LOS CABOS CHARTER PANGAS FISHING IN ALL DIRECTIONS

Dec. 31, 2005, Eric Brictson, Gordo Banks Pangas, La Playita, San Jose del Cabo fishing, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

The La Playita sportfishing panga fleets sent out approximately 86 charters for the week with San Jose del Cabo anglers accounting for an overall fish count of: 1 wahoo, 9 striped marlin, 2 sailfish, 2 mako sharks, 225 yellowfin tuna, 110 sierra, 16 roosterfish, 215 dorado, 95 skipjack, 16 cabrilla, 12 amberjack, 22 pargo and 45 bonito.

The San Jose del Cabo vacation region was very busy with tourists, but not a large percentage of them were anglers, so sportfishing fleets were only moderately busy.

San Jose del Cabo weather had warm sunny days reaching 80 degrees. There was only slight wind out of the north and overall the ocean conditions could not be expected to be any better during the wintertime.

The water temperature through most of the San Jose del Cabo sportfishing area was ranging from 69 to 74 degrees, with the warmest spots now being from Punta Gorda to Cabo San Lucas.

Live bait was not as plentiful, especially for sardinas, but mackerel were moving into local waters and anglers were actually able to jig them up themselves on some mornings. It was not consistent from day to day, though the bait was worth hunting for because the fishing action did not prove to be as productive with only artificial lures.

San Jose del Cabo charter fishing fleets were fishing in all directions, but the best action was reportedly found from the Old Light House, Chileno and straight out from San Jose del Cabo.

The two main fish species being caught were yellowfin tuna and dorado, but overall the bite was good. There was a major problem with aggressive behavior by sea lions, and staying away from them was not easy. The dorado were averaging 5 to 15 pounds, but there were some larger fish mixed in. Over the weekend many pangas landed as many as 5, 6 or 7 of these prized gamefish, which is very respectable for this time of year.

The yellowfin tuna fishing was spread out and the majority of the fish were being found traveling with porpoise anywhere from 2 to 8 miles from shore. Sizes ranged to over 60 pounds, though the average tuna landed was in the 10 to 20 pound class. A problem at times was the boat traffic. After the whole pack of boats arrived the fish would go down and become very shy. Then the porpoise would surface in a different location and the fleet would then race to get there first, a competitive way to fish, but that is what it took to be successful.

Striped marlin activity continued to be more productive off of Cabo San Lucas than San Jose del Cabo. A few more mako sharks were also hooked. This is the time of year when they migrate into local waters, chasing the same bait fish as do the marlin.

Other action included a mix of bottom fish and inshore species.

(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.