Winners of the Bluefin Tuna Sport Fishing Tournament “BAJA BLUEFIN TUNA TOURNAMENT” 2023, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
1st Breaking Tuna Bluefin Tuna 148.0 pounds. Boat or choice of cash $20,600 +
2nd Aria Sportfishing Bluefin Tuna 140.2 pounds Boat with a value of $13,300
3rd Maria Bonita Bluefin Tuna 91.8 Fishing equipment with a value of $3,500
TOTAL $37,400
Plus Jackpot
Author Archives: That Baja Guy - Gary Graham
MPE Tournament Payout $802,100
The 4th Annual MPE Loreto Tournament dazzled as the attendance and prize money broke records for the 4th year in a row as fifty-eight teams competed for over $802,100 in cash prizes over the past weekend.
Cloaked in ideal weather, the fishing conditions in the Sea of Cortez were excellent. The event’s boundary consisted of fishing 65 miles up and down the coast + 50 miles off the coast from the Marina for notable catches in the Dorado and Yellowtail Categories or Catch and Release in the Billfish Category.
MPE Tournament Time
Mid-May fishing met its expectations regardless of the visiting angler’s anticipations. For the big game addicts, there were striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, skipjack, and nice-sized dorado, all offshore.
For those choosing to remain closer to shore, near the surface, there were roosterfish, jack crevalle, and ladyfish to make for a fun day of PISCES sport fishing.
Baja in May is Good
Bajabytes Sport Fishing Update May 10, 2023 Our Dad, the one and only Ralph Clock, left his earthly life on May 8, 2023, surrounded by his entire family. He lived life to its fullest, and while our hearts are heavy with grief, we are so lucky that he was our Dad. A memorial and celebrationContinue reading “Baja in May is Good”
Baja Roosters Tease
With all the boats and all the pressure on these fish, the name of the game is ‘first of all’ patience. Many boats throw bait, so getting fish around your boat can be difficult. But, as I said above, they will eventually show up around your boat, giving you an opportunity. The hard part is when the fish do show up, not getting “buck fever.” There have been some big roosterfish that are very wise. You have to be willing to accept that these fish will reject your offerings more often than not. If you understand that and are patient, and make good presentations when given the opportunity, you can succeed!
Baja Bytes from Surface to Bottom
. Crews mostly fished inshore at the beginning of the week, with some wind and choppy seas. However, they still produced, primarily in our “Other” Category – catching mainly sierra mackerel, bonito, and grouper. But by Wednesday, we saw the marlin begin to show up at the 11:50 Bank, and by Saturday, the fleet had released 100 marlin total! Compared to last week, when we saw about 15% of the boats releasing marlin, we had nearly 50% of the boats land ’em this week. The weather also got friendlier towards the end of the week, with winds dying.
Baja Bottom Fish Rock
Not all fishing trips are all about fishing. Gonzaga Bay getaway was a blast with friends Chris and Gary while staying at Bob Kamoo’s “Casa Pescador” bayside rental trailer. What a view and so convenient. Right at the ramp. We had a great captain with Juan Cook, had our fish filleted, vacuum packed, and frozen for the trip home by Juan’s wife, and enjoyed fantastic yellowtail sashimi and cocktails at sunset, and dinners at Papa Fernandez Camp … and what a monster breakfast! on the way home today in San Felipe. I highly recommend Kamoo’s place and of course our Capt. Juan. The best…Pat McDonell
Baja Roosters Begin to Crow
Our spring season is in full swing with roosterfish, amberjack, yellowtail, sierra mackerel, grouper, mako, and thresher sharks, some decent mahi catches, and still, some marlin are around
Wahoo top Baja Catch
The week’s highlight was the wahoo that anglers hooked into while trolling closer to Punta Gorda or Cardon. Not the typical season for these highly prized pelagics, but it proves that you can never really know what might happen. These fish prefer warmer waters, but the bite was sporadic daily, and slow trolling live bait was the best bet, particularly the elusive chihuil. We saw one monster 79-pound wahoo landed and several others over 50 pounds, so of the handful brought in, they were of impressive size.
Baja Spring on the Horizon
After tacking back and forth searching for the swordfish tail and dorsal, often referred to as a “two-finner,” they finally spotted some commotion on the surface, creating a large patch of white water. Suddenly, the fish appeared near the top, confirming it was a feeding thresher shark…