Santa Rosalia, Mexico:
Plenty Of Yellowtail If You Can Get Out And Fish Through The Wind

Dec. 4, 2004, Mike Kanzler, Isla San Marcos, Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur, Mexico Fishing Report:

December is here, and so are the yellowtail, along with brutal northwesterly winds! Boy, what a week of waiting, waiting, and more waiting to get back on the water and do some fishing, a whole six days of wind.

Wind, yes to 40 knots and gusts to 50-plus, air temperatures in the high 50s mornings and nights, mid-70s during the days. Wind speed subsided a bit Friday with the arrival of overcast skies, light patches of rain and a temperature drop, but still not fishable until Saturday. Water temperatures are falling a bit from last week, down to 69 degrees, with good visibility of 35 to 50 feet.

I've been going stir crazy, cooped up in the house for over six days, getting up every morning at 0430 am to check the water conditions, only to crawl back into bed.

Friday did see some change, but seeing the waves cashing on the beach, I decided to make a run to town for supplies. Better to take a bumpy ride to town then a calm one on a day I should be fishing, right?

Once at the San Lucas Cove trailer park, I saw that all the boats there were at anchor, but was told three boats caught bait, started, and got halfway out, only to turn around back to camp.

Saturday was a go, wind or no wind.

I invited Alan Lewis to join me, and picked him up at the cove around 0530 a.m., popped out in front of the lagoon, still dark, put the bait light in the water. About halfway into catching bait, I heard a screech from the pump and it didn't sound good. As a matter of fact, it was fried. I just put the thing on last week!

We stopped with 20 or so mackerel in the tank, and took a high-speed run for the north end of Isla San Marcos. First spot on the list? Like always, 110 bajo.

Alan started with iron, as did I. On his second drop down, Alan hooked and landed a nice yellowtail of mid-20 pound class. The very next drift, I tried a 4-ounce slider down on the hook, with a live mackerel, and followed up with a 5-pound cabrilla. However a damned bull seal showed up.

We moved about half-a-mile to another spot, and hooked a yellowtail, and judging from the runs it was getting off my buttoned down TN40, a big fish! After a while, it stopped cold. The seal had it. We ran the boat in circles right on top, so he'd let go to take a breath. Works like a charm. The fish was a little messed up, but still useable. On with some trickery. With the taste in his mouth, he followed us right over to where the commercial pangas where fishing. We left our friend with them. I know, I know, but hey, all's fair in love and war and fishing too!

Back at the 110 bajo, Alan and I put the hurt on yellowtails with what bait we had left, which wasn't very much. Ended the morning taking seven yellowtail of 22-28 pounds, losing only two, and one 5-pound cabrilla. Back at the trailer park before 10 a.m., pretty decent considering the bait pump and seal.

The fish are there, and with a little luck, lower water temps, faster current speed, those fish will feed on top. Today, they seemed to bite more in the midwater column than at the bottom. Happy holidays, from Mexico to all up north.

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