GORDO BANKS PANGAS

October 4, 2020

We are starting the new month now, time when the Los Cabos area typically starts to become very busy with visiting anglers. This year has been a completely different story, as crowds of tourists remain light and the situation looks like not much will change though the rest of the year. Weather has remained very stable, with no new threatening storms seen developing at this time, though with ocean temperatures still averaging 86 degrees or more, you never know what could happen. Early mornings are just now starting to feel that slight fall chill, light offshore breeze, ideal time now, with anglers enjoying calm conditions most every day.

Sardinas are now schooling near the marina entrance, not many caballito being found, slabs of squid are being offered as well. Most fishing activity has now been concentrated from the Gordo Banks to Iman Bank. With Iman and La Fortuna producing the most consistent action.

The most common gamefish being targeted successfully was yellowfin tuna and wahoo. The tuna are ranging in sizes from 15 lb. to 70 lb., we did see one fish well over 100 lb. landed by a team of local anglers on an afternoon trip. The yellowfin were striking mainly on sardinas, but a percentage were taken on strips of squid as well. The wahoo became more active this past week on these same grounds, most strikes for these speedsters were taken on trolled Rapalas, sizes ranged up to 40 lb., some boats landing as many as five in a morning. Average tuna catches were a bit down this week, varied from day to day, with one, two of three fish per boat being the normal catch.

Very few dorado seen and most that were encountered were small in size. A handful of sailfish were hooked into, as well as a few black marlin in the 200 to 300 lb. class. Not much bottom action being done, though on the same grounds where anglers were drift fishing for tuna there were some nice sized dogtooth snapper accounted for, up to 50 lb, no big numbers, but it was nice to see a few of these fish, they have been scarce in recent years.

Good fishing, Eric

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

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

September 20, 2020

Entering the fall season now, for the Los Cabos region this is the most tropical period, high humidity, scattered very tropical cloud cover and always a chance at isolated rain showers. Not many tourists now, as this is normally a slack time for travelers, even more so this year due to Covid 19, in another few weeks the area will become much busier, high stakes tournament time. The entire month has been very quiet in the Eastern Pacific for tropical storms, though the Atlantic has been a different story. Almost eerie, how it is so quiet now, there is a distance low pressure system, developing far to the south, forecast to strengthen some as it heads off to the west. With local ocean temperatures now as high as 88 degrees, still high possibilities that if conditions become favorable, powerful storms can develop quickly and in close proximity.

For the few anglers that were in town, they enjoyed mostly flat calm seas with minimal breeze, with the exception over the weekend when passing storm clouds kicked up winds, creating choppy seas, but as clouds passed through, seas calmed down again, no rain was reported, higher mountain areas had some isolated rain squalls. Extended forecast say that these calm tropical conditions will remain similar for next ten days, hopefully they are right.

Main bait now be offered are sardinas and slabs of squid. This is what the better action was found on. Yellowfin tuna has been the most common gamefish being targeted, the tuna have been found from the Gordo Banks, north to Vinorama, Iman Bank was one of the more popular areas this week. Boats from the north, East Cape, are arriving on these same grounds, adding to the concentrated pressure. Early bite was particularly good for yellowfin, which have been in the 10 to 80 lb. range, average fish 40 to 60 lb. Larger cow size tuna were seen, proved to be finicky, quickly disappearing, though they are in the area and with these calm conditions, the ocean is becoming riper for wide open action to break loose. Boats now were averaged one or two tuna, or sometimes up to five or six, depending exactly where you happened to be.

Not as many dorado or wahoo being found, though they are in the area and some were accoutered for, most of the dorado were small fish, have not seen any large bulls recently, the few wahoo we have seen were in the 20 to 35 lb. class. Minimal bottom action, mixed species, a few quality fish, amberjack to 45 lb., one 65 lb. dogtooth snapper, barred pargo, bonito, pargo cororado and one black sea bass by local commercial pangeros, about 70 lb.

Last weekend and the first part of this past week, there were a handful of black marlin hooked into, most of these from the vicinity of the Gordo Banks and while trolling skipjack or bolito baits. At least three blacks were landed and brought in, they ranged in sizes from 340 lb. to close to 500 lb. Several sailfish and striped marlin also were reported.

Light crowds, good fishing, Eric