Gordo Banks Pangas
San Jose del Cabo
June 8, 2008
Anglers –
We are now a couple of weeks away from the official start of the summer season. Tourism continues to be in a slump due to the poor economy in United States. Complaints of super high airfares are rampant and with the skyrocketing fuel prices we expect there will not be a solution in the near future. Local weather patterns have been quite pleasant, mostly clear sunny skies, with highs near 90 degrees and lows averaging about 65 degrees. Oceans conditions have been relatively calm in the direction of the Sea of Cortez, this is where the majority of sportfishing fleets are now concentrated. Water temperatures have ranged from 74 to 78 degrees, clarity has fluctuated daily, but general consensus is that it has been favorable. Very extreme tide in recent days, close to a six foot tidal swing, this is about the extreme limit for this region, higher swells has been running as well, particularly on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas.
The striped marlin bite continues to be very strong, especially in the areas off of San Jose del Cabo to Desteladera. The only drawback has been the lack of larger baitfish, though there are large concentrations of bolito that have been encountered on the fishing grounds and they are being jigging up and used with good success as trolling baits. Plenty of mullet now schooling along the shorelines, but these never do make the best offshore baits, though when hungry enough the stripers will take them. The marlin which have been weighing in the 100 to 150 pound range have also readily been striking on live sardinas, which are now of very good size and have been found in over abundant quantities inside the Puerto Los Cabos marina. Larger gamefish could be seen feeding in the midst of the dark clouds of balled up baitfish right in the panga docking area. On one morning there was a monster sized snook that exploded through the bait ball and scattered the baitfish up on to the dry dock and even inside of some moored boats. Lots of smaller roosterfish, sierra and barracuda are now following this bait right inside of the marina.
The annual run of larger roosterfish that typically passes through this area during the first part of June has yet to develop. There are large numbers of juvenile sized roosterfish, but only a scattering of larger roosterfish are being encountered by anglers that have been trolling the inshore surf zone with live mullet, the preferred bait. Perhaps by next week we will have better reports in this department.
There has been a lack of pargo close to shore, so far only a handful of dogtooth or mullet snapper have been accounted for, perhaps they will be later this season as well. There are a mix of snapper species being found on the offshore banks, huachinango, yellow snapper and barred pargo. Striking on sardinas and yo-yo jigs. An occasional yellowtail, amberjack and cabrilla are also hitting the decks, some of them weighing over 30 pounds.
Not much to talk about for yellowfin tuna, on some days there are reports of fish seen feeding on the banks, but more often they are not striking, just an occasional tuna in the 10 to 30 pound class being accounted for, these fish were taken on either dead or live sardinas.
Early in the week there were some quality catches of dorado reported, this was when anglers found weed debris in the area of the Gordo Banks that were holding large numbers of do-dos, they were not monsters, but it was fast action for fish in the 10 to 20 pound range. Larger dorado were being found off of San Luis, this is where concentrations of bolito were schooling, one of the dorado favorite meals.
On Sunday, June 1 the annual Dorado Tournament was held out of La Playita. This year the event attracted some 35 teams, mostly pangas, but also a few cruisers. No huge numbers of fish, but at least fifteen respectable dorado were brought to scale by the 1:00 p.m. deadline. Gary Weis from Santa Monica was fishing with Gordo Banks Pangas skipper Chame Pino on the 22 ft. "Killer" and they accounted for the winning dorado, it weighed in at 45.5 pounds, caught on a bolito on the San Luis Bank.
In recent days there has been a early morning wahoo bite that has developed on the Inner Gordo Banks. Anglers with the normal arsenal of high speed wahoo lures have landed one or two ‘hoo at first light, weights have ranged from 25 to 50 pounds.
The combined panga fleets launching from La Playita / Puerto Los Cabos sent out approximately 76 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 8 wahoo,38 striped marlin, 61 dorado, 11 yellowfin tuna, 205 roosterfish, 98 sierra, 8 yellowtail, 7 amberjack, 14 bonito, 204 various pargo species and 18 jack crevalle.
Good Fishing, Eric
