Tailhunter Fish Report

PHOTO 1: Marianne Sugawara and Captain Jorge grin over another sierra coming over the side. Marianne is from Cypress CA and comes to La Paz several times a year. She says sierra are among her favorite eating fish as the sleek speedy toothy fish have now moved into the shallow areas and are making for

PHOTO 2: Here’s a good sample of some of the variety available right now. This is the catch by Amy and Belmond Mann who came down to celebrate their anniversary with us. On the right are several nice sierra; then a pompano and a dorado. They also got a couple of wahoo the day before!

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PHOTO 1: Some of the best light tackle fishing to be found. This is a sierra. Think of a baby wahoo. Fast and voracious with razor sharp teeth, these fish school up in shallow areas and along ridges as the waters cool down. They’ll hit anything shiny or that moves across them and will attack without hesitation. Wire is a good thing to have on your lure. They also make incredible eating and have a reputation for making the best ceviche and taste like they were basted in butter when cooked. Jeff Sakuda comes down several times a year from Monterey Park CA and holds up a beautify.

DORADO START THE WEEK WHILE SIERRA AND CABRILLA COME ON STRONG AT THE END!

The La Paz / Las Arenas Fishing Report for the Week of Nov. 16-22, 2008

PHOTO 2: Now here’s a nice day of fishing. Check out the sierra and cabrilla (seabass) Story is below. This is Jeff Sakuda, Marianne Sugawara and popular Captain Jorge. This is the catch for 4 people. During the day they released as several dozen other fish as well. Most of these fish were caught mere yards from the beach.

PHOTO 3: Mark Martis from Redono Beach is another of our great amigos and regulars here. His wife is gonna love him for hugging this giant squid to his clothes that she’ll be washing! The big squid were here early in the week again. Captain Victor stands nearby.

PHOTO 4: Andrew Lindsay from Yorba Linda was on his first trip to see us with his dad and younger brother and hung this great looking dorado as well as several other species. The dorado were abundant and eager early in the week, but tapered off later in the week.

PHOTO 5: Miyako Ito and Captain Victor hold up a little roosterfish caught near Muertos Bay. Despite the lateness of the season, the waters are still warm and roosters are still along the beach. This was Miyako’s first trip with us and the rooster was released.

PHOTO 6: A rather disappointing photo. This is the front of Hotel Los Arcos all boarded up. See the details below. It was shut down late this week by a labor strike.

PHOTO 7: NO, this isn’t fishing, but I just had to post this up. Jim Allen is 700 feet ABOVE the Los Angeles downtown. Ever wonder about those guys who operate those giant cranes at construction sites for skyscrapers waaaaay up there? Looks like he’s in an eenie-meenie tower? Well, Jim was up there reading our La Paz fishing reports and blog and decided to send me an e-mail to tell us he was enjoying reading on the job 700 feet up in the sky! To prove it he sent this photo taken with his cell phone camera! Thanks, Jim!

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Check out the on-the-water-action. Turn up the sound. Check out out flat the waters are. Only yards from the beach. Hard to believe this is actually ocean fishing. Click this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAwZaVaUlBA

THE FISHNG REPORT

It’s been pretty nice all week. Breezes are up, but overall a pleasant time to be on the water or in town. Actually, town seems almost deserted at times as we hit that lull between the end of the fishing season and the beginning of the holidays. This is a great time to be almost the ONLY boat on the water at the fishing holes!

This past week, dorado continued to bite although the better bite for us were the spots closer inshore for our Las Arenas fleet. Limits or near limits of dorado between 10 and 15 pounds were hit a few days. Other days, it was a mix of dorado as well as inshore fish such as sierra, cabrilla and pargo. Some wahoo at the south end of Cerralvo Island and there were rumors of tuna at La Reyna.

As the week went on the bite got more stingy for the dorado, but whoa…all of a sudden we have cabrilla and sierra all over the place! Not kidding this is really fun fishing. During the week I went out with our good friends Jeff Sakuda and Marianne Sugawara fishing with Captain Jorge and probably had one of the best light tackle days I can remember in all my years here. See the photo above!

Seriously…I think we may have hooked and released almost 60 fish! It started with the bait catching…really small sardines…but we were waiting for the bait man to bring some over so Jeff and I started casting little crank baits and wham! We were on! Jeff put in 3 nice size cabrilla right off. I got one as well plus we released another 3 or 4 as well as released maybe 5 big ladyfish that were a hoot on my 6 pound test spinner.

Then, we moved around the beach past the Arenas lighthouse to Las Cucarachas in about 6 feet of water and the sierra just boiled. Double hook ups for Jeff and Marianne for several hours of slow trolling. We got over a dozen plus lost others and were bit off a few times as well. Moving over some rocky areas with the crank baits (Mirrolures and Yo-Zuri’s) we hooked cabrilla after cabrilla (seabass) and released almost all of them. Plus we got an amberjack or two as well. Best of all, not a needlefish in sight! I think we only caught one all day! Just a real kick inshore fishing!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Several reminders:

1. Quite a few reservations for 2009 are already coming in. Good spots and your favorite captains are already getting their numbers called. We want to be able to get you dialed-in so get in touch with us. Once we start doing the fishing/hunting shows in January across the U.S., the reservations usually start rolling in pretty fast. Right now, Alaska flies down here Monday/ Wednesday/ Saturday. Several others fly out of Tijuana and are fast becoming favorites for many of our anglers. Ask us how to get that together.

2. The 2009 Whale Watching season as also coming up fast. Usually the best time to see these great creatures is January to March with February being optimal. Get right up next to these gentle giants over in Magdalena Bay. We can set this up for you.

HOTEL LOS ARCOS CLOSED BY LABOR STRIKE

Hotel Los Arcos has been closed as of Nov. 21 by a labor strike. See the photo above. Until further notice, one of the most popular hotels here in La Paz is closed. No idea how long this will take. It’s been boarded up and is guarded by union people. No one in. No one out. It’s a real shame.

That’s our story!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

Website: http://www.tailhunter-international.com/

Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

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

Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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DORADO STILL BITING BUT SEASON IS DEFINITELY CHANGING AND GETTING COOLER!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Report for week of Nov. 9-15, 2008

A mixed bag this past week for both our La Paz and Las Arenas fleets. Air and water temperatures have been dropping and intermittent winds are indicative of the changing seasons. However, there’s still dorado about as well as the occasional billfish, wahoo and some tuna near the islands. Inshore fishing has been been good as well for pargo, cabrilla and the cooling waters have been producing more schools of sierra.

The better action…at least as far as dorado are concerned has been out of Muertos Bay with our Las Arenas fleet. Limits or near limits of fish were not uncommon which can be surprising this late in the season. However, the downside is that quite a few of the fish were smallish 5 to 15 pounders which we hope angler are releasing…especially the smaller females. But, you never know when one of the larger bulls comes through or you hit a school of the better quality fish!

In those same areas, not surprisingly, billfish are still being hooked although no one landed any. The sailfish and marlin are eating on the smaller dorado so either a live bait or trolling a dorado-colored lure in those areas, can result in some blind strikes. No one brought any to the boats this week because fishing the dorado on light line is a kick. But, not much use when suddenly a sailfish hits and you’ve got it on 15-pound test. But…still alot of fun…especially if you’re planning to release the billfish anyway.

As for other species, there’s still a few wahoo and tuna around near Cerralvo Island, but it’s really hard to know how concentrated the fish are. There’s not many anglers out these days to blanket all the spots. When the winds are blowing, as they are now with increasing regularity, it’s hard to hit the island anyway, but that dictates where and how you fish as well as whether you can get the right bait. But, if conditions are right and you’re feeling lucky, it’s worth checking out the island for the tuna and wahoo.

Inshore, more sierra, cabrilla, and pargo are showing up which is still great fishing even if the winds are blowing and keeping anglers of the more open water areas. Surprisingly, there’s still roosterfish along the beaches as well. It’s a nice time to be in La Paz or on the water. Not too warm. Not too cold. Very little traffic on the fishing holes!

2009 RESERVATIONS

It’s not too early to check dates for 2009 fishing in La Paz. As a matter of fact, we’re getting a surprising number of reservations coming in already for prime dates and your favorite captains as well as for certain rooms and condos. In a few weeks we start out on the road visiting our favorite cities in the United States with our 2009 Fishing and Outdoor Shows tour and the reservations start coming in hot and heavy. Give us a shout and let’s get you on the schedule for 2009.

WHALE WATCHING 2009

The 2009 Whale Watching Season starts up soon as well. January to March is prime time to get on the water and get close to the grey whales making their annual migration. By mid-February they’re here in full swing. It’s a lifetime event for the whole family. Give us a shout and we’ll set it all up for you…transportation, hotel, guides…and maybe even get in a day of fishing too!

LA CONCHA PEARL CONDOS

All season you’ve been asking me, “What is the new building on La Concha Beach?” Well, this past week I had the opportunity to tour the new La Concha Pearl, luxury condominium project with the developer, Dan Shore. It’s hard to put into words. I’ve been watching them put up the building now for two seasons and had never been over to the property. It’s hard to describe in just a few words.

The 33 unit, 90,000 sf building now under construction has construction components and features I have never seen in Baja. Dan, being in the business in San Jose, California wanted to make certain to bring the best materials, construction methods and safety programs from his industry managing high tech building construction for the clients of Silicon Valley.
Along with state-of-the-art systems, this building exceeds rigid California building and environmental codes and is the first LEED Registered building in all of Baja Sur. The Quadlock “foam forms” sandwiches cast-in-place concrete able to exceed the earthquake criteria for seismic zone 4 and hurricane category 5.

La Concha Pearl condos offer an incredible combination of efficiency and lower energy bills along with high quality and creature comforts for the unit owners.

The interiors are open and airy with large bathrooms, closets and kitchens. The outdoor living spaces are large and inviting with amenity and open spaces for BBQ, walk-up bar, twin spas and a raised terrace infinity edge pool, plaza and even a fire pit. The building features gated access with electronic security and CCTV, satellite TV and high speed internet. All this on one of the best swimming and snorkeling beaches in La Paz!

I really enjoyed my tour with Dan and have a great appreciation for quality projects like this!

If you’d like more info click this: info@LaConchaPearl.com

OTHER THOUGHTS FOR FLYING INTO LA PAZ

Recently, another airline servicing La Paz bit the dust. Alma Airlines, a Mexican line that came on the scene two seasons ago to great fanfare and great reviews looks like it has canceled it’s flights from Tijuana to La Paz. Along with good old Aero California, that’s two down this year. However, Avolar Airlines and Volaris Airlines from Tijuana to La Paz continue to do great service and an increasing number of our clients are finding that getting in and out of Tijuana from the border is a great way to go. There’s some inexpensive shuttles that will take you straight from San Diego to the Tijuana Airport and back. Additionally, because it’s not an international flight, you don’t have to go through all the security craziness. Write to us if you have questions!

That’s my story!

Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com

Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

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

Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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PHOTO 1: Al Tesoro and Richard Onishi make several trips a year to La Paz and got a variety of fish this past week typical of fishing right now including some tuna, dorado, rockfish and these nice pargo liso (red ones) and a nice cabrilla. While most anglers come to La Paz during the springtime to fish the coveted pargo, the fall is also a good time to get into these tough fish.

WAHOO AND DORADO GO OFF DESPITE WINDS AND NOT MANY ANGLERS THESE DAYS!

La Paz / Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Nov. 2-9. 2008

PHOTO 2: Better quality dorado came up early this week again. This is our amigo, Al Tesoro with some nice fish headed to the filet boards. These late season dorado are a real treat. Water temperatures are dropping and winds are becoming more prevailant so we don’t know how much longer they’ll be in our area.

PHOTO 3: Spent a good portion of the week working in Cabo San Lucas at the Western Outdoor News Tuna Jackpot Tourament. What a great time! Check this out: http://www.wonews.com/t-BajaReport-cabojackpot.aspx There were 98 teams this year from all over the country. Above is the team from the boat “Bottom Line” after the first of two days fishing. They did not have the largest fish of the tournament, but because of all side pot jackpots they entered, they went home with more than 270 thousand dollars. Largest fish was caught on the boat “Redrum” which was a 244 pound yellowfin tuna. However, they were not entered into all the jackpots they won “only” about 70 thosand dollars. A 40 pound dorado won that particular category and was worth a nice 64 thousand dollars.

PHOTO 5: On hand at the tuna tournament in Cabo San Lucas, Corona Beer sent the Corona girls to work at the weigh station to lend some color and smiles to the event. I never got her name, but she was a good sport about this photo. I”m 5′ 4″ tall. She’s 6’3″ tall and it made for a funny photo!

THE FISHING REPORT

Wow! Talk about late season surprises. Here I am thinking that things have pretty much turned the corner and calmed down for the season and that our blue water bite has played itself out. All of a sudden, wahoo don’t just show up…they BLOW UP!

In perhaps one of the best remembered wahoo bites, areas around Cerralvo Island and especially at the north point were boiling with wahoo. Bite of a lifetime!!!! Fish from 30-70 pounds were not uncommon and eating trolled Rapalas and Yo-Zuri’s in the darker colors but were also schooling up enough to throw the wahoo bombs as well. Some boats took 2, 3 or more fish.

The biggest problem was knowing when to go. You had to leave early whether you fished out of La Paz or Las Arenas because you’re looking at more than 90 minutes of running time across the channel and (here’s the rub)…that’s if it was calm! The winds are blowing more consistently these days and it made for either a rough ride or you simply could not make it and had to turn around. Wasted day! But that’s the chance you took. The payout was well worth it if you hit it on the right day!

In addition to the wahoo, yellowfun tuna in the 10-30 pound class were in the same northern areas of Cerralvo and both fleets also produced a good smattering of dorado. In fact, some really nice quality fish up to 40 pounds were not uncommon, but you could find yourself in a full-on dorado ripper with fish all around the boat. Or…you could spend the day hitting one or two fish here and there and realize at the end of the day that you had a full fish box.

Inshore fishing seems to be getting better. Surprisingly, there’s still roosterfish around and in the rocks, cabrilla and pargo are becoming more active…or maybe more anglers are just fishing for them. However, this time of year always seems a good bet to fish inshore. If the winds are blowing it’s a great alternative for action.

That’s our story!
Jonathan

Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

Website: http://www.tailhunter-international.com/

Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

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

Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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PHOTO 1: After an absence of a few seasons, our buddy John Tessman from Fallbrook CA came down for an extended stay which was rewarded by possibly some of the larger dorado we’ve seen in a few weeks. This 35 pound class bull ate a slow trolled strip of dead bonito just east of Espiritu Santo Island east of La Paz.

WATERS IN TRANSITION ARE A BIT STINGY WITH FISH EARLY IN THE WEEK BUT GET MORE GENEROUS LATER IN THE WEEK!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for the week of Nov. 2, 2008

PHOTO 2: Early in the week, it was rough going, but some of the boats made it to the northern end of Cerralvo Island where an elusive tuna school with 25-pound class fish have been holding. Shown here (L-R) Tony Bretz, Captain Panchito, Bryant Bushman hold up a nice trio of yellowfin.

PHOTO 3: Jill Stevens now living most of the year in La Paz, was dragging a big sardine behind the panga and noticed a flash of color right off the transom and realized a nice dorado was lazily swimming behind the boat. It turned suddenly and whacked her sardine. Fish on!

PHOTO 4: Tony Bretz holds up one of the larger dorado taken out of Las Arenas/ Muertos early in the week. There weren’t many fish of this size and fishing seemed to be inconsistently biting. One day, they’d readily chew and the next day, you really had to work at it.

PHOTO 5: Hard to believe, but there’s still roosterfish along the beaches. Monique Wicks all the way from Alaska got this silver pez gallo just out of Muertos Bay and released it. The fish are in small schools along the beaches. Larger fish are roaming right on the edge of the drop offs.

PHOTO 6: Check out this nice yellowfin tuna. Our amiga, Cheryl Atkinson, does the honors. The fish was taken on bait at Punta Norte of Cerralvo Island. It’s almost a 2 hour ride up the channel from where we launch our boats at Muertos Bay…well worth it if the fish are there and the winds are down. If not, it’s a long rough and wet ride.

WEEKLY VIDEO

Some great on-the-water-shots this week of dorado fishing off the east side of Espiritu Santo Island just north of La Paz. Turn up the sound and click this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrviCK5meFw

THE FISHING REPORT

The week started off full of questions as seasonal northern winds started up and roughed up the waters a bit. Bait got tough as well. Fish weren’t exactly very cooperative. Howver, as the week went on, things got more promising. Seas flattened a tad. Some tuna showed up at the north end of Cerralvo Island again. Larger dorado got more lively in the channel between the islands where even some of the smaller fish this week were twice as big as some of the largest fish we had the last few weeks. Cabrilla and even pargo and roosterfish got more active as well around our Las Arenas beaches as well. The season is definitely changing, but there’s still a lot of fish to catch.

You can feel things changing. We’re definitely in the transition right now. This is normal and it came a bit early this year. Sure is a lot of variety in terms of fish. Pretty much a little of everything is around. dorado are still the predominant species, but if you’re flexible, there’s quite a range.

WE MADE THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Well, one of our good amigos, Stacy Amos from Harbor City made the L.A. Times webpage. Click this and check it out: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2008/10/monstrous-squid.html Pete Thomas writes up a nice piece about the giant squid.

BOOKINGS FOR 2009

We’re already getting quite a few bookings for the 2009 season. Prime dates and our captains are still available, but some are already getting closed out. Give it some thought and get in touch with us as soon as you can. We want to make sure we take care of you and give you the first shot at your preferred dates!

That’s our story!

Jonathan
Jonathan Roldan’s

Tailhunter International

Website: http://www.tailhunter-international.com/

Phone: (626) 333-3355FAX: (626) 333-0115

E-Mail: Riplipboy@aol.com

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

Mexico Office: , 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Cal Sur, Mexico

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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