POOR SPECIES COUNT IN LOS
CABOS SURF AND PANGA FISHING

June 15-24, 2005, John Snow, San Jose del Cabo sport fishing, Baja, Mexico Species Fishing Report:

Executive Summary: Four sixty to ninety minute surf fishing trips at San Jose del Cabo (Los Cabos) with poor results plagued by large pounding surf and new unfamiliar turf. One new species was collected, a Concentric Ray. Four days of Panga fishing with Captain Pata had one strong day, one average day, one mediocre day, and one horrible day.

The progression was linerally to the negative as the week progressed which corresponded with the development of El Sur which brought up ugly green water. Overall, came in contact with only 22 individual species, a record low, of which 1 was new to me. The bait guys were present and provided mixed bait, excellent on two days and no sardines on two days. The weather from a temperature perspective was modest, being still on the cool side, but wind was a major omnipresent negative factor. Major targeted game species count from four days of Panga fishing: Amberjack – 1 (the first in three years for this dynamic duo), Dog Snapper – 2, Roosterfish – 1, Sierra – 2, Yellow Snapper - 1. The fish counts (1.25 per trip for the surf and 3.75 per trip for the Panga) where both record lows for me. I would rate this week far far below average from a sportsfishing perspective.

Fish Species, Executive Summary: 21, 20 known and 1 new: Amberjack (Fish Number 53), *Anchovy, Slender (Fish Number 28), Blenny, Largemouth (Fish Number 74), Cabrilla, Flag (Fish Number 61), *Croaker, Yellowfin (Fish Number 35), *Herring, Yellowfin (Fish Number 10), *Jack Crevalle (Fish Number 37), *Mullet, White – (Fish Number 156), Needlefish, Pacific (Fish Number 178), Pacific Burrfish (Fish Number 134), Puffer, Bullseye (Fish Number 18), Puffer, Ballonfish (Fish Number 54), Ray, Concentric (Fish Number 191), – NEW! Roosterfish (Fish Number 51), Shark, Scalloped Hammerhead (Fish Number 63), Sierra, Pacific (Fish Number 60), Snapper, Dog (Fish Number 52), Snapper, Yellow (Fish Number 4), Triggerfish, Orangeside (Fish Number 26), Triggerfish, Finescale (Fish Number 9), Tuna, Skipjack (Fish Number 79). *Collected in the bait tank.

Part I, Surf Fishing Report, 100% Catch and Release:

Day 1, June 15, 2005, San Jose del Cabo:

Fishing at Km 30, Cabo Colorado, one hour at sunset, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 73-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: one Cortez Round Ray, 14 inches, one Pacific Burrfish, 10 inches (beach collection).

Day 2, June 17, 2005, San Jose del Cabo:

Fishing at Km 30, Cabo Colorado, one hour at sunset, nominal surf, falling tide, water temperature 73-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: two Orangeside Triggerfish, to 8 inches.

Day 3, June 19, 2005, San Jose del Cabo:

Fishing at Km 30, Cabo Colorado, one hour at sunset, massive surf, high tide, water temperature 73-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: one Largemouth Blenny, 5 inches.

Day 4, June 21, 2005, San Jose del Cabo:

Fishing at Km 30, Cabo Colorado, one hour at sunset, massive surf, high tide, water temperature 73-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 6, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: one Bullseye Pufferfish, 5 pounds.

Part II. Fishing with Captain Pata, Panga Solome, La Playita, San Jose del Cabo, B.C.S., Mexico. La Playita Sport Fishing activity continued slow with about 20 of the 40 Pangas in use each day.

Day 1, June 16, 2005, San Jose del Cabo:

Fishing for five hours with Captain Pata. Ocean was quite friendly being more or less flat calm with good sun except at 10:00 El Norte arrived with gusto which finished the day. Strong supply of high quality live bait available. Water a quality pristine blue, 73-degrees. Fished an area 15 to 20 miles northeast of La Playita not more than 300 yards from shore. Style was either flylined sardines or flylined mullet. Catch can be summarized as: one Amerberjack, 35 pounds; one Pacific Sierra, 7 pounds; two Dog Snappers, to 50 pounds; one Yellow Snapper, 8 pounds. Miscellaneous: nada.

Day 2, June 18, 2005, San Jose del Cabo:

Fishing for seven hours with Captain Pata. Ocean was ugly with big waves spurred on by the El Norte that began two days prior. Limited supply of live bait available – strong on the Mullet but no Sardines. Water a quality pristine blue, 73-degrees. Fished an area 15 to 20 miles northeast of La Playita. Style was either flylined mullet or traditional bottom fishing with cut mullet. Catch can be summarized as: one Flag Cabrilla, 2 pounds, one Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, 50 pounds; one Finescale Triggerfish, 2 pounds, and three Orangeside Triggerfish, to 3 pounds (catch and release). Miscellaneous: we had a very large Marlin "on" for about 60 seconds which with four other lines in the water created mass confusion. At the end of the run and tug-a-war "try to start the motor" Alfonse and Gaston routine the Mullet was retrieved in excellent conditions. I figure now almost 300 trips with Captain Pata and still no Marlin in the boat!

Day 3, June 20, 2005, San Jose del Cabo:

Fishing for seven hours with Captain Pata. Ocean had a slight El Norte and then flatted out with a small residual chop. Excellent supply of live bait available – Mullet and Sardines. Water a quality pristine blue, 73-degrees. Fished an area 15 to 25 miles northeast of La Playita. Style was either flylined mullet or traditional bottom fishing with cut bonito or mullet. Catch can be summarized as: one Pacific Needlefish, 36-inches, one Roosterfish, 15 pounds, one Sierra, 6 pounds, one Skipjack Tuna, 4 pounds, three Finescale Triggerfish, to 3 pounds, and three Orangeside Triggerfish, to 3 pounds (catch and release). Miscellaneous: the Sea was alive with live early and then went DEAD.

Day 4, June 22, 2005, San Jose del Cabo:

Terrible! Horrible! Miserable! Fishing for seven hours with Captain Pata. Ocean started flat and then a slight El Norte began early morning which changed to a strong El Sur which continued to push up ugly green water from the south. Poor supply of live bait available – only Mullet and no Sardines. Water an ugly green, 73-degrees. Fished an area 15 to 25 miles northeast of La Playita. Style was either flylined mullet or traditional bottom fishing with cut bonito, clams, mullet, needlefish and squid. Catch can be summarized as: one Ballonfish Puffer and three Finescale Triggerfish, to 5 pounds. Miscellaneous: the Sea was stone cold DEAD!

(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.