The Reel Baja

February

Archived Weekly Fishing Report and Baja Activity Guide

Week of - February 27th—March 5th 2006

Weather: This past week the North winds continued to blow but did give us a brake for two days during the middle of the week. We have had very comfortable warm days with pleasant nights.

Air temperatures: Low 59 High 85

Water temperatures: 63 to 73

Beach Fishing Report: This past week fishing from the beach continued to be very difficult. The early morning bite was really not to be found as the water was discolored form the previous days winds for most of the week.

Inshore Fishing Report: This past week the inshore fishing was very difficult. Some lady fish and jacks were reported out by the light house but that was about all that I can report. The water is very green inside and not much bait to be found.

Offshore Fishing Report: We still have a few Dorado scattered around but the numbers of fish that we saw last week have dropped. The Dorado caught was mostly in the smaller class with a few fish to fifteen pounds. The Marlin bite has dropped off as well.

High-light of the Week: Larry Wassel from Dallas Texas joined me for a few days of spring fishing. As Larry arrived the wind was blowing and we looked at each other and decided to take the next day off and see what the wind would do as it was forecast to calm over the next couple of days. That was a good decision and our first fishing day 3/3 we woke up to calm waters and great weather. We even found Sardines for bait!!!! It was nice to see some of them this early. We had a slow fishing day but plenty of laughs and shared some good stories. The next day we were able to find a pod of Jacks that were all very nice size with most of the fish between twenty five and fifty pounds. Larry and I worked on them for quite a while and Larry was able to hook four of these big guy’s but we never got one of them to the boat as two of them broke off and the other two after long fights with both fish the hooks just pulled out.

Week of - February 20th—February 26th 2006

Weather: This past week the North winds were fairly calm during the first part of the week but by week’s end they were back.

Air temperatures: Low 59 High 78

Water temperatures: 63 to 73

Beach Fishing Report: This past week fishing from the beach continued to be very difficult. The early morning bite seemed to drop off and by mid week the winds made fishing the beach nearly impossible.

Inshore Fishing Report: This past week the inshore fishing consisted of a few white Bonita and some sierra. It was not as good as lat week with catches dropping off considerably. I did hear of a few nice Pargo being caught this past week.

Offshore Fishing Report: We still have a few Dorado scattered around but the numbers of fish that we saw last week have dropped. The Dorado caught was mostly in the smaller class with a few fish to fifteen pounds. The Marlin bite has dropped off as well.

High-light of the Week: As some of you know in the past months we have seen a real crack down on riding ATV’s on the beach. This has always been an issue here in Mexico but in our area we never saw any real enforcement. Well with the area growing and more and more people on the beaches this became a problem that needed to be addressed and the government did so. The law states that no motorized vehicle can be driven on the beaches in Mexico. We still see some people riding on the beach but they are taking a big chance of having to pay a hefty fine and having their ATV taken from them if caught. I have started doing my beach trips out of a vehicle to get from fishing spot to fishing spot and my guests say they love it. They say they understand that we now have to take the road that parallels the beach from spot to spot and then cut in and walk the sections of beach we are fishing and they say that they much prefer the vehicle to the ATV when going down the road. Fred Haney of Kalispell Montana said “It was so nice not to have to eat the dust of passing cars”. Gary Navis of Scottsdale Arizona said “I look forward to the air conditioning instead of climbing on a hot seat when I come back in July.

I want to let everyone know that if they would prefer doing a beach trip on the ATV’s instead of the vehicle that is no problem. I want to let everyone know this change dose not mean we are not offering beach trips or that we are missing any fishing spots. We can still access all the spots we could before. I have noticed that without all the other traffic running up and down the beach behind me and having to slow down and walk these sections of beach I have noticed more “life” than I did before. In the past I was always riding up and down the beach ether spooking fish I did not see in time or passing bait balls that I did not notice. I have found that this is a very successful way to fish the beaches of East Cape.

Week of - February 13th—February 19th 2006

Weather: This past week was very nice with cool mornings and warm afternoons. We only saw one day of wind. I feel sorry for the people that live on the east coast. If you want to escape the cold, Baja was plenty warm.

Air temperatures: Low 57 High 85

Water temperatures: 69 to 73

Beach Fishing Report: This past week we still have Sierra in the area along with a few Lady fish. Some of the Captains in the hotel have reported seeing some fairly large Roosterfish along some of the beaches, as they were fishing for Sierra. None of the boats have gotten one to bite, but this should be a good sign of things to come.

Inshore Fishing Report: Sierra and white Bonita were the catch for this past week. The Bonita were not big, but as we all know, they pull hard and are fun.

Offshore Fishing Report: The off shore fishing this past week was very good for Schoolie Dorado. The fish have been found south of the hotel and off shore between twenty and twenty-five miles out. Most of the fish were between ten and fifteen pounds, with a few fish in the mid twenty's. We also had a fair stripe Marlin bite in the area as well.

High-light of the Week: Warm weather, good fishing, and relaxation. What more could one ask for?

Week of - February 6th—February 12th 2006

Weather: This week we have had some very nice days with little wind. The wind did pick back up was the week ended.

Air temperatures: Low 53 High 76

Water temperatures: 65 to 72

Beach Fishing Report: This week, if you standing on the beach in the dark waiting for the sun to come up, you had a fairly good shot at some Sierra. If you waited to long you missed the bite. The bite lasted from graylight untill the sun hit the water, and then it was over. We do still have a few lady fish in the area as well.

Inshore Fishing Report: This week, once the sun hit the water the Sierra moved further out. If you were in a boat you could still catch the Sierra through the mid-morning.

Offshore Fishing Report: This week, those that took advantage of the calm days and went off-shore, were rewarded with very good numbers of Dorado and Tuna. One boat, found over ten Dorado and twenty Tuna. My wife, who works at Palmas de Cortez, says the talk around the dinner table was the Dorado fishing, and how strange it is to find this many Dorado this time of year. The fishing for Marlin has also been fair for this time of year.

High-light of the Week: Those dorado!!! Where were they all last summer? That is one thing I love about the ocean, you never know what you will encounter as it changes daily.

Week of - January 30th—February 5th 2006

Weather: This past week was typical for the end of January, beginning of February. It was cold in the mornings, with the North winds starting to show themselves around 9:00 a.m. and blowing full force by 11:00 a.m. We did see a couple of days that were fairly calm. The wind had just a slight breeze, with clear skies and lots of sun.

Air temperatures: Low 51 High 74

Water temperatures: 65 to 71

Beach Fishing Report: Yet again, this week the beach fishing remained very difficult. With the very cool early morning temperatures and the North winds whipping, most anglers decided to stay inside and stay under the covers during the early morning hours.

Inshore Fishing Report: Not much to report. The inshore fishing remains difficult. There continues to be a few Sierra very early in the morning. Most have reported that they fish from just before dawn untill sometime around 8:00a.m., as the winds start to build.

Offshore Fishing Report: This week, during one of the calm days, a few of the boats (23 miles off-shore) foud a large piece of floating wood, where they managed to catch a good number of Dorado between 20 and 40 pounds. A few Tuna were also caught—most of them being football size.

High-light of the Week: This week, I fished with my client, Walter Gradek, and his son in-law, Matt. We fished out of Cabo San Lucas on the 1st of February. Walter and matt caught Red Snapper weighing up to twenty pounds. It was some of the best Snapper fishing I have ever seen.