Anglers –
August 6, 2016
As we are now in the middle of peak tropical storm season we have light crowds of visitors arriving, enduring hot humid conditions, with the heat index reaching up to 110 degrees. Winds and swells have been light, ocean conditions great, blue water close to shore, ocean temperatures ranging from 80 degrees on the Pacific and up to 88 degrees in the directions of Gordo Banks and to Los Frailes. The most recent Tropical Storm named Ivette has followed a path far off to the west, making no impact on land, just creating very humid conditions. The present forecast does predict high chances of decent rainfall for this coming Monday and Tuesday, up to several inches of rain possibly, which would be a good thing if it does not cause any major flooding or is accompanied by high winds, this is related to a newly forming low pressure system off the Mexican mainland coast which appears to be on a track to pass much closer to the Southern Bay Peninsula.
Anglers found similar bait supplies available in the marina channel, with caballito being the main species, some people are trying strips of squid as well. The fishing has been spread out over a wide area, no particular hot spot and overall the action is definitely not up to standards that we would expect for this time of year. Billfish action has been much more consistent off of the East Cape area, a mix of sailfish, striped and blue marlin, with a blue marlin over 400 lb. winning this past week’s Bisbee East Cape Tournament, but not much else is being found in this area besides marlin, a 111 lb. yellowfin tuna won that division, though only a few tuna were accounted for altogether. Dorado continue to be scarce as well, with only an occasional small fish being encountered. Who knows where these normally abundant summer time gamefish species might be. Same story for wahoo, a few strikes here or there, an occasional sighting of a free swimming wahoo where charters were drift fishing over structure, but not many fish being reported landed, these ‘hoo do become more sluggish in warmer water in the mid to upper 80s.
The area off of San Jose del Cabo, 1150, has been producing billfish and a few yellowfin tuna mixed with fast moving porpoise, first charters arriving have hooked a handful of yellowfin, most of them in the 10 to 15 lb. class, an occasional tuna to 50 lb., but very few numbers of tuna at this time.
Not much bottom action being found, sporadic early action for huachinango, yellow snapper, cabrilla, but more triggerfish than anything else being found off the bottom. Along the shoreline there have been some late season roosterfish and jack crevalle found, though this action is slowing down, as is normal for this time of year.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 52 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 4 blue marlin, 2 sailfish, 5 striped marlin, 16 yellowfin tuna, 12 bonito, 9 dorado, 4 amberjack, 9 leopard grouper (cabrilla), 15 huachinango (red snapper), 11 yellow snapper, 4 barred pargo, 34 triggerfish, 5 jack crevalle and 12 roosterfish.
Good fishing, Eric