Tailhunter Fish Report

PHOTO 4 – Glen Marks from Northern California hefts one of several nice yellowtail that were taken this week and last. Fish have all been bruisers ranging from 40 to 60 pounds.

What a week! Sierra tore it up in big numbers at Las Arenas. Cerralvo Island and Muertos Bay erupted with pargo, but the fish took more than they gave and big roosters made an appearance at Espiritu Santo Island…sometimes kicking it into high gear and other times frustrating anglers with their “no thank you” attitude!

Well, we had quite a week. Just finished our 7th annual Cabin Fever Classic with an outstanding bunch of great folks. These events are just a true hook and kick in the pants! We never know what we’re going to catch…if anything. But everyone has a great time; gets into some fish; and it’s one of the best events of the year.

It was quite a mix of fish. For those who fished on the La Paz side, our boats ran up north to Espiritu Santo Island where the big roosters have been hanging out. Let me tell ya…these are the typical early season squirts. These pez gallo were in the 40-60 pound class! These are the bad boys!

There were two problems. Either the wind was blowing and it was hard to fish or these fish were so picky, they’d literally swim under and around the boat by the dozens yelling “neener-neener” at anglers who threw everything but the kitchen sink at them. But when they did bite…whoa!!! Hold onto your socks. These fish were slugger-grade! As usual this time of the year, more fish were hooked than brought to the boat!

Same with the yellowtail. It was hit or miss on the yellowtail, but those that were caught were trophy sized. Areas we worked included the east side of Espiritu Santo Islad as well as El Bajo seamount…wind permitting and early in the week it was pretty choppy!

The best fishing was to be had for our Las Arenas fleet. We had to run all the way to Cerralvo Island to get bait, but once the bait was in the tank, it was a bit like buffet fishing! What species would you like today?

The sierra were like mad dogs with many many limits each day plus tons of fish cutting off anglers with their viscious choppers! What awesome fighters on the light tackle, but wire was required or else you’d lose 9 out of 10 fish! Live bait fished on wire was primo but slow trolled shiny spoon lures or fast trolled small Rapalas also took down their share of fish! The best areas were in front of the beach…literally 10 to 100 feet in front of the sand..between the old Hotel Las Arenas and the lighthouse on the point. Another killer spot was the old wreck on the beach by Bahia Torquesa!

As for other species…pargo pargo pargo! The big reds are up and in the shallows, but let me tell ya…they destroyed more of us than the other way around. One day alone, the scoreboard read “Pargo 10 and Jonathan 0″…yea a big fat goose-egg! Fish took me into the rocks. Bit me off. Straightened hooks and basically spanked me! There was a nice mix of pargo lisa up to about 25 pounds and the big dog-toothed cubera snapper up to 40 pounds. That might not sound like much, but put these fish in their home territory in the rocks and they start the game with a huge advantage!

To this, add in some FAT FAT cabrilla (seabass); yellow snapper; 20 pound jack crevalle; big eye jacks; barred pargo, lots of bonito that tore up some of our flyfishers; plus the occasional dorado it made for a wacky wild and fun week for most of our anglers.

However, gear wise…

1. For the pargo, you need short stout rods that can hang a fish and lift it. I’m talking rods that are 5-6 feet long and rates somewhere between 50-80 pounds or higher.

2. Flurocarbon has been making a difference. If you want to give yourself an edge, 30 and 40 pound fluro leader materials have been hitting 2:1 over straight mono.

3. Bring wire for leader material or buy some leadered hooks before coming down. The sierra are relentless. They can bite right through 40 pound test wit their teeth. The wire doesn’t have to be mega-strong. It just has to be about 20 pound to 30 pound test wire. Hooks should match the size of the boat so I’ve been using #1 to 3/0 live bait bronze hooks.

4. Bring a jacket or sweatshirt. It’s rather chilly in the morning.

5. The sierra and cabrilla are hitting small Rapalas in addition to live bait. I’m talking CD 8, 10 and 12 size. The sierra will also hit chrome colored spoons like Krocodiles. Wire them up so you don’t lose them.

That’s my story!

Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

Phone: (626) 333-3355

FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Dr., Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745

Mexico Office: Carr. a Pichilingue KM 5, Numero 205, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico