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/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Feb. 23-Mar. 2, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Her biggest fish is a nice fat yellowtail. Big smile from Captain Alfredo. Even bigger laugh from Renee Deinken who lives in Lake Tahoe CA
Jim Kappes took his wife out for a single day fishing with our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet and came back with some tasty white bonito and a nice load of sierra.
Chris Early with the right kind! A nice springtime yellowtail caught just north of La Paz near Espirito Santo Island.
Another fat yellowtail into the fix box.
The sun was out and the winds were kind early in the week which gave us about a 2 days window to get some folks fishing. It’s a good thing because before that the winds kicked badly enough from the north that the few boats that were out might as well have stayed on the beach (as I had warned them prior) and later in the week, the winds were even fiercer. So bad that the port captain shut down the port to all boat traffic in the interests of safety.
However, in those few openings that presented themselves, we had a nice little jag of fish and fish variety.
We had the usual inshore species of cabrilla, jacks and some really nice sierra as well as white and blue bonito (the good-eating ones!). There were also a few free-swimmer 10-pound class dorado.
The trophy fish were the nice grade of yellowtail up to about 30 pounds that ate yo-yo and knife jigs as well as mackerel for live bait. The fish were found in the usual spots around structure especially at the north and south ends of Cerralvo Island, Punta Gorda, Punta Perrico and the east side of Espírito Santo Island. Some bigger fish broke off even on heavier lines.
The tuna that briefly popped up the prior week and got everyone excited didn’t come back.
SHOW TIME!
Jill and I are back on the road. We just had maybe the best show of the tour season at the Portland Expo at the Pacific Northwest Sportsman’s Show. It was honestly off-the-hook and thanks to all our amigos who came to the booth to say howdy and booked trips with us this year.
Our next show:
CENTRAL OREGON SPORTSMAN’S SHOW
Redmond, Oregon
March 10-13
Come say hi and let’s get you set up for La Paz this year!
NO FRED HALL SHOW LONG BEACH
In case you hadn’t heard, after 76 years, the Fred Hall Show at the Long Beach Convention Center has been cancelled next week. There will also be no further shows in in San Diego at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. It’s really very sad.
Our spots for the year are filling fast. Don’t miss out. If you haven’t been able to make it to our shows we had in Reno, Sacramento, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Portland and can’t make it to our next 3 shows, no worries. Check this out below if you reserve before the end of our show season in 4 weeks at the end of March!
Don’t miss out on your La Paz fishing trip this year!
SPEEDY RECOVERY TO REAL HERO
We talk about supporting our military, but we really want to give a shout-out to one of our own Tailhunter Nation Fish Brothers and ask for your prayers for his quick recovery. Talk about sacrifice and being the ultimate badass good man…
Rob Chambers just DONATED ONE OF HIS KIDNEYS to a 24-year-old-veteran on the East Coast who needed the organ. ONE OF HIS KIDNEYS! Let that sink in!
Most of us have trouble sharing our french fries, let alone surgically removing a kidney to help a fellow vet. He’s my new action hero.
Rob doesn’t know the young man. Site unseen. They have never met. Rob found out he was a match and a vet needed help and stepped up. And Rob’s no spring chicken. God bless you, Rob, and blessings to the young man whose life you just changed and saved.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of Feb. 15-22, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
The BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY...
Some legit nice grade of yellowtail have been on the chew at the north and south ends of Cerralvo Island as well as other high spots and even in the shallows!
Not a bad mix of fish for February! Some bull dorado, a few good-sized cabrilla, white bonito and a sierra!
The area around Espirito Santo Island straight out’ve La Paz Bay is also holding yellowtail on the days the north winds aren’t blowing in your face and you can get out!
Our amigo, Gary Wagner, at his place the Rancho Costa Resort at Bahia Muertos with an uncharacteristic (for this time of year). dorado!
It was a kinder-gentler week from winter winds this past week. Most of the days were actually fishable much to the concern of all the windsurfers and kiteboarders, but much better for fishing.
Given it’s still technically “winter” the signs have been encouraging. Daytime temps touching the high 80’s and nighttime in the comfortable high 60’s and when the winds aren’t blowing those days been relatively calm for this time of year and good enough to get some folks on the water. There’s still not many as this is off-season, but most folks this time of year just want a day of fishing or so and are in town on vacation unlike the fishermen who show up later specifically to fish for numerous days.
“Catching” hasn’t been to bad either. Often, there’s a big difference between “fishing” and “catching,” but the catching lately has produced a nice variety of fish. In addition to the usual cabrilla (seabass), sierra, pargo, jacks, and numerous bonito including tasty white bonito, along the inshore areas, there are some toad-sized yellowtail coming off the high spots and rocky areas. Fish have been in the 20-30 pound class. There have also been some free-swimmer dorado in the 10-15 pound size starting to show up earlier than normal in the season.
Here’s what one of our local friends, Jimmy Williams, wrote after fishing this past week and hitting the winds, but then finding some big yellowtail he couldn’t stop:
“I fished Wednesday out of El Sargento.. West wind was up when we reached the north end of Cervalvo, so we made beautiful large sardines just south of the red rocks on northeast side. Fished a few areas over there for a while for only 1 grande sierra. Left there and headed to La Riena and got our ass kicked getting out there, but when we drift fished just west of the rock over the pinnacles, we picked up 2 nice Dorado, 8 grande bonito, and some nice cabrilla. We hooked 4 brute yellows on live bait and couldn’t get one to boat. All 4 rocked us and I was using 60# with the drag buttoned down.”
It was also exciting to hear that at the north end of Cerralvo Island, some big 60-80 pound yellowfin tuna were blowing up in the chumlines although there were no bitters. I was told that they came up just aft of a big school of feeding yellowtail.
BUT WAIT!!!!
Just as I was going to post up this report, check out this slugger 150 pound yellowfin tuna caught at Bahia Muertos! YEOW! I guess the tuna ARE around! It took 5 hours to boat this toad fish!
These pig tuna can put the hurt on you in the worst way!!! Be careful what you wish for! LOL
Stand by!!! Maybe more coming soon!
THANK YOU PORTLAND!
Just finished up one of our favorite shows and saw so many of our good friends and clients! It was a crazy 5 days, but always fun. Thanks for all the hospitality, Portland, and we’re looking forward to everyone who signed up for trips to come fish with us in La Paz this year!
NEXT STOP – The Central Oregon Sportsmens Show!
We’re packing up our rig and now headed to Redmond, Oregon to the fairgrounds and we’ll be there March 10-13th. We’re looking forward to seeing you. However, don’t wait. We are filling up so crazy fast! Grab your calendars and get in touch with us so we don’t miss you. Lots of regulars are coming back. Lots of folks are tired of staying home. So, come down and fish with us.
In fact, we know alot of folks didn’t want to venture out into the crowds at the show. We perfectly understand! However, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on our show special discounts! Check this out:
Also, we’ve been doing this 30 years and we know alot of you have stayed with us at La Concha, on the beach, but we have some new locations as well on the Malecon so you don’t need taxis to get around! We have suites, condos and single rooms overlooking the water or on the waterfront so make sure to ask us about them!
WHALES FULL SPEED!
Don’t forget that our whalewatching is in in full-season right now in the shallow waters of Bahia Magdalena. The whales usually stay through March, before heading back north to the Bering Sea. Contact us today and we’ll set you up for a lifetime experience!
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/ Bahia Muertos/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Feb. 1-7, 2022
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Keith Williams stuck this nice forkie yellowtail along with bonito and cabrilla. Thanks for the photo BM!
Folks think that if there’s crazy weather in the U.S. that somehow it stops at the border. On the contrary, weather doesn’t stop at border. If things are happening in the U.S., it definitely affects things in Mexico. Accordingly, winds continued from the north although there were some spots here and there where the winds gave us some breaks and allowed a few moments of fishing. They were rare and you had to pick your spots.
However, in addition the usual inshore species like snapper, cabrilla and jacks, some beefy yellowtail started to show up. The usual spots at the north and south ends of Cerralvo Island and off Punta Perico held some nice fish in the 15-25 pound class. The fish were willing to chew sardines, mackerel as well as yo-yo and knife jigs. Slow trolled mackerel-colored Rapalas also kicked in a few bites. Some larger fish were lost insofar as these fish are around structure like rocks and reefs and after a slamming stike, they freight-train back to cover easily busting and cutting lines.
Hopefully, this is the start of a nice yellowtail season if the winds give us more breaks. This coming week, actually looks like the winds will dial back a bit. Not ideal, but more fishable than it has been for any extended period.
ROAD DIARY 2022
Just finishing up another good show here at the Washington State Fairgrounds for the Washington Sportsmans Show. So great to see so many old friends and Tailhunter Nation! Thanks for coming by and we’re looking forward to seeing many of you who reserved spots to come see us this year in La Paz!
By the time you’re reading this, we’ll be on the road and zooming to our next show which is the huge Western Hunt and Conservation Show at the Salt Palace downtown in Salt Lake City UT. This will be possibly the largest show on our 2022 road tour and it’s ALWAYS fun and one of the most dynamic shows in which we exhibit.
Check out this video I made from the 2022 show before the shutdowns…
It runs from Thursday to Sunday and we’d love to see you if you’re in the area. If not, don’t wait to make your reservations to come see us for fishing this year. Dates are filling up rapidly. We’ve done shows in Reno, Sacramento, Washington and now headed to Utah. Many dates are selling out so get in touch with us so we don’t miss you!
WHALEWATCHING SEASON KICKS OFF!
It’s been breezy in Bahia Magdalena for the whalewatching this year, but on the calm days, the whales have been more than cooperative to come visit with the boaters!
Someone needs a nose scratch!
The grey whales have shown up for their annual migration from the Bering Sea to spend the winter months in the warm waters at Bahia Magdalena. It’s a pretty incredible experience to see and interact with these magnificent animals in the shallow bay.
Don’t miss out another year. Get in touch with us to set up your once-in-a-lifetime experience. The whales usually stick around until mid or late March!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Bahia Muertos/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Aug. 3-10, 202
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY
Yohan and Jessica found that one day of calm and also found some legit-sized dorado out’ve Bahia Muertos.
Tough week to try to fish in La Paz. Most days winds blew 10-20 mph plus some rain. We try to schedule folks when it looks least inclement for fishing, but it’s often hit-or-miss. La Paz has so many different micro-climates, and weather forecasting is hardly an exact science, especially in our area. It can look calm in La Paz Bay, but just outside the bay it could look like the cold crazy North Atlantic. Or, at Las Arenas Point it could look fishable from afar, but when you get there, the current and winds are so strong that only wind-surfers are out there.
Or, in the morning, you push some folks out in a boat, but two hours later after they’ve found live bait, the weather changes. Even finding live bait is an issue. If it has been rough, it’s hard to find bait in the shallows. Or, since there aren’t many fishermen out, it’s a 50-50 chance that the bait guys don’t go out to catch any bait so we might send out a boat, but find out the bait guys didn’t work that night or morning.
There’s some dorado still holding here and there which is strange since they are warm-water fish and some rumors of wahoo, but mostly if folks are out fishing, it’s a catch of sierra, cabrilla, snapper and pargo mixed with bonito or jacks. Fun inshore fish.
WORLD RECORD PARGO!
We did get some good news. We got our latest new IGFA World Record. Doctor Gamaliel Morales caught a 46 pound mullet snapper (pargo liso) last May at the southern end of Cerralvo Island. It beat the standing all-tackle record by a single pound. Dr. Morales saw bait breaking on the surface at the island and thought marlin might be chasing up the bait so he pinned on a caballito and got hit in about 60’ of water by the big pargo. He got it over to our Tailhunter Restaurant where we have an IGFA certified scale and we got it weighed.
It beat the former record of 45 pounds also caught at Cerralvo Island!
Congratulations to Dr. Morales who has been waiting since May to hear!
Interestingly, we caught an even larger pargo maybe 5-10 pounds larger just a few days earlier, but the fisherman cut it up before we could tell him to get it to the scale.
You just never know what will bite if you have a line in the water and the waters around La Paz have produced a number of world records!
WHALE WATCHING SEASON STARTING UP!
It’s coming up on whale watching season. The annual migration has started as the whales come down from the Bering Sea and spend several months in the warm Baja waters along the Pacific Coast mating, and birthing. Best time to get close to these magnificent animals is mid-February to March. It’s an incredible experience. Check it out and get in touch with us for an event of a lifetime!
TAILHUNTER IN RENO THIS WEEK – THURSDAY to SATURDAY
On 2020, our hunting/ fishing exhibition tour got cut short by Covid. In 2021, all our shows were cancelled. However, we’re back on the road again and headed from Texas to Reno as you read this!
Three months on the road! It’s been awhile!
We have 8-10 shows on the calendar this year so hopefully, we’re coming to a city near you!
This week we will be at the Reno Convention Center at the WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION SHOW from Thursday to Sunday! It’s a huge show with tons of exhibitors and it would be great to see you to chat about visiting us in La Paz this year. Here’s a 60-second video of the 2020 show. Keep in mind this was just before Covid hit in 2020. Pretty exciting stuff to see.
Jill and I will be in the booth every day and we’re looking forward to seeing you!
Just a head’s up! Lots of dates are already filling up and many of your favorite captains are getting booked and hotels filled. Don’t wait until the shows to get in touch with us. We don’t want you to miss out on the great fishing this year!
Coming up: The International Sportsman’s Expo at the California State Fairgrounds Jan. 2023!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Nov. 3-7, 2021
The Mexican Minute Video Report
The Big Picture and the Rest of the Story…
When you only have one day to fish and you do pretty well…John Fergione with dad (John) and son (John)! Doardo and others posing on the beach at Muertos!
Great shot of first-timer Hysby Rodriguez from Glendale CA with a smiling Captain Arcangel and another of her dorado for the fish box.
Taky and Marlene Kikuchi had a few nice days on the water before the winds came up.
Not much to crow about lately. Things can be summed up pretty easily.
Winds are up. Waves are bigger. Air temps cooling. Fishermen are down and snowbirds increasing.
That’s kind of it in a nutshell. Not many folks fishing or even on the water this past week as winter winds grow stronger from the north and cool things down. It’s still nice to be out on the beach or hang at the pool with lots of sunshine, exactly what the snowbirds are here for. The thermometer is pretty long with daytime temps in the mid to high 80’s and night time temps drop to a cool (for us) 63 degrees. However, other than that, it hasn’t been a great time to be fishing.
There are still some nice days to be out. You just have to pick your spots.
The few fishermen we’ve had out found the catch to be erratic at best. Some boats dinked around for a scratch of dorado or rockfish at best. Others hit a few spots and did better with a variety of mostly inshore species like pargo, pompano, palometa, sierra, cabrilla and roosterfish. If lucky, maybe even few holdover dorado. It’s quite a mixed bag as we transition to cooler-water fishing.
Alot, of course, depends on the live bait situation. If the winds are waves are big, then it’s hard for the bait guys to get into the shallows to get live bait. Also, with the diminished number of anglers, economically, it makes no sense for the bait guys to go out at night or the mornings when they know there won’t be any or many fishermen to buy bait come sun up.
LATE BREAK NEWS…
Just as I was posting this up, some tuna have shown up of Punta Perrico. Not many, but a small jag of them!
BUSY TOWN FOR BAJA 1000
After a hiatus, the Baja 1000 is back and will concluded in La Paz this year. The dates are Nov. 15-20th and town is already filling up with teams and cars. Honest. If you didn’t get a hotel rooms months ago, you could easily be sleeping on the beach or in your rental car!
The internationally famous race starts up in Ensenada cars will roll through some of the most challenging terrain on the planet. Hopefully, in one piece in La Paz. Lots of cars don’t make it! Just finishing is a challenge.
Folks will line the dirt course throughout La Paz and town will be full with lots of parties and roaring cars. Good to have them back!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 2-9, 2021
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Washington amigo, Fred Cruz had quite a great few days fishing with us taking a number of species including sailfish, marlin, roosterfish and others like this dorado taken north of La Paz Bay.
Honeymoon first-timers, Lilia and Dave Brown from Wrangell, Alaska hooked this large striped marlin just off Punta Arenas on live bait. They donated all the meat to the pueblo.
Captain Raul with Lisa Cruz and a big bull her first day out. She had 4 banner days on the water with us.
That’s right, John, flex-up! Especially after a great day like this on ultra- light tackle with big sierra, dorado, pargo and snapper. John McLucas has fished with us for many years from the San Francisco Bay area.
Just a pretty photo on so many levels of this roosterfish with Deana Wilson from Montana and Captain Pancho. The fish was caught just off the rocks near Bahia Muertos and quickly released.
Steve Manney has fished many years with us, but had his son-in-law Nat come down this year as well. Good start to the fishing week with dorado and sierra on the rack.
From N. Carolina, 84-year-old Duane Ottman was visiting us for the first time and battled this big striped marlin with Captain Gerardo. Great colors. Sorry, you can’t see Duane’s smiling face!
Good to see Kirsten and Mike Hanson back down here with us again. They were out with Captain Gerardo and got quite a variety of reef fish for the cooler.
Fred Cruz with his sailfish and captain Gerardo. Great day on the water with a number of species. The sail was released.
Easy to smile looking at this photo of a very happy Lilia Brown and another dorado in the boat!
Another of our good Washington amigos, Bob Larson has himself a big dorado, some tasty sierra and some big fat triggerfish.
Captain Joel gives Larry Wilson a hand with his sailfish for a quick photo. This was Larry’s first billfish. Note the tanker in the background. The fish was hooked literally just a few hundred yards in front of the La Paz Malecon.
Captain Armando and Pete Walker share a laugh and photo with the day’s catch. Lots of sierra again this week. More than I have ever seen.
It was a slow day, but the one saving catch for Brad Baker was his first sailfish. He donated all of the fish.
On his honeymoon, Sean Price spent a day fishing with our Las Arenas fleet and got some great sierra, pargo and triggerfish to take home as well as some dorado meat as well.
She’s the best! Sharon Virgin from Montana was great to have down this past week and holds up one of her dorado.
Hi Debbie! Not a bad day of dorado fishing for Debbie Millspaugh visiting us for the first time.
Two funny amigos from Washington that visit us each year and always a pleasure. John Stendara and Bill Bigelman posing with their catch at Bahia Muertos.
Somewhere behind the roosterfish comb is a very happy Lisa Cruz. Captain Gerardo helps out. The fish was released.
Two of our Canadian amigos, Save and Luke got a nice batch of triggerfish, sierra and snapper.
Bill Lee from San Francisco mugs with Johnny Mc Lucas and their catch.
Captain Gerardo was on fire this week and has Fred Cruz’s striped marlin for the photo.
Some incredible colors and pattern on this dorado. Wow! Dave Brown poses with another mahi for the box.
More of our Canadian amigos with Captain Arcangel and an assorted catch.
Captain Victor gets into the weekly gallery with Bob Larson showing dorado, sierra and triggerfish.
Whoa! Check out the head of this big bull dorado that Lisa caught!
Lilia and Dave had a super day on the water fishing out’ve La Paz this particular day. All the fish were donated.
It wasn’t a bad week of fishing. Overall, it was actually pretty good. For lack of a better word, it was just “erratic”. It was unpredictable.
Some folks had great days of fishing. Others really had to work hard to get fish. Same day. Same spots. Same bait. Same everything. Things changed from day to day or even hour-to-hour. Totally un-predictable.
Some of our regulars…some of our very experience fishermen found picky fishing at best. Conversely, some of our first-timers or novices just crushed the fishing.
Some days, it was dorado. Next day no dorado. Then billfish. Then no billfish. At times, the best we could do was go to the rocks and have fun with pargo, cabrilla, triggerfish and snapper. Those are always willing to bite.
Everyone got fish. No mistaking that. But, it was just hard to put-a-finger on the bite or predict anything.
Definitely, the seasons are changing. Water is getting cooler down deep. The air is cooler. The north winds are picking up much earlier than usual. And that’s affecting the fishing. As the air and water gets erratic so goes the fishing.
It’s clear by the type of fish that are starting to show up. More cooler water fish are in the counts. A tremendous number of sierra started showing up about 10 days ago. More sierra than I have ever seen in several decades here. Normally, these fish don’t show up until late November of December. But, they’re here now and they are thick. Usually, we’ll get a handful a day. This year, each panga might get a whole boat-load of them in a single day and they are also much larger than usual.
Additionally, we’re getting the occasional yellowtail, rainbow runner, pompano and other cooler water species.
We’re coming to the end of the warm-water season, it appears. Not sure how much longer the warm-water species will be here. We’ll keep you posted.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Sept. 24-Oct. 1, 2021
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
John Wagner from Oregon took this bruiser roosterfish with Captain Pancho off Bahia Muertos. The fish was released.
Firefighter Brian Viora on his first visit to us poses in a great dorado photo!
Captain Rogelio and brother Licho give Noe Fierros a hand with his sailfish he battled for more than 90 minutes on 30 pound test line!
John Virgin “The Montana Banana” with wife, Sharon, are always fun to have here when they visit from Montana. Nice day on the water with Captain Pancho and a variety of dorado, pargo, triggerfish and sierra!
On their honeymoon from Wrangell, Alaska on their first visit to us, Dave and Lilia Brown with Captain Jorge and a crazy mess of sierra!
What a day! Donnie Foster rocked it with a triggerfish, 3 nice dorado, a wahoo AND…and marlin (tried to release, but couldn’t). Meat was donated.
Mark Melnick from San Francisco and Roy Wiggins from Oklahoma have themselves a great rack of good-eating including palomenta, dorado, sierra, carilla, triggerfish, permit, pargo and a big bonito.
Two of my Filipino fish brothers for many years, Don Mariano and Glenn Delmendo with a big sailfish caught just outside La Paz Bay on live bait.
Might be the best photo of the week! Mark Malone with Captain Rogelio and a fresh bull dorado on the gaff and headed to the fish box.
Joey Abrhams from San Diego is pretty happy with his first roosterfish . The shorline of Punta Perrico in the background nearby. The fish was released.
Don has another bull to add to the fish box today.
After so many years fishing with us, Jim Gatti finally got his first roosterfish! Photo and a quick release. Nicely done, Jim!
Luz Wilson from Northridge CA shows off a nice one-day catc of dorado, sierra and holding a tasty pompano on the beach at Bahia Muertos.
Big barred pargo for Sharon Virgin and Deanna Wilson from Montana.
Captain Gerardo, Larry Ruden and Doug Martin had a pretty good day at Bahia Muertos with dorado, cabrilla and the triggerfish held by Gerardo.
First timers with Captain Jorge, Chuck Webber and Hill Evans got a nice start. Big sierra and a couple of dorado.
This bull dorado almost matches Dan’s shorts!
It’s been a few years, but good to have Vince Acosta back to visit us as he sticks his tongue out at the camera.
Lots of variety this week. Ron, Lee and Al have about 6 varieties on the table.
Glenn and Don with Captain Arcangel and a good first day mix of species on the cleaning table.
Lots of folks getting their first roosterish this year like Mark Malone just off the rocks near Muertos. The fish was quickly released.
One more for the box for Duane Ottman who was visiting us for the first time and also picked off a marlin.
Another nice rooster for the photo shoot! Brian Viora with the good catch and release.
Overall, pretty decent fishing this past week. Everyone got fish. Lots of variety. Some boats did better some days while boats right next to them had to work harder for fish. The next day, it could be the exact opposite.
The biggest thing to note this week was that the seasons are definitely changing and they are changing faster than expected. At least from what we saw this past week, temperatures are definitely on a cooling trend. Breezes are stronger. At night the north winds that we usually see about November or December are already blowing. Waters are still 84-87 on the surface, but below the thermocline waters are definitely cooling as well.
The biggest indicator of that is the number of cold water species we started catching.
Most notably, a huge number of sierra were caught. These are fish, we don’t start seeing in the counts until late November or so. They were running larger than usual as well. Normally, a 1 or 2 pound sierra is about right. The fish this week were 3-5 pounders.
Incredible one-day catch of sierra with Lilia Brown holding up a typical large model.
In addition to the sierra, there were sporadic catches of pompano, permit, pargo liso, amberjack, rainbow runner and even a couple of small yellowtail. These are all cooler water fish!
I’m not yet willing to say that it will continue to get colder. Fact is, in the morning, I’m actually wearing a sweatshirt when I put out the boats in the dark on the beach. By the time you’re reading this, we could very easily be into another warming trend. However, it’s pretty clear that summer is over and once we get the northern winds blowing consistently, the entire complexion of the fishing will change…or lack of fish in some cases.
That’s not to say also that we’re not catching warm-water species!
If you only have one day to fish, Larry Ruden knocked it outta the park on dorado. Check out the fillet table!
On the contrary. Dorado up to about 30 pounds are still the headline catch with about 90% of the ice chests packed with dorado fillets. Still no wahoo or tuna to speak of, but sailfish and marlin continue to be biting plus big bonito, jacks, pargo, cabrilla, snapper and huge triggerfish. Everyone who wants fish is going home with fish or bringing it to our restaurant to cook up.
Howie Low from Montana and Captain Adolfo had a double marlin strike out’ve Bahia Muertos and a spectacular battle one-after-the-other. Howie generously donated the meat from both fish to the community.
But, we’ll definitely keep an eye on the weather. What we’re seeing now in terms of cooling is about 4-6 weeks early.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of Sept 8-15, 2021
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
They only had ONE day to fish! Tim and his amigo, Adam, hooked FIVE marlin with several on simultaneously and awesomely RELEASED all of them but brought home an ice chest full of pargo, cabrilla and snapper.
New amigos visiting for the first time, David Marin and Kristin Robles from El Monte CA pose with a hefty rooster for a quick photo and release.
With clouds from Hurricane Olaf bearing down on them in the background, Garry Coles from Washington put this nice bull dorado on the deck before a mad dash back to the marina!
Duane Marlatt told me his arm was sore after more than an hour battling his first marlin just north of the city. Duane is from Colorado on his first visit to us.
Our first big dog-tooth snapper in awhile in the hands of another of our first time new amigos, Jeremiah Page from Oregon. Great eating!
In almost 30 years working for us, Captain Arkangel is rarely seen smiling in a photo, but he’s got a good one for Tim Larson and his marlin. Great shot. Several other billfish were released that day.
One of the best anglers to visit us SEVERAL times a year, Mark Bonsack from Washington got one of the few wahoo we’ve seen this year on a Rapala.
Art Flippin has been fishing with us for years, but made a last-minute trip down and started off with several dorado like this one out’ve Bahia Muertos with Captain Armando.
Captain Pancho lends a hand with a big rooster that Brad Bennett caught who came to visit us from Montana. The rooster was released.
Al and Jeanne Jones from Idaho with one of their favorite captains, Rogelio Camacho and a day of dorado headed for the fillet table.
Brett Bleichrodt from Denver was able to squeeze in one last day of fishing and put the wood to this nice roosterfish before releasing it. Those are storm clouds from Hurricane Olaf darkening the background sky. Shortly after, they were running for the beach.
Captain Pancho is trying to help Claire Olson with his marlin and strike an unusual pose! Claire’s first fishing trip with us and good to have him down. They released two billfish that day.
First time visiting us and first time fishing on salt water, Nicole gets an assist from Captain Pancho on a legit roosterfish before letting it swim away. Nice job!
Only one day to fish, but Tim and Adam stacked the cooler with some of the best eating fish including big cabrila, snapper, and several species of pargo.
Captain Victor and Jermey and Deanna Page with a big sailfish he caught as well as a dorado. The Page’s came to see us from Oregon and it was their first time in La Paz.
Two of the fun and funniest folks whenever they visit. Eric has a fish on the line while Starr Jenkins is trying to pose with one on the gaff. The Jenkins are from Temecula CA. They also released several billfish while fishing with us.
Check out the flat calm waters one day AFTER Hurricane Olaf! John Holty and Captain Jorge with a quick photo of a striped marlin before releasing it.
A great photo of a larger bull dorado! David Marin hooked this good-looking mahi just outside of Bahia Muertos.
MIch Nekota with his first marlin with Greg Saubolle while fishing with Captain Victor. They also released another billfish. They donated a majority of the fish to the community.
These guys had too much fun the week they were with us. Brandon Mauch and Garry Coles spent one day just light tackle fishing in the rocks. They caught and released 17 roosterfish!
Great shot! From Lincoln City, Oregon, Joe Barnard has another roosterfish for the camera before a quick release.
Noah Lauby and Dennis Gayman tag-teamed this marlin with Captain Armando off Las Arenas. Most of the meat was donated.
All the way from Australia via South Africa, Andrew MacKay is a professional hunting guide in 5 countries, but got in a quick last-minute visit to us to jump on some dorado with Captain Armando.
Ben Daniels fishing inshore got his first roosterfish for a fast photo then release before Hurricane Olaf barreled in and they had to dash for the beach. Clouds looming in the background. Ben is from Colorado.
I lost count how many roosters Mark and Nicole released, but he always takes great photos! That’s the sand of Las Arenas Point just behind them. Check the flat waters one day after the hurricane!
Amberjack in September? Also big triggerfish, pargo, snapper and cabrilla headed for the ice chest for Garry and Brandon who work together doing cancer research.
Our bite was really doing well. Dorado had picked up noticeably with more and bigger fish for both our Tailhunter Las Arenas and Tailhunter La Paz fleet. In fact, it was some of the best bite we had seen in weeks. Marlin and sailfish continued to surprise many of our anglers, especially on light tackle who were fishing for dorado or other smaller species then suddenly find themselves fighting a billfish!
A few tuna and wahoo even popped up and inshore fishing for huge triggerfish, as well as pargo, cabrilla, snapper, jack crevalle, and of course, big bonito kept everyone bent.
Then, out’ve nowhere, Hurricane Olaf came roaring in.
We had been watching it for several days come north towards us, but all of the computer models showed it barely brushing the Baja Peninsula then taking a sharp left and heading out to sea. It’s what many storms do at this time. Maybe some wind. Maybe a tad bit of rain. We can usually expect some larger swells or waves. Overall pretty benign. It’s what Nora, Marty and Kevin did last month. Not really anything big.
Olaf was expected to do the same.
The morning of Sept. 9, we sent out our boats and fishermen like normal. Seas were calm. It was dark but the skies were clear and stars were easily visible. A beautiful morning!
About 8 a.m., all of that changed.
Olaf made a strange right turn and instead of going out, it made a missile path right over Baja and right over La Paz!
Beautifully scary. Olaf made a surprising turn into Baja.
Time to bring all the boats back to shore FAST!
Literally without warning, huge black (not dark) clouds rolled in with giant cracks of thunder and lighting and it was like someone started dumping buckets of water on La Paz. There was no drizzle ahead of time. The skies just started opening up. I’m not kidding when I tell you that people were suddenly running like crazy for shelter. Joggers and bikers were suddenly dashing to find cover. Construction workers were jumping off scaffolds to escape the downpour. Cars were swerving trying to dodge the people and boats in the bay were full throttle to get back to the port or beach.
No one was prepared for what hit us.
Here comes Olaf!
Olaf turned into a pretty furious Category 2 hurricane with winds up to 90 mph and gusts to 150 mph. 12-15 inches of rain in less than a day.
It took about a day and one night to blow through and left huge floods; swirling arroyos and broken trees and signs everywhere. Many were left without electricity, water and phones for 1-3 days. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Lots of flooded streets!
12-15 inches of rain and gusts of wind over 100 mph.
Normally, this is a street!
Airports had no power so were closed. Most flights got cancelled so folks got stuck unable to leave. On the other end, folks trying to fly down to us couldn’t get on their flights to fly in.
Obviously no fishing to the disappointment of many who watched Olaf’s craziness from indoors.
Adios Olaf!
Then, just like that…OLAF was gone. Sun came out. Wind disappeared. Seas turned to glass. Usually, after a storm it takes several days for things to clean up.
And the fishing bounced back pretty nicely right away. We sent out lots of fishermen immediately and I was surprised by the action. Marlin…sailfish…dorado…seemed just as willing as the anxious fishermen! The next few days will give us a better reading. At this time, we’ll need a few more days to make a better assessment, but all indications are that things cleared up pretty fast!
Tailhunter Fish Report 