Bajabytes SportFishing Weekly Update 2.21.24
More predictions of catastrophic weather darted up and down the West Coast, but the only areas reporting poor weather were the Coronado Islands, with storm warnings all week. It’s 4 Reels in Ensenada reported to BajaBytes that various surface and bottom fish were taken throughout the past week.
Joining the BajaBytes refrain at San Quintin, Captain Juan Cook brought his offshore news. Daniel Powell told BajaBytes his nifty story about fishing for perch along the shoreline. Barred Surf Perch beginning to spawn
The further down the Baja Peninsula we travel, the better the BajaBytes fishing becomes. At Bahia de Los Angeles, Martin’s Sportfishing for yellowtail and an impressive list of grouper are providing BajaBytes with excitement in that area!
In Baja Sur, at Guerrero Negro, Chema Medina had stories of white seabass in the Lagoon to tell to BajaBytes.
Shari Bondy reported the results of the 5th Gray Whale Census to BajaBytes and the continued excellent yellowtail fishing at Asuncion Bay.
On the Sea of Cortez side, Nathan Burbey reports to BajaBytes that a full-on yellowtail bite is underway at Concepción Bay!
Meanwhile, according to Rubio Sportfishing, both yellowtail and grouper were in a BajaBytes frenzy at Loreto.
While back on the Pacific side at Lopez Mateos, Cheri King unexpectedly had a chance to go offshore for yellowfin tuna and found them closer to shore than a week ago. And they were in a BajaBytes kind of mood.
In La Paz, Jonathan Roldan shared that the daytime weather was in the mid-70s, with nights in the high 50s. They have had some clouds and rain to accompany the strong winds. The Port Captain even had to shut down all boat traffic in La Paz Bay, because it was so rough.
And as far as the water,if the winds were blowing, the water would be rough and off-color. But there was some strange, warm, blue water here and there in the 70s holding the pelagic species!
The Fish Hooked This Week: Tuna, dorado, amberjack, yellowtail, billfish, pargo, sierra, bonito, jack crevalle, roosterfish, grouper and cabrilla, all were BajaBytes!!! More
At Gordo Banks, Brian Brictson shared, “Tuna bite shows no signs of stopping BajaBytes! more
Last but not least, there were the striped marlin down at Cabo. The Pisces Fleet reported more BajaBytes at Cabo San Lucas!!!
That Baja Guy
Need a Mexican Fishing License?
https://app.sportfishingbcs.gob.mx/
Imperial Beach
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The sand bass bite at Imperial Beach is excellent for this time of year, with afternoons working best. Some half-day boats are reporting five fish per person limits caught.
Guys are fishing the “knocker rig,” which is simply a 3/4-oz. slider on the line ahead of a 2-oz. leadhead, along with a fresh dead squid. The slider and the leadhead “knock” against each other, making a sound that attracts the bass and sculpin.
Guys also use Hook-up Bait in green sardine or mint blue, casting them out as far as possible and then dead-sticking them until they get a bite.
Halibut are also showing on the hard sand bottom along the edges of the Pipe…Fish Dope
——— Mexican Waters ————
Mexican Permits AVAILABLE here:
FMM link here: https://www.gob.mx/inm/acciones-y-programas/sport-fishing-and-nautical-tourism
If you have trouble with FMM, here is an email for assistance: bc_pescadeportiva@inami.gob.mx When bringing fish back to the US from Mexico, make sure to have your Declaration Forms filled out for everyone on the boat. Forms Here
Lower 9 Mile Bank
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING
There is no change. It is holding steady.
Cold, dirty water on the surface, along with a stiff current, but down deep, it appears to be unaffected. The rockfish bite in 400 to 700 feet on the Lower 9 remains good!
Use 30 to 40 pounds of braid and 2 to 3 pounds of lead. The light line allows you to fish deep without much effect from the current.
Guys are catching a mix of red rockfish, including bocaccio, reds, Mexicans, and other assorted red rockfish. There are lots of whitefish, too. Drop down a live mackerel for the large reds, bocaccio, and lingcod. …Fish Dope
Coronado Islands/Rockpile
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING
Still, nothing to report. Very quiet.
SST and Cloro shots show cold, dirty water around the Islands. Chances for yellowtail in those conditions are poor at best. That said, a volume of yellowtail about 50 to 75 miles to the south appears to be on the move to the north.
It might be worth a look for sonar fish in 120 to 30 feet of deep water near the end of the month on the Flats and near the Rockpile.
If you give it a shot, you can likely load up on rockfish and lingcod at the Rockpile if the yellows fail to show. …Fish Dope
**** ATTENTION ****
You must stay at least 250 meters (820 feet) away from tuna pens. If you don’t, you risk losing your boat and landing in a Mexican jail.
Click here for more details on this subject.
Ensenada
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Ensenada yellowtail…run and gun throwing iron on bird schools…It’s 4 Reels
San Quintin
Gorge Catian has been fishing and catching many yellows, lings, and reds. The ‘tails are all on jigs. Captain Jaime Garcia has also been out a few times, and it’s the same deal…good ‘tails and Grouper! It has been a perfect winter for those fishing here – the water is clean and warm. …Captain Juan Cook.
Bahia de los Angeles
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Our two-day fishing February 18-19 #yellowtail #mexico #febrero2024 #sportfishing #mardecortez #snowygrouper, Martin’s sportfishing is in Bahía De Los Angeles, Baja California, México
BAJA SUR
Cabo San Lucas
With a fun fishing clinic and the participation of about 50 girls and boys, registration for the children’s high seas tournament, “𝗕𝗮𝗷𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮” began on Sunday, February 18, 2024.
The children received training to carry out safe and responsible sport fishing at the event sponsored by Bisbee’s tournaments and FONMAR. IGFA provided the concept and all materials for the Passport Clinic.
All participants received a certificate endorsed by IGFA.
This fascinating tournament, founded by Clicerio Mercado Hernández; Gary Graham; Gonzalo Alamea Camacho; the Director of FONMAR, Martín Inzunza Tamayo; Jorge González, host of the Maria Corona Restaurant; as well as Nidia Yukari Ruiz and Stephen Jansen, two of the 16 instructors will be providing this clinic.
#IGFA #Children’s Fishing #FonmarBCS #BCSNosUne Passport
Guerrero Negro
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.On February 11, with excellent weather and good fishing activity, we went out with three clients to look for white sea bass. We selected from our lures the 220-gr cyclops from Pro Hunter, which is excellent for fishing in the lagoon with shallow depths of only 40 feet. The equipment used was a Penn Fathom 60 2xspeed 10-pound line…Chema Medina
February 19, 2024 – The Fifth Gray Whale Census en Laguna Ojo de Liebre
177 cow/calf pairs
404 solitary whales
total of 758 Ballenas…Shari Bondy
(Shari Bondy was with Samuel Barrios at Whale Magic Tours).
Bahía Asunción
The yellowtail action continues …Shari Bondy
Bahía Concepción
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“Full on” yellowtail frenzy underway. All spots produce fish caught from the top to the bottom, with more fish rising to around 75 to 100 feet from the surface. I tried out new MILF Jigs Colors and all produce! Other boats are catching fish on bait and iron as well. Most boats are limited out before 9 or 10 a.m. It is a great time to visit. The 80-degree weather and calm seas don’t hurt either. Check out MILF Jigs on Amazon and stay at Casa Concepcion south of Mulege and Fish With Us! …Nathan Burbey.
Loreto
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They are still on the bottom, but the yellowtail season has begun!!! Saturday and Sunday on FIRE for yellowtail at San Bruno Reef, plus a black sea bass! … Rubio Sportfishing.
López Mateos
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No fun around Lopez Mateos!!!There are lots of
whales in and out of the bay, and this is Liz petting one. There is excellent fishing inside Mag Bay again this week with the live bait shrimp.And we unexpectedly got another chance to go outside and look for yellowfin tuna. We found them closer than the week before. The fishermen were so very happy this week! And we lived through three days of music and frolics of theGrey Whale Festival. Now, we are back to the slow, quiet normal of Lopez …Cheri King – Lopez Mateos Sportfishing.
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MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ FISHING REPORT from Tailhunter Sportfishing for the Week of Feb. 8-15, 2024
East Cape
DORADO AND MARLIN LEAVE THE EAST CAPE AREA AS COLD GREEN WATER ARRIVES. …Jeff DeBrown
San Jose del Cabo
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GORDO BANKS PANGAS
GORDO BANKS PANGAS
February 18, 2024
We had some unpredictable weather this week, with a few cloudy days and wind picking up mainly from the north. We also had some light showers throughout mid-week that kept the area chilly for us locals. Nonetheless, most of the week was favorable for tuna and marlin fishing. This week was as good as last week and similar regarding fish count and size. Many local fishermen claim that they haven’t seen such a good tuna run and overall fishing in February in over a decade.
The main highlight this week was the hot yellowfin tuna and marlin bite. We get a decent amount of live sardina every morning, an essential factor in this tuna run. The local bait guys have been netting them throughout the shoreline close to Palmilla and our Marina. This week, most of the fleet concentrated in the Iman area as it produced the best action. A few boats also found some tuna at Vinorama and La Fortuna. The best action was seen on live sardina, though many boats hooked the nicer-sized tuna with dead sardina. The average tuna was around 20 pounds, though we did see many in the 40-pound class. Within the same area of Vinorama, Iman, and La Fortuna, we have seen some good bottom action with live sardina and jigs. We continually see good numbers of nice-sized amberjack, grouper, and yellow snapper.
A few wahoo were caught on the same grounds while fishing for tuna. Since they are chasing the live sardina, most are cutting us immediately. We saw many lucky boats that landed some wahoo with just a circle hook and no wire. Most of the wahoo feeding on sardina are on the smaller side, with a few surpassing the 20-pound mark. A few boats landed nicer ones while trolling Rapalas and rigged Ballyhoo earlier in the morning.
The dorado and marlin bite remains consistent and scattered throughout our fishing grounds. The fleet caught a large number of marlin with sardina while fishing for tuna. We saw some nice bull dorado within the same grounds, with the biggest one weighing 34 pounds. The best fishing grounds for Dorado this week seemed to be at Iman and La Fortuna. For marlin, the best action was throughout Iman and 5 to 10 miles straight out from our Marina while looking for birds and surface activity. This week, we had an unexpected tuna bite at Palmilla Point that only lasted two days. Many of the boats focusing on this area were able to catch their limit within a few hours. Though the numbers were good, the tuna were on the smaller side, with most of them averaging 10 to 15 pounds. The skipjacks took over this area immediately, forcing the boats to head to Iman.…Good Fishing, Brian
Cabo San Lucas
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Pisces Sportfishing Report February 9-15
Friday began with a little more breeze of 8 to 10 knots that settled down as the week progressed, along with ideal 73 to 74-degree sea temps. Dorado and striped marlin were the primary targets on the various banks on both sides of the peninsula in the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez.
Overall Catch Success Rate, All Species Combined 98.33% Billfish Catch Success Rate 83.33%, Tuna 25.00% Dorado.
On the Sea of Cortez side, aboard the “ANDREA,” a 28-ft. Uniflite, Captain Fernando Noyola, and Mate Marcelo opted for the Chawita Bank just a few miles offshore on the Sea of Cortez side and had a noteworthy day packed full of action for clients David and Linda Tennant and Wayne and Candy Johnsen, who caught and released five Striped Marlin (estimated to weigh 80 to 100 pounds) plus two Dorado that were all caught on live bait.
FRIDAY, January 26, 2024 complete report. Link
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Published by That Baja Guy – Gary Graham
That Baja Guy…Gary Graham Gary Graham turned his passion for all things fishing into a profession. Whether its boats, destination travel, adventure experiences, vehicles, tackle, methods or just the spinning of a good outdoors tale, Graham has evolved into the go-to guy. View more posts
Great report, Gary! One of my most memorable experiences was helping as an instructor for the IGFA fishing class in Asuncion during the Governor’s Cup. Gonzalo is a great guy and works hard keeping those going. Even in that small fishing village, we had 35 kids in ‘class.’ And kudos to the IGFA for the program and supplies!
Baja Dan
Thanks for you input and assistance with the Passport Program.
Fonmar will be doing a Passport Clinic once a month in outlying locations throughout the rest of the year.
That Baja Guy