Tropical Storm Lowell Shuts Down Fleets, Tuna become Active
Capt. Eric Brictson
September 14, 2008
San Jose del Cabo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Gordo Banks Pangas
San Jose del Cabo
September 14, 2008
Anglers –
Starting on Monday morning sportfishing fleets based out of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo were completely shut down due to the development of Tropical Storm Lowell. The storm followed a slow path some 200 miles to the southwest of the peninsula before making a turn back towards land near Puerto San Carlos. It looks like operations for fishing will be shut down until at least Friday, when the dissipating storm is expected to be over the Sea of Cortez. The rainfall was much needed, also was nice to have so much moisture without too much wind associated with it. Lots of moderate flooding reported and on Wednesday morning the road to La Playita/ Puerto Los Cabos marina area was washed out for the first time this summer season, so far utilities have held up. Tourism was already slow and now it is at a standstill, typically around the second week of October things get much busier, as the fall season comes into to full swing.
During the weekend just prior to the arrival of high stormy ocean conditions associated with T.S. Lowell, fishing fleets reported very good action throughout the area, for billfish, yellowfin tuna and dorado. The panga fleets launching out of La Playita were fishing in the areas from Punta Gorda to the Iman Bank, finding limits for yellowfin tuna and dorado. The fish were averaging in size from 5 to 25 pounds, striking best by slow trolling or drift fishing with live sardinas. Ocean conditions were ideal, very calm, the typical calm before the storm, water temperatures were ranging up to 84 degrees and water color was a clean blue to within one mile of shore. Supplies of sardinas were becoming more scattered and smaller size, though sufficient amounts were found by the commercial panga fleet. After being shut down by high seas and rain from Monday through Thursday fleets are now back in action. Good news that our great yellowfin tuna action has picked right back up where it left off just before the weather hit. There is now wide open action in the areas from La Fortuna to Iman Bank, flying lining with live sardinas for fish ranging in size up to 40 pounds. Also mixed in were a few dorado, but the do-dos had a hard time competing with the aggressive yellowfin.
The strong southerly current continued to make it nearly impossible to fish the bottom. With the wide open surface action going on most anglers did not even bother to fight the current in order to try their luck off of the bottom, for this reason only a handful of structure species were reporting.
Local surf fishing anglers reported a couple of 30 pound class snook landed off of the beach stretch just to the north of the Puerto Los Cabos jetties. Also mixed in their catches were a few tripletail, jack crevalle and roosterfish. Of course this action was also completed shut down after ten foot surf started pounding the area.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita/Puerto Los Cabos reported sending out approximately 27 charters for the storm shortened week, with anglers having a fish count of: 3 sailfish, 2 amberjack, 4 cabrilla, 11 pargo, 118 dorado, 139 yellowfin tuna and 18 triggerfish.
Good Fishing, Eric
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