SPRING BREAK FOR EVERYONE

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DISCOVER So instead of an over two-hour run up the coast, it’s out of the Marina, around the corner and 30-minutes later you may be hooked-up to a wahoo!

ALL THAT'S FISHY FROM LORETO TO LAND'S END

Monthly Fishing Report

DestinoLosCabos.com - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOUTHERN BAJA

B y T hat B aja Guy - Gar y Graham

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The world news seems to be reverberating around sub-zero freezing temperatures in the Eastern United States, along with freezing temperatures and snow on the northern states along the West Coast, with torrential rains and near-freezing temperatures on the southernmost areas of California – all is attributed to an unusual condition called the “Polar Vortex” which has created a double-whammy affecting both coasts of the United States. Here in Baja Sur, the best we can do is keep fishing with a double hookup out in front of the Cabo Falso Lighthouse. It appears the strong currents that are sweeping down the Pacific side from the West Coast of the U.S. are cooling and as the warmer sea temps recede, the large schools of striped marlin keep moving farther south, closer to Baja’s tip. The fishing nearer to Cabo San Lucas is also good -- not the huge numbers of billfish that are being taken up north at the Finger Bank, but striped marlin, dorado, yellowfin tuna and wahoo just waiting to be caught for those who are willing to put in the time. This month, instead of a run of over two hours up the coast, it’s a short distance ... out of the Marina around the corner and 30 minutes later you may find yourself hooked to the catch of a lifetime -- a dorado, yellowfin tuna or wahoo! Just a few miles inside of the Lighthouse, there have been a spot of roosterfish with comb-like dorsal

fins waiting to spice up your fish photo album before you release it back into the ocean. Plus, you might also find yellowtail, sierra or bottom fish such as rockfish, grouper and pargo. There is a variety of bait available at Puerto Los Cabos, although the favored sardina seem to be among the missing and that may have something to do with the recent slow fishing. However, there are some bright spots! A few nice-sized yellowfin -- several in the 100-pound class -- have been found mostly on the Gordo Banks or farther outside some 30- to 40-miles traveling with porpoise schools. Oddly enough, there have also been a few unseasonable sailfish along with some striped marlin up inside the Sea of Cortez, as well as a few wahoo landed in the La Fortuna area, with squid and chihuil being the main bait used, although only an occasional dorado was seen in the mix. More triggerfish and small snapper were spotted, but few cabrilla or amberjack. There were a smaller-sized roosterfish, sierra, and miscellaneous snapper found closer to shore, along with an infrequent stray dorado. Streaky, off-color, cold currents from the north have managed to slow the fishing at East Cape. There were reports of a dozen fleet boats departing one morning and only one boat returning that afternoon with a marlin flag fluttering from the outrigger. The tin boat anglers in their small aluminum boats, by staying closer to shore have been catching yellowtail, sierra mackerel, white bonito and other inshore species before hightailing it back toward shore as the North Wind line chases them home. Sierra, roosterfish and skipjack are the fish being caught on the surface closer to shore. And around the rocky points that dot the shoreline,

fishing the bottom can produce cabrilla, grouper, snapper and other reef fish ... any and all are great table fare! Windy conditions at La Paz and Muertos Bay, normal for this time of year, have been giving visiting anglers pause most days; when the wind subsides, a few of the more courageous anglers have been pleasantly surprised with the results! They’ve found some unexpected warm-water action as a handful of dorado have been popping up. Nothing huge, but it’s surprising to find dorado in the dead of winter, and for first-timers, hooking a 10- to 15-pound leaping dorado is a thrill longremembered. Rounding out their catches, especially on light tackle, with jack crevalle, plenty of fat bonito and cabrilla over the rocks, provided anglers with large numbers of fish stories to tell and retell at dinner. Of course, farther up in the Sea of Cortez, Loreto also had a similar period of varied weather with "varied" results in their fish boxes. Yellowtail and an assortment of bottomfish are being caught off Carmen Island's north tip from the Lobo to the "50 Spot." Along the coastline there were decent results with a combination of live bait (sardina) and trolled, diving hard-bait. The weather should settle down and the usual routine will put half the boats back out at Carmen, but the remainder will be spread out to at least half a dozen other possibilities. Both mackerel and sardina are available for these live bait adventures. The iron and downrigger crowd has yet to swing most fishermen to those techniques ... so far. However, many of the Loreto boats will still be out whale watching, leaving few seeking the 30-pound yellowtail. *


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