Santa Rosalia, Mexico:
Distant Tropical Storms Hamper Local Sportfishing Boats

Oct. 9, 2005, Mike Kanzler, Isla San Marcos, Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur fishing report, Mexico:

Due to tropical storm leftovers and high-pressure in the north, not much fishing took place around Santa Rosalia until today, but take your pick, we had inshore exotics, bajo yellows, and offshore sails.

With the landfall of Tropical Storm Otis giving the start of the week messy sea conditions and Santa Ana wind up north moving in right after, giving us an early peek of the northwesterly blows we'll be seeing until next spring, not much by the way of good boating took place this week at Santa Rosalia.

Santa Rosalia air temperatures were in the high 80s to 90s without humidity. Water temperatures are still summer-like at 81-85 degrees, with 20-30 feet inshore visibility and up to 40 feet offshore.

In inshore action, Sierra is the name of the game and that's pretty much what I've been doing this week with my son Michael, mainly in the late afternoon. Numbers are strong and some surprises were also had in these waters.

The first shot at a morning offshore fishing run came on Wednesday with Jim and Marika Anderson. We have been trying to get some of those Tuna we keep hearing about, but our first run ended getting blown out last week so we decided to make another.

While waiting to get picked up at my dock all was still until I saw the boat in sight, then I felt the warn gust of on my face. I jumped on board Jim's MooSea boat and off we go on a heading for Punta Conception, and yup, the wind was starting to pick up a bit too.

By the time we neared our destination, seas were about three feet and winds at 20 knots. We put the trolling jigs in the water for three dorado (also mahi-mahi or dolphinfish) and a striped marlin that ran across another line which was not cleared in time and got sawed off. Then, a two hour run up hill in very sloppy seas.

On Friday, I ran to the backside of San Marcos island with just Iron and fished the Ranch and another spot called the Islote for 4 small 6-7 pound yellows, 2 sierra, and one leopard grouper.

Today we had the first nice calm water day and by the sound of all the radio chatter in the morning while enroute to Santa Rosalia marina for bait, just about all the boats at San Lucas Cove were going fishing.

Some opted for a sailfish run to Tortuga island, and with reports from later in the day all boats averaged 3-5 releases on sails.

Others and myself stayed close and fished San Marcos bajos and I got three yellowtail on the deep panga reef on my new fishing reel sponsor PRO GEAR, a good toad of 32 pounds and two in the mid 20s.

While fishing yellowtail I saw Bill Hamel of the Marine Hut with Bonnie slow trolling live mackerel for Sails outside the deep reef and out of nowhere here's this fin swimming off my bow, so I gave Bill a shout on the radio. He slowly made his way to the area and with two baits behind the boat he saw the fish now off his bow and picked up a third rod and casted to it. To his surprise that fish was not alone as the two other rods started going off too. They managed to get one of the three hooked fish boat side.

On Friday, while fishing for sierra my son was fighting a fish and something ate the hooked fish on the Rapala taking the whole works in one huge boil. This area is known for Roosters and big ones. After 10 minutes the boy had to pass dad the rod. After 45 more minutes on a 15 pound outfit and lots of big runs I finely got the fish boat side, a rooster in the mid 40s. I lip gaffed the fish, took some quick photos, and got it back in the water in good shape.

Pretty good for a not very fishable week.

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