La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Dec. 31-Jan. 7, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WATER: Waters getting colder and greener. Still some blue warmer water around with some holdover warm water species like dorado. Overall choppy ocean.
WEATHER: Definitely got colder this past week. Also some very windy days that we had to pull boats off the water or advise folks not to fish or go snorkeling. Still sunny, but it felt more like winter finally.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: Dorado/ wahoo/ bonito/ jack crevalle/ bonito/ amberjack/ sierra/cabrilla
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Normally, Rich Collard is up in Michigan commercial fishing, but came down for a few days and knocked it out with a wahoo fishing with Captain Gerardo!
Just one day to fish, but Scott and Gerilynn Lehman got 3 nice dorado and had us prepare some of it at our Tailhunter Restaurant. Very unusual to find dorado in the winter!
Greg Earles striking one of his favorite fishing poses with another dorado for the box. Greg spent 3 weeks during his birthday with us and fished several times a week. He took him over 100 pounds of fillets to Michigan. Great guy to have visit!
Waters are getting cooler and more sierra showing up. Rich got this one on the troll. They are incredibly tasty for the table!
Rich and Greg had a nice day with Captain Gerardo!
We got through the first week of the new year and to cut to the chase…it got colder and a bit windier!
In fact, as you’re reading this, La Paz and a good portion of the Baja is going to get his with a jag of really cold weather (cold for Baja!) with temps down into the 50’s at night and never really getting much above the low 70’s and even a possibility of a bit of rain this week.
For sure, folks are keeping their jackets and sweatshirts handy.
Had to keep boats in a few days because of winter winds and the cold which are pretty typical this time of year, but we did get in 2 days of fishing for a scattered bite.
With waters getting colder, we’re seeing more sierra, amberjack, rainbow runners and jack crevalle as well as pargo, cabrilla and snapper for inshore fishing. Often, with winds blowing, that’s about as far as you’ll get from the beach because it’s too rough.
However there are still some patches of blue water holding dorado and over by the south end of Cerralvo, there’s a bite of wahoo that’s on-and-off. The biggest problem is being able to get across the channel from Bahia Muertos to the south end of the island. If the winds are blowing from the north and the chop is blasting, there’s just no way.
The winds and waves also make it problematic to procure live bait at times so we’ll have to troll. If the waves are pounding some of the beaches and rocky area, the guys can’t get into the shallows to throw the nets for live bait.
Now that the holidays are passed, town is getting quieter again. A nice time to be in town actually, but not always a good time to be on the water!
WE’RE ON THE ROAD!
Jilly and I are hitting the road for our annual road show. This will be our 30th year and our first show is:
RENO WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION
Reno Convention Center
Reno, Nevada
Jan. 16-18th
We’ll be in our booth ever day and it would be great to see you and talk about getting you to visit us in La Paz!
We always have a great time in Reno! Come say hi. Here’s more info:
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Dec. 5-21, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
Weather: Mostly nice and sunny and really pleasant with temps ranging from the 60’s to 80’s. However, winds from the north continue to be problematic with gusts between 10 and 30 mph
Water: Getting cooler, but there’s some nice patches of surprising blue/warmer water here and there. Can be extremely rough if the winds are blowing
Species Hooked This Week: Dorado, sierra, small yellowtail, triggerfish, snapper, snapper, bonito, jack crevalle, roosterfish, marlin, amberjack,
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST OF THE STORY…
Our friends, Bob Sayre from Chicago and his friend Jim Fanscher weren’t able to get outside the bay because of winds but still found a dorado and a sierra…a warm water fish and cold water fish as well as a big bonito.
Enjoying some sunshine escaping from Minnesota, Greg Earles had a great star with 4 dorado, a big sierra and some white bonito plus released a bunch of small roosterfish.
Beto is going to make some great ceviche with this saw!
Our La Paz friend, Jimmy Williams always does well. Nice barred snapper!
Greg caught and released about a half-dozen of these fun little roosterfish right in Bahia Muertos on live sardines.
Some good eating on the table for Jimmy and Phil with several types of snapper plus triggers and a saw.
Once again, apologies for the late response.
With the increasing northern winter winds, I was really waiting for something to happen so that I’ve have some “meat” to the report rather than just continuously telling you that the winds are blowing and not much of anyone fishing during the winter months.
But, honestly, in the last 3 weeks, some days the winds have been kicking 10-30 mph and not a great time to be out on the water unless you’re a windsurfer. I’ve had a number of folks wanting to go out and I’ve had to flat out tell them, “I’d love the booking and money, but the reality is that you’re going to get blown off the water or seasick !”
These aren’t hardcore fishermen. They’re just in town for vacations and decide they want to try fishing for a day. Often they have youngsters with them and I would just rather be honest and transparent about expectations and the weather.
I’ve also had to cancel a few trips for fishing and snorkeling as well. It’s a great time to be in town as the weather is really pleasant and sunny with temps into the 60’s -80’s but just not a great time to be on the water.
However, we did actually get a few folks out whenwe found some windows when the winds backed off a bit. Also, we had some of our local friends get out fishing and got me some reliable reports. Other than that, most of the reports are coming from friends who are commercial fishermen who don’t have a choice. They’re not fishing for fun or sport. They’re out on the water no matter what trying to make a living.
Waters are getting cooler and rougher, but there are surprisingly still some warm patches of blue water holding dorado. Crazy to see dorado in December but there are some school-sized 5-15 pound fish still in the area plus some larger 20 pound class free swimmers. Live bait is difficult to come by because of the rough waters so frozen dead ballyhoo or striped bonito slow trolled has worked most effectively.
The warm waters have also been cited as the reason that there are still some billfish like striped marlin, sporadic tuna and wahoo have been hooked. Again, it’s very unusual to see these species in the winter and likewise, to get to some of the spots, it has to be calm enough on the ocean.
Inshore, is where the majority of the action has been found, especially if you can’t get across the channels to the islands. Big bonito, sierra, some smaller yellowtail, pargo, cabrilla, amberjacks and jack crevalle have provided decent action.
Another surprise, however, is that we’re seeing roosterfish! Not very common this time of the year, but smaller 5-10 pounders have been hooked (and released) along the shallow sandy beaches and some of the bigger 50-100 pounders have been seen cruising the drop offs. We usually don’t see those for another 3 or 4 months!
TAILHUNTER SHOW SEASON COMING UP!
We’re getting ready to hit the road again for our 30th year. We’ll be doing 4 shows this year and they’re all big ones. We had hoped to do more shows, but so many are on conflicting dates and it was hard to pick and choose:
RENO – Wild Sheep Foundation at the Reno Convention Center (Jan. 16-18)
NASHVILLE – Safari Club International at the Nashville Convention Center (Jan. 22-25)
SALT LAKE CITY – Western Hunt and Conservation Show at the Salt Palace (Feb. 13-16)
ORANGE CO. – Pacific Coast Sportfishing Show at the Orange Co. Fairgrounds (Mar. 6-9)
We’ll be there and we’re looking forward to seeing you and getting you set up to see us in La Paz in 2025.
However, don’t wait! Dates are filling up pretty fast and reservations are coming in daily. You can write me directly: tailhunterfishinglapaz@gmail.com
We don’t want to miss you, especially if you have a favorite captains or hotel!
That’s our story!
Wishing you many blessings for the holidays, Christmas and the New Year!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Nov. 21-Dec. 4, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN REPORT
WATER: Still some warm patches of blue and somewhat warm with surface temps about 75 degrees, but the ocean is cooling and getting greener as the winds come up and the deeper we get into winter.
WEATHER: Mostly pleasantly sunny. Daytime temps in the high 70’s to low 80’s. Cooler at night dropping to the low 60’s.
FISH HOOKED: Dorado, pompano, trevally, small roosters, marlin, tuna, wahoo, pargo, cabrilla, snapper, sierra, amberjack, bonito, jack crevalle
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
The fishing report is a bit tardy once again.
I was hoping for a break in the weather and hopefully something with a little more content to tell you about instead of the same broken record. So, I kept waiting!
Honestly, in the last two weeks we’ve only been able to put out one boat but have had to cancel several other trips as well as turn away some snorkel and scuba reservation requests.
I get reservation requests daily, but I like to be honest and transparent about expectations and frankly, the northern winds are getting more prevalent. It’s harder and harder to find a gap in the weather where I can tell folks they might have a shot at getting on the water. Especially these days. Many of the folks in town are not hard-core anglers. Many or on vacations and are just looking for a day to try some fishing. Often, they are families and often with youngsters in tow.
It’s not fun if I send them out and they get soaked and bounced around and get seasick and maybe even get canceled or blown out. It’s supposed to be fun. So, I turn alot of folks away and tell them it’s best to just stay on the beach.
It’s a nice time to be in town. It’s mostly sunny and in the high 70’s to low 80’s. in the day time. Definitely alot more pleasant than say Canada or North Dakota. Evenings drop down into the cooler high-60s.
But looking at the wind forecast for example, the next 10 days show’s northern winds blowing up to 18 knots per hour. That’s a big reasons all the windsurfers are often the only ones on the water.
The fishing reports I have are from the handful of guys I got out about a week ago for one day, but also from friends in town who have the luxury of knowing when the winds lay back for a bit. It also comes from friends who are commercial fishermen who don’t have the luxury of choosing their times so they have to go out to feed their families and make a living.
What I”m hearing and seeing is that there’s some good variety on the water if you can find the right weather-spot.
There are still warm patches of water holding some dorado, marlin and even the occasional tuna or wahoo. The dorado are the school-sized 5-10 pounders mostly.
However the waters are cooling and continue so as the winds get stronger the deeper we get into the winter. Hence, we also seeing species like amberjack, trevally, pompano, pargo, cabrilla, snapper, bonito and jack crevalle. I hear there have been some jags of yellowtail at the north end of Cerralvo Island as well as the east and north sides of Espirito Santo Island.
There’s some small roosters and jacks along the beaches.
Live bait becomes and issue as it’s harder for the commercial bait-sellers to find live bait to sell if the waters are too rough so that means sportfishing can become more lure-based fishing.
RESERVATIONS FOR 2025
They’re coming in daily and a number of dates between May and October (prime time) are already sold out or filling pretty fast. We don’t want to miss you especially if you have a favorite captains or hotel or are chasing that bucket list fish! Don’t wait. Check your calendar and get in touch with us as soon as you can!
That’s my story! Hope ya’ll had a great Thanksgiving week and your holidays are off to a good start!
SOME FISHABLE DAYS BETWEEN WINDS BUT NOT MANY FOLKS IN TOWN
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Nov. 4-20, 2025
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN REPORT
WATERS: Still some warm patches with surface temps in the 80 degree area, but overall, waters are starting to cool off. Less blue. More cloudy green.
WEATHER: Really pleasant. Nice time to be in town. Low 80’s in the day. High 60′ to low 70’s at night. The bigger issue is the winds. Some days blowing up to 15 knots or more. Need to pick and choose which days to be in the office.
FISHING BEING HOOKED: Inshore species like pargo, cabrilla, snapper, sierra, jack crevalle as well as pompano and trevally. A few dorado in the warmer spots. Commercial fishermen findinga few scattered tuna and wahoo and the occasional holdover billfish.
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST OF THE STORY…
Richard de Coudres brought his son and friend out for one day to squeeze in some fishing getting several nice dorado, a palometa and a couple of bonito released.
Winter catch for one of the commercial pangeros of some tasty cabrilla and sierra and bonito.
Richard with one of his dorado.
______________________________________________
First and foremost, Jill and I and all our Tailhunter Team wish you and yours a safe, happy and peaceful Thanksgiving week and holidays! Blessings for all the holidays!
Once again, apologies for taking such a long gap between fishing reports this past month. Still recovering from surgery. Nothing serious although I’m going to be off my feet for another 2 months and I have to keep my leg elevated. It’s been hard to sit at a desk and I hate being housebound and not even being able to drive (it’s my right foot!).
On top of it, well…just not alot happening right now to be honest.
This is that gap between the summer and the holidays. Just not that many folks in town and the town itself seems to be quieter and getting ready for the holidays. Things will start to fill up more in the next week, but if you want to avoid crowds, this has been a nice time to be in La Paz. Not too hot. Not too cold.
Except for the fishing and other watersports, it’s one of my favorite times to be in town.
The winter winds have started. Not yet in full force, but about half the days of the week the northerns are blowing. At their strongest, they’re gusting maybe 10-18 knots and hour. Enough to make white caps and make it uncomfortable if not outright undesireable to be on the water unless you’re one of the myriad of windsurfers migrating to the area from all over the world in anticipation of the winds that will only get stronger the deeper we get into the winter.
However, if you get between the winds, there are some really nice days to be had. Water in some spots is still surprisingly warm with surface temps hovering close to 80 degrees. That warmer water is still holding some dorado and the occasional other warm water species like wahoo, tuna and billfish.
Most of the reports I’m getting are from local friends who can pick and choose which days to fish or from my captains who are out commercial fishing or out with their friends or family. There aren’t really any clients fishing during this time of year. So, it’s hard to really get a firm indication of what’s going on unlike the regular season when I have 20 or 30 fishermen out each day and boats scattered all over the area.
As the winds have increased, some of the waters are cooling and getting cloudier and that will only continue as we get deeper into winter. To that end, the inshore species in the colder waters have included snapper, cabrilla, sierra, pargo and similar fish. Live bait will be harder to get as well.
DATES FILLING for 2025 FISHING
Reservations for next year are coming in daily!
In 2024 was a great year for yellowtail, billfish and roosters, and I think 2025 the dorado will come busting back.
Many dates are filling for 2025 or getting close to it. We’d hate to miss you. Parts of May, June and August are already blocked.
Alaska Airlines will be flying direct to La Paz from LAX three-times a week so for the first time in over a decade there will be direct flights from the U.S. to La Paz. We are also offering 2024 prices for 2024 if booked before the end of the year and some free nights depending on the hotel and time of the season.
Don’t wait! Many of you have your favorite hotel or favorite captain.
La Paz -Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 11-18, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: Mostly pretty comfortable. You can tell the weather is changing. Getting cooler in the mornings and evenings. Almost time for a sweatshirt! Low 70’s to start the day and low 90’s in the day. Very pleasant. Starting to get breezier and the north winds start up this week which will change things completely once they start blowing consistently.
WATER: Mostly pretty and blue. Perfect for fishing. Getting 81 degrees on the surface, but colder water down deeper as evidenced by some of the fish we are hooking. Have had a few bouncy days from the winds. Gonna get rougher if the winter winds start to kick in.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: Dorado, tuna, wahoo, sailfish, blue marlin, striped marlin, amberjack, yellowtail, sierra, bonito, jack crevalle, roosterfish, trevally, pompano, cabrilla, pargo, triggerfish
FISHING ON A SCALE of 1-10: 7
THE MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Not one…FOUR! Brian Spicer had himself quite a day with Captain Victor taking four big wahoo off Cerralvo Island plus he also released a striped marlin. He donated or gifted the majority of the meat!
Randy Haire and Dennis Fujii with a nice rack or dorado to bring home!
Long-time amigo, Tim Butterworth always nails something great each time he visits us. He brought son-in-law Dave Spriggs this year and their last day, Tom got another wahoo with Captain Pancho.
Caroline Cain and family friend Kayla Lespade from Idaho had themselves a banner day with a number of big dorado like this fishing outside of La Paz Bay.
Great photo of a great day. Chris and Mari Bedsaul with Captain Gerardo.
Ken Takata and Steve Hirano fished 3 good days like this with dorado, pargo and snapper and Captain Gerardo doing the photobomb in the back.
This is what Santa does in the off-season! Actually, good amigo Rusty Cain…always good to have him visiting!
Our Tailhunter office managers, Maite Palacio and Arturo Becerrril got out on the water away from work and had fun on the dorado spot!
Mike Clark with Captain Pancho decked this beautiful blue marlin outside of Bahia Muertos. Mike had quite a battle as they passed the rod back and forth. The fish could not be revived and Mike donated much of the meat.
Chris Bedsaul and Captain Gerardo with the thumbs-up!
Such a great photo of a sweet amiga of Tailhunter. Mari Bedsaul always does well when she visits us. Beautiful colors! They actually lost two marlin and a sailfish this day!
Mike Clark poses with two of his four mahi on the day.
Anniversary trip for Don Jossie who was visiting us for the first time and had two days fishing with Captain Rogelio.
Many of you have known Benny Salgado for years working for Tailhunter as a cook, with me in the fish packing room and also our ace guitar player . We sent him out for the day to catch some dorado…good job!
The man behind the mask is Arturo Becerril…Tailhunter’s very own. He had fun with dorado like this one!
Good to have Steve Partridge and his wife fish with us for a few days. First day with Captain Armando out’ve Las Arenas was very productive! They’re from Redondo Beach CA.
Catch and release striper for Brian Spicer with Captain Victor! It was a good week for the billfish. Most broke off or were released.
Almost as big as her! Maite with one of her large dorado on the day! Her biggest!
Don Hugo poses with some of his catch of mahi at Bahia de los Muertos.
Brian…one more wahoo on the gaff!
_________________________________________
You can feel it in the air.
The seasons are changing. Daytime temps are getting cooler and breezier. The shadows are longer. The night times are pleasant and not a bad idea to have a light sweatshirt handy. Waters are getting just a bit bumpier when the breeze blows.
We usually say late October to April is our off-season. It starts getting windier and colder and once the north winds start blowing consistently, the fishing complexion changes completely.Not only is it rougher, but colder water fish move in as the ocean cools down.
Some days, it will be too rough to fish or you’ll get blown off the water. So, really not many folks will be fishing the next few months. But, this is why all the windsurfers and kiteboarders descend on us from all over the world to take advantage of our world-class winds in the La Paz area.
That’s generally speaking…
Sometimes, the winds don’t show up until later. And warm water fishing continues.
But, this year, just like clockwork, I can see in the forecast that next week strong northern winds start kicking up! Some gusts will be 12-20 knots.
We don’t stop fishing, but not many reservations now on the books. We’re usually running 10-20 boats per day from late March until October. For the next few months, there will be almost no one. And, if someone wants to fish, I make sure they know about the weather situation so they can make an informed decision. Many of the fisherfolks that I do get in the coming months are regulars who know what to expect. Or, they keep their schedules flexible so I can tell them which days will be worse than others so they can find the best day.
But, if this is our last “official” week of the season, we sure went out like gangbusters!
Dorado remained a solid mainstay of the catch.
It would be a crazy day if you didn’t come back with dorado in the box. Our boats have been taking 4-8 dorado on the average and many tell me they lost fish or released a whole bunch. Most fish have been in the 10-15 pound class but some of the larger bulls have hit the 20-40 pound size.
Ever day is different. Some days it’s an early bite. Some days it’s a later bite. Some days, you pick up one fish here…then 2 fish there…then nothing for a bit…then another fish…etc etc. End of the day you’ve got some decent fish in the box.
Biggest surprise…the wahoo!!!
I can’t remember when we’ve had a run of wahoo like this in my 30 years down here. Our boats were hitting 1,2, 3, 4 and 5 wahoo on the day fro 20-60 pounders. More getting lost or busting off. It was crazy. An early morning bite for the most part and 90% taken trolling Marauders, Rapalas and Nomads.
Anglers come down and fish for years trying to get just one of these incredible fish. And yet we had a few days when they suddenly just turned on like a light switch. The best spots were the north and south ends of Cerralvo Island.
As well, the billfish didn’t want to get left out either. After several weeks of non-existent biters, we had a number of billfish including sailfish, striped marlin and even the highly prized blue marlin. Most fish were lost and most that were caught were released whenever possible. But a real bonus catch!
With the weather changing, we’re seeing a few more colder water fishing starting to show up in the catches: sierra, amberjack, pompano, trevally and small yellowtail.
There’s still some smaller roosterfish still hanging out as well!
________
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
A big shout out and thank you to our Tailhunter Nation for a great 30th season. Whether you were able to visit us this year or not, Jilly and I appreciate all the love, support and friendship for all these years, but especially this year which has been especially challenging. The prayers have been the best!
As many of you know, Jilly has been dealing with some serious medical issues and has not been able to be down here in La Paz for most of the year. She’s been the ultimate trooper back in Texas dealing with the situation, while I’ve been here in La Paz alone trying to keep the Tailhunter Fleets, Restaurant and Transportation companies running and everyone smiling.
Even down here alone, Jilly has kept things rolling from up there so that I could keep things running as smoothly as possible down here. She is still my best teammate.
So, I’ve pretty much been going 7 days a week since April. I’m finally heading north to be able to see and spend time with my Jilly so we can figure some things out. I have a few medical issues of my own to iron out! (Nothing serious…just 30 years of wear-and-tear down here!).
I’ve done the fishing reports pretty religiously every week for over 28 years. But, given we’re about at the end of the season, I’m going to take a few weeks off. So, if you don’t see a report in a week, I just wanted you to know the reason. I’m fine! We’re fine.
It’s just that when my reports are late, I start getting e-mails from so many thoughtful folks!
Just wishing ya’ll grateful blessings always! Thanks for all the smiles and prayers!
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 Oct. 2-9, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WATER: Mostly nice and blue the way we like it with surface temps still in the low to mid-80’s. However, judging from some of the species we are hooking some cooler water starting to move in down deeper and along some of the coastal areas.
WEATHER: Warm and sunny. Highs in the mid 90’s in the day time. Can be a tad breezy in the mornings, but overall, nothing to complain about. Evenings are comfortable. I would still keep a light windbreaker handy.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: Dorado, tuna, wahoo, sailfish, marlin, sierra, jack crevalle, bonito, snapper, cabrilla, snapper, amberjack, rainbow runner, pompano, trevally, roosterfish
FISHING SCALE 1-10: Solid 7
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Ray Millman from Palos Verdes CA (middle) was on his 2nd trip of 2024 with us and brought his friend, Marc Bacon, with him this time. Captain Hugo found them a nice spot of bigger golden schoolie.
Captain Armando is a big favorite every year with Fernando and Nina Delmendo. Some nice mahi meat there on the table!
Stan Andre from San Francisco has been visiting us for years. He got onto this fatty yellowfin near Punta Pescadero on an early bite!
Love having first timers with us. Nick and Katelyn Hill from Utah had a couple of days on the water with us and took home a nice batch of dorado.
More great first timers! Aly Serafin and Shawn Mahan from Wyoming got to enjoy 2 days of fishing and some sunshine. They did pretty well on the fishing! Fun folks!
Biggest gold of the week? Wiley Randolph was with Capt. Jorge when he put the wood to this big bull! His personal best and always good to have Wiley down here!
Every year, Craig Brown and cousin, Bob Layko come down from Washington/Oregon and fish with Capt. Armando. Bob battled this 80 pound tuna on 40 pound test for over 2 hours and needed some help from cousin, Craig. But, the got it in!
Tom Maher had just one day to squeeze in some fishing and made the most of it hitting a nice spot of dorado!
Tim Campbell has been fishing with me over 20-something years. He finally brought son-in-law David Spriggs to fish down here and it was fun watching David get his first dorado. They fished the whole week.
Always great when Tim Nishimura from Sacramento comes down with son, Kenny. They have been here for years with us and love fishing with Captain Gerardo. Great guys!
Captain Armando put Steve Haeseker and Dan Schroeder on a jag of dorado for their first time down here with us. Good to have met new Tailhunter friends!
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Paul Nagata! Over the many years, our friend has been a poster-boy for Tailhunter with all his big fish and great photos. He was at it again this past week.
Lyle Huffaker with his first day big golden bull! Lyle is from Idaho.
Cody and Lucas Huffaker met me years ago in Idaho and have always wanted to come down! Finally made it and took home a bunch of great dorado and had some fun too!
Eric Pennington and Wiley Randolph got some great quality gold on the cutting table there!
Two of my all-time bestest fish brothers, Kenny Campbell and Johnny Gibbs fishing with Captain Armando.
So great to have Fred and Lisa Cruz from Washington come visit us again! With their favorite Captain Gerardo, I see dorado, pompano, cabrilla and snapper on the table!
It’s been many years since Shayne Grove came fishing with us. Great to have him back on the water!
Angelo Oliverio and Joe Malone give a couple thumbs-up on their first day fishing. Angelo…special shout-out to you on making it back after the medical incident! Blessings!
Johnny Terbu and Shayne Grove! Fishing buddies for years from Utah, good to see them on our water again. They started fishing with us almost 20 years ago!
Joe Malone has some colorful blue gold on the day’s catch!
Another view of that big tuna Bob Layko hooked and fought over 2 hours, but needed help from cousin Craig Brown here holding the fish with Captain Armando.
Dave again! Happy guy with more gold!
Rusty Cain has been fishing with us for years and loves fishing with Captain Armando. He was out with family friend, Kayla Lespade from Idaho to watch her tangle with dorado for the first time!
Terry Hawk makes it a point every year to fish with us and his favorite Captain Pancho. Obviously, he does pretty well. He’s had some great catches over the years!
Paul and Captain Pancho again!
Fred and Lisa again…different day…same result…MORE FISH!
________________________________________________
I was thinking that this time last year we were getting slammed by 3-days of Hurricane Norma. Nothing like that so far this year, but sending our thoughts and prayers to all our Tailhunter Tribe and Nation and everyone on the Eastern and Southern areas hit by storms two weeks ago and currently getting wracked again.
We had another good solid week of fishing. Lots of fun. Lots of smiles. Lots of folks catching their first…or their biggest…or the most fish!
This should really be a very short short fishing report. Just let all the photos do the talking!
It’s almost boring! We caught alot of dorado. There! That’s the report!
Both of our fleets did pretty well. Not alot of big bulls but just fun school-sized 5-15 pounders everyday. No matter, it’s a vast improvement over how the rest of the summer/fall has been with such erratic fishing. It’s good to be able to tell folks,”Have fun today. I’m pretty sure you’re gonna catch fish!”
I would say on the average, our boats have been bringing back 6-8 dorado per day. Really hard to tell because fish are getting released. Also, fish are getting lost! That’s just the way fishing is.
The bite can be pick…pick…pick all day and at the end of the day you have a nice box of fish. Or it can be agonizingly slow then all of a sudden…BAM! You hit a frantic school and all heck busts loose in a frenzy!
In addition to the dorado, we got a little jag of 50-80 pound tuna that hit us for 2 days then disappeared. You had to get on thise fish early in the morning before they went down
Also a few wahoo biters but nothing to get too exited about. Got a few billfish…all released.
Inshore, pargo, cabrilla, some roosterfish, but also seeing some cooler-water fish moving in like sierra, amberjack, pompano, trevaly and rainbow runners!
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
BEST WEEK OF THE SUMMER UNTIL ILEANA CRASHES THE PARTY
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Sept. 6-13, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WATER: Getting some surface temps of 86 degrees. Mostly blue and warm but some colder water still down deep and some dirty cold green patches still clinging.
WEATHER: High 90’s and very very humid. Stay hydrated. Feel like 20 degrees hotter than the thermometer says it is!
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: Dorado, marlin, sailfish, small tuna, roosterfish, jack crevalle, bonito, trevally, pompano, sierra, amberjack, rainbow runners, pargo, cabrilla, snapper.
SCALE OF 1-10: Fishing was a 6 …highest of the summer
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Tropical Storm Ileana has been a buzz kill.
Roger Laubscher and Chris Binkely from Louisiana have fished with us several years and had a banner 3 days with a load of fillets to take home. Unfortunately, they got caught in Cabo when the storm hit and got stuck overnight.
Leif Dover and Brian O’Neill are two of our better anglers who come every year and consistently rock big fish like this nice rack of dorado. They’re from Georgia. They are headed next month to climb to base camp on Mt.Everest for the 2nd time.
She’s been waiting more than 2 years for this trip. Veronika Sharikova loves to fish and fishes well! She just knocked roosters off her bucket list. Fish was released. She lives in Yosemite!
Our favorite flight attendant Carrie McKinley from Washington with one of her dorado. Check the flat waters!
Ron Clouser out with his sister Jan Nesmith and Captain Victor started out with a nice load of dorado including these two. They gifted all their fish each day.
Roger didn’t even know he was hooked to this massive sailfish at first. His first and it was caught with Captain Luis with our La Paz fleet. They were not able to release the fish.
Leif and Brian…day 2…more quality dorado fishing with Captain Hugo.
Tough fighting jack crevalle for carrie.
We love Don McKinley who has visited us several times and is a former missionary. Don has himself a tasty barred pargo near the rocks off Cerralvo Island.
Captain Jorge with his iconic thumb and Anita Wilkens first rooster! Normally, roosters aren’t here this late in the season. The fish was released.
Nice way to start the day with an early morning striper for Chris Binkley. His first. They are not able to release the fish. Chris hooked the fish just outside of La Paz Bay.
A day for big grins! First day out for Ed Hayes and Brent Lockhart!
I’m surprised our good friend, Dan McKinley doesn’t have a cigar in hand to go with the trevally! Good fisherman! Caught about 10 different species!
Good start! First day for Bryan Forward and Phil Kennedy fishing with Captain Moncho. Nice rack of fish!
Yea! First time visitors Veronika Sharikova and Amanda Davies decided to leave the boyfriend behind and do a girls fishing trip themselves!
Jon Eide with Capt. Armando and one of several mahi on the day.
First-time visitors with big smiles showing off a few of their dorado from the day, Bill and Jan Nesmith.
Andy Harrison and Jon Eide from Mineapolis MN visit us every year and have fun with their favorite captain Gerardo who has his job cut out for him cleaning fish!
_______________________________________________
Still not what it SHOULD be, but by far we just had the best week of the summer.
There were some rough spots here and there, but overall just a nice week of pretty decent fishing. There’s some colder green water here and there, but for once the fish were around and not only around, but willing to come to the party!
Mostly, the dorado finally decided to bite with the best areas being with our Las Arenas Fleet. Fish were school-sized 5-10 pounders, but also some legit bulls up to 30 pounds. Just lots of fun and some days, hitting limits (not a word I’ve been able to use much lately!) before 9 a.m.
For our La Paz fleet, fewer dorado, but there was a tendency for them to be larger and also billfish like sailfish and striped and blue marlin also got more active with most fish being released or breaking off, especially on the lighter tackle.
As well, there’s still some small to medium roosterfish around (all released). Add in lots of bonito action, jack crevalle, good fishing for pargo, cabrilla and snapper and overall a good week. Plus some unusual catches of amberjack, rainbow runner, yellowtail (small), and sierra which are all cold-water species.
It was going grand until INVEST 9-E from the south and turned into Tropical Storm “ILEANA”
At the time I’m writing this, the port has been shut down and we’re still waiting for the 3-5 inches of rain predicted but has not yet hit. Further south, Cabo is experiencing flooding and mudslides and where we launch the boats at Bahia Muertos it’s rough with rain, big waves and strong winds which are forecast to reach 30-60 mph.
But, it’s frustrating because we had to cancel all the fishing today and looking out the window it’s ugly and dark, but the waters in the bay are flat.
Lots of cancelled flights arriving and departing which added to the frustration!
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/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Aug. 29-Sept. 5, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: Cooler than normal, but with the high humidity, it’s still warm and I’ve had some folks go down this week because they didn’t listen and didn’t hydrate! Highs in the upper 90’s and nightime in the upper 70’s
WATER: More blue water than we’ve seen in over a month. That cold green stuff has diminished and surface temps are in the mid-80’s now. It has stabilized the fishing somewhat and improved somewhat although still not where it should be. But definitely better!
SPECIES HOOKED THIS WEEK: Dorado, roosterfish, marlin, bonito, jack crevalle, pompano, snapper, pargo, cabrilla, triggerfish, rainbow runner
FISHING SCALE of 1:10: 4
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY
First-timers from Oregon, great to have Chet Sater, wife Lisa and son Tanner with us. A pretty good day on the dorado bite plus one pargo added in! Captain Gerardo in the background with the photobomb!
Biggest dorado in a long time! Captain Pancho helps out Darrell Statin on a trophy bull he took on light tackle.
On their anniversary! Eric Killen is a big-game outfitters in Alabama and had been pursuing roosterfish on his bucket list. With wife Mary, he actually caught and released TWO nice roosters on their anniversary!
Our newlywed! I’ve known Emily Duncan since she was about 5 years old and she’s fished with us often. She brought new husband Matt who has never fished this year and broke him in. Her dad, Bob looks like he’s taking one of the dorado with him someplace! Bob has been my friend some 30 years!
Dan McKinley with the right kind! A beautiful bull on the light gear! Dan visits us every year from Washington.
Mike and Krista Zayak run sportboats out’ve San Diego and know how to fish. They had just one day on the water and made the most of it with a nice load of dorado and pargo.
Captain Jorge give Liz and Tony Taylor a hand posing with a trophy bull dorado and has a few others to clean on the cutting table!
Another day…more dorado! Tanner and mom, Liz, with a nice batch on the table headed for the freezer and back to Oregon.
Happy guy! Eric Killen with another catch-and-release rooster. Unusual to still have roosterfish around, but we have no problem with it. It’s been a wacky year for fishing!
A good day for Dan and Darrell!
Carrie McKinley with her biggest of the day. She took time off as a flight attendant to come visit us for the week with her family.
__________________________________
I won’t kid you.
Fishing is not where it should be by any stretch compared to what it usually is this time of year.
But, in all honesty, it definitely showed some better signs this past week since the last week or weeks of reports! And any improvement is sure better than what we had!
The biggest thing to mention is that the water conditions have vastly improved. For over a month, we’ve been plagued by cold, dirty, green waters that come from down deep and from the south. Normally, waters should be blue clear and warm!
We would have green water mixed with blue waters. Warm water on top and cold water below. Blue water would change to green water and vice versa in a matter of hours! We were running and burning gas all over the ocean just looking for the better spots. At one point our pangas were running 10-20 miles out looking for the blue waters! Unheard of!
However, even that was no guarantee. Where were the dorado and other blue-water species we normally hit this time of year. Instead, we were catching cold water species like yellowtail, amberjack, rainbow runners, pompano and trevally that we usually stop seeing in May or early June. Maybe the occasional dorado. But that was it.
I think the fish were as confused as us!
Well, over the last 8-10 days, waters have changed remarkably. Surface temps are hitting 83-86 degrees. There’s more blue water to be found and less erratic conditions.
Consequently, not surprisingly the bite has improved somewhat! More dorado showing. A few more limits of fish that we have not seen in weeks! Some nicer bulls in the 20-40 pound class as well.
That doesn’t mean we have completely turned around, but it’s encouraging as long as the waters continue to improve and there are no big weather changes (like storms or hurricanes to jack things up!).
We’re still hunting and pecking for the right spots. The fishing can still be spotty and some boats will get fish and others really struggle. One days the fish are on. Next day not so much. If you do find fish, you might only have one or two shots at the good stuff. If you miss or break off or come unbuttoned that might be your last shot of the day!
Also, I think the fish are just coming around. Sometimes when we find the right spot, we can see there are fish there, but they just won’t eat! But, at least we’re SEEING fish now. Before, we couldn’t even find fish!
What has improved really is the CHANCE of getting into the good stuff!
In prior weeks, your CHANCES were not good. This last week, we had some nice bright spots. Not only dorado, but a few billfish, roosterfish (should not be around this time of year!), lots of bonito and some of the inshore stuff for pargo and cabrilla can be wide open!
We’ll just keep our fingers crossed and hope things improve!
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
There’s dorado around, but we should be plugging the boats full of dorado this time of year. We really have to hunt for them these days.
The marlin bite that was so good earlier in the summer has tapered off, but there’s still billfish if you can find the blue water.
Our good amigos, Daniel and his dad, Jim Bovee with Captain Pancho come several times a year and know fishing in our waters as well as anyone. They spent 3 days and had to work hard for their fish and ran as much as 20 miles out trying to find the blue water.
_____________________________________
I DID NOT FORGET YOU! And YES, we’re OK!
Thanks to everyone who checked up on us and many apologies that it’s been about 2 1/2 weeks since the last report.
I’ve been diligently doing the fishing reports for almost 30 years…the videos for almost 20 years and regretfully, some personal and medical issues came up that were unavoidable and needed attention.
Then, a double whammy…I was ready to get out a report, but…
Not many photos since fishing hasn’t been that great and no one needs to see photos of 12″ tuna and 4 pound dorado
I accidentally pressed “DELETE” and the few photos I had ready for the report vanished! Just like that. My bad. My fault.
So, that’s what happened. I know alot of you folks kinda rely on getting the weekly report and thanks to everyone who checked in on me. We’re good to go!
Honestly, you haven’t missed much since the last report. In fact, not much has changed.
Fishing remains erratically perplexing.
Full discloser honesty without the sugar coating…
It’s August. Almost September. We should be knee deep in blue water pelagic species like dorado, billfish, tuna and such. It’s not like that.
Waters are still cooler/ colder than normal and very off-color and dirty instead of the pretty blue waters we should be enjoying. It’s also been a bit rougher than normal as southern winds keep bumping into us and nothing is as it should be.
We’re having to hunt hard to find the blue water and favorable condition. The captains are working hard chasing the right stuff and guests are being patient. The problem is that every day is different. The locations change. The water changes. What worked yesterday doesn’t necessarily work today. One boat finds fish. The boat next to it can’t get a bite. One boat catches dorado. The other boat only gets cold water species like snapper and triggerfish and cabrilla.
So, I think the fish are as confused as we are. The fishing results are mixed and the species we are finding are mixed. I can’t tell you if you go fishing if you have a better chance at dorado, marlin or needlefish. It’s just that kind of year.
Got alot of folks coming to visit in the next few week so hopefully things will get better. Just gotta hang in there. We’re doing all we can and wish I had a crystal ball or magic wand. In my 30 years this has been the most frustrating of seasons. But, if you don’t put a line in the water, you definitely won’t catch anything. I just can’t tell you what you’re gonna hook!
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
“Keep the circus going inside you, keep it going, don’t take anything too seriously, it’ll all work out in the end.”
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of July 20-27, 2024
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: It’s all over the place. It’s definitely hot in the afternoons…blazing actually, but not as hot as normal. Mornings and nights can be cool or hot and humid. It’s different every day. It can also be very windy and breeze or sometimes not even a whisper of wind.
WATER: It’s like the weather. And directly related. We have warm surface water and blue clear conditions or a few yards away cold green dirty water. Waters can be flat calm and an hour later bumpy as heck. Never seen anything like this in 30 years.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: Dorado, marlin, sailfish, bonito, tiny tuna, jack crevalle, yellowtail, amberjack, pompano, trevally, pargo, cabrilla, triggerfish…sharks!
THE MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE AND THE REST OF THE STORY…
Marie McClelland from Park City UT, visits us every year and has a knack for big fish, especially dorado like this one. She was out with Captain Victor.
Tom Wilkens brought his daughter, Kaitlyn with him for her first visit. They were out with Captain Gerardo for this pair of dorado.
My old high school classmate Eddie Falcon who lives up in Carson City NV area has a colorful dorado on the gaff. Check out the flat ocean!
As I recall, Tanner was out at the 88 bank when they hit a school of better dorado like this one with Captain Pancho. This was Tanner’s 2nd trip this year with Tailhunters
Braedon and Steward Pierson had themselves a ball with the spinning rods and some fun-sized schoolie dorado.
Our good amigo, Kip Slaugh, on his 2nd trip to us this year from Salt Lake City had a double marlin hook up and released both!
Jim and Brenda Bovee from San Diego have fished with us already 2 times. They got a quick limit of dorado then found of a school of litte baby yellowfin tuna…not football size…Pop Warner size!
This is a NICE dorado. Connor is about 6’1″! He was out with Captain Luis north of La Paz Bay.
Daniel Bovee with his favorite Captain, Pancho and a jack crevalle they released. Always good to see Daniel down here.
Brian and Marie McClelland with another bull for the fish box!
Matt Slaugh looks pretty happy with this striped marlin! The fish was released.
Eddie and Debbie Falcon with first-day’s catch of dorado going home to Nevada with them.
Gabe Aguilar with Captain Alfredo fought this striper for a long time finallly getting it to the boat.
Daniel Bovee and his mom, Brenda, found a patch of schoolie-dorado near Bahia Muertos.
Seeing an abnormal lot of sharks this past month of many species. My captain say it’s because there’s so much baitfish in the waters for them and it’s actually a good sign.
Tanner with another big bull! Big head on this one!
Brenda and Jim had a good day with limits of dorado releasing many.
____________________________________________
Well…we had a full moon this past week or so to add to our fishing issues.
That makes most folks cringe when they hear about fishing on a full moon.
But, pump the brakes! The fishing actually got a bit better during the full moon! Given how erratic and difficult the fishing had been the past month, this was great to have. Nothing great to be honest, but anything is better than what it had been!
The waters still remain weird. Cold dirty water in many spots, but then right next to warm blue water. And it changes all the time.
Got in the water on the beach and it should have been warm. Instead if was COLD! I got goose bumps. I walked down the beach about 100 yards and the water was like bathwater! That’s the way it is out fishing!
Here’s the rub…yes, we got dorado which bit a bit better this week. We actually got some limits here and there with guys releasing fish. I haven’t used the word “limits” in a few weeks.
Nothing big. Mostly school-sized 5-10 pound fish. Way off for what we SHOULD be catching, but at least they are biting. There are some larger 20-40 pounders around as well if you check the photos above. But, whereas in the last several seasons post-Covid where we had lots of big bulls swimming around, there are fewer big fish. And, if you hook one…and you lose it…well, that might be your only shot at a big boy.
That’s the warm water stuff. The rub is that we are getting COLD water fish! IN JULY!
This is unheard of in my 30 years here, but we’re getting yellowtail 10-25 pounds. We’re getting amberjack. We hooked pargo liso that we have spawning here in the springtime in April and May. I thought we were well on our way towards summertime fishing, but to be honest, this is more like spring-time fishing! It’s crazy. It’s un-predicatable.
The cold water fish just suddenly showed up again.
As well, another strange occurance…more marlin and sailfish than I have ever seen! Most are getting released, but some boats are getting multiple hook-ups on billfish…even when they are not trying and DO NOT WANT billfish.
Here’s another little funky fact…more sharks in the water than I have ever seen as well. Folks are hooking makos, blues, hammerheads, lemon sharks, thresher sharks and others…all sizes. There’s a ton of baby shark in the bay as well. Don’t worry, the sharks aren’t bothering anyone, but they’re a pain in the backside to hook them and have them tear up your line and gear after long fights or short fights then trying to unhook and release them.
My captains say that the sharks are here because there’s so much bait and feed in the water for them and this includes large schools of TINY SMALL tuna! Even smaller than bonito. Perfect munchy-size food for sharks as well as the larger apex predators like the marlin and sailfish.
So…bottom line…fishing did get better. But, nothing to blow whistles over…just yet! We can only hope and keep fishing! Our captains are working super hard and are super frustrated as well. Even staying out extra time some days to keep pushing to find fish.
Likewise, the guests are being patient and hanging with us as well. It’s strange because several boats could be on the same spot. Several boats are hanging fish and the boats right next to them can’t get a nibble. Or hot spots become cold spots and vice versa. There’s just no logic.
We just have to keep at it!
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
Tailhunter Fish Report 