Shane Wrightson caught the first albacore of 2016 fishing with the Producer!
Offshore approximately 70 miles on a 280-degree heading from Ensenada is the zone where bluefin, yellowfin and albacore are being caught — tough to get any of them to bite. Most were caught on cedar plugs, surface iron and flat falls.
The bluefin were mostly in the 50- to 75-pound class with some fish up to and over the 100-pound mark. The yellowfin were in the 25- to 45-pound class and there were also more albacore seen that didn’t want to bite anything.
Using Butterfly Flat-Fall Jigs is a relatively new technique. Drop the jig down to the bottom, then crank it up 30-feet and free spool . . . or cast the jig and let it fall while free spooling, wait for the bite, then jerk and repeat. The center balanced jig falls with a wobbling action in a horizontal position, keeping the strike zone longer than the butterfly jig.
With all the excitement offshore, the Coronado Islands have lost their allure. The party boats are reporting lots of yellowtail sightings with fish that are stuffed full of tiny anchovy. Most of the yellows caught continue to come on the surface iron.
No one area was a standout zone.
Earlier this month live bait for purchase became a reality. The two phone numbers to call if to purchase live bait in Ensenada Harbor: The barge is on-call Monday thru Thursday, and on Friday thru Sunday they are open 5 a.m. and close on demand. To dial from the U.S. you begin with 011 52 (646) plus the number.
Fishing out of Ensenada is good and holding steady. Yellowtail are up on top at the San Miguel Reef and are showing deep in the water column for the guys fishing for lingcod and rockfish.
At San Quintin, weather has kept boats closer to home. Captain Kelly Catian turned a routine bay halibut trip into a memorable trip for Brahm Rossiter, Lemoore, Calif., with an unusual black seabass.
Hooked this nice sheepshead fishing calicos on Cedros with Cedros Tackle on a 5-inch red swim bait — put up quite the fight in shallow water; thought it was a giant calico, but . . .
Pete Gray of Let’s Talk Hook-up Radio Show just returned from a trip with Jeff Marani, Cedros Tackle Kayak Tours featuring Hobie Outbacks. He can’t stop talking about his trip and all the calicos he caught.
At Bahia Ascension, Shari Bondi commented that a couple of eager anglers managed to score several nice-sized yellowtail to get the season started. While farther down the coast, La Bocana reported some of the same adding a few halibut.
Below at Magdalena Bay the silence seems to sums it up.
Pesca La Baja, a tournament series of five events promoted by SEPESCBC for the third year, shattered attendance records with 138 participants. The first event in San Felipe was the startup of the International Championship “Fishing Baja.”
There were many qualifying fish weighed in. The largest was a record for the event – a 147.6-pound black seabass brought to the scales by angler, Ricardo Elizondo.
The next event will be held in Gonzaga Bay on June 10 -11, followed by Bahia de Los Angeles, July 15-16, San Quintin, August 19-20 with the finale held in Ensenada, September 23-24.
Maybe a little late but spring has sprung in Bahia de Los Angeles.
Gonzaga Bay is kicking out some excellent grouper and cabrilla catches . . . just in time for Pesca la Baja June 10 -11.
This month several dorado tournaments are scheduled. Mulege kicks the season off on June 1, 2016 with two days of fishing from then to June 4 with awards June 5. Later in the month is the Punta Chivato 20th Annual “Bulls Only” Dorado Tournament, June 24, 25, and 26. Wrapping up the month will be the Villa del Palmar at the Islands — Loreto’s First Annual Dorado Fishing Tournament — a chance to compete for a $5,000 prize. From June 29 through July 2, registrants will tee off at the new Rees/Jones-designed Danzante Bay Golf Course for an inaugural golf tournament on Thursday, June 30, followed by two days of fishing.
Luis, Gali and Juve hold up some nice Carmen Island yellowtail on the way to the fillet table. Live mackerel are in good supply! Good news because that’s the only thing that has consistently been catching the yellows!
Loreto fishing hasn’t met expectations on a consistent basis. Yellowtail and cabrilla continue to provide some happy moments as locals and visitors alike await the arrival of dorado.
Mike and Captain Juan were supposed to be fly-fishing but decided to troll instead and they caught this wahoo everyone estimates weighed 80 pounds! With a lack of sardina and cooler water, the catch at La Paz and Las Arenas has been hit-or-miss for most. Still there were some yellows mixed with a few smallish dorado, better grade of roosterfish and of course wahoo.
East Cape offers a sprinkling of larger dorado (20-pound) and tuna down south added to the revitalized striped marlin bite. Roosters are also on the rampage all along the beaches with some good-sized jack crevalle taken along the shore. The consistent wahoo bite continues its remarkable run for any anglers willing to put in the time.
While billfish dominate the offshore San Jose del Cabo scene, the arrival of larger dorado stole the thunder. Yellowfin tuna, usually a mainstay, are being overshadowed by wahoo.
The most exciting Los Cabos fishing news is the number of huge roosters being caught and released like this one by Mike Little. The hotels over his shoulder confirm how close to shore these giants are. Also after several sketchy months the billfishing finally seems to be settling in with multiple releases for some of the fleet not uncommon.
Our friend “Renegade Mike” shared some stills from his latest toy — a “Water Wolf” camera on the Dredge. The school of jacks came and went along with the large billfish in the second photo without their knowledge. “These Water wolf cameras are amazing!!! They let you see things that you might have missed while fishing.” www.waterwolfhd.com/en/
Good Luck and 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