TWENTY-SEVEN SPECIES OBSERVED DURING
LOS CABOS PANGA AND SURF SESSIONS

Feb. 15-23, 2005, John Snow, San Jose del Cabo, Baja, Mexico Species Fishing:

Executive Summary: Seven, one to two hour, surf trips with below average results in general but my skills are improving so I am getting “skunked” less often. The best catch of the week was a 19 inch Jumping Halfbeak collected by hand off the beach where it arrived at my feet being chased by a large Dorado. Catch was a limited number of characters with several omissions.

Four, six hour, Panga trips with Captain Pata which had one strong day, two modest days and one slow day. There continue to be significantly more Gringos fishing as San Jose del Cabo (Los Cabos) tourist season continues.

Overall came in contact with only 27 individual species with five new species for me: the Eastern Pacific Bonito, the Jumping Halfbeak, the Sharpnose Lizardfish and two yet to be identified Sand Perches from the Diplectrum Genus.

The bait guys were present (gave them a new marine radio as future mordida to bring me new species) but they had no sardines to offer and were peddling Pacific Mackerel late in the morning making their catch just adjacent to us where we were also makin’ bait. Thus it was time to “make bait” with Sabiki Rigs down very deep over sandy bottom.

The weather from a temperature perspective continued cold, around 70-degrees with no sun at all most days. Wind was only a significant factor for two hours on one of the four days of Panga fishing. Major targeted game species count from four days of Panga fishing: Dorado – 6; Dog Snapper – 4, Red Snapper – 1. I would rate this week as below average from a sportsfishing perspective but GREAT from a species perspective (unfortunately my Captain would see it reversed!) even though the bait guys provided nada.

February 15 - 23, 2005:

Species, Executive Summary – 27, 22 known and 5 new.

Bonito, Eastern Pacific (Fish Number 173) – NEW! Cabrilla, Flag (Fish Number 61) Creole Fish, Pacific (Fish Number 62) Dorado (Fish Number 82) Grunt, Burrito (Fish Number 1) Halfbeak, Jumping (Fish Number 181) – NEW! Halibut, Cortez (Fish Number 68) Hawkfish, Giant (Fish Number 47) Herring, Round (Fish Number 162) Jack Crevalle (Fish Number 37) Lizardfish, Reef (Fish Number 42) Lizardfish, Sharpnose (Fish Number 176) – NEW! Mackerel, Pacific (Fish Number 115) Night Sergeant, Mexican (Fish Number 40) Perch, Sp. 1 (Fish Number 179) – NEW! Perch, Sp. 2 (Fish Number 180) - NEW! Puffer, Guinea Fowl (Fish Number 20) Roosterfish (Fish Number 51) Scad, Shortfin (Fish Number 116) Sergeant Major (Fish Number 41) Serrano, Barred (Fish Number 17) Snapper, Dog (Fish Number 52) Snapper, Red (Fish Number 16) Tilefish, Golden Eye (Fish Number 49) Triggerfish, Orangeside (Fish Number 26) Triggerfish, Finescale (Fish Number 9) Wrasse, Emerald (Fish Number 12)

*Collected in the bait tank.

Part I, Surf Report, 100% Catch and Release.

San Jose del Cabo Fishing, Day 1, February 15, 2005:

Fishing at Km 21, Cabo Real, one and half hours at sunrise, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 70-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6 and 8, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen Sardinas and cut Squid. Catch summary: skunked.

San Jose del Cabo Fishing, Day 2, February 16, 2005:

Fishing at Km 21, Cabo Real, two hours at sunrise, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 70-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6 and 8, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen Sardinas and cut Squid. Catch summary: two Jack Crevalle, to 3 pounds.

San Jose del Cabo Fishing, Day 3, February 18, 2005:

Fishing at Km 21, Cabo Real, two hours at sunrise, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 70-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6 and 8, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen Sardinas and cut Squid. Catch summary: one Burrito Grunt, 4 pounds, one Guinea Fowl Pufferfish, 5 inches, one Mexican Night Sergeant, 6 inches, one Sergeant Major, 6 inches, one and Orangeside Triggerfish, 2 pounds. Got wacked off by two sierra at pre-dawn and a large Whale buzzed the beach.

Fishing at 4 miles North of La Playita on the East Cape Road, two hours late afternoon, nominal surf, rising tide, water temperature 70-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6 and 8, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen Sardinas and cut Squid. Catch summary: one Jack Crevalle, 2 pounds, one Jumping Halfbeak (collected by hand), 16 inches, one Burrito Grunt, 4 pounds, one Guinea Fowl Pufferfish, 5 inches, and two Sergeant Major, 6 inches.

San Jose del Cabo Fishing, Day 4, February 20, 2005:

Fishing at 4 miles North of La Playita on the East Cape Road, two hours late afternoon, nominal surf, rising tide, water temperature 70-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6 and 8, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen Sardinas and cut Squid. Catch summary: one Giant Hawkfish, 10 inches and one Emerald Wrasse, 12 inches.

San Jose del Cabo Fishing, Day 5, February 22, 2005:

Fishing at Km 21, Cabo Real, one and half hours at sunrise, nominal surf, peak high tide, water temperature 70-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6 and 8, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen Sardinas and cut Squid. Catch summary: one Jack Crevalle, 10 inches and one Sergeant Major, 7 inches.

Fishing at Km 14, Twin Dolphins Real, one hour at sunset, nominal surf, rising tide, water temperature 70-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6 and 8, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen Sardinas and cut Squid. Catch summary: one Guineafowl Pufferfish, 5 inches.

Part II. Fishing with Captain Pata, Panga Solome, La Playita. La Playita Sport Fishing activity was exceedingly slow with about 7 of the 40 Pangas in use each day.

San Jose del Cabo Fishing, Day 1, February 17, 2005:

Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata. Ocean was quite friendly being more or less flat calm with good sun all day. No live bait available. Water a quality 70-degrees of pristine blue color. Fished an area 10 to 25 miles north of La Playita. Approach One: Makin’ bait with Sabiki Rigs. Catch can be summarized as good: more than ten Pacific Mackerel to 12 inches, more than ten Round Herrings to 12 inches, two Perch Sp., six inches, two Perch Sp., 6 inches and one Golden Eye Tile fish, 8 inches. Approach Two: A blend of flylined Pacific Mackerels or cut bait (Green Jacks, Jack Mackerel, Chocolate Clams, or Squid) or yo-yo iron down deep. Catch can be summarized as very slow with only two eatable fish: one Dorado, 20 pounds and one Flag Cabrilla, 4 pounds. Others included one Pacific Creolefish, 8 inches, one Barred Serrano, 4 inches, and more than ten Orangeside Triggerfish (catch and release). Miscellaneous: buzzed by one large Turtle and two Whales as close as 50 yards.

San Jose del Cabo Fishing, Day 2, February 19, 2005

Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata. Ocean was quite friendly being more or less flat calm with good sun all day. No live bait available. Water a quality 70-degrees of pristine blue color. Fished an area 10 to 25 miles north of La Playita. Approach One: Makin’ bait with Sabiki Rigs. Catch can be summarized as good: more than ten Pacific Mackerel to 12 inches, more than ten Round Herrings to 12 inches, and one Shortfin Scad, 10 inches. Approach Two: A blend of flylined Pacific Mackerels or cut bait (Green Jacks, Jack Mackerel, Chocolate Clams, or Squid) or yo-yo iron down deep. Catch can be summarized as “good”: five Dorado, to 20 pounds. Others included one Cortez Halibut, 10 inches, one Barred Serrano, 4 inches, one Finescale Triggerfish, 4 pounds, and more than ten Orangeside Triggerfish (catch and release). Miscellaneous: buzzed by two large Whales as close as 50 yards, a school of porpoise and spent significant amount of time dabbling with non-catchable Flat Needlefish...

San Jose del Cabo Fishing, Day 3, February 21, 2005:

Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata. Ocean was horrible for the first two hours and then flattened out. Got soaked by cold frigid water. No live bait available. Water a quality 70-degrees of pristine blue color. Fished an area 10 to 25 miles north of La Playita. Approach One: Makin’ bait with Sabiki Rigs. Catch can be summarized as good: one Eastern Pacific Bonito, 16 inches, one Perch Sp., 7 inches, more than ten Pacific Mackerel to 12 inches, two Round Herrings to 12 inches, and one Golden Eye Tilefish, 12 inches.. Approach Two: A blend of flylined Pacific Mackerels or cut bait (Green Jacks, Jack Mackerel, or Squid) or yo-yo iron down deep. Catch can be summarized as “good” one Roosterfish, 20 pounds, three Dog Snappers, to 20 pounds, one Red Snapper, 12 pounds. Others included one Flag Cabrilla, 12 inches, one Reef Lizardfish, 6 inches (on a Sabiki Rig) and more than ten Orangeside Triggerfish (catch and release). Miscellaneous: passed bye one large Whales waving its arms time and time again.

San Jose del Cabo Fishing, Day 4, February 23, 2005 – BORING!

Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata. Ocean was flat calm. No live bait available. Water a quality 70-degrees of pristine blue color. Fished an area 2 miles south of La Playita within 300 yards of the major hotels along the beach. Approach One: Makin’ bait with Sabiki Rigs. Catch can be summarized as good: four Sharpnose Lizardfish, more than ten Pacific Mackerel to 12 inches, more than ten Round Herrings to 12 inches, and one Golden Eye Tilefish, 6 inches. Approach Two: flylined Pacific Mackerel. Catch can be summarized as “poor”: one Jack Crevalle, 25 pounds, one Roosterfish, 7 pounds, and one Dog Snapper. Miscellaneous: nada!

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