Santa Rosalia, Mexico:
Lots Of Cabrilla Caught During Fishing In Cool Weather Conditions

April 23, 2005, Mike Kanzler, Isla San Marcos, Santa Rosalia, Baja California, Mexico Fishing:

It was a week of strange fishing weather, good fishing at Santa Rosalia, and one very sick me.

Last week saw what looked like the start of summer at Santa Rosalia, with high afternoon temperatures. However, this week Santa Rosalia saw cold winter-like days, with highs only in the 60s to 70s, with winds for most of the fishing week.

Even with these rough sea conditions, it was still somewhat fishable for those willing to endure. This is what got me sick. After last week's warm day, I thought there was no need for my foul weather fishing gear, and I opted for shorts and a tee-shirt. This was not a good idea. The wind came up and I got wetter than the fish, and the next day I was sick, and had to fish the whole week like that.

This fishing week, Bob Selvin, also known as Calico Bob, and Mike Grossman showed up on Monday for three days of fishing for cabrilla on rubber baits at Tortuga Island.

The first day was the best. Due to moderate seas, we were able to fish the side of Tortuga Island where the fish are. We got there in the dark and started fishing. It didn't take long for the first fish to come on board and then things started getting interesting. This was the first time both Mike and Bob fished here and, well, they weren't ready for the power of those big cabrilla! All of us got ripped many times, cursing the whole way though.

We did manage to catch about 50 cabrilla, almost all of which were released, only keeping a few for the guys to take into the local restaurant to eat. Mike Grossman had the big fish of the day at 14.5 pounds, and Calico Bob had one at about close to 10. We'll not talk about the one that got away. Ha ha ha!

The next day saw bad seas and high winds, but we made the mistake of trying to go back out anyway and got soaked the whole way out. This is where I got sick. We fished hard that day, but were unable to fish the productive side of the island and struggled for about 20 fish and no big ones like the day before.

Last fishing day saw more bad seas, so we decided to stick close to home and fish Isla San Marcos. But, as of the last few years, cabrilla numbers have been down, due to netting, so we only caught 6 cabrilla, and I did catch a nice 12 pound barred pargo on the east side of the island.

That was pretty much it for their trip. They did get to see what the place has to offer when the seas permit good fishing at the remote Tortuga Island.

At Isla San Marcos and Tortuga Island, yellowtail and some cabrilla are very plentiful for those using live bait. Boats are averaging 2 to 5 yellows and a few cabrilla a day, while at Tortuga the numbers are stronger. Fish size on yellowtail is 20-25 pounds. Some smaller and larger fish are out there as well.

I also got a striped marlin yesterday in APRIL! This is going to be a strange year for sure, white sea bass, no squid, and so on.

Water temperatures where weird too. Most of the week it went way down to about 63 degrees! And then shot up to 70. Strange. I think it was due to the strong tides and current during the full moon phase.

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