Baja Fishing
Tuna Biggies Showing Up
In Southern Baja Waters

 
 

357-pound yellowfin tuna caught at San Jose del Cabo.

PANGUEROS' DAY OFF--Four San Jose del Cabo commercial bait fishermen, identified only as "Adrian," "Roberto," "Carlos," and "Carlos Manuel," took a day off and ran out to the Inner Gordo Banks on a 22-foot panga. They landed this 357-pound yellowfin tuna, a probable La Playita record on a trolled black skipjack bait. The weight was confirmed at Puerto Los Cabos marina with a certified digital scale. PHOTO COURTESY ERIC BRICTSON, GORDO BANKS PANGAS.

MASSIVE GORDO BANKS YELLOWFIN TUNA SCALED AT 357 POUNDS

BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009 -- A scattering of cow class yellowfin tuna showing up off the south tip of Baja from Cabo San Lucas to East Cape was topped by a huge 357 pounder weighed on a certified scale, Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas at San Jose del Cabo reported.

The tail-wrapped giant tuna was landed by 4 Mexican commercial bait fishermen aboard a 22-foot panga during action at the Inner Gordo Bank, Brictson said. It hit a slow-trolled skipjack bait on 60-pound line and 300-pound mono leader.

"They were slow-trolling toward the southern drop-off," Brictson said. "This is definitely a La Playita record."

In other fishing by San Jose del Cabo's La Playita panga fleet, Brictson reported on 40 charter outings with a catch including released fish of: 165 black skipjack, 94 dorado, 78 yellowfin tuna mostly of 15 to 60 pounds, 26 barred pargo, 18 bonito, 18 cabrilla, 15 huachinango, 13 dog snapper, 12 amberjack, 11 wahoo,  8 grouper, 5 sailfish, 5 rainbow runner, and 1 black marlin.

Southern Baja fishing waters off San Jose del Cabo were clear blue at 80 to 86 degrees, with weather hot in the 100s and humidity high.

For the previous Baja sportfishing week ending on Sept. 17, 2009, Brictson reported on 39 La Playita fleet panga charters with a catch including released fish of: 192 dorado, 63 yellowfin tuna, 45 black skipjack, 26 bonito, 18 huachinango, 11 cabrilla, 7 rainbow runner, 7 sailfish, 5 wahoo, 3 black marlin, 2 blue marlin, 3 grouper, and 3 dog snapper.

Southern Baja fishing charters out of nearby Cabo San Lucas also found big tuna as Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters reported a tuna of 195 pounds landed on the Pacific-side Jaime Bank by Capt. Manuel Castillo fishing aboard the charter boat Gaviota III.

Overall, Edwards reported on 30 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo, Fish Cabo I, and Tuna Time, with a catch including released fish of: 55 yellowfin tuna, 66 dorado, 12 striped marlin, 2 wahoo, 1 blue marlin, and 1 sailfish released. Local Baja waters around Cabo San Lucas averaged about 85 degrees, but some water near 90 degrees was found at the Gordo Banks.

Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet Sportfishing at Cabo San Lucas reported a yellowfin tuna of about 200 pounds landed by angler Heather DeRamus aboard the charter boat La Brisa at the Jaime Bank. La Brisa also accounted for another tuna of 154 pounds. Most tuna landed by Cabo boats were from 15 to 80 pounds.

"Yellowfin tuna was the number one catch in Cabo this week," Ehrenberg said. "Sixty-three percent of Pisces Fleet charters caught from 1 to 10 tuna."

200-pound class yellowfin tuna caught at Cabo San Lucas.

CABO SAN LUCAS TUNA--This yellowfin tuna of about 200 pounds was landed at the Jaime Bank aboard the Pisces Fleet charter boat La Brisa by angler Heather DeRamus of Richmond, Tex. Helping show off the catch are La Brisa's Capt. Nicolas Winkler, right, and deckhand Salvador Flores, left. PHOTO COURTESY OF TRACY EHRENBERG.

At East Cape on the southern Sea of Cortez, Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported good numbers of yellowfin tuna into the 100-pound class and some cows in the 200-pound class. Baja sportfishing waters at the southeast corner of Baja averaged 78 to 88 degrees. For the week ending Sept. 17, 2009, Moyers reported on 191 charter boats from combined fleets including Hotels Palmas de Cortez, Playa del Sol, Punta Colorada, Buena Vista Beach Resort, Rancho Leonero, and Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort, with 571 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 452 dorado, 294 tuna,  8 wahoo, 5 striped marlin, 4 blue marlin, and 1 sailfish.

For the previous Baja fishing week ending Sept. 10, 2009, Moyers reported on 143 boats from the same fleets, with 426 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 453 dorado, 260 yellowfin tuna, 8 sailfish, 7 blue marlin, 6 striped marlin, 10 wahoo.

For the previous week ending Sept. 3, 2009, Moyers reported on 66 East Cape boats, with 188 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 235 dorado, 73 yellowfin tuna, 4 wahoo, 3 sailfish, and 2 blue marlin.

For the previous week ending Aug. 27, 2008, 72 boats with 209 anglers had a catch including released fish of: 101 dorado, 72 yellowfin tuna, 12 sailfish, 4 wahoo, 1 blue marlin, and 1 striped marlin.

Also at East Cape, for the Baja fishing week ending Sept. 18, 2009, Felipe Valdez of Buena Vista Beach Resort reported on 29 boats, with a catch including released fish of: 129 dorado, 38 yellowfin tuna, 28 Humboldt giant squid, 15 snapper, 3 bonito, 3 pompano, and 2 wahoo.



 

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