Tailhunter Fish Report

On and off throughout the week, flurries of 40-60 pound tuna showed up for our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet which made things pretty exciting. Some bigger fish were hooked and lost too. Fish were just off the rocks at Punta Perrico and eating live bait as well as chunked squid. Dr. Desmond Sjaufoekloy from Orange Co. California plugged the boat two straight days with 8 nice fish as well as dorado and marlin!

Several big pargo were caught this week. Ray Laney, Sr. was a little upset when his son, Ray, Jr. got the first marlin of the trip, but dad more than made up for it with this huge dog tooth cubera snapper (pargo perro) he got off the rocks with our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet.

Washington resident Ed Van der Veer fished with Captain Pancho and got one of the nicer female dorado which came on strong this week. Ed was fishing live bait and light tackle which made it even more fun on the panga.

Like I mentioned above, it was a week with some especially good-looking pargo on the beach. Our good amigo, Mark Martis, always seems to do well. Although fishing wasn't particularly good on this particular day, Mark still nailed this trophy pargo liso (mullet snapper ) fishing with our Captain Archangel.

Two great looking dorado fully lit! Ray Laney, Jr. and Ray, Sr. hold up a pair that they got fishing with our Tailhunter La Paz fleet where dorado have been the mainstay of the catch with more of the larger fish finally starting to show up.

I don't usually post up marlin photos here in the fishing report, but I just had to pop this photo of one of our best amigos, Dave Berthold, holding his first marlin. Dave comes all the way from New Jersey ever single year. He gets the prize for determination plus being a helluva good guy. He has come 12 straight years in a row sometimes fishing every single day just to catch one single marlin! He has done things like promise the captain as much as 500 tip and one year even brought down a new XBox 360 plus games as part of the bonus for the captain if he could just catch one single marlin. Well, this year, he finally got his marlin fishing with Captain Chito and donated the fish.

Yes! The big squid are back! Plus this is just a great morning shot too! The squid are not here every day, but when they are, the tuna are lurking nearby as well. The squid are as big as 60 pounders and are mean and voracious! We are using chunks of the squid for the larger tuna.

Coral and Brad spent a week with us all the way from Durango, Colorado and fished a day with our Tailhunter La Paz Fleet and Captain Chito. Holding up 4 of their dorado inside Balandra Bay they had a nice day. If you look at the bottom of the photo you'll se a big tail. Coral spent 90 minutes on a striped marlin as well!

This could be a pending world-record 70-pound wahoo shot by 14-year-old freediver Lucca Perretti on his very first dive...ever! More below. (FREEDIVING...no tanks...hold your breath like a fish!)

Not bad for 14 years old! Possible world record shot right-off-the-bat! See the story below!

TUNA AND DORADO HIGHLIGHT ANOTHER CRAZY WEEK OF FISHING!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of July 11-18, 2010

A mixed week of fishing here…again!  Still having trouble getting a handle on the fishing conditions here as wind blow one day, but not the next.  Waters are blue one day, but green the next.  Tuna pop up one day then disappear the next. Dorado go crazy one day then the next day it’s giant squid that pop up!  One day we can find sardines for bait and the next day they are hiding or have to use squid or caballitos.  Never two identical days in a row!   It’s a three-wing circus!

The good thing is that most of our clients are fishing several days and the fact that we have both our La Paz and our Las Arenas fleets allows us to adjust where our clients fish as dictated by the weather, fishing conditions, bait, and what’s biting. 

For our Las Arenas anglers the up and down appearance of yellowfin tuna has been the most exciting part of the week.  The fish aren’t there everyday, but it seems that when the giant squid are around, so are the tuna.  But even with the tuna, their appearance is as erratic as their size.  One day, it’s all 5-10 pound footballs.  The next day, it seems like they gulped steroids and they’re 40-100 pound monsters that beat up everyone!  The 40-50 pounders are manageable…maybe 10-30 minute fights.  The larger fish…well, no one has landed any of the 100 pounders yet.  Once the battle goes towards and hour-or-more, it seems that the battle leans more in favor of the fish as the anglers and the gear wear down in the hot sun.  One mistake and it’s zingpowie…bye bye tuna!
Fortunately, for both our La Paz and Las Arenas fleets, other species like dorado, marlin and pargo, cabrilla and roosterfish fill in the gaps most days.  The dorado are the most prolific and finally we’re at least seeing some larger fish in the 20-40 pound class.  Slow trolling or drifting live sardines, caballitos or strips of fresh bonito are key. 

If you’re coming down, bring big squid jigs just-in-case the squid are here.  They are 20-80 pound beasts!  Also bring an assortment of live bait hooks to accommodate the different types of bait that might be used.

 FIRST PERSON STORY FROM A 14-YEAR-OLD SPEARFISHERMAN WITH PENDING WORLD RECORD!

Lucca Perretti from Los Angeles is 14 years old and the son of champion diver John Peretti (and former cage fighter).  He came down here on his first free-diving trip.  On his very first day…very first shot…he nails a 70 pound wahoo that may well be a new age-group world record!   Here’s his story below.  Keep in mind that in Mexico, spearfishers are NOT allowed to use tanks!  This is all freediving…you bring only what you can carry in a single breath of air!  Check this out:

“Right after the La Paz Blue Water Invitational Championships, my father, John, Dennis Haussler, three time national Spearfishing champion and I went diving on the north end of Cerralvo. I was using a prototype Sea Sniper, 2 bander. We were flashing and got into the wahoo, my father shot and lost one after being pulled around, and then landed a 60 pounder, Dennis shot and landed a 70 pounder with ease. 

Dennis beckoned me into the water, we threw flashers for 5 minutes. 

With Dennis on my left and my father on my right, a big wahoo inspected my flasher, at the time I did not realize the size of it. I lined up on him and he turned out to my right, as he was swimming away I shot and let him have it. I knew I could not horse him, so I let the buoys go and my father and I chased them. We swam for what seemed like half a mile, it took us 10 minutes to finally reach them, Dennis was already there. We were all very concerned as to whether the shot would hold, Dennis swam down to 100 feet to take a peek. I used my shark clip to bow and arrow the fish up. 30 feet from the surface, the wahoo started to rip out and we did not want to lose it because it was my first, so Dennis swam down and second shot it. I was a 70 pounder, skinnier than Dennis’ but mine was 8 inches longer. I was told that most spearos wait a lifetime to shoot a wahoo like this, I am so grateful.”

VOLARIS AIRLINES SURPRISE LA PAZ AIRLINE TICKET SALE!

We just found out of a big sale that Volaris Airlines is having.  Round trip to La Paz from Tijuana is only about $120 bucks!   They will pick you up in San Diego and bring you right to their terminal.  Lots of our clients have been using this brand new airlines for the last two years and service has been great. 

Check out their website:  http://www.volaris.com.mx/  or write to us directly.  My e-mail is riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com 

You MUST purchase tickets by July 20 and travel must be between Sept. 1 and Dec. 12th.

That’s our story! Have a great week.

Jonathan and Jilly

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

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Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

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