La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay/ Fishing Report for Week of Aug. 19-26, 2018
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
WEEK AT A GLANCE for SHORT ATTENTION SPANS
Weather – Warm and humid! Highs in the upper 90’s with lots of humidity. Stay hydrated! Some tropical electrical storms in the afternoon, at night or early in the morning. Similar weather predicted this week. A bit of rain on the forecast.
Water – Warm and blue . Getting surface temps in the high 80’s . The fish love it!
Fishing – Just nice solid biters . Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay holding tuna, wahoo and dorado close to shore…literally. Plus pompano, cabrilla and pargo. For our La Paz fleet, everyone getting dorado.
THE REST OF THE STORY and THE BIG PICTURE
Jorge Romero had a good day fishing. From La Paz, Jorge was fishing only 100 yards offshore (see photos below) from the beach just outside Muertos Bay, he caught a huge cabrilla and 30-40 pound tuna on sardines then got a wahoo dragging a rapala back to the beach.
We love the kids! Selena is just 8-years-old, but was out all week with Grandpa Diego, Jimenez from Loveland, Colorado and caught dorado and tuna like this one!
This is a good day! Mike Weinsz stacked up the fat tuna on the beach at Muertos. He also caught dorado.
Dorado are the main catch for our Tailhunter La Paz fleet. These were caught just at the mouth of La Paz Bay.
Yea! Jorge Ramiro again with a hefty cabrilla. Punta Perrico in the background in shallow water!
Full moon? Hmmm…
Summer is rolling out with some solid fishing as town empties of tourists as kids and families head back to school. Hot humid weather with temperatures in the high 90’s and warm waters kept the fishing on the high counts, although afternoon localized tropical electrical and thunderstorms did pop up now and then although usually after everyone was already back from fishing.
For our Tailhunter Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay Fleet, it lived up to it’s reputation with the fishing spot literally about 100 yards off the beach and tuna breaking within sight of where we launch our pangas. Tuna ranged in size from 10-50 pounds, but the same area also produced some nicer dorado in the 15-25 pound class as well. The same area also seems to be the hot spot for wahoo as we had several biters of wahoo in the 30 pound size and a number of fish that got bit off.
Our fleet fishing the tuna right at the mouth of Bahia de los Muertos. The point is right there behind the pangas. Water only about 50′ deep. The tuna are close!
Thanks Mark Buchanan for this photo from the hill above Muertos Bay. It’s our pangas fishing the tuna hot spot. Look carefully and you can see the bottom! For anyone who thinks we need to go a zillion miles offshore to find fish! Tuna, wahoo and dorado all right there this past week! Also, notice how green everything is from the rain!
Inshore has continued to be surprising as cooler water fish that we don’t normally see except in the winter/ spring when waters are cooler were caught including pargo liso (mullet snapper), pompano, and big cabrilla.
For our Tailhunter La Paz fleet, there dorado to be had. There’s smaller fish schooling right in the bay with larger fish out towards San Juan de la Costa and around the point at Punta Mejia. The smaller fish are as small as 5 pound “doraditos” that we mostly toss back, but fun to catch and up to about 20 pounds on the outside. There’s also some roosterfish biting around Bonanza Beach. But dorado are 90% of the catch with some days better than others.
Head’s up…
Looks like some afternoon thundershowers coming later this week!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Aug. 12-19, 2018
Mexican Minute Video Report
Week at a Glance
Weather – Warm and sunny. Highs all week high 90’s. Nightime dropping to high 70’s. Pretty humid. Not unusual to get some electrical and thunderstorms and showers here and there. Nothing lasts long or affected the fishing .
Water – Blue with surface temps high 80’s. Great snorkeling and diving time. Some thermoclines down 30′-40′ much chillier by 5-8 degrees.
Fishing – More football-sized tuna showing up in the 10-15 pound class, but big bruisers still around. Dorado are 80% of the catch, but the bite is often later in the day for the dorado.
Catching – The bigger the fish, the more we lose. Lost some wahoo and billfish this week. So, no photos, but the fish are there!
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST OF THE STORY…
Eric Hill visiting us for the first tim from Colorado rocked it with a hefty yellowfin tuna off Punta Arenas .
After you’ve been fighting a big fish in the hot sun for a long time, it’s kinda hard to lift it for a photo as Jules found out in this photo. Punta Arenas and Cerralvo Island in the distance.
I couldn’t get a photo of Donovan Ackerman and his big dorado, but I do have a photo of the big dorado with Captain Ramiro on the beach at Muertos Bay.
Laura Hernandez with another fat fat yellowfin just off the beach at Arenas. Laura is from San Diego.
Amigo, Roger McCracken from Oregon was fishing with Shelly Donnell north of La Paz when they had a good day on the dorado and even a football tuna.
The right kind! Nice football tuna double-fisted by Mark Buchanan from San Diego.
We had more of a fairly typical summer fishing week these past few days. Temperatures in the high 90’s with night temps in the high 70’s. Days start often with clouds then the Baja sun busts through giving way to stronger breezes and the return of clouds in the afternoons and even some thundershowers that cool off the evenings.
Waters have settled and are mostly blue and holding some pretty decent fish!
We still have those larger model tuna off Punta Arenas that seem to average about 40-50 pounds and have really been tough dogged sport these past few weeks and schooling a lot of anglers in how powerful these fish can be. Especially, when success tips in favor of the fish since they are mostly eating light 25-40 pound test which really puts a strain in the angler and his gear. We sure lose a lot of them.
However, this past week, we saw fewer of the larger fish and more football tuna seemed to have taken up station. These fish are much much more manageable to most angler since these footballs are 10-20 pounders. They’ll pull hard, but at least they don’t kill you!
Rounding out the box, there’s some nicer 10-30 pound dorado that have moved in. Most surprising are the pargo, pompano and some other cooler water species we normally do not see this time of year with the waters so warm. Maybe the waters are already cooling?
For our La Paz Tailhunte fleet, the bay and around the islands north of town, dorado are still the mainstay with limits or near limits most days. The problems is about finding the spots. It seems the concentrations of fish move around, but once located, it can be crazy off-the-chart fishing.
Just a heads-up that the best bite is later in the day or afternoon so be patient. The fish are more willing to feed sometimes just about the time much of the fleet is heading back in. But, our Tailhunter pangas have been staying out a bit later to take advantage of the later bite .
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Aug 5-12, 2018
Mexican Minute Video Report
Week at a Glance
Weather – We had Hurricane John that bounced in and bounced out. Some flooding, but honestly nothing serious as it headed out towards the Pacific, but enough that we had a few days of winds, rain and waves. Enough to cause a nuisance and shut down fishing for 2 days. But, even after it technically went it’s way the days in the aftermath still were cloudy…some rain…some thunder and lightning and winds. Very unpredictable and erratic.
Water – Did not take as bad a hit as after other storms where the water is very turned over and dirty. Since there wasn’t torrential rain, there wasn’t enough run-off to dirty the water. Waters relatively blue and clear at 83 degrees.
Fishing – Week started pretty well with big tuna, and dorado. Then the storm hit and you always wonder what it will do to the fishing. How long will the fish take to recover. Surprisingly, the fish were fair good to us. Not great, but not as bad as other times. We still had action although we had to work harder for them, but everyone caught fish. Surprised to see cooler water fish like pargo and pompano showing up. Are waters getting colder already? We usually don’t see these fish except in late winter and spring!
Catching – Still losing the majority of those big tuna; a couple of wahoo bites; and more dorado than we should! But that’s fishing! Everyone took home meat that wanted meat.
The Big Picture and the Rest of the Story…
Big tuna for Laura Hernandez and Mark Buchanan from San Diego who battled the big fish just off Punta Arenas. The fish were measured at about 50-55 pounds each.
A good reason NOT to be out fishing! Waterspout off Cerralvo Island during the storm! (Taken from the beach!) . Thanks for the shot, Rusty Cain!
Little vide of the beginning of Hurricane John.
Even after the hurricane “left” we still had localized and intermittent shower and thunderstorms all week. Pretty shot! Thanks, Mark Buchanan!
The fishing rabbi from Portland Oregon, our amigo, Sheldon Donnell used to have a temple in Orange Co, but retired to Portland and often came to fish in La Paz with Tailhunter Sportfishing. He got this nice bull just off the rocks near Punta Arenas.
One of our favorite all-time families! Diego and Kelly Sanchez from Loveland, Colorado brought granddaughter, Selena down who had a great time fishing. Here’s one day’s fun of tuna, dorado, triggerfish and pargo! Plus they released jack crevalle and bonito.
Bryan Forward from Carlsbad wasn’t fishing for roosterfish just north of La Paz, but while fishing in a dorado school with Captain Rogelio from the Tailhunter Fleet, this big boy popped up and chewed his bait and the battle was on. The fish was released.
I think one day, Al Sandstrom will probably move down here. He just has too good a time fishing! Dorado in hand caught with our Tailhunter La Paz Fleet.
Skies are still cloudy but the smiles are real! Captain Jorge with Mark Hawkins and Harry Hsu posed with 3 of their 5 yellowfin on the beach at Muertos.
That’s alot of mahi mahi for Mark Buchanan and wife, Laura Hernandez from San Diego. Always in the fish!
He’s a little tired! Tony Smith has 4 big tuna on the table. First time down here and he had a good time.
Lee Carlson with Captain Moncho of the Tailhunter Fleet is from Denver. He hooked this roosterfish not far off the beach near Punta Perrico near La Paz and fought it for over an hour on light tackle and said “The fish did me in!”
The best is when someone catches their first fish ever! Rob Forward of Carlsbad and Captain Rogelio with his first dorado!
So crazy unusual to be catching pargo liso because normally, they are cooler water fish we catch from Feb. to April! But, Shelly Donnell got this one off the rocks at Punta Perrico. Great eating! Tough fighter too!
Hope came to visit us from Idaho for the first time and got her first dorado showing here on the beach at Balandra! Great to have her down!
Colorado friends since college, these two have been Tailhunter amigos for many years. Always smiling, Frank Kunze and Lee Carlson with a pretty good day out’ve Muertos Bay of tuna and dorado.
This one weighed out at over 52 pounds for Laura Hernandez. These are beast fish! Check out how close she is to the beach at Punta Arenas!
Football-sized yellowfin tuna showed up later in the week that were alot of fun and surely easier than the 60 pounders earlier in the week. San Diego boys in the house!
Captain Gerardo photo-bombs a dorado photo of Cal Lambert from Colorado trying to pose with one of several nice dorado caught just before the storm hit!
Harry Hsu and John Land with Captain Jorge and a nice haul of dorado and triggerfish.
Alex Moser from San Diego and his amigos with a big 50 pounder that took over an hour to land!
Laura has a knack for getting big fish! Nice bull dorado off Las Arenas Point!
We had a strange and crazy week. Things were going pretty nicely and then out’ve nowhere, what looked like a week of intermittent showers and occasional rain suddenly got a name and turned into “Hurricane John!” It got us scrambling!
These things are un-predictable and although it was only a “Category One” storm, we’ve seen them do some erratic things over the years and while the storm path didn’t have John barreling directly into us, it was going to glance off the southern tip of Baja and bounce out pretty hard.
The storm warnings went out and the clouds, wind and rain came in. Thunder, lightning and even water spouts! Some flights got diverted and although we never got the heavy hit, it was enough to have the Port Captain shut down the port and ban all boat traffic. Big waves and strong winds didn’t help.
Of course, that meant cancelations; no fishing; and lots of schedule juggling. It’s too bad because fishing had been pretty good.
Then the storm left. Sort of.
The port opened, but for several days, we didn’t know if the port captain would change his mind and shut things down again. So there were days when we had everyone ready, but also telling them they might have to head back to their rooms if the port captain shut things down again.
Because while “John” moved off, it never really completely left and almost each day, we had threats of wind, rain and big seas and occasional thundershowers and left everyone wondering what the next day would be like and days when we went fishing and still got wet.
Fortunately, the waters didn’t take too hard a hit from the storm and fishing the rest of the week was a lot better than I thought it would be although it still was not quite as good as it had been.
Everyone still got fish!
At Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay for our Tailhunter Las Arenas Fleet, the big tuna were still around although a bit pickier. However, smaller fun football sized 10-20 pounders showed up right off Punta Arenas not far from the lighthouse. Also, decent dorado up to about 25 pounds rounded things out and surprisingly we got pompano and nice big pargo liso snapper that usually we only catch in the springtime. It makes me wonder if cooler waters are already moving in! Several roosterfish also hooked and released in the 30-50 pound category.
For our Tailhunter La Paz Fleet, dorado were centerstage again. Most of the fish were 5 to 20 pounders, but if you find the right spot, it could be crazy frenzied fishing. Most days, the boats got limits or near limits although some days the bite didn’t take off until late in the day. If boats left too early they sometimes missed the bite.
So, overall, not too bad given the weather. It could have been a lot worse!
TAILHUNTER OUTREACH – GRACIAS!
Diego Jimenez and his family from Loveland CO
Wes Perkins and Roger Hall from Oregon
Matt Chase, Terry Biggs, Mitch Embry and Rich Keogh
I’m sorry I don’t have ALL the photos of everyone who brought donations or school supplies, clothes, shoes, hygiene and other needed items for our Tailhunter Outreach Program. But, e are so grateful for the generosity. This year alone, we’ve collected over 1000 pounds of much-needed items that we distribute to the community. Some of the photos above are just from the last week and all of this went to the school and orphanage in Los Planes near Las Arenas. With school starting this week, the supplies and clothes were much appreciated!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of July 28-Aug. 5, 2018
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT FOR THE WEEK
WEEK AT A GLANCE
Weather – Hot hot hot. Even us locals think so. Dangit…stay hydrated! Beer is fun, but doesn’t count. With the humidity you have to keep knocking back the waters or you’ll get sick. On the other hand…hot weather = best fishing!
But, weather will change this week. Intermittent rain, thundershowers and lightning predicted on-and-off all week. Not sure what that will do to the fishing. Weather reports change several times a day. Not sure when or how hard it will rain or what days.
Water – Pretty blue. Surface temperatures are perfect for swimming, SCUBA and snorkeling! It’s about 80-83 degrees on top!
Fishing – Everyone caught fish! If not big tuna then great on the dorado. The tuna continue to be big and we’re losing most of the big fish. But dorado have been making up for it just to have fun.
Catching – Losing 70% of the big tuna. That’s why they’re big. They are gorillas and make strong men cry!
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST OF THE STORY…
Rhett Riley and his grandfather, Herb Preszler from the Sacramento Area, tied into several big tuna off Cerralvo Island near La Paz on live bait with Tailhunter Sportfishing. They each hooked and fought a fish over an hour before lines broke then re-baited and tied into these two nice sluggers and fought then well over another hour before getting them into the pangas.
From Oroville CA, our amigo, Terry Biggs has made numerous trips to fish La Paz with Tailhunter Sportfishing. He had never caught a big tuna. He hooked one fish and fought it almost 2 hours before it broke off then hooked this big one estimated by Captain Armando as being in the 70-80 pound class. He was using only 40 pound test. Terry works for the railroad and is about 6’2 and 275 pounds and he wrestled this tuna almost 90 minutes and “it whupped me pretty bad.
One of our favorite new amigos, Matt Chase, was just great to have down this week! Even when he lost fish, we was like a kid in a candy store! He did get a nice batch of dorado, however. Here with Captain Boli on the beach.
If he looks a bit disheveled, Mitch Embry from Texas has a little help and a smile from Captain Armando lifting up this tough tuna he fought in the hot sun off Cerralvo Island.
Schoolie dorado for the Bartas who were staying with Gary Wagner at Rancho Costa in Muertos Bay.
Rhett Riley started out a good week of tuna fishing with this plug of a yellowfin tuna.
Another dorado in the boat is a nice bull north of La Paz near Espirto Santo Island for Terry Biggs.
Well-deserved handshakes for Wes Perkins and Roger Hall who fished with Captain Victor and took a box of dorado and a big yellowfin. Our good amigos are from the Portland OR area and have visited us for many seasons.
First timer amigo, Mark Durham, poses on the beach at Muertos with another fat tuna.
Captain Jorge does the honors on a nice dorado with Rich Keough and Mitch Embry. Note all the other dorado on the cutting table in the foreground .
It was a pretty decent week of fishing. Everyone who wanted fish caught fish. Can’t argue with that. Some boats did better than others on any given day, but that’s fishing. If you fished several days like most of our folks then you might have one slow day, but the others surely made up for it.
At Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay, the big tuna off Cerralvo Island were again, the name of the game. These 40-80 pound gorillas are made more formidable by the fact that they’re eating relatively light lines (as tuna will sometimes do). So, using 25-40 pound test line can turn into quite a battle and most of these fights are at least an hour to almost 2 hours in the hot Baja sun!
For some, the strain is just a little too much for the angler or the tackle and beast fish that have non-stop motors. We are losing about 70% of these fish for those reasons. One day, we hooked 10 fish and only 2 got boated. It is what it is. Everyone wants a shot at these homerun fish, but if you don’t knock it over the fence, there’s a good chance you won’t get any other chances at another or for other species because it’s already too late in the day. But the challenge is there and very compelling. . .and fun!
It’s hard to know if there’s other species around the area because everyone is chasing the tuna, but we did hoo up some dorado and billfish. Roosterfish have been scarce this year. But, again, hard to know because not many folks have been chasing them.
Fortunately, if the tuna aren’t going, we do have our other fleet out’ve La Paz and the dorado have been lighting it up . Most days there’s limits or near limits of fish running 10-20 pound and some larger. If you hit the right spot and find the school, it can be utter madness as fish crash all around and every rod is bent. You fill the box quickly!
Other times, you get 1 here…2 there…1 here…and a longer, but still productive day.
Weather advisory…looks like intermittent and localized thundershowers with lightning are predicted most of the week. Not a hurricane. Just tropical stuff. Not sure how that will affect fishing, but we’ll be watching. It could rain one spot, but not another. It could rain at night or afternoon. The reports change daily. Hopefully, the port captain doesn’t shut thing down.
Tailhunter Fish Report 