was excellent, with no wind, calm seas, and water temperatures of 84 to 85 degrees. "The dorado are now closer to Loreto," Zapata said, "just 5 miles east of Coronado Island. It was another excellent fishing week for dorado at Loreto."

Hotel Oasis anglers Mary Ann Altaffer and Ana Gloria Benziger Pellegrino entered the Fishin' For The Mission tournament and fished in heavy dorado action. "On one of the days, 15 pangas were fishing in the same area north of Coronado Island for Mexican limits and releasing a lot of dorado on both conventional and fly fishing tackle," Zapata said. "They said the dorado were like a long time ago!"

LORETO, MEXICO: Bill Erhardt of Loreto said schools of dorado including some big fish continued to be concentrated northeastwards from the downtown marina. "Smaller dorado can be caught within sight of the Loreto mission," Erhardt said. "If you are out 25 miles you have gone too far. Many seaweed paddies in the area are holding schools of dorado. Conditions are perfect for fly fishermen and many are in Loreto taking advantage of this dorado bonanza."

Marlin and sailfish were becoming more active on the bite. "They are cruising the same area as the dorado and are starting to bite, primarily on live bait, but occasionally also on trolled lures," Erhardt said.

Erhardt's boat Soledad fished 3 days out of Loreto, for several billfish hits but no landings, and about 50 dorado into the mid-30 pound class, mostly released. "Others did catch bigger dorado," Erhardt said. "The largest dorado weighed in at the Fishin' For The Mission tournament, which came off without a hitch last weekend, was a 47 pounder, and there were a number of dorado weighed in over 40 pounds."

Loreto fishing area water temperatures were in the mid-80s, with dorado-holding water often green and dirty. "The dorado were loving it," Erhardt said.

LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Loreto's Baja Big Fish Company said, "Dorado fishing is red-hot off Loreto right now. Some of our anglers are releasing over 30 fish daily. Loreto is having one of its better seasons and dorado are not only plentiful but large. They are mainly being caught on the troll by conventional tackle anglers using mackerel, squid strips, or trolled feathers, and some anglers are also using sardinas." Bolles noted good sargassum weed concentrations in Loreto waters. "It is even inside the marina," she said. "In addition to the plentiful structure floating around, sargasso weed is still anchored on the rocks and will continue to grow and eventually break off, attracting the dorado. Sargasso may continue to hold dorado in the Loreto fishing area through August and September and maybe even October."

Bolles said Loreto's Fishin' For The Mission tournament had over 50 boats fishing for 2 days, with the largest dorado reported at near 50 pounds. "The next fishing tournaments in Loreto will be in September when the local Club Caza, Tiro, y Pesca tournament takes place, and on Sept. 19th-20th for the first annual Loreto Dorado Tournament," Bolles said.

LORETO, MEXICO: Mitch Rose of Hollywood, Calif., said Loreto angler Bob Lahodny returned to the marina last week with a 450-pound class blue marlin and a 60-pound class dorado. "It caused a lot of excitement in the marina when his boat came in," Rose said. "This was his first fishing trip on his new boat, with Capt. Andreas."

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Baja 14-foot aluminum boat angler John Kacinsky of Pleasanton, Calif., reported on the Santa Rosalia of his Baja Catch-style fishing run down the peninsula with his son Colin, including a non-tin boat run to the Isla San Marcos yellowtail bajos aboard Mike Kanzler's boat skippered by Danny "Piojo Loco" Chiquete. "I am using The Baja Catch as a guide and trailering my 14-foot alum down Baja," Kacinsky said. "I fished on Mike Kanzler's boat today with Danny as the captain because Mike is away. We had many hookups and managed to get two 30-pound fish to the boat while fishing off of the island."

At Mulege, Kacinsky said, "This morning we caught just a few small fish because we did not want to go the 15 to 20 miles to where the dorado are. We are leaving in the morning to head south."

And later, Kacinsky reported on the Los Cabos segment of his Baja fishing adventure, saying, "We are in Cabo San Lucas now. Today, Colin and I drove 1.5 hours to Los Frailes on the East Cape. The last 6 miles were on a dirt road. We did our first-ever beach launch. It's not that easy. We made our way to the tuna hole off of Cabo Pulmo where there were 20-plus boats already fishing. Lots of boats were hooked up on live bait. We did not have any, so we tied on a plastic bait that looks just like a mackerel. A yellowfin tuna broke the surface near us so I landed the plastic right on top and was hooked up right then. That was our only fish. We saw a marlin and were hooked up to something for a few seconds on our way back. Two fishermen helped us get the boat onto the trailer and we gave them 4 gallons of gas as a reward."

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

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Fly-in angler Stan Woodward of Manhattan Beach, Calif., reported continued slow local Midriff fishing this season at San Francisquito south of Bahia de los Angeles. "All I can report is heat and humidity," Woodward said. "I did not see a yellowtail or dorado the entire time I was there. Afternoons were windy, enough to keep us on the beach. Two nights were very humid which made sleeping damp and pretty tough. The 'resort' is still operating although two of the previously occupied homes at the south end are now empty."

Woodward said he did see a single yellowfin tuna caught by a boat trolling back to San Francisquito from Isla San Lorenzo. "It ate a Rapala not too far outside the caleta. That's the first one I have ever seen there."

But general fishing conditions continued very slow. "We looked everywhere for fish," Woodward said, "at the point, outside the caleta, the El Barril high spots, and we ran outside 7 to 8 miles to find beautiful water and lots of flyers but no dorado. One morning we caught a couple of small cabrilla along the pebbly beach just south of the Seal Point, but overall it was dismal, and it had been that way for several days before we arrived.

"Several Mexican commercial squid boats from Guaymas anchored outside the caleta while we were there, pulling squid at night.

"The water quit running at the 'resort' over Saturday night which made a smelly mess of all the toilets by early Sunday. The pumps at the well were restarted and water showed by late morning. All the four cabanas were full during our entire stay. Beers were cold and there was ice, but only because we had made special arrangements six weeks ago.

"When we took off at noon Sunday the water temperature in front of the cabanas was 81 degrees, and the air temperature at the planes was 97 degrees."

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Blas Zambrano of Azusa, Calif., commented on his previously reported stay at Daggett's Camp at Bahia de los Angeles with fishing that included the landing of a very large mako shark with Capt. Ruben Daggett. "I stayed at Daggett's Camp, but I only fished one day, because I had no more room for fish," Zambrano said. "I caught 15 yellowtail, 20 triggerfish, a few other species of fish, and the mako shark. I spotted the shark from afar and used a small fish, a roncador or croaker, as bait. I used my 80-pound line with 250-pound wire leader. It took me about 1 hour and 20 minutes to bring the shark in close to the boat. Capt. Daggett then used a big knife to stab it to death between the head and the fin. We tried to bring the shark on board but failed miserably. We then dragged the shark to shore, where we found 5 extra men to help us put it onto a pickup truck."

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Tony Reyes Sr. of Tony Reyes Fishing Tours reported on a 6-day Midriff islands fishing trip by the panga mothership Jose Andres, returning to San Felipe on July 11, 2008, with a fish count taken by crew member Fili Espinoza Montez of: 206 yellowtail of 18 to 40 pounds, 1 grouper of 110 pounds, 1 dorado of 21 pounds, 5 white seabass of 20 to 39 pounds, 136 cabrilla of 8 to 16 pounds, 10 red snapper of 7 to 11 pounds, 1 broomtail of 9.8 pounds, 1 sheephead of 7 pounds, 34 spotted bay bass, 2 shark of 10 and 14 pounds, and 20 miscellaneous fish.

Weekly winners in the season-long Jose Andres fishing tournament were: yellowtail, 40 pounds, Eric Langdon of San Pedro, Calif., guide Roman Carrillo; white seabass, 39.6 pounds, Wesley Landers of Novato, Calif., guide Heriberto Romero; red snapper, 11.7 pounds, Chris Jones of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., guide Brigido Miranda; and cabrilla, 12 pounds, Jon Eley of Mission Hills, Calif., guide Roman Carrillo.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Dana Kerby of Baja Fishing & Diving reported on a 6-day Midriff islands fishing trips by the panga motherships Erik and Andrea Lynn, returning to San Felipe on July 10, 2008, with catches of:

Erik, with charter master Stan Malin and 18 passengers: 152 cabrilla, 361 yellowtail, 1 grouper at 85 pounds, 29 pargo, 188 mixed bass species, and 6 white seabass.

Andrea Lynn, with charter master Rich Guyette and 22 passengers: 158 cabrilla, 402 yellowtail, 3 grouper, 23 pargo, 288 mixed bass species, and 3 white seabass.

Sea of Cortez Midriff fishing locations visited by the Erik and Andrea Lynn included: Suspiro, La Vibora, Bahia de los Angeles, Isla Salvatierra, Cardonoza, Punta Diablo, and Ensenada Grande.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Steven Faure of Riverside, Calif., reported on his panga mothership trip aboard the Andrea Lynn with a catch while fishing with panga Capt. Diego of about 20 yellowtail, 3 cabrilla, and 3 triggerfish. "Jay Hammer and I filled 4 ice chests and gave our guide Diego our excess," Faure said.

SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Jay Hammer of Riverside, Calif., also commented on the trip: "The services were excellent on board the Andrea Lynn. Each room was air conditioned with its own bathroom.

"Because of the tide we got a late start Saturday but arrived Sunday to fish the south point of Isla Angel de la Guarda. As we rounded the point there was nothing but birds all the way to Snake Island. We had unbelievable yellowtail fishing. The hot ticket was trolling pink MirrOlures.

"The next day we anchored in San Francisquito and fished south of El Barril. Here some anglers were surprised with some small female dorado. Then more yellowtail.

"We then moved to Bernabe Rocks where we caught firecracker yellowtail at will, a smaller grade of fish.

"We fished north of Punta Remedios and at Punta Final with little success. One boat caught a couple of roosterfish and on the night bite outside the big bay at San Francisquito we hammered some decent-sized cabrilla right before dusk.

"We moved into the Islas Encantada just north of Isla Salvatierra and we caught a few cabrilla but the grouper were a no-show. We released half-a-dozen totoaba.

"We steamed into San Felipe with a full boat of fish. Bait was easy to make as long as the squid were not around. We did well in front of San Francisquito. The boat sold two cases of the pink MirrOlures, definitely the hot ticket. It out-fished the jigs by far."

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

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ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: Art Pina of Tucson, Ariz., reported 3 grouper of 40 to 55 pounds landed by noon during a run out of Rocky Point aboard his boat Big Daddy as some other boats at the marina also reported good-sized dorado caught. "The main story is that I asked Arturo at the marina how the other fellows did, and he said they caught dorados. I said, yeah, those peanut ones, and Arturo said no, they were pretty big. Then he pulled out these carcasses of 12 dorado. They were 3 to 4 feet long." Rocky Point fishing area weather had some moderate wind, with 2 to 3-foot seas.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Bryan Replogle of San Carlos reported 1 small dorado, 2 skipjack, and a sailfish to save the day during an outing aboard Jim Oakes' boat Highlife. "At 6:30 p.m., the sailfish jumped a hundred yards off our boat," Replogle said. "Thankfully, we spotted the tail and it then came into the spread. Jim caught the sailfish before heading back to Canada for the year."

Replogle also reported 21 boats fishing 2 days in the recent Billfish Blowout Tournament at San Carlos, with 52 sailfish caught the first day and just 7 the second day. "But I did hear of one boat catching 18 sails and 6 dorado on Monday," Replogle said. "Another boat caught 8 sails in a different area, so I guess there are some hotspots out there."

SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Larry Gibbons of Tucson, Ariz., reported on 3 outings by the San Carlos boat No Le Hace with Capt. Juan Tirado for a combined catch including released fish of: 1 sailfish, 1 dorado of 36 pounds, and 1 other good-sized dorado. "The sailfish and one large dorado were caught south of San Pedro Island," Gibbons said. "On Sunday we fished west of Bahia Kino and landed the other nice dorado off the north end of the island."

SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Jon Jen Charters of San Carlos reported local boats fishing in some wind for tuna at 10 and 35 miles out. "Dorado are being elusive but we are starting to find some schoolies and lots of flying fish," Jon Jen said. "We are catching fish every day, but you have to work at it."

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported on 22 Aries Fleet offshore charter boats out of Mazatlan's Marina El Cid, with a catch including released fish of: 7 sailfish, 1 mako shark, and 91 dorado. Eleven inshore super pangas had a catch of: 44 dorado, and 95 triggerfish. "The full moon period has had an effect on Mazatlan fishing and only every third offshore boat was able to land a sailfish," Edwards said. "Blue marlin fishing had been picking up steam but fizzled this week." Mazatlan fishing area weather was mostly favorable in the high-80s, with some clouds, a moderate southern swell, and water temperatures at 82 to 83 degrees. Offshore boats fished a wide area looking for fish, using rigged baits for billfish and live baits or deep running lures for dorado.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Tadeo Hernandez of Flota Bibi Fleet at Mazatlan said dorado fishing improved last week. "Dorado have been caught around the open sea buoys and also randomly," Hernandez said. "The best bait has been skipjack and squid, as well as the all-time favorites, ballyhoo and mullet. The best fishing is 7 to 32 miles off shore." An outing aboard the Flota Bibi Fleet charter boat Paty C. with anglers Anthony Drexler and his family of Monterrey, Mexico, produced a catch of 1 sailfish, 4 dorado or mahi mahi, and 2 skipjack tuna, with Capt. Alex and deckhand Alex Jr.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing at Puerto Vallarta said angler Larry Walker of Dallas, Texas, took first place in last week's Riviera Nayarit Marlin and Tuna Tournament aboard the Marla's charter boat Arca de Noe with a 700-pound class blue marlin hooked at El Banco with Capt. Scott Osuna and deckhand Roberto Osuna. Fishing conditions at El Banco were good with clean blue water at 86 degrees. "Puerto Vallarta fishing this week was great," Osuna said. "There are a lot of small tunas, sailfish, and same dorados biting a few miles off Punta de Mita. For the tunas and marlin, the better bite was at El Banco. A lot of skipjack moved into the main hotspots, so we are expecting to have a great week of big game fishing at Puerto Vallarta."

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Gomez of Dhamar Sportfishing at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, just north of Puerto Vallarta, said his charter super panga Dhamar took fourth place in last week's marlin and tuna fishing tournament with a marlin weighed at 158 kilos. Gomez said the winning angler of the tournament fished with Scott Osuna of Marla's Sportfishing after practice fishing on the Dhamar. Puerto Vallarta fishing conditions offshore were good, with blue water at both El Banco and Roca Corbeteña.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Stan Gabruk of Master Baiters Sportfishing & Tackle at Puerto Vallarta said, "It’s been a strange year at Puerto Vallarta with marlin being boated again this week off Yelapa just a few miles off shore, but El Banco and Roca Corbeteña are still the places to be for blue and black marlin. Sailfish are here as well but don’t forget bottom fishing at the high points at El Banco or the fishing areas with structure at Roca Corbeteña. People almost never change gears mentally to do some bottom fishing for amberjack, rainbow runner, or dogtooth pargo. The islands are also producing nice roosterfish and jack crevalle, and the needlefish have moved in again."

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said about 12 sportfishing boats were running out of Bahia Zihuatanejo per day and averaging just 1 or 2 sailfish each, even though blue water was only 4 miles out and the bite was just 6 miles out. Some yellowfin tuna were also present in the area as fly fishing tackle angler "David" found out with Capt. Martin, formerly of the panga Isamar, aboard his new 35-foot charter boat Nautilus. "When the Nautilus got into position on a school of breaking tuna," Kunze said, "David made a perfect cast and the fly was inhaled immediately, but the 'fight' lasted just long enough to spool his 10WT outfit and snap the rod in half." Another outing with Capt. Martin produced jack crevalle and 3 sailfish raised offshore but without a hookup. Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area weather was humid in the low-90s, with water temperatures of 80 to 84 degrees.

MEXICO COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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MEXICO: Steve Ross of the Ensenada sportfishing boat Bad Dog commented on the current gasoline and diesel fuel shortage on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico international border, and the presumed opportunities for customs violations and other potential problems due to the present very large difference between the high price of fuel in the U.S. and the much lower price in Mexico.

"With the gasoline and diesel shortage created by the Mexican government how much would a tanked-up Suburban towing a boat with at least 100 gallons of fuel be worth in Baja?" Ross said. "The Mexican government is now playing with the law of supply and demand. With lines stacked up at Pemex stations, which are closing due to being out of fuel, the pandemonium has begun in Baja with the locals scrambling for fuel. Marina Coral at Ensenada has instituted their second evolved set of rules for boats, by appointment, with advance warning, and just enough to get you back to San Diego. For big boats, that is a maximum of 300 gallons. For small boats, I'm not sure, but I have jumped in front of boats that have been waiting for 3 days to get their 300 gallons while coming up from Cabo and Mexico.

"Anyone planning on traveling into Mexico needs to consider fuel as a problem. Towing a boat into Mexico right now is more dangerous than ever before due to the large amount of fuel on board. Nothing says "I'm a rich American" better than a boat behind your SUV.

"There are hardly any Americans on the highway, calling attention to the single American on the road.

"Now, who wants to trailer a boat down Highway 1?

"You might as well shoot off flares so that they would be sure not to miss you.

"Whenever Americans get all riled up, the Mexican Government issues statements of increased military presence. For the next week or two I have seen a truck or two with armed soldiers. Then they are gone completely, just like last Friday.

"There is a new dimension Baja and Mexico now, the created shortage of fuels on land and sea."

White seabass fishing at Ensenada, Mexico. 1

CRAZY ENSENADA CROAKERS--Vonny's Fleet pangas fishing at Ensenada's Punta Banda last week got into the white seabass bite of a generation, with consistent catches of 1 to 5 fish per panga. Many were caught on the famous Ensenada-made aluminum surface jigs also used by Vonny's Fleet for yellowtail. Capt. Beto Zamora, showing his notorious "eagle eyes" only, found this nice haul of white seabass to 50 pounds on Tuesday for anglers, from left, Rob Barnett, Clayton Barnett, and Tyler Hazlett. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

White seabass fishing at Ensenada, Mexico. 2

WITH CAPT. VICENTE-- Dan Irvin, left, and Jim Elliot of Lakeside Calif., fished at Ensenada on the Vonny's Fleet charter panga Vonny IV with Capt. Vicente Flores for bottom fish plus this nice pair of aluminum jig white seabass at 35 and 37 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

White seabass fishing at Ensenada, Mexico. 2

VONNY'S PANGA FISHING--Joe Mead fished at Ensenada with Vonny's Fleet's Capt. Hector Zamora for the usual panga load of mixed bottom fish plus this white seabass at 38 pounds. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Albacore tuna fishing at Ensenada, Mexico. 1

NADA ON BAIT--Gail Ross of the Ensenada boat Bad Dog with a nice 38-pound albacore caught a few miles below the 295 spot during a run with husband Steve Ross that produced 12 albacore on trolled feathers but no fish on bait. PHOT0 COURTESY OF STEVE ROSS.

Albacore fishing, Baja California, Mexico.

QUINTIN SUMMER FISHING--Anglers, from left, Jeff Hudson, Jaden Jeter, Justin Jeter, and Charlie Burris with a good summer San Quintin fish count of 14 albacore, 3 dorado, 9 yellowtail, and lots of releases, scored during an outing with San Quintin's K&M Offshore Sportfishing. PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLY CATIAN.

Offshore fishing Baja California, Mexico. 1

Offshore fishing Baja California, Mexico. 2

ENSENADA OFFSHORE RUN--Louie Prieto's trailer boat It's-4-Reels! trolling in flat water out of Marina Coral for scattered albacore between the 500 and 295 spots and a beautiful Baja coastal run back to the marina in excellent conditions. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIE PRIETO.

Offshore fishing Baja California, Mexico. 3

OFFSHORE BAJA FISHING--Anglers, from left, Paul Purcell, Mike Borden, Austin Borden, and Matt Purcell, aboard the Borden's boat Fish Magnet, with part of a good count of 21 albacore and 1 yellowfin tuna caught off Ensenada during a run out of San Diego in the first week of July. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE BORDEN.

Roosterfishing at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

CINCO DE GALLO--Angler K. Bond of Canada fished inshore in generally very slow conditions at Cabo San Lucas last week aboard Capt. Ramon Druck's charter super panga Cheer's but still managed a nice light tackle catch that included 5 of these roosterfish plus a small skipjack. Bond and Druck fished on Cabo's Pacific-side beaches from the Hotel Solmar up to El Faro Viejo. PHOTO COURTESY OF RAMON DRUCK.

Dorado fishing at San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.

REFRIED DORADO?--This 45-pound dorado was landed by Janet Redar of Griffith, Ind., last week during panga fishing with Gordo Banks Pangas' Capt. Marcelino Castillo aboard the charter super panga Refried Dreams. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON.

Amberjack fishing at San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.

PEZ MUY FUERTE--Jim Fleming of Quincy, Calif., with a monster 95-pound amberjack, or pez fuerte, meaning "strong fish" in Spanish, that he hooked at San Jose del Cabo's Iman Bank with Gordo Banks Pangas Capt. Chame Pino while fishing with relatively light 30-pound tackle. "That made his catch even more of an impressive achievement," said Gordo Banks' Eric Brictson. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON.

Marlin release at East Cape, Mexico.

EAST CAPE FISHING--Jason Hummel, right, fished for a week at East Cape's Buena Vista Beach Resort for a catch aboard the charter boat Alegria with Capt. Juan Garcia and first mate Gabriel of 6 striped marlin released, 3 dorado, and 8 yellowfin tuna. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANA LIZETH VELAZQUEZ.

Tuna fishing at Cabo Pulmo, East Cape, Mexico.

CABO PULMO FISHING--Domenic Drago and his daughter Nicole with 2 of their 3 yellowfin tuna landed during an East Cape outing from Cabo Pulmo with Capt. Kiki. The tuna were caught on sardina baits during a fishing day that also produced action on marlin, amberjack, and dorado. PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMENIC DRAGO.

Dorado fishing at La Paz, Mexico.

LA PAZ PANGA FISHING--Sam Mills of Huntington Beach, Calif., with a nice La Paz dorado caught aboard a Tortuga Sportfishing charter panga with Capt. Rigo Lucero. "This dorado is typical of the ones being caught now at La Paz," said Tortuga's Gerardo Hernandez. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

Spear fishing at La Paz, Mexico. 1

Spear fishing at La Paz, Mexico. 2

AMBERJACK FREE DIVING--Free divers, from left, Jeff Saito, Corey Fujita, and Craig Nunokawa with a big catch of amberjack taken during spear fishing without scuba tanks on an outing with Tailhunter International. Below, Nunokawa in action. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JONATHAN ROLDAN.

Dorado fishing at Loreto, Mexico. 1

NICE LORETO DORADO--Mary Ann Altaffer, left, and Ana Gloria Benziger Pellegrino found excellent dorado action out of Loreto's Hotel Oasis last week for lots of fish caught to 47 pounds with Capt. Alfonso Susarrey at Bajo de las Boyas. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATTY ZAPATA.

Blue marlin fishing at Loreto, Mexico. 1

FIRST-OUTING CHARM--Bob Lahodny made his first-ever run aboard his new boat at Loreto and returned to the marina with a 450-pound class blue marlin and a 60-pound class dorado. Said photographer Mitch Rose, "It caused a lot of excitement in the marina when his boat came in." PHOTO COURTESY OF MITCH ROSE.

Dorado fishing at Loreto, Mexico. 2

PICK YOUR FISH--Capt. Paco, left, during a week of dorado fishing at Loreto that scored daily Mexican limits for Tom Hendrickson, right, and trip partner Steven Rolfe of Norco, Calif. Said Rolfe, "You could actually pick the size. We caught many and threw many back. Tom threw back a dorado of about 40 pounds. Crazy. Capt. Paco put us on fish every day early, giving us plenty of time to pick and choose. He was outstanding."

Dorado fishing at Loreto, Mexico. 3

BIG LORETO DORADO TAMED--Diane Lindeleaf, in Loreto for the summer from Bend, Ore., caught this 45-pound bull dorado on Monday while fishing from the new family boat Gottafish, while husband Don drove and managed the gaff. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL ERHARDT.

Yellowtail fishing at Santa Rosalia, Mexico.

BAJA CATCH-STYLE TRIP--John Kacinski and his son Colin were fishing their way down the Baja peninsula with a Baja Catch-style 14-foot aluminum boat, but at Santa Rosalia they hopped aboard Mike Kanzler's boat with Capt. Danny "Piojo Loco" Chiquete at the helm for a run out to the yellowtail bajos and a couple of 30 pounders. John and Colin then trailered their boat southwards for fishing at Mulege and East Cape. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN KACINSKY.

Panga mothership fishing, Midriff Islands, Mexico.

MIDRIFF JACKPOT YELLOWTAIL--Steven Faure's 36.1-pound yellowtail won the boat jackpot during a 6-day Midriff islands fishing trip by the San Felipe panga mothership Andrea Lynn. Faure, right, fished with trip partner Jay Hammer and the Andrea Lynn's panga Capt. Diego, left. The big forkie was caught at Isla las Animas on a pink MirrOlure. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVEN FAURE.

Grouper fishing at Rocky Point, Mexico.

DORADO ALSO NEARBY--Art Pina of Tucson, Ariz., had a good run out of Rocky Point for 3 of these gulf grouper to 55 pounds aboard his boat Big Daddy, but when he got back to the marina, he discovered that other anglers had come back in with a total of 12 dorado that measured 3 to 4 feet long. "I'll be trolling next week," Pina said. PHOTO COURTESY OF ART PINA.

Sailfish release at San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico.

SUNSET DAY SAVER--Jim Oakes released this sailfish after a 6:30 p.m. hookup on his last day of fishing aboard his boat Highlife at San Carlos, Sonora, before heading north to Canada for the season. Fishing earlier during the day with trip partner Bryan Replogle had produced just 2 skipjack and 1 small dorado. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYAN REPLOGLE.

Fishing at Mazatlan, Mexico.

MAZATLAN SUMMER--Anthony Drexler, his wife Rebeca, and their children fished out of Mazatlan aboard the Flota Bibi Fleet charter boat Paty C. for a catch of 4 dorado in improving conditions, plus a sailfish and 2 skipjack tuna. PHOTO COURTESY OF TADEO HERNANDEZ.

Marlin fishing tournament at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

PUERTO VALLARTA TOURNAMENT--Larry Walker, left, of Dallas, Texas, took first place in Puerto Vallarta's recent Riviera Nayarit Marlin and Tuna Tournament with this 700-pound class blue marlin landed on the Marla's Sportfishing charter boat Arca de Noe with Capt. Scott Osuna, upper right, and deckhand Roberto Osuna. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY OSUNA.

Marlin release at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING--Danny Gomez of Dhamar sportfishing scored a 4th place in last week's La Cruz de Huanacaxtle marlin and tuna tournament, and first place was won by a Marla's Sportfishing boat with Capt. Scott Osuna. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY GOMEZ.

Sailfish release at Ixtapa, Mexico.

ROCA CORBETEÑA RELEASE--Puerto Vallarta sportfishing Capt. Chema with a sailfish about to be released at Roca Corbeteña for anglers Paul Baher and Ed Voss, during fishing aboard the Master Baiters Sportfishing & Tackle charter super panga Mi Jenny that also produced 3 other sailfish and 2 roosterfish. Said Master Baiters' Stan Gabruk, "The sailfish went after a goggle-eye bait trolled about 200 yards behind the boat at a rapid pace so the bait skipped on the surface." PHOTO COURTESY OF STAN GABRUK.

Marlin jumping at Ixtapa, Mexico. 1

Marlin jumping at Ixtapa, Mexico. 2

IXTAPA PHOTO MOMENT--Ixtapa Zihuatanejo sportfishing Capt. Santiago Valdovinos caught these impressive shots of a marlin in high gear during fishing with clients aboard his charter super panga Gitana. Said Paul Phillips of Ixtapa's Fintastic Total Tag & Release Tournament, "Santiago is getting to be a pretty good photographer. I think he is using a Sony he bought last year." PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAUL PHILLIPS.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES