Santa Rosalia, Mexico:
A Wild Week Of Fishing For Local Boats

June 24, 2006, Mike Kanzler, Isla San Marcos, Santa Rosalia, Mexico, June fishing report:

What a wild fishing week it's been!

"Hot" sums up Santa Rosalia fishing weather, with mornings in the mid 70s and afternoons to 90 degrees. We had winds to 12 knots during the later afternoon hours from the southeast.

Water conditions were nice with moderate swells, water temps still cooler for the time of year, 77 degrees, and green around the Isla San Marcos, with 15-20 feet of visibility.

Offshore water temperatures were lower too, due to big tidal flow, and the color was also dirty and green.

Sunday was one of the most important fishing days for mme since I moved here 15 years ago. I had writer Kirk Deeter of Field & Stream and Saltwater Sportsman on assignment with a photographer known by all in San Diego as Decker. Also along for the trip was their friend Paul Zabel of Telluride, Colorado. They where doing a best of Baja feature story and I was very fortunate to have been added to the list of stops. All thanks to Decker who with staff writer Ed Zieralski of the San Diego Union Tribune covered my life on Isla San Marcos back in March of 1999.

Like all other days fishing in these waters, the morning started off with chitchat and the making of bait, then the short 7 mile run out to the 110 bajo. Like most days in June, the great fishing this place has to offer was there. Yellowtail were out to play and Paul caught his first-ever yellowtail to bring his species list up by one. Kirk also upped his species list with a nice gulf grouper in the 30-plus pound class. The whole time Decker was taking photos of the days action. I was truly honored to be part of the assignment.

Fishing on Monday, I had Florida fisherman and friend James "SnookMan" Holdsworth of Viera, Fla., and his buddies Alex Bisbee of Minneapolis, Andrew Cappello of San Clemente, and Jim Tortorelli of Redondo Beach. We made a run out to the 110 bajo and caught 11 fish and were back at the dock before 10 a.m. Let me say this about James. I've fished with just about every kind of fisherman and different levels of skill, but this guy is the most complete I've ever seen. This guy can tie knots like the Bimini twist and cat's paw so fast and perfect the damn things look like a machine did them. Not to mention James gets bit and rips lips with the best of them. Caught big tails on his spinner and conventional. These guys caught 5 to 7 yellowtail per day in the high 20s, limits of dorado (also mahi-mahi or dolphinfish), plus countless released in the 8-18 pound class, 4 Sawtail grouper of 28-34 pound class, 2 red snapper in the 15-18 pound class, which are some of the biggest I've seen in these waters in years, and a 25 pound White Sea bass on another boat.

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