Baja Bytes Fishing – Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Super cows cavort while grande roosters crow! Then add dorado and yellowtail into the mix to make a great Baja week.
Que Pasa Baja California
https://puertoloscabos.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/BoatingInMexico__1-19_Screen.pdf
Tijuana Bull Ring
Jacked up conditions with stiff SE wind and rough seas. It was not a good day to be out in a small boat… Fish Dope
Coronado Islands / Rockpile
There were SE wind and choppy seas, some guys braved the conditions anyway. There were some signs of yellowtail on the Middle Grounds…Fish Dope
226-302 / Coronado Canyon/371 / 425 / Upper Hidden Bank / Above 32 00
The good fishing continues although the SE wind made it uncomfortable. By far the vast majority of the kelp paddy yellowtail, dorado, and yellowfin are coming from this zone – not just on kelps either as there are open-water schools of those around too.
Because of this, we highly recommend you troll while paddy hunting. It’s worthwhile to drag cedar plugs, feathers, and daisy chains around. Dorado seem to love bigger, brightly-colored marlin lures, especially pink. Zucchini, green/yellow, black/purple, and blue/white are also good choices for your feathers.
The yellows are ranging from small two-pound rats up to about 15 pounds with a lot in the 4- to 6-pound class. The dorado are in the 4- to 15-pound class with most in the 5- to 7-pound class, and the yellowfin are running from little 6- to 8-pound stuff to the mid-teens and on up to about 25 pounds. Most are in the 10- to 15-pound class…Fish Dope
West of Ensenada / Upper 500 / 238
More signs of yellowfin down here, but other than that, it’s pretty much the same story as the areas farther north. Most of the overnight fleet is running down here to avoid the crowds. This will likely be the case tomorrow as well. Over-all, it’s excellent fishing down here again today despite the weather…Fish Dope
Ensenada
Excellent local fishing day – mackerel, bonito, barracuda, calico bass, rock cod, and lingcod…Mara’s Sportfishing
Punta Bunda
Three of us fished on Sept. 3rd with Baja Fishing Punta Banda (646-136-2514 –located 19 miles south of Ensenada on the highway to La Bufadora). We launched our panga and made bait (sardines and small mackerel) within a mile of our launch site. then ran out in a southwesterly direction approximately 18 miles searching for paddies that were holding dorado or yellowtail. We trolled feathers in between the paddies with no luck at all. Finally, we got a call on the radio that a paddy holding fish was approximately two miles from our location so off we went … and it was! We got our limits fly lining the sardines, losing as many as we caught! The dorado were on the smaller side around 8- to 12-pounds. We also caught two yellowtail so we headed back with smiles on our faces…Baja Chaser https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/football-size-dorado.755626/
San Quintin
Our Brotha Jeff Tiglio of @pacificbountysportfishing and his wife Elena @lilwingemt Crushing is in Baja with K&M Sportfishing….Capt. Christian Catian @filletguy
Bahía Asunción
Yellowtail fishing has gone WFO on the jigs. The past three days, we found them willing to bite and aggressive with at times four swipes on the crank and almost instant re-bites on spit jigs.
My dad got a seabass on the jig yesterday as a bonus. Offshore has looked and felt good when we were allowed out there (water: 77 green to 75 blue) but no great shakes besides med to small dorado. That should go off soon but after I leave.
Tourists are finally showing up and the town is enjoying the summer-like water temps…Zed
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/bahia-asuncion-august-2020.753639/#post-5220530
Baja Sur-Que Pasa
BCS HEALTH ALERT SYSTEM The COVID-19 Health Alert System in Baja California Sur is a tool composed of six levels, which allows us to know the criteria and restrictions with which the different economic activities can be reopened. Each week, the State Health Safety Committee will determine and make known the level in which the state is, depending on the behavior of the pandemic. https://coronavirus.bcs.gob.mx/semaforo/
Loreto
One fishing trip found three new cabrilla and pargo spots close to the rocks north of San Basilio. Near limits on the table with twice as many escapees still out waiting for the next offering. Now that we are into September shouldn’t the air temperatures be coming down?
Most days are in the mid-90s with the ocean effect of a minimum of 50% relative humidity and standing in the sun, you will quadruple your pain. Lots of little dorado are everywhere following around the seemingly endless schools of baitfish. All of this action is going on inshore with very few boats venturing east of Coronado Island.
Traditional high spots, around the rock piles, and along the coast is where you will find the summer hard-core types soaking live and cut bait. Snapper and pinto bass are biting at the deeper spots. The best snapper bait seems to be sardina – injured or fresh dead. ( It was explained to me that snappers are lazy and like to wait motionless only to pounce on something that isn’t overly active….sounds like a human trait almost!)
No word from the down south focused boats. The northern section from “Doctor’s Point” to San Basilio is getting worked over and kicking out cabrilla, pargo, and roosterfish. Trolled hard bait like Rapalas and Mirrolures have been working, but sardina on light line (20#) are getting the most strikes.…Rick Hill, Pinchy Sportfishing
My friends and I here in Loreto have been slaying the dorado for a few weeks now. They are thick and super close to shore, so they are easy to catch either slow trolling sardine or fast trolling with feathers and plugs. There are no monsters, but they are fun to catch and are of great eating size…defrag4
https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/bagged-my-first-baja-baqueta-v-loreto-report.755430/
Magdalena Bay
We just returned from a dive trip yesterday. Not too much to report. It’s a little weird – no wahoo to be found out at the ridge, even for divers. Seems to be a slow start for the wahoo with them in and out of the area, not consistent. There are plenty of small yellowfin and dorado, and inshore or bottom fishing both remain pretty good. Divers did well on pargo, grouper, and dorado.
Water temps are a bit low for this time of year – 72 to 74 degrees.
We start fishing again on the 13th of this month and then we should be out almost all of the days through the end of the year, so I’ll keep reports and pics coming! Keep reminding me…MagBay Lodge
La Paz
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ FISHING REPORT from Tailhunter Sportfishing for Week of Aug. 27-Sept 2, 2020…Jonathan Roldan, Tailhunter Sportfishing
East Cape
Scorpion Sportfishing East Cape Fishing Report – September 6, 2020
The fishing fired up this past week as the water cleared after the recent hurricane passing. Wahoo showed up in good numbers this week. Rapala, Xrap, and Magnums are always the way to go for these predators. Nice tuna continued to be caught and some real quality dorado, including this 53-pound bull. Striped marlin, sailfish, and blue marlin also bit well.
The water has been beautiful and flat with very light winds – clear, blue, and clean from 85 to 87 degrees. Air has been cool for September with highs in the low 90s.
There was some light rain early on, but blue skies and light afternoon breezes from midweek on. A much improved period of fishing! Wahoo have finally arrived in decent numbers. Yellowfin are being taken both inside and outside under the porpoise. Lots of dorado were found. The billfish bite opened up and the bottom fishing has been good and consistent as usual. Lots of good, live sardina are available which is helping the fishing. There are lots and lots of skipjack along with the yellowfin inside. At least two or three wahoo a day are coming to the cleaning table – nice fish from 25- to 45-pounds. Most were taken on Rapalas, Marauders, and slow-trolled ballyhoo from one-half to three miles off the beach from the park boundary to Punta Colorado. The anglers fishing in the lighthouse area are picking up the most fish. By far, this is the best wahoo fishing of the year!
Bottom fishing – Almaco jack, grouper, and lots of pompano are biting on the inside high spots. Chunk squid and skipjack are working and the sardina are catching lots of fish as well…John Ireland, Rancho Leonero
Puerto Los Cabos
The most consistent action was found around the San Luis Bank, using both lures and bait. The tuna hit on caballito and were in the 40- to 70-pound class. There had been some much larger yellowfin tuna found associated with the porpoise, but this was some 30 to 40 miles offshore and was not a normal option for local charters.
More dorado were also found inshore – mixed sizes, ranging to 20-pounds though there were more numbers of smaller-sized fish. With the cleaner water we also saw the wahoo become more active on the same grounds north of Punta Gorda; several charters accounted for a couple of these speedsters, with other strikes missed. Sizes ranged from 25 to 40 pounds.
Billfish action was limited with the changing conditions, though there were sailfish, striped, blue, and black marlin all hooked, with larger billfish being lost. We expect the coming weeks will produce some of the season’s larger marlin, but a lot will depend on what weather might develop. Historically, the month of September can be the most unpredictable of all.
Bottom action has been limited, as has inshore action, hough there were a few nice-sized roosterfish reported, which is very late in the season for these.…Eric Brictson, Gordo Banks Pangas
Cabo San Lucas
Brothers Jesus and Gerardo Bañaga from La Playita headed out on their 23-ft. panga Friday in search of billfish, as there have been quite a few blues and blacks caught in the area.
They were at the Inner Gordo Bank, four miles from shore, getting bait when they landed a nice, bait-sized skipjack. They sewed it up and put it out on their Shimano 30 Tiagra with 80-pound line and 90-pound leader on a Seeker Rod.
Circling the area only once, this super cow-sized yellowfin tuna leaped out of the water and pounced on their bait. The fish ran for an hour straight, with the guys in hot pursuit, trying to avoid getting spooled.
After the run, it sounded, and that’s when the tough part began. Two and a half hours after the hookup, they had the fish at gaff. It was difficult to weigh (some by-standers doubted the accuracy of the scale, saying it might have been heavier) but the numbers stopped at 367-pounds!
‘HOO!! It’s on!! Wahoo have been picking up with Pisces 35-ft. Bill Collector 2 – going two for four on yesterday. The hungry wahoo not only took out Captain Gil’s favorite lure, but they even hit while cruising on our Pisces 55-ft. Chica Mala Yacht.
Tuna fishing has picked up from San Jose to Cabo, with Pisces boats landing fish in the 80-pound range regularly now. Sixty percent of the Pisces boats targeted tuna successfully, and we had a total of 205 yellowfin caught! Pisces Sportfishing.…Rebecca Ehrenberg
Location: San Jaime, Migrino, Vinorama, Golden Gate.
Bait: Cedar plugs, feathers, hoochis, Rapala, live caballito.
Weather: Slightly overcast days, with some swells of two to three feet.
Sea temp: 80 F
That Baja Guy-Gary Graham
Photojournalist http://www.thatbajaguy.com/
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