BAJA SUR FISHING TOURNAMENTS 2023.
| 1 | 1st. CSL BULNES Firefighters Tournament | 15 and 16 April | Cabo San Lucas | Los Cabos | yellowtail / sierra | Clinic and shore line Tournament for 40 kids. |
| 2 | Rotary La Paz Balandra | 22-23 April | La Paz | La Paz | yellowtail | |
| 3 | The Mission | 28,29 and April 30 | Loreto | Loreto | yellowtail | |
| 4 | Puerto Escondido | 19-21May | Loreto | Loreto | Dorado and yellowtail | |
| 5 | The Cardonal | 26-27 May | The Cardonal | La Paz | Dorado, marlin, tuna | |
| 6 | Triple Crown | 08 -11 June | Cabo San Lucas | Los Cabos | Tuna, Dorado and Wahoo | |
| 7 | Festival del Mango | July 17 | All Saints | La Paz | Shoreline | |
| 8 | East Cape Offshore | 1-5 August | Buenavista | Los Cabos | Tuna, golden marlin | |
| 9 | Fishing for Hope. | 19-20 August | Cabo San Lucas | Los Cabos | Dorado, Tuna. | |
| 10 | San Juanico | 16 y 17 Sep | San Juanico | Comondu | Dorado, Tuna, Wahoo | |
| 11 | Marlini Capital | 14 and 15 Oct. | Cabo San Lucas | Los Cabos | Dorado, wahoo. | |
| 12 | Los Cabos Offshore | 19-22 October | Cabo San Lucas | Los Cabos | Dorado, tuna, marlin | |
| 13 | Black and Blue | 24-28 October | Cabo San Lucas | Los Cabos | Blue/Black Marlin |
| No. | Tournament name | Date | Community | Municipality | Species | Observation |
International Game Fish Association Announces 2023 Tommy Gifford Award Winners
Legendary Captains Honored by the Global Authority on Game Fishing.
DANA BEACH, FL – February 6, 2023 – The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) announced its 2023 Tommy Gifford Award winners today. This annually-bestowed accolade recognizes Captains, Guides, or Crew Members who have made extraordinary contributions to their trade through innovation, leadership, or other outstanding accomplishments in recreational angling.
A Tommy Gifford Award recipient is named one of the greatest saltwater charter skippers of all time by being selected through a rigorous nomination and vetting process conducted by the IGFA Legendary Captains and Crew Committee. This year’s recipients include accomplished journalist and offshore innovator Captain Karl Anderson; renowned billfish specialist and conservation catalyst Captain Gene Vander Hoek; boat-building innovator Captain Paul Spencer; seasoned saltwater authority and accomplished tournament winner Captain Ray Rosher; and renowned Key West charter Captain Brad Simonds. These industry legends will be honored later this year at the IGFA Tommy Gifford Awards Ceremony. The event details will be released in the coming weeks.
South (Baja Sur)
Whale Magic Tours
South of Guerrero Negro
It was a lively day on Laguna Ojo de Liebre with whales everywhere you looked! They were frisky and playful, pushing the panga, breaching, and spouting on guests. A mom brought her big baby to visit us. Our friends from Ensenada attracted them with their singing Cielito Lindo!
After our whale watch, many received relaxing massages at our Baja Magic hacienda and played pool! What a fun day we all had – including the whales!.…Shari Bondy
Ascension Bay
Overlooking the Pacific at La Bufadora Inn.
Conception Bay
I should be fishing as soon as I return. I will give you an update before next Tuesday! .…Nathan Burbey
Loreto
We have whale watching and fish watching going on now in Baja!
Most fishing trips are the local pangas with some gringo boats mixed in. Pretty much private, non-tourist attempts at coaxing some yellowtail to bite.
Luck was with us last week, but the yellowtail aren’t interested in biting now. To make matters more painful, boils of fish are constantly at the surface as if they were feeding.
They ignore whatever you throw, whether live mackerel or any lure. Unfortunately, the story hasn’t ended well!
Blue whales are the draw right now for the tour boats. February in Baja is an annual target for anyone around the world who wants to get close to nature’s most enormous creation.
Yellowtail are being caught by some boats. However, mediums are the norm, and the top boats are lucky to land three fish, with many boats getting skunked! ( I could pull out the “full moon” excuse this week.)
Early spring/late winter in Baja!…Rick Hill
La Paz
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ FISHING REPORT from Tailhunter Sportfishing for Week of Feb 1-7, 2023
East Cape
The fleet leaves little doubt where the yellowtail is biting...Photo by Mark Rayor
Puerto Los Cabos
February can be one of the more unpredictable times of the year. We often see continuous cycles of north winds and the coolest conditions of the year. These factors also contribute to cold ocean temperatures that push in green currents. Although many of the popular warmer water game fish migrate south during this period, this is a transition period, as other species which do prefer cooler conditions move in. This is the peak season for whale migration, but other fish species are in transition, and reports can change quickly from week to week. We have seen water temperature from 67 to 71 degrees this past week, and the green water is gradually pushing in from Los Frailes towards San Jose del Cabo.
Bait supplies have become increasingly scattered as well – sardina have practically vanished this past week, as have mackerel and sardineta. The main bait offered now has been ballyhoo, slabs of squid, and some frozen mackerel. With each season, bait is not holding up to local supply demands.
Local sportfishing fleets mainly concentrate on the grounds from the Gordo Banks to the Iman Bank. Overall, the action was much more challenging this past week. The crowds of anglers were noticeably lighter as well. Choosing an ideal day for nice ocean conditions can be a hit-or-miss proposition during this time frame.
Despite cooling and not-so-favorable ocean conditions, some dorado were still found. Trolling various lures or ballyhoo has been the best bet for this, as they were scattered throughout the region in small schools. The average sizes were between 15 pounds or less. We saw one wahoo brought in mid-week – a seemingly lost fish, as most of the pelagics have followed warmer currents south at this time.
Billfish action is still very strong on the Pacific grounds and late to show in the direction of the Sea of Cortez, proving that every year can vary greatly. Last year, the striped marlin action was going crazy on the grounds near the Gordo Banks. However, bottom action has not come on yet. Lack of consistent bait has been a major factor. In addition, strong winds have created rough seas. Times are tough now, nothing usual for this time of year, but springtime will be here soon, and things always turn around then.
There have been chances at hooking into a quality yellowfin tuna on the Iman Bank. The few fish accounted for have been in the 30 to 80-pound range. Striking while drift fishing with strips of squid. This action is late in the season now and also hit or miss with north wind cycles. Over the weekend, conditions lay down, and more of these tuna were hooked up. The key was patience and persistence, and plenty of squid for bait. Also, drifting and chumming was the technique. On some days, the better action was encountered early, others late, and some days there was nothing at all. The same grounds have produced various bottom action for species such as leopard grouper, yellow snapper, barred pargo, smaller-sized amberjack, and bonito. We do anticipate improved bottom-structure fishing soon.
Along the shoreline, there has been limited sierra action, lack of sardina is a setback for this option. Trolling with small hoochies is the main deal now for targeting inshore. .…Good Fishing, Eric Brictson
52-pound dorado landed on Pisces 31′ Tiburon, plus more dorado and striped marlin Released!
A total of 181 fish were caught TODAY, with the dorado picking waaaay up!!! 122 of those 181 fish were dorado (with anglers and crews respecting limits and more than half of those Released), we also had blue marlin, striped marlin, sailfish, wahoo, and tuna.
The largest tuna today was aboard Pisces 35′ Bill Collector! Two with an approx. 85-pounder, as well as 4 dorado and striped marlin, Released.
Pisces 42′ Caliente had 13 dorado with 6 Released, 3 yellowfin, and a 40-pound wahoo.
Pisces 80′ Tag Team with a nice Billfish GRAND SLAM with an approx 259-pound Blue Marlin Released, 2 Striped Marlin, Sailfish, and 5 Dorado.
Pisces 31′ Tracy Ann had 14 dorado, 9 Released, plus striped marlin Released.
Pisces 45′ My Way with 1 striped marlin Released and 8 dorado.
Pisces 37′ BBII with 4 striped marlin Released, 10 dorado, and 3 yellowfin tuna.
There are many more amazing catches today for all the boats, but these are just a few highlights. It doesn’t get much better than this!!! …Rebecca Ehrenberg, Pisces Sportfishing Fleet.
Baja (Norte)
JD’s Big Game Tackle – Fish Report is full of reliable, on-the-water information – fishing, fuel, up-to-date weather, availability of slips, etc.
JD’s reports have been considered a credible resource experienced Captains and owners have depended on for decades.
https://www.jdsbiggame.com/report.htm
Bull Ring
Better sand bass fishing here than up north. Guys are finding a decent pick on mostly 2 to 5-pound sandies along the Imperial Beach Pipe. They are scoring a few legal-size sculpin too.
They are biting the knocker rig and a whole fresh dead squid. A knocker rig is just a 1/2 to ¾-oz. slider ahead of a 1 to 3-oz. leadhead. They “knock” together when working it on the bottom.
Plastics tipped with squid are working well too. If you want to focus on the sculpin, use a dropper loop rig with strips of squid, mackerel, or sardine. Those bait pinned on a 100-gram Colt Sniper work excellently too. …Fishdope.com
Coronado Islands / Rockpile / NE of the Coronados / Lower 9 Mile Bank / Upper Finger Bank…
Yellowtail fishing remains very, very slow. No sign of any at the Islands or out on the flats. No bonito. No barracuda either.
The water is dirty and runs between 57 to 58 degrees.
Most of the boats are focused on rockfish and are doing well. Several 1/2 and 3/4 day boats out of Mission Bay and San Diego are running down here and doing well fishing the Lower 9 and the area just to the NE of North Island.
They are catching all kinds of mixed red rockfish along with plenty of whitefish and the odd lingcod fishing in 180 to 400 feet.
Some guys are doing better fishing deeper on the Lower and on the Upper Finger Bank in 500 to 700 feet of water. Better quality reds with better numbers of lingcod are showing here. Be sure and bring a descending device and a lot of lead to sink it as there are some 8 to 15-pound cowcod showing, and you have to release those. It might take as much as 10-pounds of lead to sink a 15-pound cowcod…Fishdope.com
Ensenada
Local panga fishermen report there are still a few big bonito in the Punta Banda area but very few if any, signs of yellowtail.
Most locals” are running south down the coast for the excellent bite on big reds and lingcod at Santo Tomas and Soledad. …Fishdope.com
Colonet
No report since last weekend. Not going to get any new fresh dope this weekend either. There were several boats online to make the run down but have canceled the trips due to “lack of interest” They didn’t get enough folks signed up to make the run.
The next available trips are online to depart on Friday, February 10. Again, that is if they can get enough interest. …Fishdope.com
San Quintin
Great time fishing on Bahia de San Quintin yesterday with Captain Eddy out of Garcias Pangas Sportfishing, San Quintin. My largest lingcod since 2006! So much fun! Thank you to our Captain and Pat Anderson, and Danee Lynn Murray. What a blast!! … Beverly Hawley-Martin with Garcias Pangas
Baja Bytes Sportfishing 