Bajabytes Sport Fishing Update August 23, 2023
IB Pier
The water rolled over and got cold, dropping from the low seventies to the low sixties. Plus, it turned from green to even brown in a few spots. Bass fishing slowed up a bit. Although there are still signs of yellowtail around, it will be tough to get them to bite. With the tropical storm coming, it will be a little while before this zone is back to good fishing. Rockfish out at the 9 Mile Bank is the best bet right now. …Fish Dope
Coronado Islands / Rockpile
There hasn’t been a report from these islands since before the storm. Like most areas along the coast, the water also rolled over here. There was almost a 10-degree drop, and the color went from clean blue to greenish/brown. Before the storm, the best fishing was at South Island spots and the Rockpile. The Lighthouse Kelp, South Kelp, and 5 Minute kelp have been the best for yellows and barracuda…Fish Dope
Ensenada
No report. This area was hit significantly by the storm. Don’t even consider fishing here until Wednesday at the earliest. Expect to find cold, dirty water…Fish Dope
San Quintin
Surface iron yellows down in San Quintin! …Cristian Catian
Bahía de Los Ángeles
These photos show how the road to Bahia was left after the storm. There is no passing this way for a standard, four-by-four car!
South (Baja Sur)
Cedros Island
The storm was strong! But we are okay, without any issues. We only lost power for a couple of hours, and thanks to Starlink, I could watch tennis matches! I know, I know… The town was hit, with water and debris running down the main street. It dragged and covered many other roads, but only a few material damages. There were many roof leaks here. However, it hit harder on the coastal towns below us, like Asuncion, La Bocana, and Abreojos, which are all flat. We have a big mountain behind us, that protected us pretty well. I can’t imagine what a Cat 5 could do to these small towns! Clients will arrive this Friday, but we canceled and re-accommodated the last two. The airstrip is fine, and flights are coming and going. …Jose Angel
Ascension Bay
Horrible damage! See my posts on the feed for photos and descriptions –it was the worst storm in the history of this area. What a difference a day makes! It was sunny and calm today like nothing ever happened until I turned down my street and saw the shambles my gardens were in and my house with the roof peeled back. There are seaweed and palm strands sandblasted on the walls of my home. My truck will have to live outside now as my garage is gone. Bahia Asuncion Photos Hilary wreaked havoc with relentless winds. Nature is a force to be reckoned with when in a whirling dervish. Now, to slowly clean up and rebuild. I am exhausted and ache all over, but I learned a lot, as always. Thank you to everyone who rode around with me during the maelstrom! …Shari Bondy
Marina Puerto Escondido
Thank you to our outstanding Captains and Crew in San Diego and Mexico for preparing our boats for Hurricane Hilary 2023 and keeping watch through the storm! Thankfully, our crew in Loreto, Ensenada, and San Diego weathered the storm wonderfully, and all boats and crew members are safe! Our hearts go out to our friends and family who were hit hard by the storm’s impact in the Baja and the Southwest deserts after record-breaking rainfall and devastating flooding. Hilary became a Category 4 Hurricane on 8/18/23 with top wind speeds of 145 mph. Hilary weakened as it approached cooler water temperatures in northern Baja, becoming a Tropical Storm as it barreled closer to San Diego. It was the first time a Tropical Storm Watch for Southern California was issued. To make 8/20/23 even more unprecedented, Southern Californians experienced a 5.1 earthquake during its first Hurricane. Wow! The West Coast sure knows how to make an entrance! West Coast Multihulls is with Ann Auwerda and Lance Botthof.
López Mateos
Kati and Steve had good luck this last week and lots of variety on the Grouper Rocks outside of Lopez – sierra, verdillo, pargo, and grouper. And Thetis offered up 10 – 11 kilo yellowfin tuna and pesky little dorado. As for any impact from Hilary? Not much at all. Just a little rain, 24 hours of gusty wind, with 18 people in the safe house. There was mainly brush and roof damage. … Cheri King
La Paz
https://youtu.be/jWRnnkHs5WM
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ FISHING REPORT from Tailhunter Sportfishing for the Week of Aug 11-18, 2023
Puerto Los Cabos
Hurricane Hilary – Close Call, More Tuna ~ August 20, 2023
This week began with normal summer conditions – hot and humid weather greeting light crowds of visiting anglers. We followed extended weather forecasts, which we always do during this peak season for tropical storm development. We were particularly tuned in to the rapid growth and strengthening of Hurricane Hilary off Mainland Mexico. This system rapidly intensified to a Category 4 storm, passing within a couple hundred miles west of Southern Baja. Fortunately, the eye of the storm was just far enough away from the Los Cabos area to keep disastrous effects to a minimum. Though, of course, on the Todo Santos side of the Peninsula and at Guerrero Negro, they did receive more of the blunt force from Hilary. Local Port authorities shut down all activities from Friday through the weekend, but we hope to reopen operations on Monday. This will mean hauling all boats back into the Marina, since a mandatory haul-out order was given for our panga area. Scattered power blackouts were another thing local interests had to deal with. Before the latest storm developed, local fleets had worked near Vinorama, the main activity center, over the past few weeks. Boats arrived in the area as early as possible for the yellowfin tuna bite before heavy pressure made the tuna more finicky. Drift fishing with squid strips was what these football-size to over 80-pound fish were striking on. The boats were landing up to four or five yellowfin daily. As the week progressed, the winds from the south increased and made conditions that much tougher. Not much has been going off the bottom besides a handful of triggerfish and a few dogtooth snapper. The billfish bite was spread out, though there was a 300-plus pound black marlin landed from a small panga after a four-hour battle, with a few striped marlin. A bunch of smaller dorado were found off the marina area and towards Palmilla. Also, a couple of wahoo were seen for the first time in a while, including one monster specimen that weighed in at 72 pounds. Which hit on a trolled lure in open water while the angler returned from the tuna grounds…Good Fishing, Eric
Cabo San Lucas
Pisces Fish Report August 12 to 18th
Another big yellowfin this week, this time for Pisces 35′ Bill Collector 2!
Overall Catch Success Rate: 85%Billfish: 26%, Tuna: 42%, Dorado: 29%, Other: 12%
Two days of port closure for Cabo this week, with the approach of Hurricane Hillary near the weekend. The Cabo area had no severe damage – mostly swells and winds. Still, fishing was decent at the beginning of the week, although much slower than the previous week. However, we saw a few large dorado, a big yellowfin tuna over 140 pounds, and some blue marlin releases. We also had some action with black marlin, but none were successfully caught and released.
The most productive species were tuna. Forty percent of the fleet caught seventy-five tuna. Dorado accounted for 30% of the catches, with 53 fish caught. We saw boats fishing inshore for fish to eat or looking for roosterfish releases. Billfish release numbers were lower, with 14 (only one or two released per boat). Pisces 35’ Valerie was the Top Billfish Release boat this week.
Wonderful day for Pisces 38′ Speedwell! They caught a big dorado and released a blue marlin! Pisces 38’ Speedwell had one of the few blue marlin released this week, a 200-pounder that hit a Petrolero lure about twenty-five miles south. Plus, they had a 40-pound dorado.
Pisces 38’ Speedwell had one of the few Blue Marlin Released this week, a 200-pounder that hit on a petrolero lure about 25 miles south. And they caught a 40 pound-dorado.
Bruce and Ken, from Florida, on the Pisces 31’ Rebecca also had one blue marlin released weighing about 150 pounds on the 11:50 Spot.
A fantastic day began the week for Pisces 35’ Valerie with THREE striped marlin released on live and dead caballito close to La Herradura – the most released by one boat in a day this week. The marlin averaged between 90 and 110 pounds each.
Pisces 35’ Valerie also had one of the largest dorado this week –a 42-pounder on live bait taken at Migrino. To close out the week, they had one striped marlin they released at San Jaime on dead bait, ten dorado, with one released, and all averaging between 15 and 20 pounds. The dorado hit on feather lures. More dorado were caught by Pisces 30’ Karina, with nine of them about 10 pounds. They were all caught on bait. There were dorado, one released, averaging between 15 and 20 pounds. Dorado hit on feather lures, hoochies, and cedar plugs, with five released in the Los Arcos area.
One Hundred-Forty-Two-Pound Tuna for James Cassidy on Pisces 35′ Bill Collector 2!
The following day, the Stanley family on Pisces 35’ Bill Collector 2 did well with marlin and tuna, with two striped marlin, around 100 and 130 pounds each, on caballito bait near the Herradura area. They also landed two small yellowfin tuna on cedar plugs there and a 142-pound yellowfin on a dead caballito about twenty-seven miles south of Cabo.
The Williams Family on Pisces 28’ Andrea got eleven small yellowfin about fifteen miles south of Cabo.
There was a 42-pound bull dorado caught on Pisces 42′ Hot Rod, plus released striped marlin and tuna, too!
Other species: Pisces 35’ Bill Collector 2 had four grouper and five ladyfish at Las Margaritas for a quick half-day for anglers from Alaska.
Pisces 31’ Ruthless had five grouper, one sheepshead for their half day, and one dorado at Migriño.
Pisces 31′ Ruthless and Pisces 28′ Andrea caught some nice yellowfin tuna;
Pisces 42’ Caliente released a 250-pound blue marlin and took six yellowfin tuna, averaging about 15 pounds, on feathers thirty miles south. The marlin hit a cedar plug lure.
Pisces 42’ Hot Rod had one striped marlin, a nice 43-pound dorado, and twelve yellowfin tuna, the largest about forty pounds, and others averaging about thirty pounds.
Pisces 31’ La Brisa had three roosterfish released, all about ten pounds for the Adams family.
WEATHER CONDITIONS: Calm seas with two to three-foot waves. Port Closed Thursday through Saturday due to Hurricane Hilary.
WATER TEMP: From 89 to 93 F
BEST LURES: Dead bait, caballito, cedar plugs, feathers, hoochies.
BEST LOCATIONS: 30 miles South of Cabo, Herradura, Los Arcos, Migrino.
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Find the best vacation villas in Cabo at Pisces Luxury Collection — and the finest yachts at Pisces Yachts! Based on the catches of Pisces Sportfishing Fleet, by Rebecca Ehrenberg.