Anglers –
July 7, 2018
We saw lighter number of tourists this first week of July, perhaps more people decided to stay home to celebrate Independence Day this year. The weather patterns are now progressing becoming warmer, high temperatures up to 90 degrees, though with the increased humidity, the heat index is making it feel more like 98 degrees. The winds were very slight, and after having larger swells lingering the first part of the week due to the distant passing of TS Fabio, ocean conditions were again calm. The green water is slower giving way to cleaner currents, water temperature on the Sea of Cortez side of the Peninsula is back up into the 78 to 80 degree range.
Anglers were using a mix of sardinas, caballito, mullet and sardineta for bait. Most common areas now being concentrated on have been from Palmilla, straight of San Jose Estuary and marina area, and north towards Iman, San Luis and Vinorama Banks. There were large concentrations of baitfish holding straight offshore of the Puerto Leo Cabos Marina, three to five miles out. This is where decent numbers of striped marlin were being found, most often by drift fishing baits down deeper, with the full moon these fish were a bit more finicky, but with patience most charters were having chances daily. This same area saw more dorado moving in as well, slow trolling bait on the surface was best bet for these fish, no big numbers, but many charters did report landing one, two or three fish, with weights up to 15 lb.
The other popular grounds recently for fishing was on San Luis Bank, this is where there was good early morning action for Eastern Pacific bonito and red snapper while working yo-yo jigs. The problem at this spot was that there were way too many hungry sharks lurking and they would readily strike the yo-yo jigs, as well as any fish that you did have hooked up, frustrating and a fast way to lose a lot of jigs in a hurry.
Early in the week a few yellowfin tuna were also hitting bait or yo-yo jigs on the same grounds, one tuna close to 80 lb. was accounted for, others were lost. The best chances at yellowfin recently has been further offshore, found moving with porpoise and changing location from day to day, most days they were found 15 to 25 miles offshore, though late week some were found as close in as 7 miles. These fish had to be worked for, lots of water covered, trolling medium sized feathers, hoochies and cedar plugs worked and sizes averaged 12 to 18 lb.
Inshore action for roosterfish and jack crevalle slowed down, more spread out, but some fish were being found, even a handful of late season sierra.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 54 charters for this week. Anglers reported a fish count of: 32 striped marlin, 24 dorado, 35 yellowfin tuna, 6 pompano, 95 bonito, 11 yellow snapper, 38 red snapper, 9 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 2 amberjack, 14 roosterfish, 7 barred pargo, 7 sierra, 35 triggerfish and 8 jack crevalle.
Good fishing, Eric