La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 10-17, 2019
Mexican Minute Weekly Video Report
The Big Picture and the Rest of the Story…
Janie Robison escaping from chilly Wyoming got herself a nice yellowfin tuna.
We had folks fishing Bahia Magdalena this week. Guy Nazareno is holding a nice snook. But actually, it was caught by his 5-year old daughter, Natalie, but she couldn’t hold up the big fish although she dialed it in all by herself.
Big smiles for our very own, Jorge Romero, who took this tasty corvina in the shallow waters of Bahia Magdalena this week.
Donna Corona helps Janie Robison with her dorado taken just outside of Bahia Muertos.
Cute little baby roosterfish inside the bay! The fish was released to grow into one of the giants we get later in the season.
The winds came back this week and it was on the chilly side. However, fortunately the two best days when the winds laid down were the two days we had folks out on the water!
Bottom line, however is that the opportunities, overall for the week were small and when we did get fish, it was mostly bonito. No sugarcoating it.
On the two days when the winds gave us a break…
The first day, as is often the situation during these windy months, bait was hard to find so we had to drag lures. Still, some good action with lots of bonito to bend rods.
The 2nd day was much better and live bait was available and our folks got more bonito, but also small roosterfish and even dorado and tuna which are pretty unusual this time of the year during the colder windier months.
What many folks seem to forget is that when there’s storm in the U.S., the “winter conditions” don’t stop at the border. It has been an incredible stormy week in the western U.S. and along the Pacific Coast with wind, rain and snow.
Consequently, it was also windy and relatively cold in La Paz as well. The coming week doesn’t look that much better, but that’s to be expected this time of year.
In Other News…
Our Whale-Watching Season is in full swing. Lots of whales there in Bahia Magdalena and we’re running daily and over-night tours there for as long as the whales stick around. Hopefully until mid-late March!
Jilly and I just wrapped up the best Salt Lake City show ever at the Great Western Hunt and Conservation Expo at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. It was probably the largest hunt show we have ever participated in with outfitters from all over the world including S. America…Asia…Canada…New Zealand…Alaska…the U.S…./even Russia! Just walking the aisles was a lesson in geography!
Take a look at this video, I made. Turn up the volume and click the link:
We had folks come to see us from a number of states including New Mexico…Wyoming…Colorado…California…Arizona…Idaho and, or course Utah. We booked lots of trips! If you’re planning to come see us this year, don’t wait until we visit your town. We’re filling fast. Get in touch with us. We have 7 more shows to do!
Our next show is in Boise, ID from Feb. 28-March 3rd. We will be at the Boise Expo Center at the fairgrounds in Boise. Come check us out and let’s talk fishing in La Paz!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Feb. 3-9, 2019
Mexican Minute Video Fishing Report
Spoiler alert! This week’s video report was NOT filmed in La Paz! But, it makes it easier to sell sunshine and warm sandy beaches in places like this! Thank you, Oregon!
The Big Picture and the Rest of the Story…
The week started well with lower winds and calmer seas for once. Not many anglers in town, but we had a few and surprisingly got into some water-water action with a handful of dorado popping up. Nothing big, but it’s surprising to get dorado in the winter and for first-timers hooking an acrobatic 10 or 15 pound dorado is pretty exciting.
In addition, jack crevalle, good numbers of fat bonito plus some cabrilla over the rocks provided fun action, especially on light tackle. As the week went on, winds came up and it got colder and rougher..enough to bend the palm trees and put little white-caps on the bay.
TAILHUNTER WHALE WATCHING SEASON FULL ON
Our 2019 whale watching season is in full swing over at Bahia Magdalena and there’s a good number of grays that have already show up in the bay. They’ve arrived from their migration from the Bering Sea and around until about early or mid-March! Come on down and check out this great experience. Get in touch with us at http://www.tailhunter.com .
WHERE WILL BE WE NEXT?
By the time you’re reading this, we’ve left snowy cold Portland Oregon and headed to….snowy cold Salt Lake City, Utah! But, first a shout-out to Portland and all of our amigos in the Pacific NW for all the hospitality and ohana after 3 week in one of our favorite places.
It was off-the charts with shows in the Seattle and Portland area. Lots of you are coming to see us in La Paz this year so we’re looking forward to seeing you again!
So now, onto show #5…it’s at the
GREAT WESTERN HUNT
and
CONSERVATION EXPO
Feb. 14-17
SALT PALACE CONVENTION CENTER, SALT LAKE CITY UTAH
It’s nothing like you’ve ever seen. People come from all over the country to see this one! Here’s more information. Click the link:
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Jan. 27-Feb. 3, 2019
Mexican Minute Video Report
Not many anglers around these days which is off-season. Early in the week we it was pretty chilly, cold and windy. Conditions got a little better as the week went on. Bait is an issue because of the rough water so our captains relied on slow trolling dead bait and lures inshore where it was more protected. Catches included bonito, jack crevalle, snapper, cabrilla and barred pargo.
WHALE WATCHING SEASON IN FULL SWING
Although it’s not prime time fishing right now, from late January until March, it’s our whale-watching season and it’s in full swing and we’re running daily and overnight trips to Bahia Magdalena every week to spend time with the whales. Great family trip and opportunity to spend some incredible close-up action and interaction with these fantastic animals in the calm bay waters. E-mail us if you’d like more information at Jonathan@tailhunter.com
Coming to Portland This Week!
Our Tailhunter 2019 tour swings us into the big Pacific Northwest Sportsmans Show this week at the Portland Expo Center. This is probably the largest show in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest in the Western U.S. with almost 1000 vendors from all over the world including Mexico, the U.S., S. Africa, Alaska, New Zealand, S. America and more! If you’re into fishing, hunting, camping, boating and just the outdoors in general, there’s something for the whole family whether you’re looking for some great gear; booking a potential trip; or want to test stuff or talk and learn from experts.
Jilly and I will be in our booth at the Portland Expo Center all five days from Wednesday to Sunday! Let’s talk fishing!
The show runs Wednesday to Sunday so we hope to see you here! Let’s talk about fishing in La Paz this year! Check the link below:
Also…head’s up! Reservations are really flying in…faster than normal and many dates are filling up! Don’t wait until we come to your town to do a show this year. We have 9 more shows, but many dates are already booked or booking fast. Get in touch with us to save your spot!
Here’s the link to our whole list of shows coming up:
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Jan. 20-27, 2019
Mexican Minute Video Report
Something a little different this week. Sorry the video is a little ragged this week. We were in our booth at the Puyallup Fairgrounds and crowds were already starting to come down the aisle and watching some goofy guy (me!) talking out loud to his laptop! So I didn’t have much time!
Also, no real fishing to report so I answered some letters in the video about fishing in La Paz!
The Big Picture and the Rest of the Story…
Honestly not much to say about fishing this week. I guess I could make something up, but that’s now how we roll.
This is winter and off-season and not many folks out fishing from November to April. Mostly, it’s because of the winds and waves that can be very erratic. So, that’s what happened this week.
We did have a few folks set to fish early in the week, but it was pretty rough. So, as much as they wanted to go, I advised they just cancel. Stay at the hotel. Hang out at the pool. Go to town of lunch. Sleep in. Take a siesta.
Fishing is supposed to be fun, right? Not an excercise in staying dry and trying to stay in the boat. Many of the folks we have this time of year aren’t hard-core anglers. For some it’s their first time really fishing in the ocean so I don’t want them to have a bad time. As much as we love the business, especially this time of year, it was better to just advise folks not to come out.
Not much bait around but plugs and lures are working.
However, when the wind isn’t blowing, there’s some dorado out there. Pargo and cabrilla and snapper are still around the reefs and rocks.
Gary Wagner with a tasty sierra off Punta Perico. Note the jacket!
Sierra, bonito and jack crevalle near the drop offs. This coming week, the winds die down about mid-week so hopefully, I”ll have a better report for you!
TAILHUNTER ROAD TOUR 2019
Thanks, Washington! Now on our way to Portland!
Well, we just finished our 3rd show of the season. We’re wrapping things up here in the Seattle area and packing to head to our next show at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Oregon Sept. 6-10. We’ve had some fantastic shows so far! We’ve been in Denver, Sacramento and then this past week in Seattle.
Reservations are coming in fast this year! Don’t wait until we visit your area! Dates are filling up so get in touch with us as soon as you can if you’re planning to come fishing!
Dave and Michele Conklin, our long-time amigos from Washington stopped in to share a little “Baja cheer!”
With my honey, Jill, in our booth! The fish was “THIS BIG!”
La Paz -Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Jan. 13-20, 2019
Mexican Minute Video Fishing Report
Short Attention Span Week at a Glance
Weather – Variable. Some days were pretty windy and rough. Others were nice. Some localized showers. Highs were in the high 70’s. Nighttime lows low 60’s.
Water – You’d think it should be cooler than normal, but the fact that dorado are around indicates some warm waters.
Fishing – If the weather was good, it was fishable and some surprising catches with a nice mixed bag. If weather was not so good, then it made it tough. Live bait is not easy to get because of the erratic water. However, lures and dead bait seem to work fine. Got dorado, skipjack, bonito, jack crevalle, small yellowtail and sierra this week. Everyone got fish!
Forecast – Some high winds early in the week. Probably won’t be fishing. Then, gets better. Highs in the low 70’s and lows to the high 50’s. Partially cloudy skies.
The Big Picture and the Rest of the Story…
Chuck Chandler from Alaska and staying at Rancho Costa there in Muertos Bay near La Paz found some great sunshine and this big-headed bull dorado (mahi mahi) that no doubtedly hit the grill.
Our Captain Jorge put his guys on some dorado like this as he photobombs on the beach.
Captain Armando checks out the catch with a nice mix of action fish including jack crevalle, white bonito and yellowtail
Gary Wagner loves light tackle and got this colorful bull dorado of Bahia Muertos near his place.
Hope you’re enjoying or enjoyed a great holiday Martin Luther King weekend!
It was an up-and-down week dictated by the weather and winds which is typical of this time of the year. Earlier in the week it was calm although there were some incidents of localized rain mixed with sunshine. Later in the week, winds got stronger generating some rougher water.
Surprisingly, however, given it’s winter and waters are chillier than normal, we got into some decent school-sized dorado. Bait is difficult to get because of the winds and choppy surf, but dragging lures has been productive.
In addition to the dorado, tasty white bonito provided some great action. Many folks are surprised that the white bonito are not just great sport, but also pretty good eating! Add in some tough jack crevalle and a few firecracker yellowtail, sierra and cabrilla off the rocks and there were actually some nice catches.
TAILHUNTER 2019 TOUR
Just finished up our Sacramento Show for the International Sportsmans Expo that was at the state fairgrounds. It was off-the-hook! Jill and I stood and talked non-stop for 10 hours-a-day until we were hoarse! It was great. So many friends and new amigos. Lots of bookings for this year.
If you’re planning on coming fishing with us, don’t wait. Dates are filling FAST! I’m not kidding. Bookings are coming in daily and we’re booking dozens at every show. Don’t wait. Some dates are filled or filling fast. If you wait until we come to a show near you, it might be too late!
If you’re reading this, we’re actually probably on the road driving from Sacramento to our next show at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Washington just south of Seattle. This is the largest show in Washington and goes a whopping 5 days from Wednesday to Sunday. We always look forward to it.
Some of our crazy Tailhunter Tribe! Cheers!
Jill and I will be in the booth every day so come by and let’s talk about coming to visit us in La Paz!
NEW WEBSITE IS UP!
Don’t forget. Our newly remodeled Tailhunter Website is now up and rolling and we’re pretty excited. It’s still got a glitch or two that we’re working out, but it’s ready for you to check out!
La Paz- Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Dec. 9-16, 2018
THE MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN WEEK AT A GLANCE
Weather – Pleasant week for the most part. Low in the 60’s and highs in the high 70’s. Mostly sunny. Winds gave us a break earlier in the week but got stronger (and colder) as the week went on.
Water – Choppier and rougher later in the week
Fishing – More blue water species early in the week when the winds were down and it was calmer. More inshore and rock fish as weather got rougher and we had to fish closer in.
Species Caught This Week: dorado, tuna, cabrilla, seabass, bonito, snapper, jack crevalle
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Gary Wagner, owner of Rancho Costa there at Muertos, hooked 4 dorado and got 2 to the boat. He had a wahoo come off and he had a tuna on for over an hour before it came unbuttoned. Looks cold!
Laura Hernandez from San Diego got out a few days earlier in the week and got into the dorado. Later, as conditions changed, some huge sierra.
Not too bad a week, for the weather. It was just cold (by our La Paz standards!). Tourists were still running around in shorts while locals donned long pants and jackets! Likewise, earlier in the week, winds laid down long enough to get boats out and fortunately for our type of fishing, no one really had to go out very far.
There’s still some schools of dorado around with some nicer 15-20 pounders mixed in. Very surprising given the time of year. Along with the dorado, some tuna were also hooked and a wahoo did bite one of the lines but came unbuttoned which is an encouraging sign (that it bit, not that it came off!). Plus, add in the usual bonito and way too many needlefish. All-in-all, not too bad.
As the week went on, winds came up again and the waters changed resulting in more restricted fishing with colder-water species like sierra, jack crevalle, cabrilla and snapper biting. Hard to know when not that many folks are fishing. Most of the visitors to town are snowbirds just looking for sunshine and an escape from even colder places. Locals are all getting ready for Christmas.
WHALES ON THE WAY!
Our annual whale-watching season is almost upon us. Migrating yearly from the Bering Sea by Alaska, the whales are on their way to Baja to mate, give birth and hang out in the warm lagoons of the Pacific. We have daily and overnight trips booking fast. Contact us for more details for a great family trip!
SPREADING THE CHEER
Many of you know that my wife, Jilly, has had a program for five years whereby Tailhunter Outreach program collects clothes, toys, sporting goods, school supplies, medical supplies and more for needy folks and communities in and around La Paz. It was originally started after Hurricane Odile crashed into us in 2014, but the program just kept growing. To date, our Tailhunter amigos and brought down over 3 tons of good that we distribute throughout the year! Jill also has a scholarship program to keep kids in school as well.
Everyone’s favorite guy…Jorge Romero
This past week our own, Jorge and Sandra Romero donated almost 200 pounds of toys to the kids of Los
Planes (near Muertos Bay where many of our captains and their families live). With the assistance of Gary Wagner and his crew at Rancho Costa, all these kids got something for Christmas! Thanks, Jorge and Sandra!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Dec. 2-9, 2018
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO FISHING REPORT
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN WEEK at a GLANCE
Weather – Yuk. Not only windier and rougher, but two days of the week we had rain and it was pretty hard at times. But, not really anyone fishing those days anyway.
Fishing – Whoever went out at least, they got fish! Some nice cabrilla, pargo and snapper. Bonito always make for fun and some random dorado still around
Forecast – Later ths coming week might get pretty windy around Thursday and Friday. Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid-70’s. Nights in the low 60’s.
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Bonito and snapper in the box. Fun fishing. Snapper are excellent eating.
Not much to report this week. There’s a number of things to point at.
First, it’s off-season. Just not many folks fishing between November and April. It can be windy and rough. And indeed, that’s the 2nd reason there’s not much to report.
It was not only cold and windy this week, but it rained. In fact, it rained pretty hard at times. That winter storm “Diego” that dropped show and rain in California; flash flooding in Texas and is now slamming into the East Coast started down in Baja! So, that’s not exactly conducive to fishing.
Finally, tack on the fact that this is the “lull” between the holidays. There’s just not that many folks in town. Some snowbirds mostly or folks just looking for a little sunshine compared to where they’re from. And they’re not really in town to do much or any fishing.
All that being said, there was some spotty to OK fishing taking place. Inshore species like snapper and cabrilla…sometimes large cabrila provided action. For a lot of first-timers, bonito are always fun too. Some good eating sierra were taken and here and there’s schools of dorado running 5-15 pounds were about the only blue-water species around, but a hoot for a lot of these snowbirds.
WHALE WATCHING SEASON COMING UP SOON!
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Don’t forget! January to March is our prime-time whale watching season over at Magdalena Bay. Ask us about more details for this great family adventure. It’s the largest migration on earth and a fantastic experience to get so close to those incredible animals.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Nov. 11-25, 2018
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Town is kinda quiet these days. Nice time to be down here to enjoy some sunshine! You have the beaches to yourself!
When you can only squeeze in one day to fish in between bouts of wind and you make a great day out’ve it…Elijah Rush from El Cajon, CA got a handful of dorado, a tuna and some pargo (not pictured) for the ice chest!
Typical catch right now. Some snapper. Some pargo. Maybe some dorado.
As far as conditions, it wasn’t as bad as it has been when it’s been windy and rough with port closures. Actually, it was pretty nice overall. Sun’s out and a nice time to be in town with day time temps like a postcard in the high-70’s to low-80’s and night time temps in the high-60’s. Breezes kicking up to about 15 mph, but mostly later.
You can see why lots of snowbirds are “escaping” into town right now and we’re getting inquiries from Minnesota, Canada, Montana and North Dakota! No matter how “bad” our weather is, the only snow you’ll find is in a margarita glass.
But, by the same token, not many folks fishing. Almost no-one as a matter of fact. The folks coming to town are looking for sunshine and putting their toes in the sand.
The waters are still rougher than normal. In fact, last week several days the port was closed to all boat traffic coming or going. So, even if it’s calm in the bay, it can be crazy outside. Even, inside the bay it can be churning.
Two weeks ago, an independent dive boat overloaded with more than 2 dozen divers ignored the closures and went out. It got swamped and sank! Fortunately, everyone was picked up from what we heard.
However, we did get a few folks out. On the days it was really windy, we couldn’t go.
If it was moderately windy we were still able to fish inshore for some cabrilla, snapper, bonito and jacks. Weather permitting, if we could get just a little outside, there’s some dorado and tuna still hanging out.
Live bait has been an issue because of the rougher weather pounding the shallow bait areas so we’re using mostly dead bait or lures lately.
WHALE WATCHING SEASON COMING UP
Don’t forget our annual Whale Watching Season at Bahia Magdalena runs from January to March. Contact us for more info about a great family event and the opportunity to see these magnificent animals up close like you’ve never imagined!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 21-28, 2018
Mexican Minute Video Fishing Report
Short Attention Span Week-At-A-Glance
Weather – No shortage of sunshine. It’s really pleasant to be in town right now . Daytime temps in the mid-80’s with a breeze. Nights in the low 70’s. However, not always great to be on the water as Hurricane Willa (hundreds of miles to the south) didn’t mess with us, it did send up some huge swells and strong wind that caused us to shut down our Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay Fishing for 2 days. Then, increasing northern winds have made it difficult at time fishing out’ve La Paz. (Also makes it tough to find bait!). The seasons are changing.
Water – The increasing winds are lowering the water temperatures and the water is getting more green although there’s still some great blue water around . It’s all in transition.
Fishing – Maybe it was a combination of variables. Erratic winds. A full moon. Big swells. All of it contributed to a tougher week of fishing. I’ve seen worse. But I have also seen better. We had to work hard to get fish sometimes. Moreso than normal. More cooler water species showing up. Fewer blue-water fish around. Also, the ability to find and catch bait is affected by the weather. Harder to catch bait means harder to catch fish.
Caught This Week – tuna, wahoo, dorado, jack crevalle, lots of bonito, needlefish, roosterfish, pargo liso, cabrilla, triggerfish, dog-tooth snapper, pompano, palometa.
Outlook for Coming Week – Probably alot more of the same. Off-season imminent.
The Big Picture and the Rest of the Story…
Our Montana friend, Darrel Zauner, hooked into a few of these beasts, but finally got a big dog-tooth to the boat!
Gary Pilkington has been visiting us for years and it was good to see him finally get his first wahoo!
Lots of “firsts” this week like this good-looking roosterfish caught by Mike Hanson from Grants’ Pass, Oregon while fishing with Captain Gerardo. The fish is alot bigger than it looks. Both Mike and Captain Gerardo are abut 6’3″ tall! The fish was released.
Outdoor writer, lecturer, author and TV show host, Scott Haugen finally came to visit us from his home in Oregon and put the hurt on this sizeable wahoo using a purple Rapala.
Some good eats here! Two different kinds of pargo caught by Tanner Millspaugh and his dad, Travis, from Washington state.
Two of our new favorite amigos, Debbie Arvin and Lynn Murphy from Colorado, with Captain Armando and some pretty yellowfin tuna.
Great colors on Chris Aiellos, dorado that he caught fishing with our La Paz fleet
A solid day to sea-the-least! Mike and dad Gary Pilkington with a rack of tuna, a dorado plus a wahoo! Grand slam!
First-time visitor from Colorado, in rough water, Don Vanzo got a legit bull dorado on the gaff.
That’s the right kind! John Morgenstern all the way from South Dakota got another tuna into the panga and a great photo!
HI Paula! Well done, amiga! Nice bull dorado!
Alaska in the house! John Daley with Captain Moncho and alot of tuna meat headed to the freezers.
Just too pretty of a photo. This is Jae Shin from Alaska with a roosterfish on the flyrod in Bahia Muertos.
Here’s Jae’s roosterfish caught on the flyrod . Great fun on such light tackle! The rooster was released. That’s Bahia Muertos water.
She’s an author and lecturer and teaches classes in outdoor cooking! Tiffany Haugen poses great with a wahoo in the blue waters near Punta Arenas.
Robbie Boyd and his dad, Bill, and Captain Jorge display a pretty pargo liso an a couple of yellowfin tuna on the beach at Muertos Bay.
He looks grim, but Brian is actually a nice guy with two handfuls of dorado and tuna caught with our Tailhunter La Paz fleet.
You’re kidding! Greg Garrison and Nic Huff sport THREE big wahoo from a day of fishing right off the rocks at Punta Arenas.
Celebrating Lollie Milano’s retirement, Dana Milano came down for the week and got themselves some nice yellowfin going on ice.
Stan Andre gives a little kiss to his dorado he got while fishing with our Tailhunter La Paz fleet.
Brian’s got another dorado to add to the box! Despite some slow spots, he and his amigos took a nice load of fish home!
Gary Wagner loves light tackle and took this feisty rooster in the shallows in front of his place at Bahia Muertos. The fish was released.
Scott Haugen knows how to pose with a fish…like this colorful dorado.
Nic had never fished before but scored a number of highly covered wahoo!
I think that’s Brian behind the mask with another dorado.
Tough fish to pull out’ve the rocks, but Scott Haugen did the trick after 5 of them got the best of him and broke him off.
Table full ‘o’ tuna for Mike and Kirsten Hanson from Oregon!
Great shot of Mike Pilkington’s first wahoo. Caught with Captain Pancho driving the rig. Nice fish, Mike!
They don’t have many mahi mahi in S. Dakota which is where John Morgenstern will be taking these fillets!
First dorado for Ms. Tiffany. She is such a gamer!
It was a hit-or-miss week of fishing as the warm water season winds down and cooler conditions move in. We often had to work a lot harder for our fish this past week than we’ve been used to during the season but everyone got fish. It just wasn’t as easy or as plentiful in some cases.
It was erratic. One boat would find fish and a boat next to them would struggle. We’d look for tuna and only find dorado. We’d chase dorado and get dog-tooth snapper. A boat trying to pargo or cabrilla would hook a wahoo! Just no rhyme or reason. One day our Las Arenas fleet would be hot and the next day our La Paz fleet would have the hot bite!
A lot of it had to do with the weather. Winds are blowing stronger and coming from all directions at different times of the day. It’s cooling off the water temps. It’s clouding up the water. It’s making bait harder and harder to find as waves crash into the shallow areas disturbing the bait schools.
The big hurricane Willa that hammered far south of us, did not do us any damage. The sun burned brightly every day. But it did throw up some big wave and southerly winds that forced us to cancel two days of fishing with our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet. As the winds increase from the north, I imagine there will be more days that are tough to fish as the season diminishes.
However, there was a good jag of wahoo this week. Some boats got multiple strikes and landed several.
The tuna were a little more scarce, but little spots of tuna popped up if you could jump on them fast enough. The schools were very often busting water, but were hesitant to eat or would only eat quickly and move on so you only had a small window to get in on the bite. The full moon might have had something to do with that.
Again, we had unusually huge dog-tooth snapper and pargo liso come up off the shallows busting rods (really!) and 150-pound test. We got about 1 out’ve every 8 or 9 hook-ups on these tough fish.
Dorado are still around. Mostly in the 10-15 pound class.
ON a PERSONAL NOTE…
This is been an emotional roller-coaster week. Earlier in the week, my dad passed away. He was 91-years-young.
Many of you knew him. He loved to fish. He loved reading this fishing report. Thankfully to Jill, she jammed a ticket back to Los Angeles in my hand on a “gut feeling” and told me to get back to see him NOW and she kicked me outta La Paz.
I got to spend a few hours with him and hold him for a bit and after spending most of the night with him told him I’d be back in the morning to have breakfast with him. Little did I know that would be the last. The next morning, he took a breath and let go and slipped quietly and peacefully away.
I had to get back to La Paz and three days later…talk about the circle of life, we welcomed Hannah James Reid our 2nd grandchild to our daughter Jessie Reid and Brian Reid. Whoo-hoooo!!!
The circle of life keeps rolling!
Just wanted to reach out to thank the hundreds of you that sent condolences to both Jill and I and also all of you sending congratulations. We do not pass through life alone. Glad to be on the path with so many of you. God bless!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 14-21, 2018
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO FISHING REPORT
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN WEEK AT A GLANCE
Weather – Temps dropped crazy almost 2 weeks ago and fish went into shock. North winds started blowing and stirred things up. Supposed to have gotten some rain that never showed up but the season is definitely changing and moving towards cooler and breezier. End of the blue-water season coming earlier than we’d like
Water – still warm! Low to mid-80’s although air temps are sometimes cooler than the water temp!
Fishing – Really having to hunt and search these days. Some days good. Some days not so good. Some boats do good and boat right next to them terrible. One captain is hot one day and next day someone different catches the lightning in the jar. Fish are all confused with all the weather variables. It’s also affecting the bait situation and availability.
However, mid-week, air temperatures started to rise. Humidity returned. The winds slowed down. And the fishing got way better…mostly…sometimes…compared to before!
Outlook This Week – Supposed to get more and stronger north winds. Maybe even a tad of rain. Might hurt the ability to fish with our La Paz Fleet if the northerns get too much stronger. If the cooling trend is sustained, then fishing will definitely change.
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST OF THE STORY…
Wow! Great start for Craig Honkanen (r) and Ken Austad (l) and a double wahoo hook-up!
Fishing with their favorite Captain Armando, Bob Layko and Craig Brown from Washington visit us every year and started with a chunky dog-tooth snapper, a yellowfin tuna and some blue bonito!
Laura Hernandez’ giant dog-tooth cubera snapper (pargo perro) that ate a whole bonito.
For two gals who had never fished in saltwater before, Margie and Debbie did pretty good on the tuna with Captain Pancho!
From Alaska, Brian Ginder posed with Captain Victor and one of the larger tuna and a bull dorado.
Nice grillwork on this big pargo that Mark Buchanan has! And a face only a mother could love…the fish I mean. Mark is fine!
Dorado aboard the Esperanzas fishing out’ve La Paz with Captain Boli and Scott and Mike Atherly.
I’d say Justin Jones and Mitch Gayman had a pretty good day with Captain Moncho! Check out all the tuna on the table and a nice wahoo as well!
Is this the biggest triggerfish ever? Jeff Ferguson from Colorado Springs CO. That’s alot of ceviche!
Steve Resky and the panga all to himself and rocked it with a solid day of tuna, cabrilla and big triggerfish!
Maybe the prettiest photo of the week. It’s surely my favorite. Taken by Jae Shin of John Daley and a flyfishing catch of a little roosterfish from the shore (released). John and Jae are from Anchorage, Alaska.
That’s a legit cabrilla, Jenn Wilson! Just outside of Bahia Muertos she’s staying out there at the Rancho Costa Resort.
Geeze…that’s a big pargo! Steve McKellips from Arizona hung this gorilla just outside of Bahia Muertos.
You gotta love Paige Resky! She’s 8 years old and in rough seas outside La Paz Bay, in her rain slickers with blood on her legs, she’s a gamer and holding onto her dorado! Nicely done, young lady!
Captain Jorge has been fishing with our good friends, Jeff and Marianne Sakuda from Cypress CA for years.
Matt and his dad, Dennis Gayman from Arizona had some nice tuna to bring back to the beach, among other catches this day.
John! I told you that you’d get in this week’s report! Good day, my friend!
You can’t beat the light tackle action in our area. Gary Wagner had fun with his trout rod right in Suenos Bay and poses with a feisty jack.
Pretty photo of our first-time anglers to visit us in La Paz, Marlene and Taky Kikuchi with some handfuls of yellowfin.
Noah and Justin Lauby with Captain Chavelon with one of two big sailfish they hooked at the same time that swallowed little sardines while fishing for tuna.
Michelle and Mitch Allen show off some of the variety. In addition to tuna, they also got these two…a pargo liso and a cabrilla. All great eating! The Allens are from Arizona.
Our amigo, Jeff, and first-day yellowfin tuna!
That’s a big barred pargo (pargo mulatto) and Laura Hernandez always seems to hook big fish.
Craig Brown and cousin Bob Layko with their favorite Captain Armando. Nice wahoo, Bob!
Jeff’s got a barred pargo off the rocks at Punta Perrico there in the background.
Steve and Bill from Oregon got a whole-lotta fish over 3 days including one of quite a few yellowfin tuna.
Under the mask, I think that’s Brian Schwalbe and for sure that’s Chris Aiello with Captain Gerardo and 4 of their yellowfin.
Grant and Juli Nakagawa made their first trip to La Paz this week and got some dorado and tuna.
Really great shot of Mike Atherly and his dorado caught out’ve La Paz. He and dad had a pretty good day.
Our Florida visitors, Dave Wilson and Kurt Bertsch hung out in La Paz this week and took a few days to fish with us. Good guys!
No big deal! Ken Austad has himself a table full of tuna!
Tim Gardner is somewhere behind that mask! He had one day to fish and slammed pretty good with a number of tuna and this bull dorado.
Two weeks ago the weather down here changed dramatically. Almost overnight temperatures dropped precipitously from the mid-to-high-90’s down to the mid-to-low-80’s! Humidity disappeared and the northern winds or winter started kicking up waves and chop.
The fishing fell off drastically as well. After such a good long season, I was about to declare the season pretty much done. I figured the season had just ended a bit sooner than we expected because we normally don’t see these kinds of conditions until November.
So, for about a week and a half, including the beginning of this past week, fishing was difficult. We had to scratch for everything we got. It was erratic at best. Rough waters…changing currents…winds…all contributed to an anemic bite. It also affected our ability to find live bait. Several days there was little or no live bait to be had! There were a few highlights here and there, but the chew was not what it had been. Some boats got skunked.
But then, about mid-week, we had a change. The temperatures and humidity started to rise. The winds calmed down just a bit. Bait became more readily available.
And little-by-little, the bite improved. A few more tuna. A few more dorado. Some wahoo. Pargo, big dog-tooth and cabrilla. Even a few billfish. Not what it had been, but a zillion percent better than two weeks ago and the beginning of this past week.
It’s still a hunt right now. Some boats are doing better than others. Some captains are doing better than others. But then…the next day a boat that was hot now struggles. A captain that couldn’t get a nibble suddenly is on fire! There’s just no predicting. The captains are working hard to find the bite. Harder than they would normally have to as we adjust to the changing ambience of wind and water.
There’s no doubt that the season is changing. Winter conditions have definitely started to move in earlier than we would have liked.
THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
Celebrating her retirement, Dana and Lollie Milano came down with several loads of BRAND NEW clothes this week.
As we wind-down to the end of another season…our 23rd down here…just wanted to give another high-five to everyone who brought down stuff for our Tailhunter Outreach programs and charity foundations! You made a huge difference in so many ways with thousands of pounds of goods and bags and bags brought in every week. I wish I had space for everyone’s photos. But, you know who you are!
Just this week we got so many more loads of clothes, school supplies, medical items, shoes and more. I think most of it will be headed to the orphanage.
Tailhunter Fish Report 