Happy New Year's!
December 31, 2010
Anglers –
As 2010 comes to a close, large crowds of tourists arrived, the majority of which were on family Holiday vacations, enjoying their visit to Los Cabos and taking advantage of pleasant winter time weather conditions. Throughout the week days were mostly sunny, with high temperatures up to 75 degrees, moderate winds and all around enjoyable time for the vast variety of available outdoor activities.
We want to thank everyone who has traveled to our destination this past year, there was an increase in tourism and this support helped the region rebound some from the global economical crisis. We all anticipate that the new year of 2011 will bring even improved times for all, with more people traveling to this Southern Baja paradise.
Water temperatures continue to be on a cooling trend, now averaging 69 to 72 degrees through most of the region. Fluctuating strong currents have created areas of greener murky waters, particularly closer to shore, this is where anglers found a wide variety of small to medium sized fish within a mile of the beaches. Schools of sardina baitfish were congregated off rocky points, being netted by commercial pangero, most abundant off of the Palmilla Point this past week. Despite the increased Holiday pressure supplies of these baitfish held up well through the week. Caballito were also available for anglers wishing to obtain larger live baits.
Local San Jose panga fleets were fishing areas from Palimlla, Sana Maria, Punta Gorda, La Fortuna and Iman Bank. Early in the period the most consistent action was found off of Palmilla, where anglers found great variety, but no species was more abundant or aggressive than the black skipjack, ranging to over ten pounds, dominating the bite, there were yellowfin tuna mixed in, though hard for them to compete with the skipjack. With persistence a number of charters were able to account for 5 to 10 yellowfin per morning, weights ranging 12 to 20 pounds. A mix of pargo, yellowtail, amberjack, bonito, dorado, hammerhead shark, jack crevalle, sierra and roosterfish were found nearby. Sierra and roosterfish were the highlight close off the beaches, trolling live bait was the best bet to catch these fish that were found schooling and weighed from 2 to 12 pounds, a handful of roosterfish up to 20 pounds were caught and released.
Early in the day anglers did find some success while working yo-yo iron jigs off of the rock piles, grouper to 45 pounds, amberjack and a few yellowtail were landed. The cooler water conditions should now attract more of these jacks, as this is the environment they prefer. Whales are arriving now on their annual winter migration and will be present in local waters for the next few months.
Larger yellowfin tuna, to 100 pounds plus, were seen breezing in schools on the Outer Gordo Banks, but showed no interest at all in striking on any offerings anglers presented. The few bottom species that were caught off of these same fishing grounds were found to be gorged with pelagic red crabs, this means that the most likely scenario is that these larger tuna also now have developed a taste specifically for these crabs and nothing else, feeding down deep, only breezing the surface while digesting the small crustaceans.
Dorado were encountered in small schools, most often closer to shore where schooling baitfish were found and under circling frigate birds. Striking best on bait and ranging in sizes from 5 to 25 pounds, some boats catching as many as four to six dorado, the majority under ten pounds, good time to remember to release these juvenile sized fish.
The combined panga fleets launching from La Playita/Puerto Los Cabos sent out approximately 114 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 1 sailfish, 3 striped marlin, 6 hammerhead shark, 342 sierra, 94 roosterfish, 1 wahoo, 65 yellowtail, 144 dorado, 240 yellowfin tuna, 1,650, black skipjack, 18 bonito, 15 amberjack, 18 cabrilla and 34 pargo.
Good Fishing, Eric
