Baja Bytes Fishing – Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Gary Graham-That Baja Guy
Dorado at East Cape roosterfish off the charts for fly flingers at Los Arenas and a rare snook at Mulege tops this weeks report.
Que Pasa Baja California
MEXICALI, B.C. (KYMA, KECY)-Baja California’s Governor Jaime Bonilla stated that the state continues to be on red alert for this week due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
“Really what I should have said, ‘this is how we are and we are going to wait. When there is a change, we will notify everyone.’ We were given to understand that each week the number would be changing. This is not the case because it is like predicting how the pandemic will come,” said Governor Bonilla Valdez.
The Secretary of Health in Baja California, Alonso O. Pérez Rico, said that two of the municipalities of the entity with the highest density of population (Mexicali and Ensenada) are not in any condition for “return.”
Pérez Rico stated that Baja California has a hospital occupation of 59-percent, with 156 available beds, and 98 ventilators; while the IMSS reports a 64-percent hospital occupancy, 179 available beds, and 46 ventilators.
As of Sunday evening, there have been 6,376 negative cases, 1,350 suspected cases, 10,827 confirmed cases, 2,172 deaths, and 3,311 recoveries.
Tijuana Bull Ring
Bass fishing continues to be good in the kelp along with a few legal-size barracuda from time to time while fishing for the bass.
In a few cases, the barracuda fishing is great if you happen across the right school. If you run across some anchovy in the flats, the barracuda are very likely nearby… there are no reports of yellowtail that we know of…Fish Dope
Coronado Islands / Rockpile
226-302 / Coronado Canyon to the 425 and 101
Still getting a few reports of widely scattered fish through this zone. There are bluefin, yellowfin, yellowtail, BIG bonito, and even some dorado with very few boats working it; most are just passing through to points out west.
Heads Up: There are a bunch of tuna pens and tenders pulling them almost right on top of the 425. Be sure and stay at least 250 yards away from them…Fish Dope
San Salvador Knoll
This zone continues to be where most of the fleet is working.
There are bluefin, yellowfin, yellowtail, the odd dorado, and some very large bonito in the area.
As for size, most of the bluefin are well under 100-pounds but there are some big ones! Most seem to fall in the 30-to 60-pound class. The yellowfin are from 25 to 40-pounds, the yellows are from 12 to 20, the dorado are 12- to 15-pounders and the bonito are in the 8- to 12-pound class.
In addition to the tuna, some boats are finding a fair amount of open-water yellowtail under the terns.
Be sure and check out the kelp as quite a few of them were found to be holding at least a few yellowtail that were willing to bite. A few of these were also holding a dorado or two.
Ensenada
San Quintin
Cedros Island
Still closed for foreign tourism by COVID-19.
Bahía Asunción
The surf zone is still scrappy with eelgrass and loose kelp bits, so didn’t expect much. First cast – obligatory backlash. On the second cast, about six winds, and the Kroc was loaded with eelgrass. On the third cast, it loaded up again in a few turns of the handle, but this time the ‘eelgrass’ started fighting back…Daniel Powell
Bahía de Los Ángeles
Baja Sur-Que Pasa
July 12, 2020
Mexican state closes its beaches again in the face of more infections –
La Paz – The tourist state of Baja California Sur, has recently made the painful decision to close its beaches and cancel aquatic, tourist and recreational activities outdoors due to the spike in coronavirus infections. A few weeks ago, in mid-June, beaches and spas were reopened after being closed by sanitary protocols; thousands of people went to the main spas on the coasts of this region, one of the key points for tourism in Mexico. But such was the influx of tourists that most of the main beaches were crowded with visitors without respecting the maximum permitted capacity of 30%.
And none of the hygiene and healthy distance measures recommended by the health authorities were respected, so the authorities decided to close them again just two weeks later.
Mulege
Snook are currently at the mouth of the Mulege River, and a nice 20-pounder was caught from a kayak as well as a small cabrilla. The dorado bite was slow on Sunday because of the Full Moon. We did hook a big jack close to shore. After the release, an 8-foot hammerhead ate it right next to the boat. We went trolling in the bay today with great results. Lots of snapper, and a decent cabrilla. There were lots of bait balls with medium to large roosterfish.
On the day before, about 10 miles off the point, lots of 8-to 12-pound dorado along the scum line in the current break along with jumbo-size skippies. Went inside where the bait was getting blown up by birds and fish. Caught big roosterfish and pargo amarillo. We saw a marlin in close getting in on the action. There was an infestation of needlefish and mobula rays everywhere…Nathan Burbey
Loreto
It seems that more confirmations of BIG fish in the area hasn’t changed what the fishing crowd is doing. Baqueta are great eating bottom fish that can get huge.
Couple those with a good yellowtail bite and most boats continue the close-in bottom fishing quest. We have been rotating our captains through whatever trips we can launch so that everybody makes a little living money.
One of our scuba trip specialist captains was out with a snorkeling group yesterday and came back with a huge smile on his face. Down south between Danzante Island and the south tip of Carmen the group came across a battle between a baitfish school and huge bull dorado! The height of the bull’s forehead would lead one to think the 40-pound monsters are in town…….
Last week we had sightings of big dorados and over 400-pound marlin on the north side of Carmen. What’s everybody doing? Bottom fishing on the north side of Coronado.
The hotels are opening up and some tourist-types are cruising the Malecon and Centro. Maybe the inbound fishermen will be wanting to break the mold and hit the distant waters for some of the monsters we have been seeing…Rick Hill, Pinchy Sportfishing
Loreto fly fishing Report 7-10
Greetings:
Today we woke up to a little rain and waited for about an hour before heading out. Our patience “netted” us seven dorado up to about 15-pounds, and we saw one billfish. We’re hoping for a better day tomorrow because of predicted hotter weather and calmer seas…Carl Blackledge
La Paz
An incredible day fishing with my friend for thirty years, Captain Efren. Hooked four big roosterfish and landed three. That’s the kind of workout I like…Gary Bulla
East Cape.
Dorado Shootout…Van Wormer Resorts https://doradoshootout.com/
Another week of good fishing. Lots of striped marlin, yellowfin, and big roosterfish. The tuna is outside under pods of porpoise, and most anglers are limiting daily. The stripers are biting aggressively with multiple releases being normal. Big roosters are being found around the Lighthouse and are plentiful. Not many, but some big dorado are being taken on marlin lures, squid and live bait off the shark buoys.
Yellowfin are very spread out from 10 to 30 miles due East. Large, multiple schools of porpoise are holding tuna from football-size to 100 pounds. When the tuna are biting, limits are normal. Hoochies, cedar plugs, and chunk squid are all working.
Lots and lots of stripers are around, with one boat releasing 15 in a day! Inside of La Ribera and outside they are mixed with the tuna. Trolled ballyhoo and lures are catching the fish.
Less fishing pressure this week. Big roosterfish to 80-plus pounds are being released daily. The Rincon side of the lighthouse is producing the most fish. Live caballito are by far the best bait…John Ireland, Rancho Leonero
Puerto Los Cabos
Off the Rock Piles, the main catches were red snapper and bonito, with an occasional cabrilla or amberjack. Live caballito and mullet were the main bait supply found in the Marina area. No dorado nor wahoo were being reported. There was a handful of yellowfin tuna to 50 pounds being caught on the San Luis Bank, but these fish were finicky and hard to entice. At times tuna were seen on the surface – some up over 100-pounds, though they would disappear as soon as they were seen. We expect that by the end of this month, ocean conditions will stabilize and we will see much-improved action throughout the remainder of the summer…Eric Brictson, Gordo Banks Pangas
What an action day with our friends the Skiles. They always do a great job. They caught a nice tuna, 3 good-size red snapper, 3 white bonito, a fortune jack, and they released a big shark on 40-pound fluoro Mamoi. Jaqueline sportfishing
Cabo San Lucas
Big fish are beginning to show up as we head into this weekend’s Dorado Shootout Tournament (one of the largest tournaments in Baja!) at the Van Wormer Resort in Los Barriles – this one would do it for sure…Rebecca Ehrenberg, Pisces Sportfishing
Great report great pictures love all the report please keep up all the good stuff you guys do.one question can you cross the border at tecate now to go to baha de Las Angeles. Are is it only essential s thank you so much for a great report. Gary d whatley.
Based on the reports no one has has had problems going to BOLA recently. A couple traveling in their 38′ RV last week crossed at Mexicali and drove all the way to East Cape with no issues. Several crossing at Tecate and San Ysidro have indicated that Immigration asked for proof of home ownership or room reservation receipt in a few cases. While others said they were waved on through. We have not heard of anyone being turned back.