This week we had persistent warmer weather conditions, no storms brewing on the map at this time, warm and humid conditions prevail and with warmer ocean currents pushing 80 degree plus water in our direction, anything could develop on the horizon any day. Ocean swells are minimal now, after the big blow last Saturday winds were now light, which turned water conditions over for a couple of days, water temperatures cooled by ten degrees overnight, also clarity became greenish closer to shore. Though now water has cleaned back up and conditions appear favorable.
The action became more scattered after the gusty winds, as water was cooler, the colder water species, such as Eastern Pacific Bonito and huachinango, the true Pacific red snapper went on a good bite on the San Luis Bank, striking mainly on yo-yo style jigs. By mid-week this action tapered off as warmer clean water returned. Though there was a decent mix of bottom species accounted for, pargo, amberjack, cabrilla and a few dogtooth snapper. Some fish to 30 lb. were landed.
Roosterfish action had really picked up the previous week, then as colder water pushed in this shut down the action, but by the later part of the week the monster sized roosterfish started to bite again, with the stretch near Punta Gorda producing roosters up to 70 lb. Please do remember to release these prized fighting gamefish with care.
Live bait sources remained the same inside the marina entrance area, with both caballito and moonfish plentiful. Bolito have been found schooling on the offshore grounds and make a very good extra bait option.
Dorado remain scarce, considering this is the time of year we should be seeing larger size do-do’s moving into local waters. Only an occasional wahoo being talked about, one 35 lb. ‘hoo was landed during last weekend’s Father’s Day Tournament out of La Playita.
There were a few larger sized yellowfin tuna found traveling with porpoise further offshore, anywhere from 24 to 40 miles out, not really a practical deal yet for panga charters. One yellowfin tuna of 183 lb. won the heavy fish honors during last weekend’s tournament, landed from a 40 ft. sportfisher far offshore, hard for the smaller pangas to compete against boats of size when the cleaner warm water had shifted some 40 miles offshore and seas were a bit choppy, this event was originally a panga event, but has opened up to any size boats, not really fair for the smaller boats to compete against these larger vessels, maybe different classes should be formed.
Billfish action tapered off during the first part of the week, though by late week striped marlin returned in force to within close range and many charters were accounting for multiple fish days, a few stripers were weighed up to 160 lb., larger grade fish moving in.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 70 charters for the shortened week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 23 striped marlin, 16 dorado, 1 wahoo, 2 grouper, 8 amberjack, 19 cabrilla, 9 dogtooth snapper, 5 pargo colorado, 18 yellow snapper, 14 jack crevalle, 155 bonito,
115 huachinango (red snapper) and 25 roosterfish.