Baja Bytes Baja Update, August 14, 2024.
Reports are that the farther south you go, the better the fishing. Loreto checked in with good dorado, yellowtail, a few amberjack, and even a few billfish. While over on the Pacific side, Cheri reported that Lopez Mateos had great action in the mangroves, plus offshore, anglers were excited to find both yellowfin and bluefin tuna weighing up to 30 pounds and they were getting all the stripers they wanted!
It is the same story in La Paz, East Cape, and Gordo Banks. At Cabo, where the billfish have dominated recent catches, the yellowfin tuna have been larger. The Pisces fleet’s boat, the “Ripper” brought in a 162-pound yellowfin, followed by the “Scale House” that brought in a whooping 206-pound yellowfin tuna on August 11, 2024. We are all eager to see what happens next week – Stay tuned
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Coronado Islands / Rockpile
There are still decent signs of yellowtail here, but the bite is completely hit or miss and slow today. The yellows are found in the clean water.
There are also some small 15 to 20-pound bluefin roaming around, but the only shot at them is in the cleaner water. From
Pukey Point down to the Key Hole, yellows are found, and from the Middle Grounds to the Gunsight there are a decent amount of yellowtail also.
In addition, the Islands have a large population of barracuda. Most are in the Ribbon Kelp area, and from the Lighthouse Kelp to the 5 Minute Kelp.
Surface iron is the ticket for these fish. Sure, they bite the sardine, but they also chew them off, and there is no need for it. Stick with the jigs.
Calico bass are biting well among the Boiler Rocks at Middle Island, and there has been a good triggerfish bite on the rockpiles scattered around the same area.
Evening update – Report from David:
Arrived at Pukey Point 0730 3x 15-20lb yellowtail by 0900. 3x more by the end of the trip at 1400…Fish Dope
Ensenada
No Report
San Felipe
No Report
Gonzaga Bay
No Report
Bahia de los Angeles
Dorado remain the best bet here, with yellowtail mixed in …Alfredo
FONMAR Rescued overturned Boat near El Tecolote
During the development of the fishing tournament on the beach of El Tecolote, La Paz, a group of domestic tourists approached requesting support to rescue a smaller boat that they had capsized nearby.
FONMAR staff set off aboard the “tournament surveillance and security vessel,” towing the sunken boat to the coast and delivering it to its owners.
The maneuver was conducted by fishermen Fabian Tolentino Peña, Jose Daniel Ramirez Moreno, and Omar Moreno Martinez, in charge of Coordinating FONMAR in La Paz, and Jose Lizandro Olachea Burgoin.
Guerrero Negro
No Report
Bahía Asunción
There was a shore fishing tournament this weekend as part of the Traditional Fiestas in Bahia Asuncion! In addition, there were many fun events like a rodeo, horse races, beach events, and live music every night, etc. ..Shari Bondy
Punta Chivato
No Report
Bahía Concepción
In Ensenada…Nathan Burbey
It’s an uncommon summer fishing season in Baja and maybe no more crazy than in Loreto.
A first hand report from a long time friend puts two “amberjack” of the twenty pound class at boatside on feathers trolled for dorado. North of Coronado Island in the classic dorado territory yielded up bonito, amberjack but no dorado.
Boats that did hit 20-30 pound dorado were fishing north east of Carmen Island about “20 miles” out. Few of the local pangas are up for that bite on the gas card so only the hardcore have been on that journey.
The other sure bet that has been happening is yellowtail and in many close in traditional spots.
South of Danzante Island kicked out yellowtail with the biggest pushing 40 pounds.
Smaller dorado are not plentiful but doable with an occasional striped marlin as another possibility! Photo is Brett and Jon Berker hauling in an August yellowtail near Danzante Island.…Rick Hill
Photos: Photo of the Gal is me with a 35-pound tuna.
The photo of the single guy in the cameo shirt is Jack, a frequent client.
The photo of the single guy in the Blue Shirt with a tuna is Alex from the CD. Constitución Ferre-Mar Store.
The two Guys holding tuna are Ivan and his son from the Loreto Ferre-Mar store.
Also, a photo of the three of the Ferre-Mar guys on the boat – the Parker – ready to leave the boat yard.
The Ferre-Mar from Loreto and the Ferre-Mar from Cd. Constitución.
On Wed, Aug 14, 2024, at 4:11 a.m. Cheri King wrote: The weather is great, the fishing is great! There are no reports of wahoo being spotted yet, but there have been many striped marlin released! There are very few small dorado and lots of over 30-pound yellowfin tuna around. We even caught four small bluefin tuna – wow!!! The water is 77 to 79 degrees. For jigging, we are using rainbow metal, and for trolling, cedar plugs are the ticket. For casting, almost anything eye-catching will work. I forgot to add: The Ferre-Mar guys fished with us yesterday – Ivan from the Loreto store and Alex from the new Constitución store. Wonderful guys and good fishermen!! The weather is excellent, and the fishing is outstanding. No wahoo sighted yet, but there are lots of striped marlin. There are a few small dorado and many 30+ pound yellowfin tuna. We even caught four small bluefin tuna – wow! The water is around 77 to 79 degrees. For jigging, using rainbow metal, for trolling cedar plugs, and for casting, almost anything eye-catching. Cheri King, Lopez Mateos Sportfishing +52 613 114 8044, <sannichick@gmail.com>
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ FISHING REPORT from Tailhunter Sportfishing for the Week of June 18-25, 2024
East Cape
Get ready for the La Ribera 2024 Fishing Tournament, set for August 16 and 17, with a guaranteed purse of nearly $14,000! If you are into fishing, this is your chance to reel in some serious cash. The tournament will award prizes for the Largest Marlin, the Largest Dorado, and the Largest Tuna caught. The Marlin winner will snag half of the prize pool, while the remaining funds will be split equally between the Dorado and Tuna winners.
Registration will kick off on August 16 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at La Ribera Beach. The competition will officially start bright and early at 6:30 a.m. on August 17. Whether you are a seasoned angler or just up for fun, it’s a great event!!!
For more details, call 624-129-6525 (Spanish). Don’t miss your chance to participate in this exciting fishing showdown!
San Jose del Cabo
GORDO BANKS PANGAS
On Tuesday, a storm passed through our area. We were not expecting so much rain, but it came down most of the morning and afternoon. The port closed on Tuesday and reopened on Wednesday morning.
Fishing was similar to the previous week. Most boats were trying to pick up a few bottom fish from the Gordo early in the morning before heading offshore with lures. The main catches at the inner Gordo were dogtooth snapper and a couple of yellowtail, most biting on strips of skipjack, with some taken on live caballito. Skipjack were a bit difficult to catch this week. Shark were a nuisance on some days; boats reported catching double-digits as they drifted bait towards the bottom.
The main highlight was the porpoise schools getting close to our area. On Saturday, two big porpoise schools were spotted one mile East of the inner Gordo. The first few boats to get there landed a handful of tuna within the first hour of chasing them. Most of the fish were nice-sized, with the biggest one weighing closer to 170 pounds. Most of them were hooked on marlin lures, and a few on live caballito. Another big tuna was lost (120 to 140 pounds) right at the leader after almost an hour-long fight. One of our local captains reported a big yellowfin strike at the outer Gordo while trolling a big skipjack for a black marlin. They were not able to set the hook on this fish, though they were able to see it boil behind the boat. It was a nice fish, close to 200 pounds! The captain also spotted a few other yellowfin eating on the surface.
Within the surrounding areas of the Gordo, anglers are hooking into striped and blue marlin. One of our charters specifically focused on marlin fishing this weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and caught three small blue marlin (all under 200 pounds), six striped marlin, one sailfish, and one big 40-pound dorado. Another boat reported a couple of wahoo strikes on the marlin lures, though they only landed one.
We had a bit more bottom action towards San Luis and Vinorama. A few local boats landed a handful of red snapper and amberjack while jigging through different rock structures earlier in the morning. A few smaller dorado also came along while trolling live caballito and Ballyhoo.
Fishermen are still catching a few jacks and small roosterfish throughout our shoreline, with most bites coming at La Laguna.
Good Fishing, Brian Brictson
Cabo San Lucas
Pisces Fleet Sportfishing Week 32 Report
The larger yellowfin tuna and dorado were on the prowl this week! Those seeking billfish were delighted with the choices offered, including blue, black, and striped marlin, plus some feisty sailfish. All in all, it was a fun and productive week. And, it appears to be continued during the upcoming week, August 3 – August 9, 2024. Overall Catch Success Rate, All Species Combined
Catch Success Rate 78.57%, Billfish, 46.45%, Dorado 19.64%, Tuna 23.21%, Other Species 7.14%…
