LAS DESTILADERAS FISHING AREA PRODUCES
TUNA, AMBERJACK AND HUACHINANGO

Aug. 5, 2005, Bob Grimes Los Cabos, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

The fishing in San Jose del Cabo early in the week was in general pretty slow. There were some small marlin, which the cooperativa fishermen were happy to kill. We saw some marlin hanging from the hooks on the beach that were so small that from a distance they looked like dorado. There were scattered small tuna and a few random other species.

Dave and I got lucky last Sunday at caught three 15-20 pound tunitas, 3 amberjack from 20 to 45 pounds, and a huachinango, all on iron, on a bajo north of Las Destiladeras.

The other 5 or 6 San Jose del Cabo pangas fishing the same bajo did not account for that many fish between all of them. If you're thinking of fishing, take care, because there are lots of Portuguese man-o-wars.

We were at Los Cerritos, south of Todos Santos, and a person who lived there told us that the local gill netters had killed some baby porpoises. I told them to please take pictures the next time that this happens. It is a good thing, I suppose, that UNESCO has put the Sea of Cortez on its list. Nevertheless, El Peninsular says the commercial fishing boats of Sonora and Sinaloa continue to despoil the coast, many times with permits issued by the authorities.

When we are not fishing from our kayaks or our 15 foot aluminum boat, we fish with Jaime Arista Castro on the San Jose del Cabo panga Alondra, at La Playita. Jaime's telefono is 624-151-3033, and he is a really good guy who I highly recommend. His panga leaves the beach while the hungover capitánes of the cooperativa have not even arrived, and he believes in catch and release.

We were fishing with him last Sunday, and I would estimate the depth of this bajo at about 100 feet. The current was light and there was not much wind, so it was good conditions for fishing with yo-yos, although the air temperature was in the mid to high 90s. The water temp at this fishing spot was probably high 70s, and the water was clean looking.

West of Punta Gorda the water is colder and dirtier now.

At the Gordo Banks off San Jose del Cabo the fishing water is also kind of dirty now, and the pangas that go there to investigate have not been catching much, although a school of pargo that was not hungry surfaced at the inner Gordo last week, like they do sometimes. There have been some bolitos and some small sardinitas, but the primary carnada viva has been lisa, which is great for gallos and pargo when they are around, but not very good for fishing the offshore species or even Pez Fuerte.

(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.