LOCAL FISHING ACTION AROUND WILLARD ISLAND

Oct. 24, 2005, Doug Magee, Papa Fernandez Landing, Gonzaga Bay, San Felipe, Baja fishing, Mexico Report:

I just got in from a day's fishing with Mike Cope and Jason Henninger of Huntington Beach. Mike was the person bitten by a rattlesnake back in May while on a kayak fishing trip in this area. He was camped on the beach and had to leave in a big hurry in the middle of the night to seek medical treatment for the snake bite. He did not have time to load all his equipment, so it has been stored here at Papa's waiting for his return. Mike is doing very well and came in to get his equipment a few days ago.

While he was here, we wet a line. Mike is a avid fisherman, and one of the best that I have had the pleasure to fish with for many years.

We started at dawn, fishing from a small boat around Willard Island on an incoming tide. The water temperature varied between 78 and 80 degrees.

The Sea of Cortez was flat and calm.

In 3 hours of light tackle fishing with 6 to 12 pound mono and a assortment of lures that included plug's of all kinds, floating, popping, sinking, plastic tails in every color, and enough metal spoons and jigs from 1/8 ounce to 1 ounce that I had to adjust the trim on the boat to compensate for the load.

Mike and Jason caught and released an assortment of fish in that 3 hours, bonefish, Spanish Mackerel, Orange Mouth Corvina, Barred Pargo, 2 types of Pompano, Lizard Fish, Barracuda, Triggers, Bay Bass, Ribera Cabrilla, and Mexican Hogfish, but not one Sierra or Yellowtail.

All fish were released, along with a few lures, save for a couple of Corvina and Pompano which were assigned to kitchen duty.

In addition to this catch, Mike fished from their camp in his kayak, taking more Corvina, Bass, Triggers and BoneFish during his stay. Fun in anybody's book.

The air temperatures at Gonzaga Bay are in the 80's in the day, and 60's at night.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from San Felipe and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for San Felipe may be found at Mexfish.com's main San Felipe page.