
This is the right kind! San Diegan Mark Atkisson, nailed this 40 pounder just outside Muertos Bay. There weren't alot of tuna this week as dorado crashed the party, but most of the tuna this week were fat body slugs that bent anglers and rods! The body of fish seemed to move around. One day, up the coast a bit; next time just inshore. Average size of these fish were 30-50 pounds.

Bob Thoma said he didn't care that we hadn't caught alot of wahoo lately. He went anyway and trolled the south end of Cerralvo Island and got rewarded with a slam by this 29-pound 'hoo that ate a dark rapala.

This is just such an incredible shot it's almost a painting. Check out the colors and composition taken by Rod Brown from Alaska, who visits us every year. He used to teach high school photography. Notice the streaming sunshine over the angler's shoulder and the intense bend of the rod. For those of you who have ever been on a big fish, sometimes, there's nothing to do but hold onto your socks and gut-it-out-hour-after-hour. Even the captain can't help you. Captain Jorge can do nothing but watch. When a big tuna is bulldogging you straight-up-and-down, you can't chase the fish with the boat! You can't touch the drag or do much of anything except "man-up" and slug it out. Great shot. This turned out to be a 50 pound yellowfin tuna fought for more than an hour-and-a-half. Angler, Jeff Brown is from Minnesota. Just him and the fish. You start thinking about the knot you tied. . . and why you didn't put new line on the reel. . . and why you didn't do a few more excercises. . . or why you didn't bring more water. . . or the cheap hooks you bought because you wanted to save a few pennies...crazy things go through your head!

Epic bite! Dave Dave Gora and John Ellis from Dana Pt. CA went ballistic on a pack of tuna and dorado in Ventana Bay near La Paz. (Check out the video this week that Dave made!). These were heavy-big-bodied fish that came to terrorize. It's amazing how one day, there's nothing and the following day, the tuna are literally eating the paint off the boat.

Despite all the tuna photos you see from this week, the better fishing was actually for dorado! Most days, the dorado were 80 percent of the catch. Two of the nicer fish are shown here taken by Doug Ingalls and Tom McRae from San Diego. Both fish were close to 20 pounders.

It's been a great late season for pargo and this trophy 30-pound dog tooth snapper (pargo perro) has some incredible colors. Jerry Morgan hefts the fish in Muertos Bay and caught the fish in the rocks just off the bay.

San Francisco resident, Shannon Aurand and Captain Jorge pose with one of the larger dorado taken this week. It has been a great year for dorado, but so many of the fish have been on the smaller side with about 15 pounds being one of the larger fish. However, this past week, there were more fish like Shannon's up to about 40 pounds which is an encouraging sign since many anglers are releasing the fast-growing smaller fish.

They get tuna where Grant Darby lives up in Washington, but not this close to shore and you don't get to wear shorts and t-shirts! This size tuna was more typical of many of the yellowfin around this week. Grant went home with a full chest of dorado and tuna.

This beast of a dorado is remarkable not only for it's size, but the fact that Josh Vertel from Philadelphia took it on a flyrod south of Muertos Bay. It broke his rod. "(Captain) Adolpho and I had a really good day on the water, with my first flyrod caught dorado, including 2 nice bulls. We also nailed a fat bonito, which is fun (and tiring). Flies were white sardina pattern. No tuna, but the dorado were a blast. Seeing them endlessly zipping around the boat was such a trip. I had never seen anything like it. Too cool...That bull was a MONSTER (guide said "mas de cuarenta libras..forty pounts"). He looks big next to me, and I am 6"4 and weigh 200. Broke my 12 weight (flyrod), and I had to handline him to the boat after that..."
DORADO and TUNA BITE ERRATICALLY ON ANGLERS AS SEASONS START TO CHANGE CONDITIONS
La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 10-17, 2010
There’s no doubt that conditions are changing. The sun isn’t as high and is at different angles. It’s a bit more breezy with sometimes stronger winds from the north. Waters are noticeably cooler.
And yes…the fish are biting a bit differently…
The week started out rather shaky with several of the slower days we’ve had in awhile. Winds came up strong from the north and the fish seemed to have taken awhile to adjust. Waters turned color. Bait moved off and the fish got lock-jawed. It was also one of the rare times when some folks got queasy as big northern rollers came through. Some boats did get into some nice dorado, but for the most part those two or three days were real scratchy.
Then, like someone threw the switch, BAM! It was like the fish decided to come out to eat finally and boy…did we get slammed! For our Tailhunter Las Arenas Fleet, it was like the tuna decided to let everyone know that they were just taking a powder as 30-60 pound fish erupted off Punta Gorda and just ripped and shredded anglers and tackle. Not uncommon to spend 30 minutes to over an hour on some of these fish that were not just big…they were fat and they hat attitude!
As well, for both our fleets, the dorado roared back as well with schools of 10-15 pounders swarming the boats and more lonely 20-30 pound mahi going after the larger baits or lurking just on the edge of the schools of swarming younger fish. It made for some wild fishing with double and triple hook ups.
Then…later in the week…fish got picky again.
Dorado kept things at least lively, but the tuna seemed like they were only into teasing the anglers. They were actually boiling at times and were all around the boat and either the bonito were too thick or no matter what the anglers threw in the water, the fish just weren’t interested. Go figure…just fishing, I guess.
For other species…still some nice roosterfish around and we caught and released several in the 30-50 pound class and released several striped marlin that ran 100-150 pounds. One of our guys…first time fishing ever…Geoff Drury from Washington…fought a blue marlin estimated at about 250 for 4 hours before it broke off at the boat. “Most thrilling thing I have ever done!” he said. “I was going to release it anyway so I’m not disappointed it broke off and it swam away with alot of power…unlike me. I was whupped!”
Then, we also had two of our guys get bit on 30 pound test and at the other end another big 200-plus-pound-marlin! Another 4 hour battle that involved the rod being passed between both anglers; the captain; another boat; another captain and two other anglers! Again, the fish broke off at the end but they guys said they had a blast! One of the guys said, as the fish suddenly ran from one end of the boat to the other and he hung into the rod, it slammed him knees first into the bulkhead and nearly catapulted him over the side! His comment…”GREAT FUN!”
WEEKLY VIDEO CLIPS
This first video is our weekly Tailhunter Clip. Click here and check the variety of fish! : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aEpUOCZIZs
For a real treat, however, check out Dave Gora’s video he made of his fishing this week. He got some incredible footage of fishing including some super underwater shots! Thanks, Dave. Don’t miss this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY_sET8QZGk&feature=fvsr
That’s our story!
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
“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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