GORDO BANKS PANGAS
September 27, 2020
We saw similar weather patterns this week, quiet for tropical storm systems in the Eastern Pacific, we could use some more rain, but definitely do not need any late season devastating hurricanes to sweep through. So we are hoping for a calm transition period this fall, this year has already been tough enough. Topical humid conditions continue, not as many clouds this past week, though early in the period there were a few scattered rain squalls. Swells have been light and most days the ocean has been flat calm, little wind, with the breeze picking up in the afternoon.
The main bait source now has been sardinas, caballito are scarce. The sardinas are plentiful along beach stretches near the marina, though they are small in size, anglers are using two, and sometimes three per hook, these schooling baitfish should grow in size in coming weeks. Catching chihuil or skipjack have been other bait options, but that proved more hit or miss. Slabs of squid are being used as well for drift fishing for the yellowfin tuna, though in recent days it seemed the tuna preferred the sardinas, even though they were tiny.
The yellowfin were more finicky, becoming wise to boat pressure and also gorging on plentiful food supply they found on the local fishing grounds. Anglers were using lighter leaders with more success and small hooks. Iman Bank was main spot this week, as sea lions took up residence on the Gordo Banks and made that impossible to fish. Drift fishing was the technique, fish were biting better later in the morning and locals were also commercial fishing in the late afternoon and doing better than the morning charters, but also coming back in very late, not a normal charter deal. The yellowfin ranged in size from 10 lb. to 80 lb., most fish being in the 20 to 60 lb. range. Average catches per boat varied from one to five fish.
Very few dorado or wahoo found, though these fish are in the area and we are seeing some landed, just one here or there, mostly small dorado, we saw wahoo to 35 lb. These fish become sluggish when water temperatures reach as high as 86 to 88 degrees, as they are now. Clean blue water now as close as a mile from shore, so really anything could happen on any given day.
Last week we saw more numbers of nice sized dogtooth snapper than we had seen in several years, this action was on the same Iman Bank, though this week that action quickly faded out. Not much off the bottom, a few varieties of snapper, a handful of cabrilla and amberjack.
Not much heard of for local billfish action either, most anglers we saw were preferring to target the tuna action. A couple of sailfish were reported, as they hang around the same grounds as do the tuna.
Light crowds, good fishing, Eric