Big weather misses Cabo but hits Baja, Mexico coast ruffled but undamaged

Mexico Fishing News, September 4, 2006

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet said the heavily populated Cabo San Lucas sportfishing area dodged a weather bullet over the weekend as a very compact Hurricane John approached but then made a last-minute turn and veered eastward to strike the Cortez side of the Baja peninsula instead.

"We couldn't believe what was going on, as it was only 60 miles away and we had no wind, no waves here," Ehrenberg said.

Torrential rains of 6 to 18 inches and sustained winds of 75 m.p.h. plus much stronger gusts to about 100 m.p.h. struck other parts of southern Baja, washing out roads, cutting communications, damaging some boats, and causing moderate structural damage but no reported loss of life, as the storm pounded East Cape and then La Paz before weakening to about 45 m.p.h. by noon Sunday and moving straight up the middle of the Baja peninsula.

Southern Baja weather was settling again by Sunday afternoon as continued heavy rain, wind, and sea conditions spread northwards up the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez toward the U.S. border.

Pre-storm fishing by Pisces Fleet had 59 percent of Cabo charters with blue marlin, striped marlin, and sailfish, 45 percent with dorado, and 20 percent landing yellowfin tuna. CABO ESCAPES BIG TROPICAL WEATHER.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said on Saturday, "Hurricane John turned out to be a nonevent for Cabo, with not much wind and not much rain. Winds were maybe 25 to 30 knots last night, along with some rain, but as far as we know, there was no damage." Cabo San Lucas weather on Saturday morning was still cloudy with rain, but with wind at only 7 to 10 knots. Pre-storm fishing during 37 outings by Gaviota Fleet and the Cabo charter boats Fish Cabo and Fish Cabo I, produced a catch including released fish of: 5 blue marlin, 7 striped marlin, 1 sailfish, 35 yellowfin tuna, and 79 dorado.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Todd Hochstedler of Got Caught Fishing said on Saturday afternoon, "Cabo has relatively very minor damage. I personally lost power for a few minutes about 3 a.m. then again around 7 a.m. for a couple hours. Water has continued to flow from the city. We were quite fortunate."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Earlier, Ramon Druck of the charter super panga Cheer's reported few anglers at Cabo San Lucas and generally slow fishing conditions at midweek. On Thursday, the Cheer's fished 5 hours locally in 85-degree water with anglers Sara Hahn and Mark Vogel for a catch of: 5 black skipjack, 6 bonito, 1 dorado of 25 pounds, and 1 sailfish. The port of Cabo San Lucas was closed for Hurricane John on Friday and Saturday morning. Earlier in the week, the Cheer's made 2 trips, fishing with clients a total of about 11 hours for a combined catch of: 8 skipjack, 6 bonito, and 2 dorado.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Jim Dillon of Salvador's Sportfishing said the port of Cabo San Lucas was closed on Friday in anticipation of rough seas that never arrived. On Friday night, Dillon said, "I just talked to Salvador. No wind, no rain, very clear and calm. He has one of the captains down at our slips. The ocean is very calm." Earlier, Dillon reported on 8 outings by the Cabo San Lucas charter boats El Budster, El Budster I, and El Budster II, with a catch including released fish of: 18 yellowfin tuna of 25 to 40 pounds, on wahoo of 40 pounds, 1 sailfish, and 1 dorado of 25 pounds.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Tommy Garcia of Cabo Magic reported on 35 charter boats fishing during a weather shortened week, with a catch including released fish of: 4 blue marlin, 8 striped marlin, 3 sailfish, 10 yellowfin tuna, 65 dorado, and 2 boats with no luck.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: George Landrum of Fly Hooker Sportfishing reported pre-storm fishing good for double-digit dorado counts, scattered yellowfin tuna, and some marlin but not many.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Earlier, Bill Lynd of Green Valley, Ariz., and his wife Patty Lynd fished 2 days on the charter super panga Cheer's with Capt. Ramon Druck for a pre-storm catch of 11 fly tackle dorado. "They were on the small side but on fly tackle they were a kick," Lynd said. "This is the tenth year we have fished with Ramon and as always we enjoyed great success. We call him the 'Prince of Dorado.'" Lynd said Mexican fishing licenses were being checked at Cabo San Lucas. "They only sell 1-day licenses at $12 each on the dock," he said. "All captains must stop at Fish and Game on the way out and have the paperwork inspected."

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: Pete Peters of Redondo Beach, Calif., and Dick Selway fished the previous week on the charter cruiser Blue Marlin with Capt. Luis Olascoaga for a catch including released fish of: 1 striped marlin, 7 dorado to 35 pounds, and 15 yellowfin tuna to 35 pounds. The Blue Marlin fished on the Pacific side, about 12 to 14 miles out for the marlin and tuna, and 3 miles out for the dorado.

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: Julio D'Acosta, harbormaster of Marina Puerto Salina north of Ensenada, reported on the marina's first annual kayak fishing tournament held on Aug. 26, 2006, with the category winners: Bottom fish, Alfonso Olvera and son Jorge, cabrilla, 2.4 kilograms; surface fish, Antonio Lara, bonita, 1.5 kilograms. "We had splendid weather at Marina Puerto Salina," D'Acosta said, "but still this event's fish weren't as big as in past tournaments." Marina Puerto Salina also announced tournament dates for September and October. MARINA PUERTO SALINA TOURNAMENTS.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Ivan Villarino of Vonny's Fleet reported a very good weather week for his beach launched pangas fishing at the tip of Ensenada's Punta Banda, with steady bottom fish limits plus some yellowtail. On Monday, angler Mr. Avalos and his son on leave from the Army in Iraq fished with Capt. Vicente on the Vonny III for 1 yellowtail and limits of rockcod, lingcod, and bonito. Jay Johnson fished with Capt. Beto on Tuesday and got 3 yellowtail to 20 pounds, and Capt. Hector also got limits and a yellowtail. "At the end of the week the yellows and bonitas slowed down but we are still nailing plenty of nice lings and bottom fish," Villarino said. Ensenada weather on Sunday was mostly sunny in the high-70s, with 2 to 3-foot ocean swells and Punta Banda water temperatures at 65 degrees.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: Tyler Sterling of Spring Valley reported on a run by his boat Lorilynn to an area outside the 302 and 371 spots, finding slow action in 69 to 70-degree water for 2 small yellowtail of 8 to 10 pounds, one of them on a black-purple cedar plug and the other on a live sardine.

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: Sam Saenz of Puerto Santo Tomas Resort said weekend weather was fair and warm, with some afternoon winds. Bottom fish continued excellent on the Soledad Reef and in the Rancho Viejo area to the south for good counts on rockcods, lingcod, and whitefish, plus some sheephead. Surface fishing on the Soledad Reef was slower early in the week, but picked up again over the Labor Day weekend as Vance Willer and his group from San Diego scored on yellowtail, barracuda, and bonita plus the usual bottom fish.

ERENDIRA FISHING REPORTS

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ERENDIRA, MEXICO: Fernando Castro of Castro's Camp at Erendira said he sent 34 boats out during the week, with very good results on the bottom for red rockcod, whitefish, lingcod, sandbass, and calico bass. On the surface, yellowtail and bonita continued on a strong bite, but white seabass fishing was a little slower. Heavy concentrations of bait continued in good sea conditions and water temperatures of 63 to 65 degrees.

SAN QUINTIN FISHING REPORTS

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SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Sarai Garcia of Don Eddie's Landing reported on 5 boats fishing out of San Quintin on Sunday morning, with a catch by 11 a.m. of: 12 white seabass, some good-sized yellowtail, and many bonita and barracuda. San Quintin weather was clear in the mid-80s, with minimal wind and swell, and water temperatures at 63 degrees. Good white seabass counts were scored by 47 anglers fishing on 16 boats in Don Eddie's 6th annual Labor Day Fishing Tournament on Saturday, with the first 3 places won by white seabass weighing 50.6, 27.6, and 21.3 pounds. Another 10 white seabass were caught by the top 3 boats. GOOD WHITE SEABASS ACTION OUT OF DON EDDIE'S.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Kayak angler James Sherman of Venice, Calif., reported a 45 to 50-pound white seabass landed at Socorro south of San Quintin, on a trolled live mackerel just off the kelp, plus 2 juvenile white seabass on blue-white chrome released. In July, Sherman said he also landed 3 yellowtail of 15 to 20 pounds. "I camped at Pabellon and one night at La Cueva de Piratas in Camalu," Sherman said. "I'll be going back down during the new moon every month as I'm scouting the area."

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Kelly Catian of K&M Offshore Sportfishing said he fished back-to-back last week, with some tuna and dorado offshore, and yellowtail on local high spots and at Isla San Martin, plus white seabass south of the bay. "The isla has been pretty good, and down south has been great for the white seabass," Catian said. San Quintin sea water temperatures were at 63 to 70 degrees on local bajos and 67 to over 70 degrees farther offshore.

SAN QUINTIN, MEXICO: Mark Rojas of Upland, Calif., and his group of 11 members of the Friends of Andy fishing club of La Verne, Calif., fished 2 days on 3 boats out of Pedro's Pangas for a catch including: 6 white seabass to 25 pounds, 4 yellowfin tuna at the San Quintin 240 spot, 1 halibut of 25 pounds, lots of barracuda to 15 pounds, and a good number of sandbass. San Quintin weather was flat, with water temperatures at 63 to 69 degrees. FRIENDS OF ANDY CLUB TRIP WITH PEDRO'S PANGAS.

BAJA COASTAL FISHING REPORTS

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BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Juanchys Aguilar of the village of La Bocana on Baja's central Pacific coast said on Saturday night that the area was still waiting for stormy weather from John. "It was an excellent week for sportfishing at La Bocana," Aguilar said. Local boats did well on big numbers of yellowfin tuna of 15 to 30 pounds, big schools of dorado, and some striped marlin, 14 to 16 miles from the boca at an area called "Policias" about 6 miles from the Polaris Bank. "This week we also had good yellowtail, bonito, and calico bass," Aguilar said. "On my boat Karol, I fished with 2 anglers from Sonora and we caught 64 tunas, and a marlin." Six local boats fishing commercially during the week caught about 800 yellowfin tuna.

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Ben Adams of Coronado and his son Andy drove down the Baja coast to Camalu and fished on a charter panga with their friend Ed Avila, finding very dense mackerel bait but slow action until a white seabass was caught that measured 62 inches long and bottomed out a 50-pound scale. "I was wondering what we would catch with a one-and-a-half-pound mackerel," Adams said. "Are we fishing for whales? When the captain gaffed the monster we were shocked at the size of the white sea bass." BIG WHITE SEABASS A SURPRISE AT CAMALU.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said on Saturday that the Magdalena Bay fly fishing area was hunkering down in anticipation of John crossing the Baja peninsula to the Pacific side. "Predictions are for more rain and less wind as the storm moves into the area," Graham said. Magdalena Bay weather on Saturday was raining, in the mid-80s, with water temperatures at 64 to 78 degrees.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas said on Saturday that heavy rain had flooded road access across the arroyo of San Jose del Cabo, but electrical power was still available at La Playita. "The flooding has not taken the utility poles out yet," Brictson said. "It is amazing that we have power and telephone, although our water lines are out." Storm wind, rain, and swells were less than predicted, and the Puerto Los Cabos marina breakwaters under construction were undamaged. San Jose del Cabo weather on Saturday was still rainy, but clearing. In a weather shortened week, Brictson reported on 28 combined La Playita fleet pangas, with a catch of: 395 yellowfin tuna, 2 striped marlin, 32 dorado, 34 bonito, 65 skipjack, 4 sailfish, and 24 pargo. LA PLAYITA WEATHER AND CHARTER PANGA REPORT.

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: Bob Grimes of San Jose del Cabo said, "No fishing in San Jose del Cabo until after John passes. The bite for small to medium tunitas has been good recently at the Gordo Banks. As far as I know, the atuneros, or commercial tuna fishermen, have not wrapped them for a while."

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: The East Cape sportfishing area took a direct hit from Hurricane John on Friday night, as heavy rain and strong wind flooded arroyos and caused some structural damage. Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet at Cabo San Lucas said on Saturday night that the East Cape towns of La Ribera, Santiago, and all locations between Santa Anita and Buena Vista were cut off without road access or communication services.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Mark Rayor of the Vista Sea Sport dive service at Buena Vista said on Saturday morning, "Man did we take a hit. It ripped doors out by the jambs, filled the house with water and tossed things around pretty good. The eye of the storm came over us about 10 p.m. I can't get out the front or back door because of all the downed trees. The front door at my mom's place is out in the driveway. My boat Jen Wren came through without a scratch, but unfortunately John Torres' boat, a 28-foot Californian, did a 360 off the trailer and landed right side up."

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: Gary Graham of Baja On The Fly said, "To Telmex's credit, they managed to keep DSL up throughout the storm. Messages reflected the sender's experience with Baja storms, ranging from 'ho hum' to 'oh sh__t!'"

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: On Sunday, Buena Vista Beach Resort reported no major damage from the storm and all boats safe. Some windows were broken and 6 palm trees were snapped, according to the hotel's Axel Valdez, who said boats were being moved back into the water and fishing would resume in about 48 hours. "We were essentially in the eye of the storm for 50 minutes," Valdez said. Ten guests held a "hurricane party" and rode out the storm at the hotel. By Sunday, air service at Los Cabos International Airport and major road access to East Cape had been restored.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: For the week ending Aug. 31, 2006, Chris Moyers of East Cape Smoke House reported on 239 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 713 anglers and a catch including released fish of: 3 blue marlin, 16 striped marlin, 7 sailfish, 430 dorado, and 648 yellowfin tuna. East Cape weather was mostly calm with some afternoon wind chop, in the mid-90s, with water temperatures at 82 to 90 degrees. On Friday night, the East Cape sportfishing area was battened down under rainy skies, with water beginning to run in the streets of Los Barriles. WEATHER WATCH AT LOS BARRILES.

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: The La Paz sportfishing area was slammed by wind and rain early Saturday morning, but escaped major damage and loss of life. Tracy Ehrenberg of Pisces Fleet in largely-spared Cabo San Lucas said, "They are reporting on the radio that 80 percent of the homes in La Paz are without power. There are downed power lines, trees on cars, and the road is cut off. The closest you can get is San Pedro if you were driving from Cabo."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Jonathan Roldan of Tailhunter International said on Saturday morning, "It hit last night and continues. No power or water. It sounded like being in a jet engine. I could hear trees snap and windows shatter as the freight train hit us. Roads are washed out. There are landslides all over, lots of flooding. People have lost roofs, cars, boats, and property."

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said electrical power was restored to the Tortuga guesthouse in La Paz at 2 p.m. Saturday. "It's still rainy and windy," Hernandez said. "It was really windy from 2 to 5:30 a.m., but we are happy not to have major damage to our city. The government and mayor warned the people to avoid going out, so last night most people were in their homes."

On Sunday, Hernandez said, "After the storm, the calm. We'd like to thank all of our friends who called and emailed. All of our families are fine and we are waiting for you to come down." Tortuga's Capt. Rigo Lucero reported from Las Arenas that the storm did little damage, and on Sunday the sea was completely calm, with all boats unharmed, and incredibly, the water was clear. All Tortuga captains reported their pangas without damage. However, water still blocked many roads and the beach areas were still flooded. "Las Arenas got very little wind, but lots of rain," Hernandez said. "Now we're hoping the big fish will come in with these rains."

Fishing just before the storm produced good numbers of tuna and dorado at the buoys in very calm water, plus good numbers of roosterfish and striped marlin.

LA PAZ, MEXICO: Earlier, Frank Springer of Butte Falls, Ore., fished 2 days with Fisherman''s Fleet on the Las Arenas side and reported very good yellowfin tuna action plus a few dorado, off the Punta Arena de la Ventana lighthouse. "We easily caught a dozen or more tuna per boat in the 20 to 30 or more pound range on drifted dead bait as well as flylined live sardinas," Springer said. "Some very nice dorado were picked up as well." YELLOWFIN TUNA AT PUNTA ARENA DE LA VENTANA.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish Company reported continued good dorado and billfish action at Loreto last week, but the town bracing for heavy tropical weather by Thursday. "As of this afternoon the water surface is starting to deteriorate," Bolles said. "I'm getting ready. I hope it just dumps rain on us, as we need it, but the winds I don't want." BRACING FOR HEAVY TROPICAL WEATHER.

MULEGE FISHING REPORTS

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MULEGE, MEXICO: Diana Johnson of Mulege's Hotel Serenidad said on Saturday afternoon, "At 4 p.m. we are getting some rain showers, but no wind, from John. We are ready for lots of heavy rain late this afternoon, and winds up to about 65 m.p.h. We hope the electricity will stay on." The hotel restaurant was closed for the annual summer break, but rooms, bar, and pool were to remain open. "Fishing has been very good but right know we are expecting some rain from Hurricane John," Johnson said. "But really, I don't think it will do too much. I hope it goes away soon so we can get back to fishing for big dorados."

MULEGE, MEXICO: Rick Barber of Mulege said on Saturday that the storm had veered eastwards over Baja's Sea of Cortez coast. "Unless it changes direction again, it's going to pass directly over Mulege sometime Sunday morning," Barber said. "The night passed relatively quietly. We had a brief power outage and 2 short episodes of rain, one at 3:30 a.m. and one at 7:30 a.m." The town was preparing for heavy rain. "I am going to leave my weather station operational as long as possible," Barber said. "With any appreciable rain in the hills, we're outta here." Mulege had clouds but no rain as late as Friday afternoon, but rain was already falling heavily in La Paz. Mulege fishing earlier in the week was consistently good for dorado, as anglers Bill Kelly and Dave Roz scored on 4 bulls kept and about 25 to 30 dorado released on a dead sea turtle in 84-degree water about 2 to 40 miles off Punta Concepción. DORADO BITE BEFORE THE STORM.

SANTA ROSALIA FISHING REPORTS

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SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos reported on Saturday that the Santa Rosali a area was very hot and humid in the high-90s, with very warm water temperatures at 87 to 88 degrees and the sea level about 2 feet higher than normal due to the imminent approach of the storm John. "There will not be much fishing here for the rest of this week I'd say," Kanzler said. A short pre-storm outing with his son Michael produced 10 quick sierra and 1 dorado just off the village of San Bruno to the south. Kanzler said he was planning to spend the rest of September on Baja's Pacific coast at La Bocana. PRE-STORM SIERRA AND DORADO.

SANTA ROSALIA, MEXICO: Syd Lindsay of San Lucas Cove said the Santa Rosalia Pemex station was pumping gasoline accurately last week. "I found a good pour and was happy with that," Lindsay said. "I tried the 2 pumps that are close to the office and have heard of no complaints. Remember that the stations in San Ignacio and Vizcaino are owned by the owners of the Santa Rosalia station, but just haven't been caught yet. The best two stations in this area now are Jesus Maria and Santa Rosalia. That's if you can't wait until Loreto."

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES (L.A. BAY) FISHING REPORTS

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BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Steve Barstow of the Sportsmen's Pub in Paso Robles reported on a run to Bahia de los Angeles with 17 anglers, fishing 3 days on pangas out of Casa Diaz for a combined catch of: 50 to 60 dorado of 12 to 23 pounds, 6 leopard grouper to 10 pounds, 3 small yellowtail, and many giant jawfish and triggerfish. The fishing was mainly within 3/4 miles of shore about 25 to 30 miles north of Bahia de los Angeles, with slow trolled live mackerel baits. The largest dorado caught on the 3 fishing days weighed 23, 17, and 16 pounds. GOOD DORADO ACTION NORTH OF THE VILLAGE.

BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, MEXICO: Readers of Western Outdoor News' and other reports reacted to recent shootings in Baja including the murder of Raquel Duarte Fife of Bahia de los Angeles on Mex 1, commenting on suspected drug trafficking and the spread of violence. "When drug dealers start to infiltrate a small fishing village like Bahia de los Angeles, ruthless and previously unheard of crimes start to occur," one reader said. DRUG RELATED PROBLEMS IN BAJA.

SAN FELIPE FISHING REPORTS

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SAN FELIPE, MEXICO: Catalina Meders of the Title Company Bookstore at San Felipe said local weather was very hot and humid in the mid-100s. Tony Reyes of Tony Reyes Fishing Tours said a possible new air connection was rumored with 3-day-per-week service between San Felipe, San Diego, and Los Angeles. The big news in town was a bank robbery, with details still to be confirmed. "We've heard at least 20 different stories about how it was executed and how it ended," Meders said. HOT, HUMID WEATHER AND POSSIBLE AIR SERVICE.

ROCKY POINT (PUERTO PENASCO) FISHING REPORTS

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ROCKY POINT, MEXICO: Ollie Peltier of Rocky Point reported on an early week outing on his boat Dos Borrachos with Bob Jackson and Les Foss, trolling southwards on a heading of 192 degrees for a good dorado catch of 6 fish to 15 pounds on 10 hookups. Blue water was found as close as 15 miles from Rocky Point, but the dorado were found 30 to 41 miles out in even, 86.6-degree water. GOOD NORTHERN CORTEZ DORADO SEASON.

SAN CARLOS (SONORA) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Craig Collins of Rio Rico, Ariz., and the boat No Sniveling commented on the weekend forecast for stormy weather anticipated in the San Carlos fishing area, "Buoy weather is showing 8 to 10-foot seas for day one of the Labor Day Billfish Tournament on Saturday. Crap!"

SAN CARLOS, MEXICO: Bill Molden of San Carlos said on Sunday that the first day's fishing in the Labor Day Billfish Tournament had top catches of a 318-pound marlin and a 56-pound dorado. But, Molden said, "At this time, on Sunday, the port is closed and it 'don't look good' for getting in more fishing before the tournament closes on Monday. We're trying to stay dry.

MAZATLAN FISHING REPORTS

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MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said the port of Mazatlan was closed on Friday by John. "It has surely been a slow angler week for Mazatlan, with few boat fishing days to report," Edwards said. Aries Fleet at Marina el Cid did send 13 boats offshore during the week for a catch including released fish of: 1 blue marlin of about 250 pounds, 1 striped marlin, 9 sailfish, 2 dorado, and 6 sharks. Four inshore super panga trips had a catch of 17 dorado. Mazatlan weather at the end of the week was rainy and windy in the low-90s, with very high seas.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: At Marina el Cid, Yomahira Aguirre said, "The weather was good until Friday. It started to rain at 10 p.m. Thursday with wind, and it rained until 10 a.m. Friday morning. Right now, about noon on Friday, everything looks fine. No big problems at Mazatlan from this one.

MAZATLAN, MEXICO: Tadeo Hernandez of Flota Bibi Fleet said Mazatlan sportfishing activity was nearing the lowest season of the year and few boats were fishing. An offshore run on the super panga Mahi Dreamer with Capt. Tony Valdez and angler Perla Lopez found good yellowfin tuna action on spinner dolphin about 21 miles out for 4 tuna landed by Lopez to 10 kilograms, and 2 larger tuna estimated at 50 to possibly 100 pounds broken off. YELLOWFIN TUNA ON PORPOISE.

PUERTO VALLARTA FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Andrew Pickerel of the charter boat Pacifico said his Capt. Manny Ocaranza reported Puerto Vallarta relatively unscathed by Hurricane John. "A little wind and moderate rain was the extent of the event. By Saturday afternoon the ocean was very fishable outside the bay," Pickerel said.

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO: Danny Quinonez of PV Marlin Sportfishing said the passage of John brought rain and a port closure on Thursday and Friday. "All we got was rain," Quinonez said, "but it rains down here every day anyway." A pre-storm outing on the charter boat Lorena found a 350-pound class blue marlin, yellowfin tuna to about 50 pounds, 1 jack crevalle, and 1 pargo for angler Joe Mohler at El Banco and Roca Corbeteña. Puerto Vallarta water temperatures were in the high-80s, with the overabundant pelagic red crabs "eaten up or moved." Earlier, angler John Rocca lost a cow class yellowfin tuna after a 2-hour fight without seeing color.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORTS

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IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Ed Kunze, reporting for Baja On The Fly, said the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing area suffered no damage or wind from John, but the storm track 60 miles out did bring about 5 inches of rain over a period of several hours. "However, you would not have wanted to be on the water," Kunze said. "It is going to take a few more days before the barometer stabilizes and things settle down." Ixtapa fishing area weather over the weekend was calm and cloudy in the mid-80s, with water temperatures at 78 to 87 degrees.

IXTAPA ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO: Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said the port of Ixtapa was closed by weather on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Abel Cortez of the Gran Jefe charter boats said, "It wasn't that bad. It brought lots of rain. The storm surges were high, but for the most part, it just passed by." Very few boats were fishing, but some sailfish, bonito, jacks, groupers, roosterfish, and needlefish were caught.

HUATULCO FISHING REPORTS

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HUATULCO, MEXICO: Eric Weissman of Explore Fly Fishing said storm John brought a lot of rain and swells to his Puerto Escondido and San Agustinillo fishing areas, but very little damage. "The rivers are pumping debris, so the next 2 months will see lots of dorado taking roost and setting up feed zones," Weissman said. Earlier, August fly fishing in the Huatulco area produced yellowfin tuna, black skipjack, mackerel, and dorado. Huatulco weather was in the low-100s, with daily rains and water temperatures at 88 to 90 degrees.

San Jose del Cabo Mexico Photo 1

HANGING IN THERE--Hurricane John flooded the San Jose del Cabo arroyo on Friday, but somehow electrical power to La Playita stayed on through Saturday. "It will be a miracle if our power lines hold up," said Eric Brictson of Gordo Banks Pangas. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC BRICTSON.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Photo 2

FLY FISHING GOLDIE--Bill Lynd, right, with one of a bunch of fly tackle dorado landed with Capt. Ramon Druck, left, of the Cabo San Lucas charter super panga Cheer's. Lynd and his wife Patty landed a total of 11 dorado in 2 days. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL LYND.

Puerto Salina Mexico Photo 1

PUERTO SALINA WINNER--Antonio Lara of Tecate and his paddling partner fishing near Marina Puerto Salina during last week's first annual kayak fishing tournament. Lara won the surface fishing division with a bonito of 1.5 kilograms. PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIO D'ACOSTA.

Ensenada Mexico Photo 1

FAMILY PANGA FISHING--The Avalos family from Los Angeles fished at Ensenada on the Vonny's Fleet panga Vonny II with Capt. Vicente Flores and they got their bottom fish limits plus a nice yellowtail for the day. PHOTO COURTESY OF IVAN VILLARINO.

Castro's Camp Mexico Photo 1

GOOD CASTRO'S SUMMER--Lorenzo Ramirez of Erendira, left, and Julian Escobedo of San Diego show off a white seabass and yellowtail caught during their trip to fish out of Castro's Camp south of Ensenada. PHOTO COURTESY OF FERNANDO CASTRO.

San Quintin Mexico Photo 1

COOPERATING CROAKERS--Plenty of white seabass came into the boats during this weekend's Labor Day Fishing Tournament at San Quintin's Don Eddie's Landing. Here is second place winner Jeff Riolo, left, and third place winner Roberta Ganz, center, who fished with San Quintin's Capt. Jaime Garcia, right. PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAI GARCIA.

San Quintin Mexico Photo 2

FISHING WITH PEDRO'S--Mark Rojas of Upland, Calif., and his group of 11 anglers fished at San Quintin with Pedro's pangas for a great catch of halibut, tuna, barracuda, sandbass, and 6 white seabass including this 25 pounder. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK ROJAS.

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KAYAK KELP CROAKER--James Sherman trolled a live mackerel just off the kelp at Socorro south of San Quintin, and he hooked this quality white seabass plus a couple of smaller ones on iron. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAMES SHERMAN.

Mexico Fishing Photo 1

GOLD AND FORKIES--Kelly Catian of San Quintin's K&M Offshore Sportfishing, with a catch of yellowtail and dorado caught on local bajos and Isla San Martin. PHOTO COURTESY OF KELLY CATIAN.

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HUNKY CALICO--James Chandler of San Diego with a hefty calico bass caught with Capt. Juanchys Aguilar of La Bocana on the central Pacific Baja coast. The calico was caught at Roca Ballena on live bait about 30 feet deep. At right, one of many dorado caught off La Bocana last week, this one by German Puente of Arizona. The bull was hooked in 78-degree water with Capt. Martin Aguilar Osuna. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JUANCHYS AGUILAR.

Baja Mexico Photo 3

CAMALU CROAKER SURPRISE--Ben Adams, left, and El Avila, right, fished on a charter panga out of Camalu on Baja's Pacific coast north of San Quintin and Adams' father Ben got lucky on this 62-inch white seabass that hit a mackerel in unpromising conditions with just a few smaller fish caught by noon. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY ADAMS.

East Cape Mexico Photo 1

HEFTY TRIGGERS--East Cape panguero Elias Aguilar with a couple of big finescale triggerfish caught last week, along with 8 others almost as big, while fishing 150 feet deep about 1/2 mile offshore and 1 mile south of Punta Pescadero. PHOTO COURTESY OF TORRANCE EDDY.

La Paz Mexico Photo 1

LAS ARENAS LINEUP--Fishing on the Las Arenas side of La Paz was good just before the arrival of John. Here's Deal Tanner with a great catch of yellowfin tuna landed off Punta Arena de la Ventana with Tortuga Sportfishing's Capt. Rigo Lucero. PHOTO COURTESY OF GERARDO HERNANDEZ.

Mulege Mexico Photo 1

ICE CHEST BOUND--Bill Kelly with a beautiful 26-pound dorado boated near Mulegé in nice sea conditions last week. He and fishing partner Dave Roz fished 3 days and took home plenty of dorado fillets. PHOTO COURTESY OF RICK BARBER.

Santa Rosalia Mexico Photo 1

CRAIG CHANNEL SIERRA--Michael Kanzler fished between Isla San Marcos and the Baja coast with his dad Mike Kanzler of Isla San Marcos and they scored on 10 of these tasty sierra plus a dorado. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE KANZLER.

Rocky Point Mexico Photo 1

NORTH CORTEZ DORADO--It's been a good dorado summer for the Sea of Cortez, and Bob Jackson got this beauty while fishing just south of Rocky Point, Sonora, on Ollie Peltier's boat Dos Borrachos. PHOTO COURTESY OF OLLIE PELTIER.

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TUNA ON DOLPHIN--Perla Lopez, right, caught her first-ever fish, 4 of these nice yellowfin tuna, while fishing off Mazatlan with Flota Bibi Fleet and Capt. Tony Valdez aboard the charter boat Mahi Dreamer. The tuna were found swimming with pods of dolphin about 21 miles out. PHOTO COURTESY OF TADEO HERNANDEZ.

Huatulco Mexico Photo 1

HUATULCO FLY TUNA--Eric Weissman of Explore Fly Fishing, right, and head guide Capt. Antonio with a nice 20-pound class yellowfin tuna caught in August at San Agustinillo, near Huatulco, Mexico, on a stinger rigged fly. PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC WEISSMAN.

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BAJA END RUN--Hurricane John did a Barry Sanders-style right end run around Cabo San Lucas on Friday, missing the tip of Baja, but then smashing directly into East Cape and La Paz before going straight up the middle of the Baja peninsula. IMAGES COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER.

Cabo San Lucas Mexico Photo 1

BEFORE THE STORM--Dick Selway, right, and Pete Peters fished in late August on the Cabo San Lucas charter boat Blue Marlin with Capt. Luis Olascoaga and found good action for this small striped marlin released, plus 7 dorado, and 15 yellowfin tuna. PHOTO COURTESY OF PETE PETERS.

BAJA MEXICO FISHING REPORT ARCHIVES AND FISH PICTURES