SAILFISH MAKE STRONG SHOWING AT GORDO BANKS

Aug. 11, 2005, Eric Brictson, Gordo Banks Pangas, La Playita, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

The La Playita sportfishing panga fleets at San Jose del Cabo sent out approximately 33 charters from Monday through Thursday and anglers accounted for a fish count of: 9 sailfish, 4 striped marlin, 10 hammerhead shark, 24 yellowfin tuna, 18 dorado, 26 huachinango, 14 barred pargo, 12 cabrilla, 8 amberjack, 7 dogtooth snapper, 14 yellowtail snapper, 12 jack crevalle and 6 roosterfish.

This is the time San Jose del Cabo starts to see back-to-back systems develop off of the southern mainland Mexican coast. Conditions can deteriorate rapidly during the late summer. Winds have been relatively light recently, picking up in the afternoon and helping to make the 90-degree heat more bearable.

Water temperatures in the San Jose del Cabo vacation fishing area have ranged from 78 to 85 degrees. Ocean swells were increasing slightly in recent days, as Tropical Storms Fernanda and Greg are now brewing to the south, they are predicted to stay far to the southwest of San Jose del Cabo.

Mullet continued to be the most common baitfish off of La Playita beach, with live sardinas still being scattered, though the smaller bait were more plentiful than the previous week at San Jose del Cabo.

Crowds of anglers were light in the San Jose del Cabo (Los Cabos) fishing area. The most consistent action for the San Jose del Cabo charter fishing panga fleet was from the Gordo Banks to San Luis.

In the warmer fishing water blue marlin hookups are now being reported everyday. Most of the blues were landed were from cruisers trolling lures all day and were in the 200 to 400 pound class, with some bigger hookups lost.

Sailfish are now making a strong showing around the Gordo Banks and other offshore fishing grounds, weighing up to 90 pounds, striking preferably small skipjack or bolito, both of which have been schooling on the banks.

Striped marlin fishing action in the Sea Of Cortez has tapered off due to rising water temperatures, but on the Pacific where the temperatures were cooler, there still have been good numbers of stripers found.

Dorado fishing at San Jose del Cabo continued to be very slow for the summer season. Hopefully the fish are just late this season and have not been trapped in the illegal gill net activity that has reportedly been occurring in more remote areas to the north of La Paz. The majority of the dorado found off San Jose del Cabo were small to medium sized.

Yellowfin tuna are being found within several miles from shore off of San Luis, weighing 20 to 30 pounds. Most of the time San Jose del Cabo anglers were lucky to land one or two of the yellowfin, but some of the more fortunate fishermen landed as many as five of the tuna.

Other catches included huachinango, dogtooth snapper, yellowtail snapper, amberjack, jack crevalle, roosterfish, cabrilla and barred pargo.

Off San Jose del Cabo beaches there was another flurry of action for snook off of the San Jose Estuary area, striking on mullet and sardinas, weighing from 20 to 30 pounds.

(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.