GORDO BANKS PANGAS
December 28, 2019
Los Cabos is now bustling with tourists, many family groups now vacationing for the holiday season. Weather patterns have been cooler, with scattered cloud cover and high temperatures in the lower 70s, a bit chilly for local standards, though compared to more northern territories, very pleasant. Ocean water temperatures were in the 75 to 77 degree range and swells were minimal. Variable northern winds, but overall favorable fishing conditions.
Bait supplies out of the local port consisted of caballito, ballyhoo and slabs of squid. There are sardineta and mackerel just starting to move onto local bait grounds as well, so far more sardineta. This is attracting striped marlin into this same area, despite not being the warm season, we are seeing some sailfish as well.
Most consistent fishing action has been for dorado, most of this action found with a mile or two from shore. Anglers were using smaller sized trolling lures and various baitfish to entice these gamefish, average size fish was in the 10 lb. class, but there were larger specimens to over 20 lb. also being found. For the last several seasons now the month of December has proved to be the best time of year for these popular game fish and with the water temperature still favorable, we expect this action to last into the New Year.
Action for yellowfin tuna was much more scattered, the bite off of La Fortuna, where the shark problem was so bad, faded off, just a few tuna up to 40 lb. were reported from those grounds and these were taken on strips of squid. A few tuna in the 15 to 40 lb. class also were hooked into off of Punta Gorda on a mix of caballito and lures, but these were very limited. Off of the Gordo Banks there was a chance at a nicer grade of yellowfin to 100 lb., though this was very hit of miss and involved large amounts of squid for chum and plenty of patience to repeatedly make drifts all day long for a chance at a hook up, mainly something the local commercial pangeros were doing. On the outside, some 20 or more miles offshore, there was porpoise activity moving in the direction off of San Jose del Cabo, on Friday there were a couple of 200 lb. class yellowfin landed off of larger sportfishers, so maybe this will develop into something.
Wahoo are in the area, but getting them to hit has not been that easy, though on any given day that could change, best bet has been on bait versus lures. Of the wahoo we saw, sizes ranged 15 to 40 lb. Though one monster 122 lb. wahoo was brought in by a spear fisherman. On Saturday.
Off of the beach stretches just to the north of the Puerto Los Cabos marina there were good numbers of juvenile sized roosterfish, some up to 15 lb., also mixed in were jack crevalle and sierra. Best bet was with the smaller sized caballito, if sardinas were available this action would bust wide open.
Off the bottom there was action for huachinango, most of these under 5 lb., also a few yellow snapper, barred pargo and of course the triggerfish were eager to bite as well.
The combined sportfishing fleet launching out of the panga area from Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out an estimated 110 charters for the week and anglers reported an approximate fish count of: 2 sailfish, 15 striped marlin, 265 dorado, 21 yellowfin tuna, 35 wahoo, 8 yellow snapper, 4 barred pargo, 1 glass eyed snapper, 12 sierra, 4 pompano, 85 roosterfish, 45 huachinango, 3 amberjack, 15 jack crevalle and 45 triggerfish.
Good Fishing, Eric