GORDO BANKS PANGAS 

October 1^st, 2023 

Weather conditions have remained consistent for the last month or so.  We are currently seeing the development of a storm off the south pacific coast, though it seems it will not be a threat for us at this time. We will continue to closely monitor this one; there is a possibility that we will get a couple days with higher winds and some rain. We are hoping that it continues to shift out of our reach as we have some busy days this upcoming week. With the beginning of October, we can now say that our busy season has officially begun. October and November are the busiest months and should be interesting as we continue to see bigger fish show up. We are also excited for temperatures to cool off a bit within the next couple of weeks. 

The main action as seen in previous weeks has been mostly yellowfin tuna. We continue to see a good variety of sizes depending on what area you are fishing. If you are looking to catch a tuna in the 100 pound club or bigger, then Gordo is the way to go. Again, these fish are mostly caught on strips of squid or slowly trolling bulito/skipjacks that you can catch on the grounds. One captain reported hooking one of the bigger cows on squid. Unfortunately, the tuna broke off the #80 flouro leader after an hour on the line. There is also a chance of hooking a black marlin while slow trolling bulito and smaller skipjacks. This week, we had a 365 pounder that was caught while looking for tuna.  

We are also seeing smaller sized tuna averaging 20-30 pounds on the Imán and Vinorama Banks. These schools of tuna are hit or miss on most days. We saw a few good days were some boats were catching between 4-6 per day. However, there are other days where they are only seeing a few caught. Some captains have reported seeing more bait and bird action on the banks later in the day. That said, we will definitely see some of them scout these areas later in the afternoon/evening.  

In between the mix, there is always the chance to find a few dorado and wahoo. These wahoo are in the same area as the tuna and can occasionally hit on the strips of squid or live bait. Bottom fishing has been a bit slow and there is not much to report at this time, rather than a few triggerfish and red snappers. 

Good Fishing, Brian

GORDO BANKS PANGAS, 

Sept 24^th, 2023 

This week has been a good indication on how a normal September, going into October fishing should look like. The days continue to be extremely humid with high temperatures in the mid 90s and mornings are starting to show a light and cool breeze. Going into the last week of September, we are expecting a lighter crowd and only a few trips per day. Beginning October, that will not be the case as we have quite a full schedule until the end of November. 

This week, we started to see bigger tuna at the Gordo, which is a great indication for tournaments to come in October and November. Most of the fish caught were over 70 lbs. We did weigh many fish in the 100-pound club, the biggest one weighing in at 142. These fish are bit finicky this time a year; they seem to only bite for a short time either early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Most of these fish are hitting on strips of squid or slow trolling live skipjacks or bonito that you can catch on the fishing grounds. An occasional black marlin has been caught while slow trolling these live bait, though nothing huge to report at this time. These marlin are ranging from 250-300 lbs.

According to the weather and bait conditions, we are confident that we will slowly start to see the famous cows. The locals use the term cows for tuna over 200 pounds. Many teams have started scouting out the different areas for big marlin and tuna. We have the Bisbee’s tournaments coming up in October and the Cabo Tuna Jackpot the first week of November, which should be exciting if we continue to see similar conditions. 

More dorado and wahoo have been caught this week compared to the last two. You can target most of these by fast trolling ballyhoo, rapalas, and lures. As it has been extremely hot, some boats are trolling on the way back to the marina to alleviate some sun and heat exposure. This is a great way to cover some ground and find these schools of dorado. 

Off the bottom there were more triggerfish than anything else, with an occasional red snapper or amberjack in the mix. We are also continuing to see a few dogtooth snappers at the Gordo. 

Good Fishing, Brian

With the passing of Eric Brictson, we are writing to update you a bit on the fishing, but most importantly the future of Gordo Banks Pangas. 

We are reaching the end of our hurricane season and even though it continues to be hot and extremely humid during the days, we are finally noticing cooler mornings at the marina. We are looking forward to cooler days as this summer has been hotter than usual. That said, we are starting to see larger crowds of fisherman as we are heading into our busy end of October/November season. 

The main target has been yellowfin tuna, most of them coming from Vinorama. Consistency depends on if there is sufficient bait that day to get them excited. Anglers were using mostly strips of squid and sardinas. There have been limited supplies of sardinas on some days, which can contribute to a slow day of fishing.  There is a chance at a nicer tuna at Gordo Banks. Most of these fish range from 20-60 pounds, while we have seen a few ones caught that were closer to 100 pounds. Some boats have reported seeing a few yellowfins over 150 pounds at the Gordo.  

In between the tuna action, we continue to see some dorado and occasionally a few wahoo in the mix. We are expecting to see a few more wahoo as the water continues to cool off. There is also a chance at a nice Dogtooth snapper at the Gordo if you put in the time. We saw 6 this week, one being closer to 50 lbs.

If you missed our latest notice on Gordo Banks Pangas, Eric Brictson passed away on August 30^th. We have missed his presence at the marina and will continue to every day. He was and will continue to be a growing part of our community and we will try our hardest to follow in his footsteps. The Brictson family appreciates all the support and understanding that our amazing clients have shown us after his passing. The Brictson family has decided to grow Eric’s legacy and will continue to operate Gordo Banks Pangas. Brian Brictson will be overseeing the operation. For the moment being, we will continue to use the same emails within our contact page. If you have a current reservation, we will be honoring it. If you want to charter a trip, feel free to reach out at any time. 

Good Fishing, Brian