La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay Fishing Report from Tailhunter International for Week of Dec. 20-27, 2015

December 28, 2015 by riplipboy

That’s about what a mix of fish looks like right now. A little of this and that…some snapper…pargo…cabrilla…maybe some dorado! All good eats. It all depends on windows of opportunities between the winds.

Another “juvenile” whaleshark like the kind in La Paz Bay that everyone wants to swim with. This young fella is about 15 feet long. Thanks to Carl Zalinskii for the great photo. It’s great when the waters are calm, but tough to find if it’s choppy!

Another of Carl Zalinski’s photos snorkeling with one of the whalewharks in La Paz Bay. Don’t worry. They’re very gentle and don’t have teeth!

You get the idea of the scale of these big fish next to a snorkeler. These are the youngsters! The adults in the open ocean can reach lengths of 40-50 feet.

NICE TIME TO BE IN TOWN BUT NOT MANY FISHERMEN AROUND – STILL WINDY TOO!

La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Dec. 20-27, 2015

Regretfully, not much activity to report. Only two days were fishable this week that didn’t have strong winds. There was even a bit of rain our there on the water. Of the two days, we had some folks get out one day and that was it.

It’s Christmas week. The town isn’t really busy and those that are in are snowbirds just catching some sunshine or having a winter get-away. It’s off-season and most of the captains have their boats out’ve the water as well. It’s pretty. It’s just really breezy.

Lots of folks are trying to swim with the whalesharks as well, but like fishing, it’s incumbent on the ability to get out there in between the winds. Although the whalesharks are right in the bay in shallow water, if it’s windy and choppy, it’s difficult to find them, let alone trying to snorkel with them. However, the popularity of swimming with the whalesharks has grown exponentially since the city of La Paz started protecting them. At times, there’s been dozens of whalesharks in the bay and honest, it’s a once, in-a-lifetime experience with these gentle “juveniles” that run 10-20 feet long and are true “sharks” but they have no teeth per se and feed on plankton and other itty-bitty things…not people and mammals! Sometimes, there’s literally a whole fleet of boats out there with folks swimming with the whalesharks.

But, the disappointment is that so many folks are coming but don’t understand that during this time of year, you can’t go swimming with them EVERY DAY because of the wind. Other parts of the year, you just pick your day.

However, I get so many folks this time of year who say, “We’re from Canada and we are driving up from Cabo for one day and want to go swim with the whalesharks” or “We just drove 1000 miles to swim with the whalesharks and have just one day.” Then, they show up and it’s a day no one can get out!

Anyway, as far as fishing, there’s still a surprising variety of fish out there on the days we can fish. Cold water species like sierra are becoming more frequent. Inshore species like pargo and cabrilla are around the rocky and reef areas and always make great eating and don’t discount trigger fish for great eating as well. Plus, a few pelagic species like dorado and billfish too.

Some of the commercial guys are still finding yellowtail and amberjack off the drop off by the lighthouse. Those guys gotta make a living so they’re a little more inclined to go out even when it’s less than favorable conditions. But that’s a different ballgame than folks who want to sport fish. But, even then, it’s hard on the commercial guys because the winds limit their access to the waters as well. But, when they can get out, they’re finding the fork tails in the deeper water.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a continuing great Holiday Season! Happy New Year for 2016!

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