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Fishing Report for San Jose del Cabo, Baja
Capt. Eric Brictson
May 2, 2004
San Jose del Cabo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Anglers -
May 2, 2004
Los Cabos vacationers are now enjoying ideal springtime weather conditions, plenty of sunshine, with only scattered cloud cover, high temperatures ranged from 80 to 85 degrees. For the most part anglers encountered excellent conditions for offshore fishing, with the northern winds now all but vanished, on several days there was south wind that increased into the afternoon, but not to the point that seas were too choppy or miserable. Water temperatures varied from 64 to 72 degrees, with the south wind pushing in Pacific water, a general cooling trend. Anglers found action located close to shore, anywhere from 2 to 8 miles out from Chileno to Punta Gorda. Bait supplies consisted of mackerel, sardinas and mullet, though at times it required some extra patience to obtain an adequate daily amount. Catches included striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, skipjack, yellowtail, pargo, sierra, roosterfish, amberjack, jack crevalle and cabrilla. The most numerous offshore species now being found was striped marlin and yellowfin tuna.
Anglers found excellent action for striped marlin, fish were found throughout the area, in water temperatures of 68 to 72 degrees. Stripers were seen tailing in the swells in incredible numbers. The billfish did strike on trolled lures, though by far the best technique was to cast or drop back live baits to fining fish. The favored bait was mackerel, but other fish also hit on mullet and sardinas. The striped marlin were averaging 90 to 120 pounds, but there were a couple reports of fish close to 200 pounds landed. The large quantity of squid in the region has attracted increased numbers of gamefish and once the weather becomes steadily warmer the action should really bust loose. The season’s first blue marlin of any size was reportedly taken off of San Jose on the boat Anamar II, striking on a petrolero lure and weighing over 700 pounds.
Yellowfin tuna were found mixed in with porpoise, most of the fish caught were in the 10 to 40 pound class, but a few monster-sized tuna of 100 to 200 pounds were also accounted for. Trolling with medium sized lures was the more common method, though at times live bait produced strikes from the more finicky fish. Many tuna were seen feeding on the Gordo Banks, but with all of the red crabs and squid on the fishing grounds they were not much interested in any offerings that anglers presented to them.
Dorado were not numerous, but quality sized fish were being taken in limited numbers each day. Spread out in the same areas as the marlin and tuna, striking mainly on trolled lures. Many of the fish landed weighed 30 pounds or more. Wahoo also added excitement to the all around action, again they were not abundant, but a handful of fish weighing 40 to 80 pounds were being landed everyday. The majority of the hook ups were reported from open waters on trolled lures, but wahoo were also found on the Inner Gordo Banks, though more fish were seen swimming underneath the boats than were actually hooked, once the water warms slightly that should help put these fish onto a better bite.
Off the bottom yellowtail up to 30 pounds tested anglers skills, hitting on yo-yo iron jigs, Gordo Banks was the hot spot over the weekend and there were several days when red crabs came to surface, attracting schools of pargo along with them. Also there was a handful of amberjack, cabrilla and grouper rounding out bottom catches. Along the shore there were more schools of mullet starting to migrate in and in turn this brought some larger roosterfish into the area. Roosterfish to 30 pounds were landed and other larger specimens were lost, this action is not yet consistent, but should develop as the month of May progresses.
For surf anglers it was mainly jack crevalle and a few pargo that provided any action, but there was at least one 25-pound snook reportedly taken off of the San Jose Estuary.
Good Fishing, Eric
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