MORE TUNA FOR LA PLAYITA PANGAS

Sept. 10, 2006, Eric Brictson, Gordo Banks Pangas, San Jose del Cabo, Baja, Mexico fishing:

The La Playita charter sportfishing panga fleets at San Jose del Cabo sent out about 44 boats for the week, for a fish count of: 2 sailfish, 22 dorado, 260 skipjack, 440 yellowfin tuna, and 25 various bottom fish.

The Los Cabos area is breathing a sigh of relief after Hurricane John spared the southern tip of the Baja peninsula from a direct strike. The fishing village of La Playita was cut off from San Jose del Cabo by flooding and we were also out of utilities for several days, but now the road has been temporarily repaired and utilities have been restored.

At this time, San Jose del Cabo fishing weather is clear and sunny, with temperatures cooler than before the storm. Humidity still is very high as can be expected during the month of September.

The La Playita fishing operations resumed on Thursday, September 7, but then were shut down again on Friday due to heavy thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon that dumped over four inches of additional rainfall in a matter of hours and once again washed out the access road.

Sportfishing pangas were able to launch on Saturday and Sunday.

The great yellowfin tuna bite that had been going on before the storm picked up right where it had left off. Supplies of sardinas continued to be plentiful and the schools of tuna were still congregating on the same spots from La Fortuna to the Iman Bank.

The sizes of the yellowfin tuna caught were slightly smaller than they had been and there were more skipjack mixed in as well, although most of the skipjack were of the good eating white variety.

Charter fishing boats landed an average of 15 or more fish averaging 10 to 20 pounds. Billfish were scarce, as were dorado, though a handful of medium sized dorado were caught in the same areas as the yellowfin tuna.

We will hope to get in a full week of fishing this week, as there are no new tropical storms on the horizon at this time.

(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.