Anglers –
April 17, 2016

Fair numbers of vacationers continue to arrive in Los Cabos, they are enjoying very pleasant weather conditions, typical spring time, mostly clear skies, plenty of warm sunshine. Ocean swells have been slight and winds mild, creating excellent conditions on the water for anglers. Water temperatures are on a warming trend, averaging 72 degrees on the Pacific and in the direction of the Sea of Cortez has been up to 76 degrees. In the midst of transition period, rapidly changing conditions, anglers found scattered fishing action, no particular species being red hot at the moment, though there has been a good variety of species accounted for.

Commercial baits sellers are offering caballito, ballyhoo and slabs of squid, has been the same situation now for months. No signs at all of sardinas showing up, we should start to see more offshore baitfish activity with the warming waters, time that bolito and more skipjack will be moving onto the local fishing grounds, attracting more pelagic gamefish.

Striped marlin action was spotty, though one of the better areas in recent days was outside of the Gordo Banks, more concentrated in this area, striking on rigged ballyhoo, caballito and a percentage on trolled lures. This action for stripers usually gets very good during the next couple of months on the grounds off of San Jose del Cabo and towards the north.

The majority of the panga charters are now heading for areas north of Punta Gorda, from Cardon, La Fortuna, Iman and San Luis Banks. This is where they have found the best all-around action, a combination of surface and bottom species on these same grounds. Yellowfin tuna has been the main target species while drift fishing with strips of squid, bite has been sporadic, anglers have been doing well to accountant for a couple of yellowfin in their combined catch, these tuna have been averaging in the 20 to 35 lb. class, decent fish, just no big numbers, sea lions are stealing more than their share of the hooked up tuna, in the meantime they are filling up on snapper as well. Only a handful of wahoo were accounted for, though with the warming currents these fish should become more active. Who knows where the dorado are, only an occasional stray specimen has been encountered.

Off the bottom structure the main catch has been smaller sized snapper, pargo and triggerfish species. An occasional grouper, amberjack, cabrilla, sheepshead or bonito. Anglers have used a mix of bait and jigs off the bottom, best bet for action was on the chunks or strips of bait.

Inshore anglers found some sierra, roosterfish and jack crevalle, scattered action, but some decent fish were reported at times.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 79 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 6 striped marlin, 11 wahoo, 54 yellowfin tuna, 2 dorado, 11 amberjack, 8 cabrilla, 82 huachinango (red snapper), 18 yellow snapper, 12 barred pargo, 4 sheepshead, 110 tijareta pargo, 9 sierra, 8 jack crevalle, 16 roosterfish, 15 bonito and 225 triggerfish.

Good fishing, Eric