Fall Season seemed to arrive overnight, we are in the midst of the traditional busiest angling season. Tournaments are now underway and the largest event of all, the Bisbee’s Black and Blue is slated for next week, this is the event where teams compete for possible multimillion dollar payouts. Weather conditions have been stable since past weekend, still quite tropical for this late in the season, mornings are refreshing, though mid-day the heat index is high. Remember to bring your sunscreen, hats and sunglasses. Ocean water temperature is ranging from 85 to 88 degrees, swells have been moderate, winds very light and all around conditions very favorable, with clean water found within a mile or two or shore.
Despite such great conditions, the fishing action was more sporadic, not as consistent as we would expect for this time of year, this powerful el Nino current has all normal patterns mixed up. Bait has been scattered as well, no significant resource for sardinas now, limited supplies, caballito and slabs of giant squid have been most common options.
For much of the past week local fleets found the best action to be within one mile of shore off of Punta Gorda. This area was attracting both panga and cruiser fleets, this is where everyone congregated. Main species being encountered was yellowfin tuna, most of these tuna were in the 15 to 35 lb. class. Striking on striped squid or sardinas, when available. The yellowfin would come up to feed in flurries, often early in the morning, then slowing down, maybe with a couple of other feeding frenzies later in the morning. The key was to be at the right place when they did go on the bite. Average catch ranged from one tuna, to four or five. Not everybody was catching the tuna every day, even top skippers had tough days. Though these were decent quality of yellowfin, considering they were found so close to shore. Heavy pressure, limited bait, etc..made this bite become tougher latter in the week and now boats were again searching out more distance grounds.
Very few dorado being found, to see a half dozen for the fleet for one day was average. No particular area to find these dorado now, best chance seemed to be on the same grounds as where the tuna action was. Only an occasional wahoo being landed, other lost strikes, but these fish have not been very active at all, most likely when we see water temperatures eventually drop closer to 80 degrees, these fish will wake up.
Bottom action consisted mainly for monster sized triggerfish and some rare pompano, these fish were striking just as were the tuna, while drift fishing close to shore off of Punta Gorda. We had not seen any of these African pompano recently, they used to bite more often in late spring, very scrappy fighters and excellent eaters. A handful of barred pargo, yellow snapper and cabrilla rounded out the structure action.
We heard of more billfish action on the Pacific, though no confirmed reports of wide open action. On local grounds off of San Jose del Cabo, there were sailfish and some striped marlin, a couple smaller sized blue marlin. No inshore action to speak of now, though a local shore fishermen landed a world class 44 lb. snook off of the La Playita, el Faro stretch.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 175 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 7 striped marlin, 3 blue marlin, 16 sailfish, 345 yellowfin tuna, 29 dorado, 5 wahoo, 23 white skipjack, 18 bonito, 2 dogtooth snapper, 26 yellow snapper, 220 triggerfish, 18 African pompano, 10 cabrilla and 24 barred pargo.