La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay / Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Mar. 2-12, 2024
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Phil and Captain Beto rocked some nice yellowtail at the north end of Cerralvo Island before winds chased them off.
Our amigo, Gary Wagner, was at his place at Rancho Costa and sent us some great photos this week. Check out the nice bull dorado…in MARCH!
Hard not to have a big smile like Mauricio here. He knows how good these barred pargo taste and the heads make some great soup too!
Gary again with a huge sierra! I have no doubt Gary had this turned into several delicious plates of ceviche.
Our amigo, Jimmy Williams with his friend, Phil took a load of yellowtail off Cerralvo Island.
A great shot of the kind of inshore variety right now…snapper, cabrilla, bonito and pargo!
_______________________________
Sorry for not posting more often! I honestly try to get these reports out weekly as I have for almost 30 years. But, we’ve been constantly on the road with the Tailhunter 2024 Road Tour and just finished shows in Salt Lake City and Southern California (see below).
However, frankly, there just hasn’t been alot of exciting stuff to impart! Even I get bored writing about the winter winds and especially no one is really fishing or I’m actively discouraging folks from going out…especially if they are first-timers or have kids. No fun being seasick and wet!
Anyway…that being said…can things really be improving? Stand by!
It seems we’re finally getting some spring-time conditions! We’re not out’ve the windy zone yet, but little-by-little, there are more calm days than blustery days. More clear blue water than cloudy cold water. More flat water than choppy whitecaps!
Not good for all the windsurfers and kite boarders, but better for sportfishing! I still expect there will be some crazy windy times, but there’s reason to be optimistic.
There are some nice grade yellowtail busting around areas of Cerralvo Island and Espirito Santo Island. Fish are running 15-30 pounds mostly and willing to take jigs, live sardines and mackerel as well as deep trolled Rapalas and Y0-zuri lures near structure. The same areas are also kicking out some of yellowtail’s cousins the amberjack. Most of them are in the 10-20 pound class, but some of these fish can easily go well over 50 pounds…if you can land them and keep them out’ve the rocks.
As well, there have been some jags of fast moving 20-40 pound yellowfin tuna and the warmer waters are have some spots of dorado as well which we usually don’t see either species unti much later in the season like May or so.
Inshore, the usual variety of fish are actively feeding on seemingly plentiful bait schools of sardines. So we’re getting reports of sierra, pargo liso (mullet snapper), barred pargo, yellow snapper, cabrilla, jack crevalle, bonito and even a few roosterfish…another fish that we usually don’t see until a little later.
So, lots of reasons to keep an eye on things and we’ll keep you posted. We’re “offically” calling April 15th the start of the season, but it looks like maybe the fish won’t wait!
END OF THE ROAD (TOUR!)
Well…3 months on the road criss-crossing the country. More than 30 years of doing these fantastic outdoor shows during the winter months. Just finished up our last show in S.California at the Pacific Coast Sportfishing Festival.
Just an incredible time and what a way to wrap up the tour for the year. Thank you to all our friends and Tailhunter Tribe Nation who came to see us and say hi…and booked their fishing trips for 2024 and especially a big shout out to everyone who came to party for my birthday and sent wishes and goodies. You always make Jilly and I feel pretty darned special! God bless you all!
So…by the time you’re reading this, we’re on our way driving back to Texas to re-group and re-load then back home finally to La Paz to get the season rolling! We’ll see you there.
We still have spots open too if you want to come down and put your toes in the sand and a line in the waters!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Feb. 16-Mar. 1, 2024
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Commercial mix of fish…jackk crevalle, an amberjack even two smaller dorado.
Typical inshore catch. Again from one of our commercial fishing amigos. Two barred pargo and a yellow snapper. Great eating!
I know this week’s report is REALLY late, but I was kinda holding out.
I was hoping that there would be a break in the winds or that there would be something exciting to write about other than the usual boring winter reports about strong winds; rough seas and non one fishing.
But, that’s just the way it is and I couldn’t hold out any longer. We actually did have a booking or two the past two weeks, but had to cancel all of them because of the weather. As one of the prospective anglers wrote to me, “I’m glad you warned us about the weather. We had planned to take the family out for an easy day of fishing, but I’m writing this looking at the ocean and it’s all white caps and rough! Thanks for the FYI!”
There’s some fish to be caught but if you can’t get out because of the weather, it’s pretty typical this time of year. That’s why we say that November to April is off-season. The winsurfers and kiteboarder love it, but for fishing, not so much!
The few reports I’m getting are from friends that are commercial fishermen who tell me that they are hooking some yellowtail, amberjack, sierra, plus the usual rock fish like cabrilla, snapper and pargo. There have been a few dorado still being caught and a few tuna hookups near Cerralvo Island, but that’s about it. Quiet times mostly.
Reservations for our regular season from late April to October, however, are rolling in every day. After the last two years since Covid, fishing has been pretty spectacular and I think everyone is excited to get in on it again for 2024. Get in touch with me directly if you want to come visit us this year. My personal e-mail is jonathan@tailhunter.com Don’t wait, dates are filling up pretty fast.
As a matter of fact, we’ll be making our own S.California appearance this coming week from Mar. 7-10 at the Pacific Coast Sportfishing Show at the Orange Co. Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.
We’ve been on the road now some 3 months and have had some crazy great shows in Dallas, Reno, Nashville and Salt Lake City. We really miss not being able to attend some other shows in S.Cal and some of our other favorite areas but we’re really looking forward to this week at the PCS show. It’s gonna be huge and all your favorites will be there. I hear is now takes up 7 of the massive exhibition halls. Check out the video:
This will be our final show of the 2024 season before heading home to La Paz to kick things off. Hope you can join us. Jilly and I will be in the booth every day and it would be great to see you!
That’s our story!
Jonathan
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter Sportfishing www.tailhunter.comMexico Office:
Tailhunter Sportfishing
755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter Sportfishing
8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178 La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Feb. 8-15, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN REPORT:
Weather: Daytime mid-70’s nights in the high 50’s. Have had some cloud and rain to go along with strong winds. Port Captain even had to shut down all boat traffic in La Paz Bay because it was so rough.
Water: If the winds are blowing, the water is going to be rough and off-color. But, there’s some strange warm blue water here and there in the 70’s holding pelagic species! Go figure1
Fish Hooked This Week: Tuna, dorado, amberjack, yellowtail, billfish, pargo, sierra, bonito, jack crevalle, roosterfish, cabrilla.
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
A late afternoon fish haul for Gary and friends including yellowtail, cabrilla, dog-tooth snapper and mullet snapper (pargo liso)
Roosterfish in February? Wow! Unusual catch this time of year. The fish was released.
Crazy variety here in the photo…dorado, sierra, snapper, dog-tooth…all great eating fish!
First off…big gracias to our amigo, Gary Wagner who has his place at Rancho Costa in Bahia Muertos. Gary kindly provided the photos and some great info for us this week.
As I have often mentioned, this is off-season from November to April because of the winds and rough seas and barely anyone is out on the water. During this time of year, we get our reports many times from our friends who are commercial fishermen who have to make a living on the water no matter the weather. But, we also get info from friends who live in the area, like Gary, who can pick days to fish when the winds aren’t blowing. We’re grateful!
Three things have not changed since the last report:
ONE: The winds have still been blowing. No surprise. In fact, it got so rough the La Paz port captain had to shut down all boat traffic in and out’ve La Paz Bay.
TWO: In between the gusty blasts there are some days when it’s well worth it to check out the fishing. This is especially true of our friends who live in La Paz who can find a good window to go out when the winds are somewhat slack. Usually only 1 or 2 days a week on the average.
THREE: Holy Cow, there’s some nice an unusual fishing going on! There are the usual cold-water species like cabrilla, snapper, sierra, yellowtail and amberjack. But, there are some spots where the waters are unusually warm…around 70 degrees…holding dorado, billfish, tuna and even some crazy roosterfish! Normally NONE of these warm water species are around this time of year.
Gary did inform me that this past week, Muertos Bay, where his hotel is located, suddenly filled with krill turning the waters pink! The krill is very nutritious and brought lots of baitfish into the bay to feed.
Well, not surprisingly the bigger predatory sportfish followed the baitfish in and the feed was on which provided some wild crazy fishing for a number of species!
Check out this pelican standing in the middle of the krill-filled water! (again, thanks for the video Gary!)
Every week, it seems there are some crazy surprises. We’ll keep you posted.
WHERE ARE WE NOW!
We just wrapped up our biggest show of the season in Nashville at the Safari Club International Convention. Thanks to everyone who visited and we’re looking forward to everyone who signed and made reservations to come see us! We sure had a great time as almost 1000 vendors and exhibitors from over 30 countries were present (including us!) and I head reports that attendance broke records as visitor to the show from every state in the U.S. and some 14 countries also attended.
So…this week we are here in Salt Lake City at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo. It’s the largest show in the west and they’re expecting something like 60,000 + folks to attend. It’s at the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City.
We’ll be in the booth from Thursday to Sunday so c’mon down and say hi and let’s set you up for fishing with us in La Paz this year!
WHALE WATCHING SEASON IN FULL SPEED!
It’s that time of year and we’re running our whale-watching trips out to Bahia Magdalena on the Pacific side right now. The whales have migrated all the way down from the Bering Sea and usually hang out in our waters through March before heading back up north.
If you’d like to have a great life-time experience, get in touch with us and we’ll get you set up!
That’s my story!
Jonathan and Jilly
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter Sportfishing www.tailhunter.comMexico Office:
Tailhunter Sportfishing
755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter Sportfishing
8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178 La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Jan. 28-Feb. 5, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER – Mostly sunny. Daytimes low to mid-70’s. Nights low 60’s. Winds from the north 15-20 mph most days. Stronger gusting as the day goes on.
WATER – Some strange patches of unseasonably warm water in the 70’s holding some surprising species of fish (el Nino?). Colder water is darker and cloudier. Warmer water is blue.
SPECIES HOOKED – tuna/ dorado/ wahoo/ yellowtail/ amberjack/ yellowtail/ sierra/ snapper/ pargo/ bonito/ jack crevalle
BAIT AVAILABILITY – Depends on the winds and waves. The rougher it is the harder to get live bait this time of year
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE AND THE REST OF THE STORY…
Yellowtail starting to show up at the islands now with some cooler waters moving in. Cabrilla also along the shoreline and rocky reefs. Jigs and live bait working best.
Our own Captain Victor with a yellowfin tuna. Surprisingly, the YFT’s are still getting caught this late/ early in the year. Normally, we don’t see these guys until later. It’s been a weird season!
Strange mix of winter-time fish for sure! Dorado and tuna in the winter? In my 30 years down here, I can’t remember too many times this happened.
It’s been a strange winter.
They say it’s El Nino. I dunno. But, I can tell you that the weather is about right. Still lots of windy gusty days and bouncy seas. That’s pretty typical. Not much of anyone on the waters most of the time except windsurfers who revel in the world-class winds.
However, the rub is the fishing.
Normally, we’re catching inshore species if we’re even out. That means inshore cold-water species like pargo, snapper, cabrilla, sierra, amberjack mixed with bonito and jack crevalle. So, yes, those are still around to be caught.
But, the real craziness is the warm water species that are around.
These include dorado, sailfish, marlin, tuna, wahoo…WHAAAT??? We normally don’t see these species until at least the springtime when the waters warm. And that could be the key. There are patches of warm water as much as 68-73 degrees. That’s quite a bit higher than normal.
As mentioned, not many folks are even out on the water, let alone fishing because of the winds, but most of the reports are coming from friends in La Paz who can pick the least windy days to go out or go out before the winds kick in or else they are the commercial captains who have to work for a living no matter the weather.
We’ll just have to keep an eye out. I have my fingers crossed that these species will still be around when the season kicks into full gear around April when the winds are usually diminished.
NASHVILLE OFF THE CHARTS – SALT LAKE CITY NEXT!
Just wrapped up maybe our best show of the season at the Safari Club International Convention in Nashville. After 4 days in the booth, Jill and I were plain whupped! We talked to so many great folks. We met so many old friends and made so many new ones. We booked lots of folks to come fishing with us in La Paz. The show featured almost 1000 exhibitors from over 30 countries and attendees over the 4 day event pulled in folks from pretty much every state in the U.S. plus Europe, Asia, S. America, Canada and Australia among others. It’s really the Super Bowl of hunting…and for us we learned long ago that “hunters like to fish!”
We wanted to thank everyone for all the hospitality and everyone who came by our booth to say hi. We will take a bit to re-group and recover from the great time!
So now…we’re all packed up and wheeling our way west towards Salt Lake City and the Western Hunt and Conservations Show at the downtown Salt Palace. It has always been a great show and we see so many friends. It’s more like a huge social event!
Check out this video:
The show runs from Feb. 15-18 in Salt Lake City at the Salt Palace. Jill and I will be in the booth every day and we’re looking forward to seeing you! Reservations are coming in daily and our fishing year is filling up. Get in touch with me directly: jonathan@tailhunter.com. We don’t want to miss you!
That’s our story!
Jonathan and Jilly
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter Sportfishing www.tailhunter.comMexico Office:
Tailhunter Sportfishing
755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter Sportfishing
8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178 La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Jan. 10-16, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER – Mostly in the 70’s and sunny. Northern winds came back up and we had to cancel a few trips for fishing; snorkeling and swimming with the whalesharks.
WATER – If the winds are blowing, you really don’t wanna be out. Just not worth it.
WIND – Up to 25 mph gusts from the north. We had only 2 days of the week that could have been available.
SPECIES HOOKED THIS WEEK – Tuna, yellowtail, marlin, dorado, sierra, cabrilla, bonito
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Definitely NOT fishing in Canada! Josh puts the gaff to a yellowfin tuna. Josh is from Vancouver.
They had just one day to fish, but Captain Victor pout Josh, Chris and Lyanna onto a good day of fishing including this unusual striped marlin that we rarely ever see in the winter months! The fish could not be released.
A great photo with big smiles and a pretty fish! Lyanna and Captain Victor with a nice bull dorado!
Yup! Let’s get these fish packed up and on ice! Great day on the water and an unusual catch!
_______________________
Pretty typical winter stuff this past week.
We had a few folks ask to go out and after showing them the weather forcast wisely decided to sit it out or we had a few that decided to give it a try and we ended up having to cancel because of the winds. This was for some folks that wanted to fish, but also some folks that wanted to snorkel and some that wanted to swim with the whalesharks. On several occasions, we canceled and re-booked only to have the winds cut us down and disappoint.
But, that’s the way it is during the winter. And with all the frigid arctic winter weather taking place in the U.S. this week, it’s gonna have an effect on Baja with cooler temperatures and overall higher winds.
That doesn’t mean there’s no fish.
What it means is that you need to carefully pick and choose the dates you go out on the water. Check with several days in advance or up to a week in advance to I can check the extended forecast and you can make an informed decision.
We did have some folks actually get out one day. It was the only day they had to squeeze it in during their vacation. They picked well.
They got dorado, tuna, and even a marlin! That’s crazy fishing because none of these fish are typical winter-time fish. The catch was even more remarkable because they had very little fishing experience and came down all the way from Canada!
We also know there are fish around because we have friends that are commercial fishermen. They don’t have a choice. They need to make a living no matter the weather. They inform us that there are yellowtail up to about 25 pounds around the high spots of the island.
There are also a few wahoo, tuna and regular inshore fish like pargo, cabrilla and snapper mixed in with sierra.
But, really just not that many folks on the water during the winter.
DID SOMEONE SAY WILD SHEEP?
Jill and I just finished our first show of the season at the Dallas Safari Club Convention held at the Dallas Convention Center and it was 4 incredible days in the booth. Maybe one of the best shows we have had in the more than 30 years of shows we have done.
Thank you everyone who came by to chat with us about coming down to see us in La Paz and especially to everyone who made reservations for 2024. We’re gonna have a great time and we’re looking forward to your visit!
One special event we were invited to by our good friends Kip and Sue Slaugh was the Weatherby Firearms Awards Banquet and Auction. A fantastic black-tie event and I don’t get dressed up for nothing! We had a great time and it was fun getting dressed up and sharing time with our friends and hob-nobbing with celebrities in the hunting industry!
But now, as I write this, we’re on our way to Reno, Nevada. We’ll that’s where we’re trying to go. We’ve been stuck in the airport in Dallas because all the flights around the country seem to have been cancelled because of the winter storms. But, we hope to be on our way by the time you’re reading this!
We’ll be at the:
WILD SHEEP CONVENTION AND SPORTS EXPO
RENO-SPARKS CONVENTION CENTER
Jan. 18th-20th (Thursday to Sunday)
Jilly and I will be in the booth every day and would love to talk to you about coming down fishing with us this year. C’mon by and say hi. There’s so much to see at this show if you like fishing, hunting, camping or anything outdoors!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Jan. 2-9, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
Weather: Mostly mild mid-70’s to mid-50’s. However, the winds came back up to 20-25 mph gusts. Pretty difficult to be out there. Port Captain even shut down the port for a bit. Had to cancel some trips this week. The folks knew it could happen.
Water: Murky and choppy and uncomfortably rough because of the wind
Bait: If you knew were to look in the calmer areas or knew someone who did, there’s live sardines and other species here and there.
Fish Hooked This Week: Nothing by us. We had to cancel folks because of winds, but commercial fishermen who MUST work were out there in the rough seas and hooked tuna, yellowtail and inshore species like snapper, pargo, cabrilla and sierra.
Outlook: Mostly more wind for the better part of the week
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Some nicer grade yellowtail started showing up finally.
Although we didn’t have fishermen out this week, the commercial guys braved the rough wind and seas and stacked up some nice grade yellowfin tuna.
Again, it was the commercial guys who found the yellowtail schools and were kind enough to send photos. Good rack of hamachi here ready to get cut!
________________________
It’s a bit of a conundrum!
As you ‘ve seen from the previous reports that I’ve been sending out, there are definitely a surprising variety of fish to be caught despite it being December and winter. This included, dorado, wahoo, roosterfish, sailfish, tuna and others not normally hooked this time of year.
However, hooking fish was dependent on finding windows of opportunity when the winter winds weren’t blowing everyone off the water.
Well, this past week the winds came back roarding 20-25 mph at times. About the only ones loving that were the windsurfers and kite boarders.
We don’t have many anglers or other clients on the water during the winter, but we actually had a few this week who were ready to take a shot. However, the fishermen had to cancel twice. We also had some folks going to swim with the whalesharks and they cancelled twice also . In fact, the port captain shut down the port to all boat traffic for awhile because of safety concerns from the crazy weather.
Nevertheless, the commercial guys gotta put food on the table and earn a living so they braved the rough seas and found some nice 15-40 pound legit yellowfin tuna around Cerralvo Island and south towards Boca de Alamo launching from Bahia Muertos.
Also some schools of yellowtail up to 25 pound have apparently shown up around Cerralvo as well as Espirito Santo Island.
All that is good news and hopefully, the winds dial-it-back a bit and we can maybe get a boat our two onto the fishing grounds. Right now the next few days still look a bit breezy.
TAILHUNTER ON THE ROAD TO DALLAS!
Jill and I are formally kicking off our 2024 road tour this week as we head to Dallas, Texas for the Dallas Safari Club Convention. This will be in the massive Dallas Convention Center Jan. 11-14 (Thursday to Sunday) and they’re expecting perhaps up to 80,000 attendees.
This is one of the largest outdoor shows in the United States and the waiting list to be a vendor is several years so we’re very fortunate to have been invited the last 2 years. Attendees come from all over the world to this show and there are vendors likewise from every continent on the planet as well as every state with everything from hunting to firearms; fishing to archery; off-roading to scuba, outdoor wear and so much more. It spans several of the huge halls at the convention center.
More importantly, the Dallas Safari Club raises millions of dollars for conservation, education and stewardship of wildlife and habitat around the world.
We will be in booth #339 every day and would love to see you to talk about coming to visit us in La Paz in 2024.
La Paz-Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Dec. 23-Jan. 1, 2023
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: Comfortable day and night temps, but still some gusty seasonal winds up to 20 mph at times that are prohibitive to being on the water whether you’re fishing, snorkeling, kayaking or SCUBA. So, you need to find those dates when the wind is blowing less.
WATER: Simple. If it’s windy, the water will be rough and cloudy. If it’s not windy, the waters settle down nicely. Surprisingly warmer than normal.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: Dorado, sailfish, roosterfish, tuna – you gotta be kidding me! Plus sierra, pargo, cabrilla, jack crevalle, yellowtail.
BAIT BEING USED: If it’s windy, it’s tough to get live bait. Plus, this is off-season so there’s not that many fishermen on the water. That means sometimes, the live bait guys won’t go catch bait to sell. Not practical. If you don’t have live bait, then dead bait; frozen bait and lures can still be effective.
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
The right kind! Wow! Hard to believe wahoo in December, but John Davis did the trick on this ‘hoo off Cerralvo Island.
Awww…a “cute” juvenile sailfish boated by Norm Busch fishing with Captain Pancho. The fish was released.
Love the facial expression! Greg Earles battled this hog yellowfin tuna for 2.5 hours. WHOA! Well done!
Double roosters and lots of fun in Bahia Muertos for Norm and Greg. We don’t usually see roosterfish in the winter. The big 100 pounders show up in the spring. These were released to grow big.
Bull dorado for a serious-looking John. Seas look a bit rough!
Love this photo or Norm Busch with another fun winter roosterfish. Another release!
Another dorado for Greg headed for the fish box.
______________________________
OK…this is just weird.
Granted…winter is the WINDY season and yes, the winds have been blowing up to 20 mph. But even if you find the occasional window when the winds slack off and you can go fishing, the catch is usually inshore stuff like pargo, snapper, cabrilla, sierra and jacks.
Mostly shallow water species found over the rocks and reefs. Alot of that is because with the winds, it’s not a great idea to go too far out in the rough waters. However, also the waters are cold and the warm water species are still months away.
So, what’s happening in our waters?
As this is off-season, there’s not much of anyone fishing. Mostly locals, commercial fishermen and the occasional visitor. But, the catch has been rather…unusual to say the least.
Yes, the shallow water rock species are still there.
But, were hooking dorado! Fish up to 30 pounds are still swimming around and readily taking lures and live bait.
There are tuna around Cerralvo Island with football-sized fish like 10 pounders, but also sluggers over 50 pounds!
Want more?
How about wahoo also around Cerralvo. Sailfish in the channel up to 130 pounds. And what about the 10 pound roosterfish along the beaches and in the bays. Great for light tackle. Not the big hogs over 100 pounds we get later in the year but some fun feisty roosters to play with.
Totally unseasonable catches and highly unusual. Not sure how long they’ll be around. Probably as long as the waters stay on the warmer side, but alot of fun while they are here.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Nov. 29- Dec. 9, 2023
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: A pleasant time to be in town. Daytime in the high 70’s to low 80’s and nightime down to the mid-60’s. Most days pretty nice, but the winds (up to 20 mph) from the north blow for a days then cut back. It’s nice right now, but winds coming back later in the week.
WATER: Definitely cooling and when the winds are blowing, it’s pretty rough, but other days, nice and fishable. However, water visibility is decreasing when the waters are rough. Must be some warm patches as we’re still hooking some dorado.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: Cabrilla, sierra, snapper, pargo, bonito, jack crevalle, dorado, tuna.
BAIT SITUATION: Live bait availability is sporadic. Not really many fishermen this time of year so the bait guys might not even go out. Or, if it’s too windy and rough, they can’t find any bait. So, often having to troll or use dead or frozen bait.
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Freezer meat for the winter for Miguel Campos from Puerta Vallarta who put a couple of yellowfin tuna and some nice dorado in the fish box.
Jorge Romero was out from La Paz and hit flat water and empty seas to go along with a nice limit of dorado.
The fishing report is a tad later than normal this week because I was hoping something would happen so that I would have some decent information to impart!
No such luck. Same old…same old! It is what it is!
Not much of anyone really fishing right now. Not only is it that lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but this is pretty much off-season from November to April when the north winds whip things up.
The windsurfers and kiteboarders love the world-class winds, but not so good for being on the water fishing. Additionally, most of the folks coming down this time of year, aren’t here to fish. They’re shopping, dining and hanging out on the beaches.
It’s actually a really nice time to be in La Paz. Air temps in the day are in the high 70’s to low 80’s with little humidity. Nights are in the mid-60’s. Additionally, Christmas decorations are up and at night everyone is downtown for the Christmas faires every evening with booths, food and music.
Mostly, the only folks who are out fishing…and where I’m getting my reports are from our captains who use this down time to go out with family and friends; commercial fishermen; and other locals who can pick and choose which days would be best to go out when the winds aren’t blowing so strong.
That’s the key. Being flexible to go out on the days when the winds have abated. Most of this week there were some 20 mph gusts, but then towards the end of the week, things settled down again.
Apparently, there’s still some legit dorado around which means there’s still some warm blue water here and there. The fish are reportedly running about 10-20 pounds and being taken on live bait (when available); dead bait; frozen bait and chunked bait.
Some of the commercial guys have reported yellowfin tuna popping up at the north and south ends of Cerralvo Island. Most of the fish are 10-30 pounders, but I heard there were some bigger models up to 100 pound or more running with the porpoise schools.
Inshore, the usual…snapper…pargo (several types)…jack crevalle…sierra…bonito (make great chunked bait).
FROM MY MEMO PAD
They finally opened the season for swimming with the whalesharks. Not sure how long it will stay open. Just depends how many animals show up and also on the water and weather. If it’s too windy, it’s hard to be out there and hard to find the animals in the shallow water!
Reservations are coming in daily and dates are filling up for fishing with us in 2024. Don’t wait. Get in touch with us, especially if you have a favorite captain or hotel! You can write me directly: Jonathan@tailhunter.com
Ice chests full of fish headed to the airport!
Whale watching season over in Bahia Magdalena is coming up. Some whales are already starting to show up in the shallow bay there. Best time is usually February to March. Reach out if that’s something you’d like to do. It’s pretty incredible.
It’s show season again. We hit the road in 2024 and our first show will be:
DALLAS SAFARI CLUB CONVENTION
DALLAS CONVENTION CENTER
JANUARY 11-14
It’s a massive show. One of the largest and it’s got so much to see and check out. We
will be in booth #339. Come see us!
Just one of the massive halls in the convention center in Dallas!
That’s my story!
Jonathan
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter Sportfishing www.tailhunter.comMexico Office:
Tailhunter Sportfishing
755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter Sportfishing
8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178 La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of Nov. 21-28, 2023
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: Daytime in the low 80’s and nights in the mid-60’s. For about the first time in weeks, the winds did not blow and we had almost perfect weather which was reflected in the fishing.
WATER: Without the winds kicking everyone and everything, waters settled down and were relatively flat. Given the fish that were caught, there are obviously still warm and cooler spots of water.
LIVE BAIT: Still and issue and tough to come across so dead and frozen bait or trolling is what we’re doing, but still working well.
NOTES: About 2 months late, but enough whalesharks finally arrived in La Paz Bay (8 of them) to open the season to swimming with them with licensed guides. Not sure how long the season will stay open depends on how many animals stick around. They’re not on anyone’s schedule!
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Gary and Miles Wagner at Gary’s Rancho Costa in Bahia Muertos. Wow, hard to believe bulls like this massive dorados are biting in November, but great catch!
Tailhunter’s own Jorge Romero, got a “kitchen pass” for a few days fishing from his lovely wife, Sandra, so he got out on the water. He was told to get some meat into the freezer. Nice load of dorado!
Wow! Roosterfish in November. Sydney Wagner hooked this pretty gallo in Bahia Muertos and released it. Rooster season is normally, April to July or so! Check the flat waters!
Yup! Even yellowfin tuna this week. Jim Nichols is all smiles. Jim is from Colorado.
Jorge getting his Santa Claus beard in gear for the holidays with another bull dorado for the box.
Our buddy, Jimmy Williams, got out and fished the north end of Cerralvo Island for Thanksgiving and pulled several big dorado up like this beauty. Jimmy is about 6’2″ so you can gauge the size of this bull!
Jorge got out another day. Went south out’ve Muertos and struck out so he headed to the south end of Cerralvo Island looking for wahoo. No wahoo, but two nice tuna and a bunch of dorado plus white bonito on the troll and using dead bait.
Miguel Campos from Puerta Vallarta comes over for quick winter trips to La Paz. Nice YFT!
MIguel with another dorado to get into the ice chest!
Cold water fish, but delicious especially for ceviche. Gary has himself a nice sierra.
Jim Nichols with another surprise roosterfish. Caught and released!
Hope ya’ll had a great Thanksgiving and the holidays are off to a good start!
Well…what a difference a few days make!
For about the first time in about 5 weeks, Mother Nature cut us some slack and those fierce northern winds gave us a break for about 7 days. They’re scheduled to be coming back but in the meantime, it was a great time to be on the water!
Not many folks fishing this time of year, but many of our friends or even our captains got out with their friends and families to take advantage of the great conditions. Hopefully, to put some fish in the freezers for the holidays.
Normally, this time of year because of the weather, the catch is mostly inshore species like pargo, cabrilla and snapper. However, this past week, it was about as good as we’ve had since mid-October!
Schools of dorado came up hungry for both our Las Arenas and La Paz fleets with decent-sized school-fish running about 10-15 pounds, but also larger fish up to 40 pounds. Additionally, tuna up to maybe 30 pounds were hitting at the north and south ends of Cerralvo Island and there were some rumors of a wahoo or two breaking off as well as billfish!
Inshore, yes, cabrilla, snapper, jack crevalle, sierra, white bonito, pacific bonito and two kinds of pargo were biting, but the big surprise were the roosterfish in the 10-40 pound size being caught and released. Normally, our roosterfish season runs about April to early July!
And, the pargo that we hooked were the pargo liso (mullet snapper) that get up to 20-40 pounds and usually don’t show up until the spring that made it into the fish boxes!
Some amberjack were also hooked and the commercial pangeros reported some yellowtail were hooked as well.
Still not much in the way of live bait because of the turbulent waters and also, if there’s not many fishermen, it’s economically a waste of time for the commercial bait guys to go out. So, most fishermen either trolled or made good use of dead or frozen bait like ballyhoo, frozen sardines or chunked bonito.
Enjoy it while we can! Winds predicted to start up again!
WHALE SHARK SEASON FINALLY OPENS
After waiting many weeks, authorities finally opened the popular swimming with the whaleshark season. Normally, the season runs October to April in the Bay of La Paz.
However, that’s dependent on water conditions…if it’s too rough and windy ,it’s hard to find the animals in the shallow waters. And it’s also dependent on how many animals are around.
At last count, there were 8-10 whalesharks in the bay.
The problem is that so many folks want to get in the water and so many operators from all over Baja sell and oversell tickets and trips. Many are unlicensed.
Only 6 persons are allowed in the water for each individual animal and only for a limited amount of time. For the safety and wellbeing of the animal. Plus, having too many boats in the water scares the animals away.
If dozens of people are booked to get in the water on a given day and there are only 3 or 4 animals, most folks will never get in the water or their trips will get cancelled. Even if you get in a boat, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get in the water because there is a rotation of people. And it’s not like the animals are on a schedule or in a cage like at the zoo so there’s no guarantees. You take your chances.
So before you book, check with us or another licensed operator.
RESERVATIONS FOR 2024
Our spots are booking fast for the coming year as we come off an incredible season this past year . Reservations are coming in daily so get in touch with me personally:
We’ll get you set up! Let me know so you don’t miss out on your favorite captains or hotel rooms. Or, if you’re brand new, write me and we can tell you all about our services that we’ve offered here in La Paz almost 30 years now! We’re great for experienced as well as first-timers; families; friends; kids…something for everyone!
We’ll customize a complete fishing/ hotel/ activity package for you!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Nov. 11-20, 2023
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: Mostly sunny in the low to mid-80’s in the day time. Evenings comfortable mid-60’s. Great time for the holidays and all the snow-birds visiting. The problem has been the winds blowing 15-25 knots from the north. Some gusts stronger. Important to choose your activities accordingly. If you’re going to do something, do it in the mornings before winds get stronger
WATER: Cooler and rougher. If the wind is blowing, very choppy. Heading north out’ve La Paz Bay can be wet and bouncy at best. Impossible at worst.
FISH HOOKED: Dorado, bonito, sailfish, jack crevalle, pargo, cabrilla, snapper.
BAIT AVAILABILTY: Erratic. If winds are blowing and it’s rough, the bait guys have a hard time getting live bait and you should plan on a day of trolling or using dead or frozen bait.
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
First stop of the morning for Michael Novotny who had just pulled out for the day and had this pretty dorado hit a trolled feather!
Miles Wagner staying with his dad in Bahia Muertos at Costa Rancho got this nice pargo liso (mullet snapper) to come out’ve the rocks, but not without a tough battle to be sure. Punta Perico in the background. Seas looking a little choppy too! Miles is from Colorado Spring CO.
If there’s fish around, Kevin Shiotano is a fish magnet! He had some rough windy days, but did get a day where the dorado blew up on him. Check out the cleaning table!
Sailfish in November? Almost unheard of, but Michael Novotny hooked this big sail while fishing with Captain Arcangel and they were able to also release the fish.
Our amigo, Gary Wagner fishing with Captain Hugo got one of the nice spawning pargo liso just offshore. Great eating! Gary owns the famous Giggling Marlin Bar and Restaurant in Cabo.
Not many folks fishing right now. Most of the folks arriving in town were here either for the big Baja 1000 race that filled town for a week of race teams and fans or they’re snow birds looking for some sunshine and not necessarily in town to be fishing, or participating in other water sports.
But, we did have some folks on boats. However, most were folks who were flexible on their days or were locals who could pick and choose specific dates when the winds weren’t blowing as hard.
That’s the key. The seasons have changed for the rougher and this weather with strong northern winds is pretty typical during the winter months when it can often make it worthless to even try being on the water.
However, there are some windows and if you can take advantage of those or get your fishing done early before the winds kick in.
We actually got some late-season dorado. Nothing huge, but fun-sized 10-20 pound class fish. Even if the winds might be a little more blustery than wanted, fishing inshore over the rocks is producing some jacks, mullet snapper (pargo liso), cabrilla, sierra and bonito (great to cutting and using for bait).
Surprisingly, we also got a few hookups on sailfish which is very unusual for this time of year.
If you’re planning to go out just be aware that winds could blow you out or force you back to shore sooner than you want. It can also affect whether live bait will be available. If not, you’ll either be trolling or using dead or frozen bait.
BAHIA MADGALENA FISHING
We had some of our good clients out at Bahia Magdalena on the Pacific Coast out fishing with us. Bahia Magdalena (Mag Bay) is about 4 hours drive from La Paz and our guides fish inshore in the zillion miles of mangroves. They also fish offshore on the seamounts.
Mike Jennings and his amigos fished 2 days offshore sticking great fun with tuna and dorado then a day inshore in the shallows in the mangroves for numerous species including, pargo, snapper, spotted bay bass, corvina and others.
BAJA 1000 OFF ROAD RACE
This year the annual BAJA 1000 Race started in La Paz and for the better part of a week, town was filled with thousands of fans; off-road race teams from all over the world and all the festivities that go along with it.
It was pretty much a full-party on the Malecon waterfront 24 hours-a-day with revving motors, crowds, music and more. The drivers and teams are like rock-stars and it was quite an event with the Malecon closed for miles.
FISHING in 2024 BOOKINGS COMING IN FAST!
We’ve been in La Paz now almost 30 years and are coming off one of the best fishing seasons in 2023. Just a heads-up that our bookings for 2024 are really filling things up quickly with reservations coming in daily.
If you want to come visit this year or have a favorite captains or hotel, don’t wait. Get in touch with me directly: jonathan@tailhunter.com
I can check our availabilties before we get filled up. We don’t want to miss you. We’ll customize a special fishing vacation package for you, your friends, family or group!
Right now, we have great openings and boats available:
April 16-30
May 1-8
May 22-31
June 1-12
June 25-30
July 1-31
Aug. 1-11
September 1-30
October 1-24
Hope to hear from you and let’s get you fishing in 2024.
That’s our story! Have a safe, happy and peaceful Thanksgiving and holidays!
Jonathan
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter Sportfishing www.tailhunter.comMexico Office:
Tailhunter Sportfishing
755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter Sportfishing
8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178 La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
Tailhunter Fish Report 