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Fish Report: Bluefin limits close to home
Also, cartel violence in Baja Sur
Local lure maker, tattoo artist, and deckhand Brandon Douglass Cross with some quality bluefin while working a trip aboard the Patriot.
Dock Totals 4/20 – 4/26: 1321 anglers aboard 56 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 446 bluefin tuna (to 210 pounds), 64 bocaccio, 94 bonito, 1 cabezon, 63 calico bass, 2 halibut (16 released), 10 lingcod, 3935 rockfish, 37 sand bass, 20 sanddab, 205 sculpin, 14 sheephead, 113 whitefish, and 56 yellowtail.
Saltwater: Another week is in the books for the San Diego sportfishing fleet, with conditions, number of anglers, and catches improving as the early season gets going. Counts of bluefin caught are on the rise as boats are reporting fish willing to bite within 1.5-day range of Point Loma, and more boats are coming online and heading to the area. Mixed catches of rockfish, yellowtail, and bluefin have been offloading at the docks, because bluefin limits are being hit, leaving spare time to drop deep for rockfish and lings or look for paddies holding yellows.
Rockfish is open to all depths as of April 1, and that will continue until September 15. On September 16, that will change to seaward of the fifty-fathom line (300 feet) from then until December 31. The deeper fishing has allowed for some very nice vermilion rockfish in the mix for local runs, though the depth restrictions do not apply in Mexican waters. Still, for local boats like the Dolphin, Daily Double, and Premier, this means more opportunity for great fishing off the 9-Mile Bank if inshore action on bass, barracuda, and bonito is slow.
A couple of nice calico bass caught aboard the Dolphin while fishing just off the coast in San Diego.
Yellowtail counts did slip a bit as the bluefin action picked up. Boats are sticking it out and doing well — especially through the nighttime bite — so if they do not limit early or fail to limit, that leaves little time to go paddy-hopping for the yellowtail. Still, there have been solid bites when paddies are holding, as witnessed by anglers and crew aboard the Intrepid during this week’s 3-day open party trip: “This morning, we returned home with an impressive haul of Bluefin and Yellowtail. Nighttime jig fishing was best for us with mixed grade Bluefin weighing 30-150 pounds. The entire fleet is witnessing favorable sign of Bluefin, and we're thrilled about the prospects for our upcoming spring trips. Yesterday's kelp paddy fishing was a huge success, and we were rewarded with several kelps with exceptional fishing on nice grade Yellows.” Now that is great fishing!
A nice kelp paddy yellowtail caught aboard the Intrepid during their 3-day outing.
Though the Intrepid is booked full until a couple open spots in July, with more boats coming online, there should be plenty of spots available for 1.5-day to 4-day runs to get out and after these fish. That said, when the bite is good — and it is right now — booking as early as possible is advised. Check with the landings, Seaforth, H&M, Fisherman’s, and Point Loma; all of them should have some open spots available for bluefin trips.
A very nice bluefin coming over the rail of the Intrepid as the sun sets off the coast of northern Baja.
Further down the coast, yellowtail action along the coast off San Quintin has slowed, mostly due to windy conditions that make surface feeders harder to spot and keep the smaller boats closer to home. (They like to get off the water before the wind doubles its force in the early afternoon, as is usual for this time of year in the region.) Still, they have been hammering limits on quality reds and whitefish, with some decent lingcod in the mix. I expect the yellowtail fishing to improve when the wind settles back down enough to give a chance to spend some time further out, where they have been feeding on the surface and down in the water column.
The Sea of Cortez has been on fire from the East Cape north to Gonzaga, with wahoo, yellowfin, pargo, and even some dorado caught south of La Paz, While from La Paz north, it transitions to mostly yellowtail, sierra, pargo, and cabrilla for the takes. Captain Juan Cook, while working out of Gonzaga Bay, has been reporting great weather and steady action on the above species over the past couple weeks. He has a few openings available before he transitions to the other side of the peninsula to fish out of Lopez Mateos later in the season. There, he will be targeting grouper, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and dorado. Always good to drop him a line and make plans accordingly, as his plans do sometimes change. You can contact him on his Facebook page or by dialing 011-52- 616-109-6877.
This is a great time of year to visit the many fisheries along Baja before the heat sets in and summer thunderstorms arrive. In some areas, like Bahia Asuncion and San Quintin, weather is pretty much doable year-round, but for the most part, it gets pretty hot in Baja from late June through mid-September or so. When living in the La Paz area, I would head out in the dark of morning and get back home before 1pm so we could cool down in the AC. But this time of year, conditions permitting, a person can fish comfortably all day.
Nota bene: There have been travel advisories issued for La Paz and Los Cabos due to recent cartel violence, so it might be wise to avoid the crowded areas, but fishing operations and remote campers are usually not affected when the cartels are active. I have been living in Baja, for the most part, for 20 years and have not had any issues with cartel activity. The best way to avoid trouble is to avoid sketchy neighborhoods in major cities, don’t go out drinking at night, and, of course, don’t take part in drug activity. But you must be the judge of what precautions are best for you. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
Here's something you might be interested in.
Fish Report: Bluefin limits close to home
Also, cartel violence in Baja Sur
Fish Report: Bluefin limits close to home
Also, cartel violence in Baja Sur
Local lure maker, tattoo artist, and deckhand Brandon Douglass Cross with some quality bluefin while working a trip aboard the Patriot.
Dock Totals 4/20 – 4/26: 1321 anglers aboard 56 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 446 bluefin tuna (to 210 pounds), 64 bocaccio, 94 bonito, 1 cabezon, 63 calico bass, 2 halibut (16 released), 10 lingcod, 3935 rockfish, 37 sand bass, 20 sanddab, 205 sculpin, 14 sheephead, 113 whitefish, and 56 yellowtail.
Saltwater: Another week is in the books for the San Diego sportfishing fleet, with conditions, number of anglers, and catches improving as the early season gets going. Counts of bluefin caught are on the rise as boats are reporting fish willing to bite within 1.5-day range of Point Loma, and more boats are coming online and heading to the area. Mixed catches of rockfish, yellowtail, and bluefin have been offloading at the docks, because bluefin limits are being hit, leaving spare time to drop deep for rockfish and lings or look for paddies holding yellows.
Rockfish is open to all depths as of April 1, and that will continue until September 15. On September 16, that will change to seaward of the fifty-fathom line (300 feet) from then until December 31. The deeper fishing has allowed for some very nice vermilion rockfish in the mix for local runs, though the depth restrictions do not apply in Mexican waters. Still, for local boats like the Dolphin, Daily Double, and Premier, this means more opportunity for great fishing off the 9-Mile Bank if inshore action on bass, barracuda, and bonito is slow.
A couple of nice calico bass caught aboard the Dolphin while fishing just off the coast in San Diego.
Yellowtail counts did slip a bit as the bluefin action picked up. Boats are sticking it out and doing well — especially through the nighttime bite — so if they do not limit early or fail to limit, that leaves little time to go paddy-hopping for the yellowtail. Still, there have been solid bites when paddies are holding, as witnessed by anglers and crew aboard the Intrepid during this week’s 3-day open party trip: “This morning, we returned home with an impressive haul of Bluefin and Yellowtail. Nighttime jig fishing was best for us with mixed grade Bluefin weighing 30-150 pounds. The entire fleet is witnessing favorable sign of Bluefin, and we're thrilled about the prospects for our upcoming spring trips. Yesterday's kelp paddy fishing was a huge success, and we were rewarded with several kelps with exceptional fishing on nice grade Yellows.” Now that is great fishing!
A nice kelp paddy yellowtail caught aboard the Intrepid during their 3-day outing.
Though the Intrepid is booked full until a couple open spots in July, with more boats coming online, there should be plenty of spots available for 1.5-day to 4-day runs to get out and after these fish. That said, when the bite is good — and it is right now — booking as early as possible is advised. Check with the landings, Seaforth, H&M, Fisherman’s, and Point Loma; all of them should have some open spots available for bluefin trips.
A very nice bluefin coming over the rail of the Intrepid as the sun sets off the coast of northern Baja.
Further down the coast, yellowtail action along the coast off San Quintin has slowed, mostly due to windy conditions that make surface feeders harder to spot and keep the smaller boats closer to home. (They like to get off the water before the wind doubles its force in the early afternoon, as is usual for this time of year in the region.) Still, they have been hammering limits on quality reds and whitefish, with some decent lingcod in the mix. I expect the yellowtail fishing to improve when the wind settles back down enough to give a chance to spend some time further out, where they have been feeding on the surface and down in the water column.
The Sea of Cortez has been on fire from the East Cape north to Gonzaga, with wahoo, yellowfin, pargo, and even some dorado caught south of La Paz, While from La Paz north, it transitions to mostly yellowtail, sierra, pargo, and cabrilla for the takes. Captain Juan Cook, while working out of Gonzaga Bay, has been reporting great weather and steady action on the above species over the past couple weeks. He has a few openings available before he transitions to the other side of the peninsula to fish out of Lopez Mateos later in the season. There, he will be targeting grouper, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and dorado. Always good to drop him a line and make plans accordingly, as his plans do sometimes change. You can contact him on his Facebook page or by dialing 011-52- 616-109-6877.
This is a great time of year to visit the many fisheries along Baja before the heat sets in and summer thunderstorms arrive. In some areas, like Bahia Asuncion and San Quintin, weather is pretty much doable year-round, but for the most part, it gets pretty hot in Baja from late June through mid-September or so. When living in the La Paz area, I would head out in the dark of morning and get back home before 1pm so we could cool down in the AC. But this time of year, conditions permitting, a person can fish comfortably all day.
Nota bene: There have been travel advisories issued for La Paz and Los Cabos due to recent cartel violence, so it might be wise to avoid the crowded areas, but fishing operations and remote campers are usually not affected when the cartels are active. I have been living in Baja, for the most part, for 20 years and have not had any issues with cartel activity. The best way to avoid trouble is to avoid sketchy neighborhoods in major cities, don’t go out drinking at night, and, of course, don’t take part in drug activity. But you must be the judge of what precautions are best for you. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there so go out and get ‘em!
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