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Fishing Report for San Jose del Cabo, Baja
Capt. Eric Brictson
January 12, 2003
San Jose del Cabo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers -
January 12, 2003
The start of the New Year has continued to bring with it paradise like wintertime weather, plenty of warm sunshine and daytime highs near 80 degrees. Ocean swells were minimal, only variable winds that came from different directions, but not as relentless as in previous weeks. The Pacific did have rough seas on certain days, but overall conditions were comfortable, especially calm on the Sea of Cortez side. The water temperature ranged from 72 to 75 degrees, warmest area was off of San Jose del Cabo. It appears that Southern Baja is starting to feel the effects of a mild
El Nino current and with prospects of there being slightly warmer water temperatures this winter, this could be an exotic fishing season. Fleets were now covering a wide area, from the Golden Gate Bank to the Gordo Banks, everyday catches included striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, dorado, skipjack, sierra, pargo, cabrilla and the bite in general was improving. Bait supplies included mackerel, caballito and sardinas, with the smaller baits preferred for inshore action and the larger for chasing the billfish offshore.
Striped marlin activity had been concentrated on the Pacific, El Faro and towards the Golden Gate Bank, the marlin are now moving into areas off of Chileno and Red Hill, cruisers from Palmilla reported catching stripers in this area early in the week. Some were hooked on trolled lures, but the best success proved to be casting live baits to the tailing or feeding stripers. Several pangueros reported finding schools of mackerel off of San Jose and this is always a good sign that large fish will soon be following into this same region.
Dorado numbers were surprisingly high for the mid-winter season, they were found close to shore, feeding on the plentiful baitfish, as well as being located throughout the offshore fishing grounds. Boats were averaging a couple dorado per day in their combined catch and anglers that specifically targeting them had up to six or eight fish. Sizes ranged up to 30 pounds, with the average dorado around 15 pounds. They were caught on all types of lures and various baits, at times the dorado found close to shore were spooky and difficult to hook, trolling live sardinas or mackerel was a good bet.
For the first time in months the Gordo Banks produced action on nice sized yellowfin tuna, though it was not a wide-open bite, there were a handful of yellowfin being landed each day by the combined fleet. Anglers were hooking into these tuna while using chunk bait, most of the fish weighed in the 50 to 120 pound range. Several pangas accounted for as many as three or four tuna, while chumming with chunks of skipjack, most anglers did feel lucky to have one nice tuna in the box. There were reports of people seeing as many as a dozen quality tuna at the same time feeding in the chum line, but they still proved picky at times, and anglers did report better success while using fluorocarbon leaders. Fishing pressure has been light, due to moderate crowds, if conditions continue as they are now, these tuna might just take up residence once again on the Gordo Banks. Huge schools of hog-sized skipjack are now on the Bank and they are easily being caught on sardinas, making as much chunk bait as needed.
After taking much of the Holiday time off, the local gill-netters are once again hauling in tonnage of sierra and other innocent bycatch. Catches of sierra have dwindled and the best areas to now find them have been closer to the rocks where the nets are not able to be set due to the risk of being lost. Surf anglers have had best luck near the rocks to the north of Punta Gorda, catching cabrilla, pargo and sierra. The beaches off of San Jose have not produced much at all, as this is where these indiscriminating nets have been concentrated.
Good Fishing, Eric
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