Baja Bytes – March 2, 2021
Que Pasa Baja California
Need Mexican Fishing License?
IGFA Adopts New Language for Electric Reels
Tijuana Bull Ring
Local conditions were mixed but in general, it was windy and choppy. The water temps dropped several degrees and the water turned green.
The wind was blowing in IB where it made it difficult to fish for sand bass and sculpin on the Pipe.
The boats on whale watching trips were making comments about the number of anchovies they were seeing.
“There are more anchovy than I have ever seen!” That one comment was heard several times. However, there were no yellowtail or seabass seen today. …Fish Dope.
Coronado Islands/Rockpile
There were wind and rough seas around the Coronado Islands. The only fish biting were rockfish. Surface fishing has been extremely slow, and this weather is not going to help matters. …Fish Dope
Ensenada
Final report: There were 35 calicos up to 6 pounds; 25 bonito to 8 pounds, and 8 log barracuda. Lots of fish were released to fight another day! It’s 4 Reel Sportfishing
Colonet
Good yellowtail fishing near the High Spot yesterday. The Old Glory ended up with 90 yellowtail in the 8- to 15-pound class after calling in at 1 p.m. with 35 yellows.
The bite was on kelp paddies in the same general area as the high spot. Fly-lined sardines and surface iron got most of the yellows.
The guys also caught some big bonito. Most were 8- to 10-pounds but some were up in the 12- to 15-pound class.
Rounding out the catch were limits of red rockfish as well as good numbers of lingcod.
Other boats in the area included the Ocean Odyssey and the Pacific Queen. The Odyssey scored 35 yellowtail, 12 jumbo bonito, and over 500 rockfish. The Queen missed out on the yellowtail and focused on rockfish. They ended up with 117 big reds, 7 lingcod, and full limits of mixed red rockfish.
Also of note: The boats saw good signs of 30- to over 100-pound class bluefin although they didn’t bite. See Robert Tressler’s report below:
Report from Robert Tressler on the Old Glory;
Went on Old Glory’s 1.5-day bluefin tuna scouting trip this weekend. We saw multiple schools scattered around breaks above and outside Colonet. Schools of 30- to 60- pound fish and other schools of 80- to over 100 pounders jumping around at times. Got one school of the bigger grade to respond to our chum, but no takers on anything we put out there – jigs, sinker baits, or fly-lined sardines. Our bait was a bit on the weaker, smallish side. There was a fun yellowtail bite though on multiple paddies. We put a decent grade of 90 fish on the boat mostly from 8- to 12+ pounds. I picked off seven. Some were taken on the jig and some were fly-lined, which was the better way to get bit.
The wind and waves were up a bit, making casting an iron a challenge. Wide-open on some stops, we were a bit rusty, so we had some casualties for sure. Also, we took some big bonito as well. As always, Captain Kley and the crew did a great job! There was lots of life around including lots of red crab! Uh oh. It’s early, but it’s tuna time! …Fish Dope
San Quintin
2/27/21 Captain John Cook had good news to share with his friends, yesterday, February 26. He received his first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine. His second vaccination is coming up in two weeks. The first shot was near painless with NO side effects, so all is good! He is ready to head to Gonzaga Bay to start his fishing season there. He uploaded some photos of some of the lures they use there, so you’re better prepared to fish in this area of the Sea of Cortez where they catch leopard grouper, yellowtail, dorado, hagfish, and barred pargo and on the Pacific side as well, where he catches calico bass, grouper, and tuna. He suggested anglers should bring a few like the ones displayed above as they work in multiple situations all over the areas on both sides of the Baja Peninsula!…fishonnn&onnn-Captain John Cook
Bahía Asunción
I stopped at the launch on the way through town to watch some of my amigos unload their sardine catch of the morning. A panga such as this will hold around five tons of sardine or mackerel and they come back to the beach with a couple of guys sitting on top of all of the fin bait, and no more than two inches of freeboard on the panga. Today, they said, was not a particularly good day, but on good days the fleet will bring in at least 20 tons of these fish, which will be used both for lobster bait and canning. …Ross Zoerhof
Bahía de Los Ángeles
Slow fishing and old water. Lots of North Wind is keeping pangueros from hitting La Guardia and Remedios. There is lots of bait, but no yellows lately to speak of. …Bill Boyce
Baja Sur-Que Pasa
Guerrero Negro
What a trip! Yet another glassy calm day and mugging by many whales who stayed with us for a couple of hours playing with us and delighting everyone with their antics. Max had his face underwater for most of it…I wonder what the whales thought of him? …Shari Bondy Whale Magic Tours.
Loreto
http://webcamsdemexico.net/loreto1/live.jpg
“An acre of boiling yellowtail on the surface and right off the arroyo!” This was the picture painted for me by one of our most requested captains – Captain Tony Davis! He had a fishing family in the right spot to witness the event. A half dozen additional boats had come across the same foaming madness and only a couple of yellows were put on ice.
This scene is not all that unusual for one to stumble across this time of the year. It is also not that unusual to get skunked when trying to join in on the turbulence!
Like Tony was explaining to me,” March is deep water highspot fishing for yellowtail, and success on the surface will be happening from April into May.”
Shallow water rockfish and towing Rapalas around the coastline for cabrilla seems to be the game for the past few weeks.
The blue whale watchers are thinning out although the big blues are still around.
The three best days of the week put many boats on the beach at Coronado Island. It was another stab at killing the cabin fever!
As Captain Tony warned me, “Ya better change that old line and dig out the 8-ounce sinkers, it’s time to hit the deep devils!”
Visiting the Loreto area at 200- to 300-foot depths is on the schedule for March…Rick Hill, Pinchy Sportfishing
Marina Puerto Escondido
Tim Yarbrough, Loreto 34 pounds
Puerto San Carlos
How many of you have ever petted a 40-ton whale??? The friendly whales of Magdalena Bay, Baja, Mexico, migrating to Mag Bay to mate, birth, and rear their babies, and stopping by our boat to say “Hi” provided the most amazing experience I have ever had in my lifetime. Growing right outside this little community of Puerto San Carlos is the CARDON Cactus, the largest cactus in the world, and this lovely tarantula, which I almost stepped on. Hope you all can experience this someday…Janet Downey
La Paz
East Cape
The wind has started to calm down on the East Cape and we are now getting a couple of calm days each week to fish. The 2021 season has begun with a bang!
Yellowtail fishing has been as great as I ever can remember. We are getting good numbers of quality yellowtail each day fishing with live sardines, butterfly jigs, and Rapala Xraps.
A variety of bottom fish, including white bonito, cabrilla, and snapper are being found in the same areas. Even some dorado showed up to the party this week!!
2021 looks like a great fishing season and Scorpion Sportfishing is ready to get you on the fish. With the addition of our new 37′ Seahunter Encantada (more to come soon), we now have three great options to make your fishing dreams come true… Scorpion Sportfishing Report
Confirmed by …Masked Angler
Puerto Los Cabos
The month of February is finally over; it lived up to its reputation of being unpredictable, as we saw a little bit of everything these past few weeks. We are glad to see that it is past, and we are feeling a slight warming trend as springtime nears. The ocean temperature is now in the 68-degree range, as the north winds continue to pick up in cycles. The clarity of the water is also up and down – this is how it often is during this time frame. Still, only limited numbers of tourists are arriving, even fewer anglers, though we anticipate times will improve, as many people in the U.S. and elsewhere now have had their Covid 19 vaccinations or will be having them soon and then will be more open to making travel plans.
Most fishing action has taken place from Chileno, Palmilla, Gordo Banks, and north to Vinorama. Bait netters are having trouble finding supplies of sardina and the main bait source has been caballito as a lot of yo-yo style jig fishing is going on now with anglers drift fishing over the rocky grounds, more often in 120 to 200 feet of water, with available bait, but more so on yo-yo jigs.
The main catch by far has been the bonito, some of them up to 8 pounds, hitting best earlier in the morning. The same areas were producing a variety of grouper, snapper, cabrilla, yellowtail, and Almaco jacks, in limited numbers, but quality fish. Some charters would have up to three to four yellowtail, with sizes up to 25-pounds. Most of these yellows came from areas farther north near Vinorama.
Closer to shore anglers found sierra, pargo, and triggerfish. We heard a couple of reports of dorado or wahoo being seen – it’s uncommon to see these gamefish in such cold water.
No local billfish bite has been reported, though as conditions improve, we expect to see more striped marlin move in. We did hear of a couple of reports of swordfish sightings from sport fishers searching farther offshore.
A handful of smaller-sized yellowfin tuna was brought in, fishing the same local grounds, also there were sightings of much larger yellowfin, up to 150 pounds, coming up for a quick showing on the surface and then disappearing even faster. They are in the area, though the cold, off-colored water and the full moon does not help…Eric Brictson, Gordo Banks Pangas
Cabo San Lucas
https://fb.watch/3ZfQllaA3W/
Night fishing for Cubera Snappers in Cabo San Lucas.
Marlin
The marlin fishing has been slow. A few have been caught this week off the Lighthouse and Los Arcos on lures while drift fishing live bait.
Tuna
Fishing for tuna has been slow, though a few small schools at the Horseshoe and the 1150 were caught on king busters and cedar plugs.
Inshore
Sierras and bottom fish have been very good, as have small snapper and grouper, with most fish caught at Rancho Migrino and Los Arcos. The sierras were taken on hoochies and small spoons. The bottom fish were caught on cut bait.
LOCATION: Potato Bank, Golden Gate, Chileno, Margarita, the Lighthouse, and Rancho Migrino.
WEATHER CONDITIONS: Clear and calm seas with 2- to 3-foot waves.It has been mostly sunny, with temps in the 79-degree range, and winds in the afternoon SSE at 10- to 15-mph.
AVERAGE WATER TEMP: Sea temps from 63 to 65 degrees.
BEST BAIT AND LURES: Live or dead mackerel, sardina, feathers, and Rapalas.
BEST LURES: Live mackerel and caballito, plus hoochis.
That Baja Guy-Gary Graham