MOSTLY SIERRA CAUGHT BY FISHING BOATS AT LOS CABOS

April 9, 2005, Bob Grimes, San Jose del Cabo fishing, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

The fishing is slow at San Jose del Cabo (Los Cabos). Boats are ranging far and wide, to find the occasional tuna way offshore, pargo, cabrilla, or pompano. The main species has been sierra. When a school of sierra comes in, the sportfishing fleet catches some, but then the gill netters take that school, and everybody waits for the same thing to happen with the next school.

One gill netter from La Playita, at San Jose del Cabo, who also works with the principal panga sportfishing operation, set his net near the Hotel Palmilla a few days ago and took a school of sierra. By one estimate he took a ton of sierra.

There was some pressure by officials on the gill netters at San Jose del Cabo last winter after a couple of whales got tangled in their nets, but now the officials are not paying much attention.

A gill net that was left in a car in La Playita was recently cut up, presumably by the local Mexicans trying to make a living in sportfishing. The gill netters generally set their nets at night now. There have been some pompano, but the gill netters, and even the handliners, will get most of those pretty fast. There are some small roosterfish, but a lot of those will get caught in the gill nets.

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