The recent favorable fishing reports, combined with the promise of another exciting weekend of competition and prizes, drew 130 anglers from throughout the Baja peninsula, along with some from California, for the third event of the Sport fishing State Championship “PESCA LA BAJA” 2015 edition series.
BOLA winning angler, Anthony Quiroz, with his 36 pound yellowtail.
Next the fourth and final stop is San Quintín, B.C., Old Mill (Molino Viejo) August 21 and 22 before the Grand Finale in Ensenada, B.C. on September 18 and 19. www.pescalabaja.com
Loreto Captain Alberto running from a weather super-cell recently.
After a month of hurricane warnings, wind, rain and rogue weather cells, I feel compelled to provide a reliable weather site in case a weather check seems prudent. One of the better ones available and worth bookmarking is www.eebmike.com.
For boaters a “must” site to bookmark is Buoy Weather, www.buoyweather.com
Another recently launched website that is designed specifically for fishermen is SatFish.com At present, they have a special free trial membership for the first six months at www.satfish.com
Baja Norte fishing can be broken down by the Mexican government’s 12-mile line. Inside that line, from the border to below Ensenada, both island groups — Coronado and Todos Santos — are producing remarkable fishing for white seabass, yellowtail, barracuda and all the usual suspects on the bottom. However, because of the herds of sea lions and Mexican patrol boats, most are opting to fish outside the 12-mile line.
One boat fishing around the tuna pens approximately twenty miles offshore caught an impressive array of fish … yellowtail, (kelp paddy), yellowfin tuna, dorado, bluefin (released, conforming with Mexican fishing regulations) and two striped marlin. However, they also mentioned that although fewer sea lions were a nuisance, they did see a Mexican Patrol boat on the horizon.
Captain Juan with white sea bass.
On down the coast all the way to San Quintin, the inshore action has been on-fire! Tanker white seabass to 60 pounds haven’t been uncommon recently and have been caught on both bait and trolled rapala-type lures. which has overshadowed the continued yellowtail snap.
Farther down at Cedros there was another tournament that produced trophy-sized calico bass and yellowtail for locals and visitors alike.
And so it goes all the way down the Vizcaino Peninsula to Abreojos as yellowtail, calico and white seabass continue to bite.
On the Sea of Cortez side, the Tony Reyes Panga/Mothership trips are providing a remarkable glimpse into a bygone era exploring the magnificent Sea in pangas and perhaps catching one’s personal best of something on these extended multi-day trips.
For all of the dorado fans out there the news is less than promising. After a series of dorado tournaments from Punta Chivato to East Cape above the tip of Baja that produced record-breaking low catches confirming what many have been saying all season — it is either small or nothing at all in the dorado department. There are a variety of theories why they are missing, from “El Nino” to overfishing.
Beyond that disappointment, the fishing down the east coast of the peninsula has offered a consistent variety of species. Billfish are there, including striped, blue marlin and sailfish. Roosterfish and wahoo have been more plentiful than usual. Jonathan Roldan commented recently that the past several months has produced the most wahoo for that period of time than he could remember over the past 20 years.
Hobie Kayaks brought their own flotilla down to The Oasis Hotel in Loreto for a week’s fishing and caught roosterfish, dorado, jacks, yellowtail and several billfish, which were thick enough that I was even able to catch a marlin from one of their Outbacks.
East Cape is gearing up for the Bisbee East Cape Offshore and prospects for the event are promising. There seems to be plenty of blue marlin in the area for the large number of teams expected to participate.
From Las Arenas to San Jose, big roosters have dominated reports. Felipe Valdez, Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort, landed a whopper from shore which was estimated to weigh over 60 pounds.
The Cabo San Lucas fleet is scoring on some nice-sized tuna. The first super-cow of the season landed and weighed in at San Jose, was hooked from a 22-foot panga while soaking a bolito for bait on the Inner Gordo; the fish took two hours to land on 60-pound tackle using an 80-pound leader. The fish weighed in at a whopping 331 pounds.
Regardless of your location or destination, as long as you don’t have your heart set on dorado, your chances for limits of fish, personal best or maybe even a trophy-sized fish are there for the taking during August.
Tight Lines…
Questions or comments are welcome. garyg@garycgraham.com
With more than five decades of fishing experience – from light tackle and fly to offshore billfish – Gary Graham has experienced all aspects of fishing in the Southern California and Baja waters. His observations of species behavior, tackle and techniques are always from his unique perspective, earning him the respect of his peers as well as anglers who eagerly follow his Baja reports and features.
Gary maintained a home at East Cape in Baja Sur for more than 18 years and still spends nearly half of each year exploring the entire peninsula in his self-contained Roadtrek van. He observes everything Baja, from the mysteries of a tide pool on a deserted Baja beach filled with tiny sea creatures to the largest billfish in the sea.
Contact Gary at garyg@garycgraham.com