La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of May 19-25, 2022
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IN A NUTSHELL:
Fishing on a Scale of 1-10 (10 being best): 6
Temps: Weirdly cold. Mid 50’s at night to high 80’s in the day (bring a sweatshirt)
Las Arenas: Lots of variety but mostly coldwater species. A few tuna, dorado, wahoo. But great roosterfish to 50+ pounds. Pargo, cabrilla, snapper, pompano, trevally, palometa, sierra, jack crevalle, dog-tooth, amberjack, yellowtail, bonito. Have to go to the island to find bait.
La Paz: Mostly big yellowtail 10-40 pounds. Some cabrilla and rockfish. Rougher waters in the mornings and cold! Catching mackerel for bait to catch the big yellowtail.
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MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Right up in the surf near the Punta Arenas lighthouse, Troy Kuzminsky from Washington found a big rooster and was able to release it!
I lost count of how many roosterfish Guy Markus from Utah caught and released over 2 days. Maybe 6 of them, but here’s one of the big ones!
Paul Markowitz (right) brought his amigo Rick Willis with him to fish with us in La Paz and these were Rick’s first ever salt-water fish. It included cabrilla, triggerfish, white bonito and a yellowfin tuna.
Yeow! Captain Pancho was out with Dave Kosnosky from Washington when this huge roosterfish…estimated at over 80 pounds…pounced on Dave’s 22″ ladyfish bait. Dave said the fish blew up and actually tail-walked across the water like a marlin! They were able to release the fish unharmed.
Captain Jorge and Troy Clovis with one of the few dorado caught this past week. We should be catching alot more normally this time of year, but waters remain on the cool side.
Trolling a Rapala xRap in the shallows, Dave nailed this big cabrilla.
Alot of good-eating variety here! Mike Lubliner and Pat Boyle have cabrilla, rainbow runners, mullet snapper, yellow snapper and dog-tooth snapper on the cleaning board with Captain Jorge
Bob Kuzminsky’s rooster was taken on a live bait just yards from shore near Punta Arenas. They released the fish.
Enjoying his new retirement, Ruben Cornejo picked up then released this roosterfish just off the beach. This is “Roosterfish Alley.”
If Steve Wright looks a little tired, it’s because his arms are probably a little worn from fighting several big roosterfish like this one! Steve released all his fish.
Yellowfin tuna, yellow snapper, dog tooth snapper and a big pargo liso made for a great day of action!
Another big rooster for Steve. He rocked several big roosters and was able to release them all.
Big smiles from Bob Kuzminsky and another roosterfish!
It was an up-and-down week, to be honest. What’s going on??? CRAZY!
This is more like late March or April weather and fishing!
Winds, waves and colder weather…even fog were issues that affected the fishing and had us working harder for the fish. Bait was sometimes an issue as well because it was also affected by conditions and some days were just plain rough. These cooler conditions are lingering alot longer than normal when we should be into almost summer climates by this time. It’s a long thermometer to be sure. Nights are in the low to mid 50’s (cold) and then jumping into the high 80’s by daytime.
Roosterfish running 10-50 pounds (and larger) have truly been a highlight as the fish are now prowling the shores and beaches around Las Arenas and Bahia Muertos. Our anglers are catching them on sardines, but the larger ones are falling for the bigger ladyfish (sabalo) baits slow trolled behind our pangas. Those same areas are holding jack crevalle, pargo, snapper, cabrilla, sierra and amberjack. Schools of white bonito have added to the action. Occasionally someone hooks a dorado. Billfish are swimming around, but not quite ready to bite. We are getting more pompano and trevally than I have ever seen. Same with rainbow runners…baby cousin to yellowtail.
Surprisingly, yellowtail up to 40 pounds should be long gone, but they’re still on the area north of La Paz and feeding on mackerel. I think as long as the waters stay some what cooler than normal and the mackerel stick around, so will the yellowtail. No doubt this has been the best yellowtail season in my memory after 30 years down here, but I wish the dorado would show up finally.
Football season starting? Football-sized tuna here and there! Troy got one!
Keeping an eye out…we’ve had little teasers of tuna and wahoo lately. Trying not to get too excited then get disappointed, but it’s encouraging that they are around! We’ll keep you posted.
Captai Armando put Matt Harringer and his guys onto a couple of nice little fun yellowfin tuna as well.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report from Tailhunter Sportfishing for Week of May 11-18, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Brad Sleder visits us a few times a year from S. Carolina and was out with Captain Pancho when he got this big roosterfish to chomp down on a live ladyfish he was using for bait. They were fishing just south of the Punta Arenas lighthouse and were able to release the big rooster.
Yes! Looks like wahoo are finally back in the area. Jim Sweet from Montana decided to commit a whole day to chase wahoo at the south end of Cerralvo Island and got this wahoo with Captain Armando on a trolled Rapala.
Thumb’s up from Captain Alfredo with Ryan Hales who put the hurt on this big boy yellowtail in surprisingly calm waters near Espirito Santo Island.
Kallie Steever just got married and came down with her husband specifically to catch a roosterfish. She did pretty good right off the rocks south of Bahia Muertos on this rooster that she photo’d and released. She and her husband are both firefighters from Grass Valley CA.
Keith Hemstreet from Washington gets a hand from buddy Brad Sleder on one of the few dorado caught this week…a nice bull.
Big smiles for Dr. Bruce Mullen from San Diego area and his rooster he caught and released just off Punta Perrico.
Captain Victor poses with our Arizona amigos, Mike and Roxsand McCleary and quite a great mixed catch of good-eating fish including cabrilla, rainbow runners, pargo, triggerfish and snapper.
Oh yea! Kirt Steever caught and released 3 of these roosterfish fishing with Captain Jorge right off the shore in shallow water. Beautiful fish.
That’s alot of fillet! Barbara and Bruce have cabrilla, snapper, huachinango, triggerfish and a few others on the cutting table after a day of fishing.
Great shot of first-timer with us from Jordan UT, Guy Markus and his roosterfish caught and released on a live sardine.
Two of our new Montana friends, Mil and Ann Siefke with rainbow runners (yellowtail0, pargo, snapper and cabrilla.
Whoa! That’s a hog of a cabrilla caught by Kendra Hales and even Captain Alfredo is straining to lift the big-belly fish!
First one for Steve Wright from Utah taken north of Punta Pescadero in shallow water with live bait. The fish was released.
All the way from Michigan where he said they are still able to ice fish, this is Ryan Morgan with one of several roosterfish he caught and released.
Captain Victor put Brad on another wahoo this week as well as one of the few dorado caught. Hopefully, the dorado kick in soon as waters warm
Ryan Hales had himself a pretty good week of fishing with us. Here’s another roosterfish to pose with and Captain Jorge before releasing the fish.
I have never seen so many palometa (yellow pompano) as we have caught the last 2 or 3 weeks. We are catching more in a day than we would catch in a normal year. Great eating too! Mil Siefke and Jim Sweet check out their haul.
Kendra’s first is a big rooster with Captain Jorge. The fish was taken on live bait in that shallow area just north of Boca de Alamo.
Another of the better cabrilla caugh this week. This time it’s Guy Markus.
It was a strange week on so many levels. Everyone caught fish, but the weather and water conditions made it a bit more difficult than it had to be. Mostly, just when I thought winter was done, it reminded us that anything can happen out on the water. Couple that with a full moon and (of all things) a solar eclipse and there were some crazy moments out on the water. It couldn’t help but affect the fishing!
For one, just when I thought we were done with the winter winds, they kicked up again from the north. In fact, they were so strong, the port captain shut down all boat traffic in-and-out of La Paz Bay for 2 days. That meant no fishing! Fortunately, we were able to put folks out with our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet on the east side, so everyone could get out. However, one day the waters were so rough, the bait guys couldn’t catch bait. So, there was no live bait to sell or use. Therefore, not much caught. The next day, the waters were a bit calmer and the anglers could get bait, but there was a big swell and alot of chop.
Despite all that, air temps were still a very pleasant 90 degrees and sunny on the average and we still had a huge variety of fish. Normally, by now we’re in to the warmer water species like tuna, dorado, wahoo and billfish.
Cory Stewart with his dad, Dennis, and Captain Adolof check out the day’s catch of pargo, snapper and ‘cabrilla.
However, I think due to the winds keeping the waters cooler, the catch mainly consisted of cooler water fish with no shortage of pargo (dog-tooth as well as spawning mullet snapper/ pargo liso), snapper, cabrilla and jack crevalle. Plus some super catches of pompano and big palometa amarillos. Overall, I think I counted about 14 different species caught.
Captain Pancho poses with one of the larger pargo liso that are now moving into our waters to spawn.
Not so good eating, but tough when you finally hook them. Jack crevalle are called “toro” in Spanish because of their feisty and belligerent nature at the end of a line.
The real spotlight, however, remained on the nice catches of roosterfish which seem to get larger every week. Lots of legit fish in the 10-40 pound class were caught and released falling for live sardines and larger ladyfish. Some 50 pound class fish were also hooked most close to the shore between the Punta Arenas lighthouse and just south of Bahia Muertos.
Kirt has another one!
Crystal Baker with one of her caught-and-released roosters. Crystal is from Michigan.
For La Paz, just when I thought the yellowtail have to be gone because of the time of year, the big fork tails bit hard. We had one day where all of our boats got 2-7 big yellowtail running 20-40 pounds with lots of fish lost to the rocks or inexperience with these hard sluggers. Most of the fish were caught on live mackerel.
A stocky fat yellowtail for Dennis Stewart who was celebrating his birthday.
A few dorado caught, but until the waters warm up a tad, they’re just mostly not ready to feed although we’re seeing scattered schools. Same with the billfish and tuna.
MEXICAN FISHING LICENSE UPDATE!
For everyone that has been struggling with trying to obtain their Mexican Fishing license online:
It’s been a head-banger of frustation. IT IS NOT YOU!!
Apparently, the bank that supports the credit card transactions bailed so they had to find a new bank to handle the transactions. The search has taken week and its been a nightmare.
But, apparently the issue has been solved and the website is working!!! Pick SANTANDER Bank when you fill out the application online.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Bahia Muertos/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of April 18-25, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST OF THE STORY…
Our Oregon amigos, Jeff Killian and John Chung hung these 3 nice yellowtail using live caballitos of Espirito Santo Island.
Cheers from Patty Killian and Tracy Chung on their way back to La Paz from Espirito Santo Island with 7 big yellowtail on the deck!
Now THIS is a trophy cabrilla that Kahuku Oades caught right off the shoreline in front of Punta Perrico.
Mike Luna from Utah on his first visit to La Paz got our first big dog-tooth snapper (Pargo Perro) of the season.
Easy to see why they’re called dog-tooth snapper! Check out the choppers on this bad boy.
Randy “Doodles” Gumns had a banner day with a variety of fish including this bonito, snapper, cabrilla and others.
Brent Gumns had only one day to fish and squeezed in a day with Captain Gerardo and got these two cabrilla among others.
First time out and first day fishing, Mike Luna caught and released 3 roosterfish off Bahia Muertos.
We had some strange weather this week. Very windy mornings then calm afternoons. Calm mornings that turned into windy afternoons. Warm water current. Cold water currents. We even had a rare day of thick fog that made it look like something out’ve fishing the Oregon or Washington Coastal areas!
Except for the fog, of which I’ve only seen a handful of times in 30 years here in La Paz, the rest is pretty typical of this transition time between our cold water and warm water seasons. The weather (and fishing) can be erratic an unpredictable. One hot spot one day becomes ice cold the next day for fishing. One species of fish that is foaming one day can completely disappear and a different species pops up somewhere else.
It does, however, make for some fun fishing with some crazy variety.
A week ago, I was predicting that the yellowtail and cooler water fish were diminishing and moving off. Yellowtail counts were down and so were other cooler water species like the sierra and snapper. We were seeing more of the warmer water species like dorado and billfish starting to show up.
Well, I guess I was wrong. The yellowtail bit strong again, especially north of La Paz toward the Espírito Santo Island area where waters remain cooler than further south around Cerralvo Island. The fish were a healthy 15-25 pounds and willing to take live sardines, caballito and jigs. Lots of bigger fish are getting lost to the rocks, inexperience and simply being tough fish!
Further south for our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet, not so much in terms of yellowtail. The waters were windier, rougher and more of the fishing was confined closer to shore. As mentioned above, one day it was not only cold, but so foggy, it was impossible to even see Cerralvo Island across the channel and the bait guys couldn’t find the bait spots. So, anglers had to use lures and jigs for the day.
But, the good news is that more roosterfish have moved into the area, especially close up to the rocks and those long stretches of flat beach. Most of the fish I’m seeing are 15-30 pounders and, as far as I can tell, all getting released. Hopefully, especially if the larger ladyfish baits or mullet move into the shallows, we’ll start seeing the really big monster roosters up to 100 pounds!
Along the rocks, some big cabrilla getting taken along with snapper, pargo, sierra, jack crevalle and lots of common and white bonito.
THANK YOU BRETT!
For almost 15 years, the Tequila Bandito has wandered the tables of our Tailhunter Restaurant as a purveyor of fun and conduit to free tequila shots to our guests. His famous bandoleros were shadows of their former glory and the leather was literally disintegrating daily and was due to be retired. If only that belt could talk and tell stories!
New ones are impossible to find. The guy down in Baja is no longer in business. Can’t find any makers on the internet or in the states.
The newly- retired bandoleros. So disintegrated the shot glass holders were splitting and able to hold only a handful of “shot bullets.” Had to duct tape the belts to keep them on.
Thank you Brett Bleichrodt who recently gifted the Bandito a brand new hand-made set of shiny bandoleros! Brett is a leather-goods artisan from Colorado who has fished with us for several years and makes some dandy leather items. The bandolero is his first, but probably not his last. If anyone wants a set, I can put you in touch with our amigo! Muchas gracias, Brett!
Armed and ready! The new set and enjoying with Rita Luna from Utah!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of Mar. 26-April 2, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
That’s ALOT of quality meat on the table! Jim Molinari and Kip Slaugh our long-time friends from Salt Lake City started their week with alot of filets for the ice chest! I see big cabrilla, pargo, amberjack, a big yellowtail, sierra and snapper!
Jim Bovee and Pancho are always a good team. Jim ran into some of the winds, but still picked up this good-looking yellowtail on a pink yo zuri. Jim was staying at Rancho Costa this time there at Bahia Muertos.
First-timers from Santa Barbara who only had one day to fish, Jack and son Lucas Bohnet have some terrific fish to take home with this yellowtail and big trophy cabrilla.
Another amigo with only one day to squeeze in, Chris Anthony put this yellowtail in the box, but also battled a big hammerhead shark as well fishing off Espirito Santo Island.
First-time friends from Utah, Kyle and Nancy Skibsted were out with Captain Armando and caught the only dorado of the week as well as some white bonito on the table and a tasty sierra! They also threw back a bunch of hard-charging skipjack.
Here you go!!! On day and BOOM! Captain Gerardo put Mike Gollick and his wife onto a sweet bite of hefty yellowtail plus bonito and sierra.
Bucket list for San Diego angler Jonathan Vilchez. Tough day fishing, but they did get one yellowtail fishing with captain Rogelio and Licho, but Jonathan put the hurt on his first roosterfish and one of our first of the season as well. The fish was released!
No big thing! Jim and Kip again with another good day on the water. Check out the size of these yellowtail plus the nice amberjack as well. I see a triggerfish and cabrilla peeking out as well.
YEOW! Craig Wong and Martin Aguilera have some pig yellowtail in hand there in Bahia Muertos!
This is a trophy cabrilla that Captain Pancho is lipping for Jim Bovee! Jim took it on a spinning rod and trolling a big lip Rapala. Nicely done, guys!
All indications are that with each passing week, the conditions are warming and improving. We’re not completely done yet with the strong northern winds of winter that often blow us off the water from November to April, but we had one one of the better fishing weeks, all things considered.
Still not many folks fishing, but overall the area has become much more fishable with only about 3 days that were gusty. We still had daytime temps in the low 80’s and nighttime temps in the high 60’s.
Fishing success was just really determined by where you fish and what day you picked. If it was one of the windier days, then it was more difficult. Also, if it’s windy, it’s hard to get live bait. Either because the winds make it difficult for the bait guys to catch the bait under the rough conditions or because there simply aren’t that many fishermen out right now, it’s not economic for them to go out if there aren’t enough anglers to purchase the bait. So, that means using alot more lures than normal. Also, alot of it is luck. On any given day, some boats just did better than others.
Two things especially stand out. First, the yellowtail are still around and biting nicely. Not sure how long they’ll stay around, but some nice healthy 20-35 pound fish are being hung on the high spots around Cerralvo and Espirito Santo Island as well as some of the inshore shallower rock reefs. The fish are eating jigs, lures and live bait. Hopefully, these fish will hang out a bit longer, but as the waters get warmer, these fish will move off to deeper water and replaced by warmer water species like the dorado of which we caught a few this week. In the same areas as the yellowtail, we also rocked some nice amberjack which are the cousins of the yellowtail and also pretty tasty on the table.
The big surprise were the big cabrilla (seabass) caught this week. Trophy-sized 5-12 pounders that looked like baby grouper were not uncommon and found in many of the rocky places where we were also hitting the yellowtail and amberjack .
In addition, action was also pretty good on several species of bonito and skipjack, snapper, pargo, sierra and jack crevalle.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of Mar. 11-17, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Captain Blas has been rocking the yellowtail when he can get out. This big one ate a live mackerel off Espirito Santo Island.
YEOW! Dr. Jesus Velarde was out with Captain Pancho and nailed this mossback yellowtail on a Rapala outside of Bahia Muertos.
Yea…the yellowtail can be horses right now.
Water condition are changing and definitely warming as indicated by some of the species that are starting to show up. The only issues is the winds still make it rough and difficult to fish. About half the days this week were not fishable or so bad that the port captain shut down all boat traffic. The other issue is that often, because of the winds or lack of fishermen this time of the year, the bait guys aren’t going out to get live bait or the bait is difficult to get.
That being said, we did have a few folks out on the 2-3 days that were fishable. Again, as mentioned, bait was difficult, but using jigs and frozen bait, yellowtail were still the targeted catch, but other species showed up as well. The yellowtail could be close to shore in shallow water and with the fish going 20-30 pounds it could be a tough battle keeping the powerful fish from the rocks. The areas around Punta Perrico as well as the north and south ends of Cerralvo Island were all holding fish as were the west and east sides of Espirito Santo Island inside the coves and high spots.
Other species included some nice jags of sierra, pargo, cabrilla and snapper as well as bonito.
However, some dorado are starting to show up which is a good sign that waters are warming up earlier than normal. There were also marlin sightings although no hook ups .
SPOKANE – BIG HORN OUTDOOR SHOW WASHINGTON
We’ve been on the road for the better part of 3 months now and we’re finally coming to the end of the trail. It’s been great! Thanks to everyone and all the hospitality at the Central Oregon Show in Redmond last week! Incredible fun!
This week, we’re at the Spokane County Fairgrounds for the Big Horn Outdoor Show that runs Thursday to Sunday. This is our first time in this area and it’s a massive production and huge show with almost 500 exhibitors, live music, food, seminars, demonstrations, RV’s, boats and more! Stuff for the whole family. Come out and see us!
After this, just one more show…one of our favorites. The International Sportsmans Expo at the Denver Convention Center in Denver, CO. Then, we head home to La Paz!
Don’t get left out from fishing this year! We’re filling fast. Contact us soon. I can be reached directly at jonathan@tailhunter.com
Even if you can’t make the show, we’ll apply the show discounts if you reach out before the end of March!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of Mar. 3-10, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Jimmy Williams, pulled this nice yellowtail off Cerralvo Island. See his comments below about a tough day fishing although he and his buddy ended up with two ‘tails on the day.
Justin Sawyer from Salt Lake City had just one day to fish and he and his wife drove all the way up from Todos Santos to squeeze a day on the water. He hooked this slap yellowtail plus a sierra and several big cabrilla (on the table). They also released our first roosterfish of the season.
Our good amigos, Marianne and Jeff Sakuda from Cypress CA with Captain Pancho and a nice rack of sierra plus two yellowtail. They had trouble finding live bait because of the winds so they hooked everything on lures or Rapalas.
A nice week to be in La Paz, but not necessarily a good week, once again, to be on the water. Winds tore things up early in the week, then again, later in the week, the winds came back. As a matter of fact, at the time I’m writing this, the port captain has shut down all boat traffic out of La Paz because of the fierce winds and rough seas. Winds are blowing as much as 20+ mph.
We did have about 2 days of waters that were calm enough to get a few folks out. It was fortunate, because these were the only days that these anglers had to fish. As with so many folks during the off-season, folks are in town for some vacation, not necessarily to fish and then decide maybe to get a day on the water and try some fishing. I always warn them about the weather.
Fortunately for the few anglers this week, they picked the two days that were the least windy. Fishing out’ve Las Arenas and pushing out’ve Bahia Muertos, there was some decent action inshore for sierra, jacks, bonito and hefty cabrilla. We even got our first roosterfish of the season which was released and surprisingly a little early in the season to see roosters, but good to know. There were also a few stray dorado.
Over the inshore drop offs and then over at the north and south end of Cerralvo Island, there were a few yellowtail taken when the weather allowed. These were a nice great 20-30 pound class fish. A few nicer ones broke off.
This is how our amigo, Jimmy Williams, reported about his day on the water:
“Slow day fishing yesterday for us but the fish are there. Only problem catching quality sardines sucks right now. Nothing but pinhead bait for us. We even left the playa at El Sargento at 5: 30 to beat the masses. We went out to La Reina and made green jacks for bait. Big schools of perfect size jacks were all around La Reina. We ended up with 2 yellows for me and Phil lost 1 to the rocks. Nothing else.. Nada.. We fished between north end and La Reina and hooked all the yellows on green jacks. Shaw some dorado being caught as well.”
Captain Alfredo took a few of our guys to the west side of Espirito Santo Island norht of La Paz and hooking this nice yellowtail.
It was a similar story for the few anglers we had fishing straight out’ve La Paz Bay towards Espirito Santo Island. Hiding from the wind in the coves, they found shallow water action on snapper, cabrilla and small amberjack, but also the occasional heftier 20 pound yellowtail.
YEOW!!!!
Just had to post this one up. Captain Alonso is one of the independent panga skippers in the area and he had this client (I wish I knew her name) and 30 pound test jigging at the north end of Cerralvo Island. Take a look at this best of a grouper she battled to the boat! HOLY COW! On 30-pound test and check out the little noodle-stick fishing rod! Well done! Yes…there are still big fish around!
TWO MORE SHOWS TO GO
As you’re reading this, we are currently at the Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond Oregon. The show goes through Sunday.
We’ve been on the road now almost 3 months and 2 more shows to go:
BIG HORN SHEEP SHOW
Spokane, Washington
March 17-20
and the
INTERNATIONAL SPORTSMENS EXPO
Denver Convention Center
DENVER CO
March 24-27
Come see us and let’s get you set up for fishing in La Paz this year. Don’t wait. Dates are filling fast. If you can’t come see us, take a look at this:
Hope to see you down the road or in La Paz this year. The fishing is really heating up already!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Bahia Muertos/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week Feb. 7-14, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Gary Wagner, owner of Rancho Costa, gives a gaff-assist to Reagan Kobach from Kansas. Crazy dorado in February!
This is a first! In almost 30 years and thousands of fishing clients in the area, I’ve never seen anyone catch a barracuda. I’ve seen small schools during scuba diving, but this is really unusual. In fact, it looks very much like an Atlantic barracuda with it’s big head and jaw rather than the typical skinny Pacific barracuda. Kris Korbach with the smiling pose!
These fish might look small, but they are powerful fun action fish! Kris and Lily hit a bunch of these white bonito which are not only fun, but great tasting!
GW in the house! Actually, Gary Wagner in HIS house as the owner there of Rancho Costa Resort with a big sierra. Knowing Gary this ended up as bowls of ceviche for dinner!
I had a feeling this would happen. After so many crazy day and weeks of wind with so very few windows of opportunity to fish, the wind actually took it’s foot off the pedal for more than a day. The waters settled down. The ocean flattened out.
And sure enough we had some fish bite!
Once again, we had some nice slugger yellowtail in the count up to about 25 pounds feeding off the high spots south of Cerralvo Island and then north around La Reina and La Reynita. Some larger fish…maybe even big amberjack might have been hooked in the same area as the anglers said, they were getting hit by something much much larger down there more powerful than the yellowtail.
WHAAAAAT? DORADO IN FEBRUARY?
Additionally some dorado crept into the counts as well which is indicative of either some warm patches of surface water or else a sign that our waters are warming early this year. The fish averaged about 10 pounds. Not too big, but lots of fun and good eating. Surely, no one was complaining about the surprise biters on the chew. Dorado in winter? Usually, we don’t see dorado until late April!
On top of that, the usual inshore fish of sierra, pargo, lots of Pacific and white bonito as well as snapper and cabrilla were in the counts.
Again, not really that many folks on the water and this coming week looks like the wind are going to come stomping back at 10-18 knots per hour, but good to know there’s some fish out there.
WHALES ARE BACK!
Our whale-watching trips to Lopez Mateos on the Pacific side are in full-swing right now as the vanguard of the annual migration of grey whales have arrived in the shallow warm waters of Bahia Magdalena where they’ll mate and birth for the next 2 months or so. It’s a great opportunity to get close to these fantastic gentle animals.
The whales have been more than cooperative to come visit with the boaters!
HERE WE COME PORTLAND!
We just wrapped up the biggest show of the 2022 road season this week in Salt Lake City at the Western Hunt and Conservation Expo at the Salt Palace in downtown Salt Lake City. By far, the craziest and most hectically fun show so far! Jill and I were 10 hours straight for 4 days talking non-stop in our booth. We ran out’ve flyers and brochures as the aisles were packed shoulder-to-shoulder with folk coming to check out the more than 700 exhibitors from around the world.
Shout out and thank you to everyone who came by to say hi and we’re looking forward to seeing you in La Paz this year!
We got so many bookings and reservations for this year to come fish that each night, Jill and I were up another 3-4 hours logging all the reservations back in our hotel room! Dates are filling up and now we’re headed to another huge show in Portland!
We banzai drive from Salt Lake City back to the Pacific Coast! We’re probably on the road by the time you read this!
The Pacific Northwest Sportsmans Expo runs Wednesday to Sunday (Feb. 16-20) and is held at the Portland Expo Center at the north end of the city by the river. We’ll be in the booth all 5 days and looking forward to seeing you.
There are hundreds of booths and exhibits each year with seminars, displays, lots of gear to check out and buy and exhibitors from all over the world for hunting, fishing, camping, RV’s, boating and so much more!
Dates are filling really fast and Mexico has dropped all covid restrictions as of last week! Mexico has become the #1 international travel destination! Don’t wait. We have 4 more shows coming up, but our fishing calendar is filling. Get in touch with us! ( Write me directly jonathan@tailhunter.com )
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Jan 19-29, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
We actually tried to send out some boats this past week. Everyone was informed that it might be very windy and rough, but they wanted to give it a go. One day they had to cancel because of the winds. Another day, the only got to fish a few hours then were blown off by the winds. They got one bite from an unknown fish and lost it. That was it. Another day, was also a cancelations.
Just not a great time to be on the water. Air temps are sunny and warm going up to the low 80’s in the day, but the north winds continue to be pesky and prohibitive. Mostly the only folks fishing right now are some of the commercial guys as well as some of our captains with family or friends for sustenance during the off-season which runs November to April.
Live bait has also been an issue because with so very few folks on the water, it’s not economical for the bait guys to work all morning to get bait they can’t sell to anyone or they have trouble getting the bait because the areas holding bait are too rough.
The few catches that are being made are mostly the usual inshore stuff. Generally small snapper, some cabrilla and pargo. Peripherally hooking jack and bonito.
GRATEFULLY BACK ON OUR WAY and THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!
Busted the glass, the wrap, the pistons AND the tailgate!
In case you hadn’t heard, we are finally back on the road and headed to our third show which will be at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup WA. More on that below.
However, we wanted to give a shout-out to all of our Tailhunter Tribe, Family and Friends who came to our rescue. Last week during the show in Sacramento, our Tailhunter vehicle got broken into. Nothing taken, but the intruders pretty much destroyed not only the glass and custom wrap but also the pistons and part of the tailgate.
The vehicle was not driveable and had to be towed.
We have more than 2 more months of shows to attend and were initially told that parts and repairs might take as much as 3 weeks! There were simply no parts in Sacramento because of supply chain issues. One part was all the way in Michigan. The one tech who could do the repairs was TWO months backed up with work!
Jill worked like crazy on the phones with dealers and found Epic Chevy in Sacramento who went above-and-beyond. They found subcontractors in other cities who had parts and they all pulled together to get the parts expedited to the Chevy dealer where a tech put us to the head of the line and worked all weekend to get us on the road!
Instead of 3 week, it was done in 5 days!
Good job, Jilly. She used to work in the car industry for 20 years and dug deep to get us back on tour!
However, so many of you offered cars, trucks, trailers, your homes, your connections and even meals to help us get through or get back on our show circuit! The out-pouring was incredible. We are more than touched and grateful and you humbled us with your thoughtfulness! God bless you all for being angels when we needed you!
On a side note, we’ve been doing the show in Sacramento for over 20 years. Never had an issue. But, sad and distressing to see the area around the fairgrounds. Lots of homeless living everywhere and pretty much anywhere they decide to set up a camp or boxes on the sidewalk or a parking lot. Vagrants walking all over. Folks living in derelict cars. At the stores and markets, there are no baskets or carts…they have all been stolen.
One of our good friend who is an hunting outfitter in Idaho had his whole rig stolen from the parking lot. One of our clients was carjacked at gunpoint by a guy fleeing a murder.
So sad to see the deterioration. Praying and hoping for better!
…SO HERE WE COME WASHINGTON!
Thanks to everyone who has come to visit us at our Reno and Sacramento show and to all of you who signed up for trips to come visit, we’re excited to have you come fishing with us this year! Muchas gracias!
So from Feb. 3-6, we’ll be at the Washington State Fairgrounds south of Seattle at the Washington State Sportsman’s Show. It’s always a good one and we love visiting the area every year. Come say hi and let’s talk about fishing in 2022!
The calendar is filling up with reservations coming in daily! Do NOT wait to check with us or to come to your city in the next few months. We don’t want to miss you and dates are really filling up fast!
SHOWS COMING UP:
Salt Lake City, UT
Portland, OR
Bend, OR
Spokane, WA
Denver, CO
Hope to see you !
WHALEWATCHING SEASON IS READY FOR YOU!
Prime time for whale watching at Bahia Magdalena! Now through March when the whales come to hang out in the shallow bay before heading back up to the Bering Sea near Alaska on their annual migration. Get in touch with us to set up the whole package trip! It’s a life-time experience!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Bahia Muertos/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Jan. 11-19, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
A rare calm day, but there’s marlin in our waters!
Captain Pancho was out on his own with family friends near Bahia Muertos when he hooked this baby sailfish. An unusual catch in the winter. The fish was released and they went home with some cabrilla and pargo for dinner.
Unexpected biter on light tackle!
A windy week again and even a bit of rain this past week. Most of the winds are still coming from the north between 10 and 20 mph with some stronger gusts making it difficult to be on the water. Air temps are running from the low 60’s at night to the mid-70’s in the daytime.
There were a few very small windows to fish. Either because the winds diminished a bit (but it was still rough) or at least to get out for a very short time before the winds pushed everyone off the water.
Most of the fishing has been inshore since captains are hesitant to either go out too far where it can be rough or staying inside just-in-case the winds kick up. Also, if the winds are blowing, it’s difficult for the bait guys to get live bait so slow trolling inshore with crank baits or similar is often the only way to catch fish. However, catches inshore can still be fun with sierra, jacks, small bonito, cabrilla and snapper.
Mostly, it’s the captains, their friends and other locals fishing.
There must be some warmer water outside because on those rare occasions when the boats can push out a little further, there are some dorado hanging out. Either holdovers from last season or that have arrived early for the 2022 season! Who knows?
The biggest surprise were finding billfish in our waters so early in the season. Normally, we don’t see billfish until maybe May or even June depending on the water temperatures. But, in the small windows of fishing opportunity the last few days, the guys are hooking striped marlin. Again, there must be some warm water around and obviously, a food source for the billfish!
But, still a nice surprise.
SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL SPORTSMANS EXPO
We just wrapped up a fantastic show at the Reno Convention Center in Reno, Nevada for the Wild Sheep Foundation last week. With all the shows closed down for almost two years, it’s a crapshoot wondering if anyone will show up, but we had lots of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors so thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi…grabbed a brochure…and for those who booked with us! We’re looking forward to the visit!
This week, we are back in the booth at the International Sportsman’s Expo taking place Thursday to Sunday at the Calfornia State Fairgrounds in Sacramento. It’s the biggest show in California now and I’ve heard there’s over 600 exhibitors from all over the world for fishing, camping, hunting, boating, RV’s, off-road, seminars, demonstrations and more! Stuff for the whole family!
Come bay and say hi. Let’s talk about fishing in La Paz this year. The calendar is getting filled so we don’t want to miss you. We’ve got a new brochure this year as well. Here’s more info:
Hope to see you here. After this, we’ll be at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup WA from Feb. 2-6.
WHALEWATCHING SEASON IS HERE AGAIN!
February and March are ideal times to come see the whales in the warm calmwaters off the Pacific in Bahia Magdalena. It’s the largest migration in the world as these great animals venture down from the Bering Sea to mate and give birth every year. Contact us now to set up a trip of a lifetime!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Dec. 19, 2022-Jan. 2, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Not much happening during the holidays. Temperatures took a dip and weather remained inconsistent with some days showing very strong winds and rough waters and not many folks out at all on the water. We even had some strong rain come through.
Because of the weather, we cancelled a few bookings and just advised folks it was better to roam around town or hang out at the pool. No sense in wasting money getting bounced around and not catching fish.
Some folks who did go out, had to come back early. With the rough waters, it was difficult to find live bait so they spent the day trolling up a few cabrilla and snapper. However, some of the commercial guys reported some stray dorado and even a few wahoo taken far outside. Some bonito and jacks also picked up as well.
But, overall, very slow mostly because no one is fishing this time of year. Off-season is November to April.
ON OUR WAY TO SEE YOU IN 2022 – TAILHUNTER BACK ON THE ROAD!
Come visit our booth to say hi and let’s talk about fishing in La Paz this year!
Looks like we’re headed back out on the road this year!
In 2020, our show tour got curtailed about half-way through. Then, last year, all the shows were cancelled. However, this year, we’ve got 8 shows on the calendar and hopefully adding a few more before the end. We are really excited and hope to have you come see us and say hi and let’s set up a trip to come visit us this coming fishing season!
Here’s the schedule:
TAILHUNTER 2022 ROAD TOUR
RENO NV – Wild Sheep Foundation Show (Jan. 13-15) (Reno Convention Center)
SACRAMENTO CA – International Sportsmans Expo (Jan. 20-23) / California State Fairgrounds
PUYALLUP WA – Washington Sportsman’s Show (Feb. 2-6) (Washington State Fairgrounds)
SALT LAKE CITY UT – Great Western Hunt & Conservation Show (Feb. 10-13) / Salt Palace
PORTLAND OR – Pacific NW Sportsman’s Show ( Feb. 16-20) / Portland Expo Center
REDMOND OR – Central Oregon Sportsmans Show (Mar. 10-13) / Central Oregon Fairgrounds
SPOKANE WA – Bighorn Sheep Show (Mar. 17-20) / Spokane County Fair and Expo Center
DENVER CO – International Sportsmans Expo (Mar. 24-27) / Denver Convention Center
We hope you can come visit. You can Google the shows for further details or write to us at Jonathan@tailhunter.com
Also, don’t wait until the show comes! Spaces are already filling and some dates are already filled. Get in contact with us as soon as you can so we don’t miss you, especially if you want certain dates, hotels, captains or are looking to catch a specific species!
Tailhunter Fish Report 