The IGFA officials (@igfa_official) have made continuous strides in billfish research through their Great Marlin Race. The Great Marlin Race originated at the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament in 2009. There, the recreational anglers had the opportunity to deploy a Pop-up Satellite Archival Tag (PSAT) on billfish caught, and the fish that traveled the longest distance won the “race.”
Fourteen years later, this idea has grown rapidly, crossing borders and seas alike. As of July 2023, over 550 PSATs have been deployed in 24 countries on seven billfish species. These devices collect information on where billfish swim, the temperature, diving behavior, depth, and residency. The PSATs deployed under the IGFA Great Marlin Race program have collected data on tagged billfish for over 36,500 days and tracked enough mileage to circle the Earth over thirty-one times, 700,000 nm. Because of programs like this, we can learn more about these prized sport fish and ensure they exist for future generations of anglers. …Aftco Learn more at this link:https://bit.ly/3qwOEK4
Tijuana
Tijuana represented Mexico at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA, on the opening night Parade.
IB Pier Good sand bass action down on the IB Pipe. Dropper loop anchovy, sardine, mackerel, and squid strips all worked. Lime green plastics also worked, especially when you pinned a squid strip on them. …Fish Dope
Coronado Islands / Rockpile
Slower today, although there are still some yellows around in the lee of South Island and the lee of North Island. The Rockpile area had an excellent bite for bottom dwellers like big reds and ‘lings in the morning today.
The best fishing lately has been on the South Island spots and the Rockpile. The Lighthouse Kelp, South Kelp, and the 5 Minute Kelp all see yellows and barracuda.
Much less crowded today compared to the weekend, but the bite seemed to have slowed a bit. Slow-trolling sardine or mackerel is a good choice if you can avoid crowds. If not, anchor on a good sonar mark and run a steady chum line…Fish Dope
Ensenada
Local guys continue to see a mixture of yellowtail, barracuda, and big bonito.
Salsipuedes, the lee of Todo Santos, Punta Banda, and about anywhere else north, west, or south is working.
The local pangas are dragging rápalas and DTX minnows and are doing great.
The yellowtail/barracuda/bonito mix is found as jumpers under birds and around anchovy bait balls. Calico bass are biting great in the Todo Santos kelp and the boiler rocks at Punta Banda.
Many big reds are at San Miguel and Santo Tomas if you want. There are also yellows and dorado on kelp just west of Todo Santos Island. Numbers of yellowfin are building, too. See the offshore section for that info. …Fishdope.com
San Quintin
Recent reports include yellowtail, lots of white fish, and an occasional sheepshead. … Don Eddies Landing
South (Baja Sur)
Cedros Island
Cedros island keeps providing fantastic fishing for our guests. Many yellowtail limits on several boats, mostly from the banks to the south of the island, while at the same time, nothing much at the north. Yellowtail grade is nicely done by our anglers in the 15-30 lbs. It is predominantly with purple colored rapalas, which is even better than live bait. In the mix, keepers of white fish, sheep head (sheepshead?), after going through abundant barracudas, bonito, and calicos (catch and release). The weather around the corner was nice and calm for a few days this week, and now somehow breezy. Of course, our cool lodge is welcoming and cool. We are currently bracing for a hurricane, hopefully a storm by the time it gets twenty miles west of the island. That said, one group cancelled, but guests moved to later dates. All is good, since it’s not our first one, and we are following it very close…Jose Angel, Cedros Outdoor Adventures
Ascension Bay
The yellowtail bite, which was so promising! Was delayed by stormy weather…Shari Bondy
Loreto
Limits of four today by 9 am at North Punta Colorado – all on live bait!!! …German Martinez Davis
López Mateos
Nothing for this last week. Have clients going out tomorrow.But too late for last weeks report. Fishing Thurs and Fri so will have something for next week. Just too many windy days!…Cheri King
La Paz
https://youtu.be/d2–WPIAQ
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ FISHING REPORT from Tailhunter Sportfishing for the Week of July 29-Aug. 7, 2023
East Cape
Good day last week on the Rude Boy out of Hotel Palmas. the “Geezer Patrol” nabbed three wahoo south of Frailles rock. Gary Elrod
The water was clear and flat from 86 to 87 degrees, with some afternoon SE winds. Clear, crisp mornings with some afternoon clouds and light rain. Highs in the low 90s. An excellent week of fishing; the dorado bite was remarkably close to the hotel, with good-sized yellowfin taken daily farther south. Lots of striped marlin mixed with some big blue and black marlin with some big wahoo mixed in up to 90 pounds.
Medium-sized roosterfish are abundant, and the tuna, marlin, and wahoo were concentrated south of Los Frailes at the White Cliffs from 1 to 5 miles offshore. The local La Ribera one-day tournament winners yesterday were a 376-pound blue and a 57-pound yellowfin, with numerous tuna weighing over 40 pounds. Lots and lots of dorado were close to the Ranch, taken within 3 to 4 miles from the hotel. Lots were in the 5 to 15-pound range, with some big bulls mixed in to 47 pounds. All anglers were limited, with trolled ballyhoo working best. Boats going south of Frailes to the White Cliffs picked up yellowfin from 20 to 50 pounds closer inshore within a mile of the beach, dropping squid, cut bait, and iron off the bottom. Most boats took at least a couple. The billfish are very concentrated off the White Cliffs. Striped marlin, mixed with quite a few blues and blacks, was taken with ballyhoo and darker trolled lures. Quite a few wahoo were taken this week. The largest was in the 90-pound range. Almost all were on CD 18 Rapalas and Marauders. Again, off the very productive White Cliffs. Lots around in the 5 to 20-pound class, not much pressure. Lots are released right off the Costa Palmas Marina entrance.Have a good week! … John Ireland
Puerto Los Cabos
We are getting deeper into the tropical storm season. Until now, we have had a series of storms passing far enough off to the southwest that they have not significantly impacted Southern Baja. The latest systems were Dora, Eugene, and Fernanda. Last Sunday morning, there were some scattered rain showers, quickly passing.
The rest of the week was mostly clear, with scattered cloud cover building over the mountain ranges in the afternoon – the typical late summer patterns. It is quite warm now, with high humidity and a heat index ranging up to 106 degrees.
This week the crowds of anglers have been light even though the all-around fishing action has been much improved. Anglers were now using primarily squid strips, especially for the chances at yellowfin tuna near Vinorama. Limited supplies of caballito and sardina are available on some days, although ballyhoo has been another option. Currents have been swift some days before slacking on others; ocean temperatures are in the upper 80-degree range with no signs of cooling off. The main concentration of boats now has been off of Vinorama. Boats from the East Cape and the San Jose del Cabo charters are also motoring south to these same grounds. This small area with the larger mass of boats daily (usually between 30 and 60 boats) has a lot of pressure on these already finicky yellowfin tuna.
This is the main action now, so everyone is targeting this area. The average catches ranged up to five tuna per boat, and sizes were from 10 to 70+ pounds. All of these yellowfin were striking on the squid strips, and early in the day, before the heavy crowds arrive, has proved to be the best time to hook up.
Another bite was going on for mostly smaller-sized dorado straight offshore of the Puerto Los Cabos Marina, trolling small lures, hoochies, and ballyhoo. It was rare to find any dorado now over ten pounds, though. A handful of charters tried bottom action for more triggerfish than anything else, a few pompano, and the highlight was a few dogtooth snapper up to 25 pounds. Not much is being reported along the shoreline – late in the season now for roosterfish. Billfish action was spread out, although there were better reports from the Pacific grounds. Not many charters on our grounds were even trying for marlin since the tuna bite finally improved, and everyone was hot after this bite; the heavy pressure was on. It is the time of year we usually see the season’s first black marlin showing up around the Gordo Banks, though supposedly their favorite food fish, the football-sized yellowfin tuna, have yet to appear on these grounds. …Good Fishing, Eric
Cabo San Lucas
The fishing aboard the “Fin Chaser” was a remarkable adventure filled with strategic angling and abundant catches. The vessel embarked on a trolling journey along the picturesque expanse of the Pacific Coast, employing a meticulously planned approach that combined trolling lures and rigged dead bait and casting live bait when encountering schools of Mahi fish.
Equipped with a skilled and seasoned crew, the “Fin Chaser” set sail on a calm morning. The boat’s reputation as a fishing vessel with the right lures and an expert crew had set high expectations. The anticipation was palpable as they ventured out to the Pacific Coast’s bountiful fishing grounds.The trolling technique was the primary strategy adopted for the day’s angling. Mimicking natural prey movements, the team had rigged and artfully arranged and spread the dead bait across the water. The crew’s understanding of the currents and ability to adjust the spread’s depth and distance from the boat played a vital role in attracting the attention of elusive pelagic species.As the “Fin Chaser” continued its journey up the coast, its crew’s patience and experience were rewarded when a school of Mahi Mahi was spotted.
The team highlighted their adaptability and proficiency in responding to changing conditions by transitioning from trolling to casting live bait. Precision casting and skillful retrieval techniques resulted in multiple hookups, with the vibrant colors of the Mahi fish shimmering against the backdrop of the deep blue sea.
Throughout the trip, laughter and the thrill of successful catches created an atmosphere of accomplishment and enjoyment.
As the day ended, the “Fin Chaser” returned to the harbor laden with an impressive haul of Mahi Mahi. The trip yielded a bountiful catch and highlighted the vessel’s reputation as a proficient fishing boat, guided by a crew that expertly displayed their techniques. …Fin Chaser
