October 23, 2010
Anglers from around the globe arrived in Los Cabos this past week in anticipation of the world’s richest billfish tournament, the Bisbee’s Black and Blue, which this year is celebrating their 30 th anniversary. A total of 103 teams battled for part of the two million dollar purse. The event has lived up to expectations and more, more billfish weighing over 300 pounds were weighed in this year than have been for many years, largest qualifying fish was a 599 pound black marlin and there was yet an even larger monster blue marlin of 800 pounds that was disqualified when the team could not reach the scales before the deadline after a grueling six hour battle. Overall title went to the team of “Rehab” with their pair of 560 and 347 pound black marlin.
Panga fleets have also been very busy, as this is now the peak fall season, which typically does not taper off until Thanksgiving. Live sardinas have become readily available now, being netted off of Palmilla Point, as well as closer to the Puerto Los Cabos Marina jetties in recent days. Many boats are also jigging up moonfish inside the marina channel in order to have other options, including drift fishing down deep over the rock piles. Water temperatures are still in the 83 to 85 degree range, though there was more wind this past week, coming from the south earlier in the week and then predominately from the north during the later part of the week, combined with a strong currents and heavy boat pressure from the tournament made for a bit tougher fishing.
Most of the action was being found from the Santa Maria area north to Iman, with yellowfin tuna been the most common species, most of them football sized, weighing up to 25 pounds, striking on live sardinas, individual charters averaged catches of two or three yellowfin, up to a dozen per outing. Only an occasional dorado being encountered, most of them small juvenile sized fish. Wahoo fishing also became a bit more spread out this past week, but over the weekend these fish did become much more active near San Luis and Vinormama, striking aggressively on caballito or Bolito, dead or alive, it did not seem to matter, also Rapalas and skirted lead heads worked well. Wahoo to fifty pounds were landed.
Not much reported from the Gordo Banks, actually not many anglers were even fishing this area, because the action there has not been consistent. A few of the nicer grade yellowfin tuna up to 90 pounds were accounted for while drift fishing over the Inner Bank and there was pair of local pangeros that teamed up to land a 215 pound tuna that hit on a dead moonfish. It appears that the tuna are still holding on the Gordo Banks and most likely be one of the areas that will be targeting during the upcoming WON Tuna Jackpot Tournament.
With the stronger current running this week, this has made it more difficult for anglers to effectively concentrate on the bottom action with the moonfish. Iman had been the main area where nice sized amberjack were being hooked into, after landing ambers up to 97 pounds last week, this week there have been jacks up to 75 pounds accounted for, but not as many numbers as the previous week. There was one unusual catch off the bottom on the Iman Bank, this was an estimated 75 pound roosterfish that hit on a moonfish being drifted down deep, the rooster was caught and released by Pat Walsh of Venice, Ca. while fishing with skipper Tony Miranda on the 26 ft. super panga, “Hooker”.
The combined panga fleets launching from La Playita/Puerto Los Cabos sent out approximately 138 charters for the week, with anglers accounted for: 2 striped marlin, 3 sailfish, 29 wahoo, 44 dorado, 414 yellowfin tuna, 6 dogtooth snapper, 37 amberjack, 18 cabrilla, 24 rainbow runner, 7 sierra and 1 roosterfish.
Good fishing, Eric