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Posts Tagged ‘Mexico’

James "Hawk" Davis is one of our regular amigos and living in La Ventana gets out quite a bit. He got into the nice yellowtail bite that has shown up a bit earlier than usual. Note the flat waters behind. Absence of wind seems to be the key!

Showing great form...especially on light tackle, Damon Davis, an experienced skipper and deckhand from S. California visiting his dad, shows how to put the wood to the pargo that have started spawning in the shallow waters near the rocks. Note how close to shore he is and why it's imperative to turn these powerful fish before you get cut off!

....and this is what you get when you do it right and add a smidgen of fishing luck as well. Damon shows off the nice pargo liso off Punta Perico.

First-timer Bob and Captain Fernando fishing off Punta Perico pose for a a photo with one of the fat yellowtail we started getting about 2 weeks ago.

Morning "rush hour" on the Sea of Cortez, just offshore making mackeral for bait out of Muertos Bay before heading to the fishing grounds (Gracias for the foto, Jorge!)

We just wrapped up a completely fantastic week in Denver a the downtown convention center at the International Sportsman's Expo. Probably the BEST Denver show in our 13 years there. Great to see so many old friend and welcome aboard new amigos as well! No we head to the ISE show in Sacramento at the California State Fairgrounds Jan. 19-22nd. Details below!

YELLOWTAIL AND PARGO AGAIN SPARK THE EARLY SEASON BITE!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Jan 8-15, 2012

Despite the full moon, it turned into a pretty decent week of fishing.  Except for a few days when it got a bit blustery in the afternoons and it got difficult to stay on the spots,  fishing for inshore species remained solid.  Big pargo up close to the rocks near Punta Perrico continued to bend rods and break hearts as big fish often took guys into the rocks frustrating even the most veteran anglers.  However, as long as we could get the mackerel for bait, big yellowtail also produced south of Muertos around Boca de Alamo and also at the south end of Cerralvo Island. Fish ranged between 20 and 40 pounds with boats taking 1-3 big fish each day in shallow water.  Again, that can be problem keeping the fish out’ve the rocks and turning those big heads and shoulders before getting cut off!  So, the numbers are sometimes deceiving between the number of hook-ups and the number of fish put into the boxes! 

We’ve got some encouraging stray reports of big breezing tuna over 100 pounds and wahoo as well from some of the commercial guys working the north end of Cerralvo Island, however, shakey conditions with rip currents and high winds make it hard to fish the areas.  We’re keeping an eye out!

Other species rounding out the counts include sierra, cabrilla, some smaller schoolie roosterfish, lots of bonito and jack crevalle mixed with trigger fish!

NEW VISA REGULATIONS

I’m getting alot of questions about the new VISA regulations that came down the pipe from the Mexican government at the beginning of the year.  It requires that you obtain a VISA in addition to your fishing licenses in order to be fishing in Mexican waters.  It’s creating alot of confusion and concern and, needless to say, not real good for bringing fishermen into Mexico. Well, for 99.9 percent of you who visit us, you already have your VISA so stop worrying.  That little piece of paper they have you fill out on the airplane IS your VISA!  So that’s why we always tell you to hang onto it!  Take a breath.  It’s OK! 

SACRAMENTO ISE SHOW

Next stop for the Tailhunter International Road Tour for 2012 will be the California State Fairoungds for the ISE show Jan. 19th to 22nd.  This is a mammoth show.  It’s the largest fishing / hunting show in Northern California and is an incredible event for anyone who likes the outdoors whether it’s hunting, fishing, boating, off-roading, kayaking, camping and other activities. Hunting dog shows. Seminars.  Outdoor cooking.  It’s all there.   Great day for the entire family.  Vendors and booths from around the world like us from Baja, Africa, Asia, Canada, South America and pretty much every state in the U.S. is there.  Lots to see and learn.  Great food. Lots of exhbits.

Here’s all the details and some great video clips:  http://www.sportsexpos.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewlocation&locationnumber=1

If you want discount tickets click this:  http://www.sportsexpos.com/contest/survey/index.cfm?surveyNumber=212

Come say hi and pick up our new 24 page brochure and DVD and talk to us about fishing in 2012 in La Paz!  Bookings are coming in fast this year so let’s make sure you’re covered!  We have some great show specials.  Ask us directly at riplipboy@tailhunter-international.com.  I know alot of you have your favorite captains and rooms so check with us to make sure they’re not already reserved.  We’re looking at a really busy year again!

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jill

 

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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Big yellowtail were a big part of the story this past week with fish up to 35 pounds like this solid fish that Roger Thompson took on a trolled deep diving Rapala north of Cerralvo Island.

Kneeling on the sand at Bahia de Los Muertos near La Paz, our amigo, Jorge Romero not only got two slugger yellowtail, but also a nice amberjack as well...usually larger cousin to the yellowtail obviously, the full moon didn't have much effect!

It's a pretty picture of the pangas at sunrise at Muertos Bay, but the key to the photo is how flat the waters are! The key to the good fishing this week wasn't the full moon, it was the fact that the winds laid down most days allowing anglers to get onto the fish!

This lady can fish! Donna Thompson always does well and she worked north point Cerralvo Island for this early season trophy yellowtail.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE THE VIDEO CLIP

Thanks to everyone who came by our booth at the Denver Convention Center at the International Sportsman’s Expo that wound up on Sunday.  It was great to see so many of our older amigos and clients as well as meet new amigos and talk about fishing with Tailhunter in La Paz.  It was our 12th year hear at this expo and Denver always treats us great!  Next stop will be the Califorania State Fairground in Sacramento for the next ISE show!  See you there!

EARLY SEASON YELLOWTAIL and PARGO ROCK FISHERMEN FOR FIRST WEEK OF 2012!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Jan. 1-8, 2012

What a way to start off the new year!  Winds laid down for the most part and we got a surprise bite of nice fat 20-40 pound yellowtail!  The key was the wind.  On the days when the wind blew, fishing was scratchy at best, but for most of the week, winds laid down and the little firecracker yellowtail we were catching around the holidays suddenly grew into the big trophy fish we usually don’t see until a month or two from now.  But, no one was complaining!

The fish were in several areas.  North Point Cerralvo Island held fish.  As did the southern area near the lighthouse.  The fish were holding off the bottom but could be enticed up with live bait or slow trolling deep-diving Rapalas or Yo-Zuri Magnums (green mack patterns and silver/black patterns worked well).  Yo-yo iron in blue/white and brown/yellow also got picke up on the fast retrieve.

Other good areas included Bahia de Los Muertos which rocked up some nice amberjack but the fleet also took fish south of the bay in the shallow drop off areas off Boca de Alamo near the arroyo.  Most of these fish were taken on live bait and iron.

But wait!….

It  looks like we’ve also  got an early run of the schooling spawning pargo liso (mullet snapper) happening already too!   Normally, we start seeing the fish around March or April in these numbers, and certainly, they’ll get thicker as the weeks roll in, but at least for this week, they were a big focus for us around Punta Perico near Las Arenas.

The fish we’re getting have been 5-20 pounders, but larger fish are getting lost.  It’s hard to tell sometimes since the fish are in shallow waters inshore in rocky areas and a quick pickup and bent rod is often followed very quickly after a few moments with strained line…some grunts…a squealing drag and a POP!  As the line breaks!  They’re pretty frustrating fish!  But no doubt great sport.

At least the good part is that in those same areas are some nice cabrilla (Mexican seabass) as well as some of the smaller yellowtail and rainbow runners showing up too and just offshore, bonito are around to at least provide fun action.

Like I said…The earlier parts of the week the winds were down and we put up good numbers with our pangas getting 10-30 fish caught and released…good fun days!  Letting smaller cabrilla and bonito go but plenty of action.  Then, the winds came up beginning Thursday and the counts got scratchy again.  The local windsurfers love it, but not so good for fishing.  Then, late in the week, even with the full moon, the wind settled again and that’s when we started getting the big yellowtail!  Hope it holds up!

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jill

 

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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Matt Lewis came all the way from chilly Canada to find some sunshine and fish. He spent several days fishing with us and had some great action! Look like the pargo liso have moved back in a bit early! Matt got this nice fish just off Punta Perrico.

It was a great week for cabrilla (Mexican seabass) fishing! Our pangas this week averaged 6-12 fish between 2 and 8 pounds all week. Many of the smaller ones were releasd. It was also a bit chilly too...Matt is from Canada and still sported a jacket when temperatures dropping into the 40's. But Matt shows off a nice trophy cabrilla standing on the sand there at Muertos Bay.

This is a different species of "pargo" than the one in the top photo. This is the "dog tooth" pargo or "cubera snapper" or "pargo rojo". The one above is the "pargo liso" or "mullet snapper." I know...confusing as all get out. But make no mistake. These are tough tough fish in the inshore rocks that makes ANY pargo a real sporting fish and an event when you get one on the boat! We had a pretty decent week on working the reefs for some good pargo action.

Both Jill and I and all of the Tailhunter Tribe, Family and Staff wanted to thank you all for such a great year and for all the smiles and good times. We are blessed every single day for the privilege to do what we do and all of you make it happen. We're looking forward to and wishing all of you an even better 2012! BEST FISHES!!

COLD WEATHER BUT HOT FISHING ACTION MAKE FOR A PRETTY GOOD WEEK TO END THE YEAR!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of December 26-January 1, 2012

We had a pretty nice week of fishing here. We may have had one of the calmest weeks for wind in a few weeks, but it sure was cold. Temperatures at night dropped into the 40’s and we advised our anglers to make sure they brought jackets.  The best way to characterize the week was “action.”  Nothing spectacular in terms of size, but we had pangas out almost every single day and with all the catch-and-release fish added to the counts, our anglers were getting 20-30 fish per day!  That’s a lot of fun.  For a lot of our folks, many of them are from really cold places like New York and Canada and Minnesota right now so just being on the water was a treat. Add in some fishing fun and it made for some good days!

There weren’t any blue-water species to speak of, but what a great mix.  If you start with about a dozen feisty bonito ripping you up; add in about a dozen cabrilla; half-a dozen sierra, a few small yellowtail and a pargo or two…that’s a full day of fishing!  The most remarkable fish were the pargo liso which appear to have shown up early.  Several larger pargo took anglers into the rocks but we did get a few in the 10-20 pound class that are horses anyway!  Best spot was close…just around the corner from Bahia de Los Muertos at Punta Perrico.

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jill

 

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
http://www.tailhunter-international.com/fishreport.htm

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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We don't catch alot of these during the prime-time part of the season, let alone the off-season during the winter, but these colorful hard-fighters are called palometa jacks and we've probably gotten more in the last 2 weeks than we've gotten in the last several seasons combined. Schools of the good-eating fish are congregating just offshore at the drop-offs near the reefs and beaches. Tim Zimmer got a handful just off the beach behind him of east Cerralvo Island.

It's a pretty simple formula. When the wind doesn't blow we're still able to get dorado even this late in the season. If the wind DOES blow, it gets pretty scratchy. Verdo Boyd fished with us a number of day over the past week-and-a-half and did a pretty good number on a variety of fish including dorado like this one. She was fishing with Captain Jorge.

Tim Zimmer fished with us a bunch of days since last week and shows off a pretty typical catch right now with a mix of sierra and the occasional dorado. He's posing here on the beach at Bahia de Los Muertos near Las Arenas.

It's been a long and crazy year! However, we count our blessing each day and thank you for being a part of those blessings. Enjoy the holidays and may the new year bring you all things good and thank you for asking us to share in the smiles all these years! You're the best!

ONLY TWO STRONG DAYS OF WIND MAKE FOR SOME DECENT WINTER FISHING

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Dec. 11-18, 2011

The early part of the week was really quite nice fishing.  It was cloudy and overcast, but not cold and best of all…not windy!  Nice and flat.  And the fishing surprised us.  Good catches of dorado up to 20 pounds were hitting  just out of Bahia de Los Muertos as well as south side of Cerralvo Island.  One private boat of amigos went out to the 88 and said it was “unlimited” dorado fishing…”catch and release as fast as we could go full speed!”  All of this in winter!

As well, there were the bread-and-butter fish…sierra willing to go as well.  Our boats were averaging about 4-15 nice sierra with some up to 5 pounds and when a good school was found, the fish were voracious!  In addition to the sierra, we also found some surprising palometa schools which are members of the jack family…sort of like a greenish/yellow jack crevalle.  Great fighters and good eating as well!  A bit like pompano.  Some of the commercial guys out there were thick into the fish.

All of this was while the skies were grey and the winds were flat…

Then, about Thursday, the sun popped out and skies were brilliant.  And the winds came back up!  And fishing sort of tanked.  Bait got hard to find.  Fish scattered. Some scratchy sierra and dorado fishing.  Really picky bite.  And that was it…

Saturday, the winds died down again and the fish popped back up…it’s going to be a typical pattern during the winter.   But that’s what it’s like this time of year.  Everything is variable and you just have to roll with whatever is biting.

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jill

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
https://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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A late season resurgence of dorado was a nice surprise this past week. Although wind is still an issue, in between flurries or on the days when the winds lie down, dorado were coming up around Cerralvo Island in pockets or warmer water. Nothing big, but some fun 10-20 pound fish were caught like this one that was photo'd just before it was released and caught east of Ventana north of the Las Arenas lighthouse.

Again, it's pretty late to see wahoo pop into the counts, but after waiting all year for wahoo in what has been one of the poorest wahoo season in many years, a few of the big skinnies were taken sporadically off the north and south end of Cerralvo Island. Fishermen in the areas said it wasn't consistent and if you go there be ready for some possibly rough water and wind as both areas take currents from all directions which can be exacerbated if the winds are blowing. As one of our anglers said, "We were soaking wet, but it was worth it to finally get a wahoo." Our amiga, Sue Paul, holds up one that she took at north point.

LATE SEASON SURPRISES!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week for Nov. 27-Dec. 4, 2011

As I’m writing this, it’s raining in La Paz.  It’s been an up-and-down week for weather which has reflected in the fishing.  Although this is the first real rain, it’s been threatening some days.  Other days it’s windy.  Other days it’s bright sunny perfect. 

This is pretty typical for the change-in-season ,but I had to say, it’s gotten cooler faster than I remember.  Many of us locals are already wearing jackets and long pants and it never hurts to keep a sweatshirt handy if the winds come up and it gets a little chilly (chilly for us!…the tourist think we’re nuts!).

 

Anyway, the fishing is pretty much dictated by the weather conditions which obviously dictate the water conditions.

 

I’m not so worried about a little bit of rain.  Yea, it’s cooler and you might get a bit of wet…it never lasts long.  But, even when it rains, normally, there’s not alot of wind so you can still get into some decent fishing.  If there’s wind, that’s when things are not so good.  Wind churns up waves and chop.  Wind brings surf and turns up the water, especially in the areas where we have to look for bait in the shallow areas. 

 If the winds are over a few days then the water can get really turned up and green and cloudy.  Not so good for fishing…at least not for pelagic species like the dorado and billfish and maybe even some tuna that are still out there…if you can get to them…if the conditions are right…if the water is not turned up and if you can get bait!  That’s alot of “if’s”. 

 

But even when it’s windy, at least there’s some good inshore fishing to be had.  This past week, we still got into good numbers of sierra, cabrilla and snapper.  Some of the sierra this year are already some of the larger sierra I think I’ve seen in awhile.  I kid you not when I say, they look like baby wahoo!  Teeth and sleek!  Some 5 pound sierra are not uncommon.  That’s a nice sized fish, especially on light tackle.  We’re seeing more and more pargo as well…mostly the barred pargo and yellow pargo/ snapper, but all tough in the rocks and great eating. 

There were some nice surprises.  A few times, we still got into dorado.  Good spots are east of Espiritu Santo Island; the south end of Cerralvo Island and around Punta Perrico especiallly on the south end in the ensenada curve by the old Hotel Las Arenas.  If you can’t get bait, then trolling smaller feather or skipping  the small plastic hoochies on the surface chop gets the strikes.  If you only have a little bait, then get a hookup on the trolled lures or feathers then draw the fish in with the live bait!

Also, if you’re willing to “go long” and maybe “get wet and bounced,” the north and south end of Cerralvo Island has kicked our some wahoo.  That’s a big surprise since this year the wahoo have been around, but just not biting.  I think this year we only saw a handful.  However, the last week or so, there were a few caught, but everyone talked about the long bumpy ride out there and the erratic seas and strong winds while trolling around.  For some…it was worth it!

Hope your Holidays are off to a good start!

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jilly

 

Jonathan Roldan’s Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745 Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico Phones: from USA : 626-638-3383 from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report: https://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate

“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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It was all about the winds this week. When the winds laid down, there was some pretty decent dorado fishing like this one that Richard Ogden got out of La Paz

There were a few days this week when it wasn't exactly sunny, as we had some cloudy days, but it was perfect weather minus the wind for lots of sierra for both our La Paz and Las Arenas fleets.

It's late in the season, but there's still some nice dorado to be had around Las Arenas and Cerralvo Island like this one held by Rich McClanahan. One other thing...you pretty much have the whole ocean to yourself these days!

IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE WIND NOT THE MOON THIS WEEK!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Nov. 6-13, 2011

Very slow week of fishing.  I thought it was a combination of the full moon plus the strong northerly winds that even forced the port captain to close La Paz boat traffic for part of a day.  The old double whammy.  It was really scratch fishing.  Some dorado.  A few sierra.  But for the most part, it was a real stretch to get fish.

 

Then the winds stopped.   And we a had a few days of only light breezes…

What a difference!

 We still had a full moon.  But suddenly we got some breaks in the wind and the fish came to eat!  All of a sudden, we got limits or near limits of sierra and dorado with both our Las Arenas and our Tailhunter Fleets.  Some of the sierra were nice grade 3-6 pounders.  The dorado were likewise some nice bulls up to about 25 pounds.

 Inshore up tight over the reefs and outcrops, we got some really nice action on pargo, cabrilla and roosterfish as well. 

So, although I was about to say we’ve turned the corner and are officially in “winter fishing” hold everything!  Maybe we can squeeze out a few more weeks of fishing out’ve this season because just as we were typing this up, we got some reports from commercial pangeros that there were still some marlin, sailfish and tuna lurking.  So…fingers crossed!

 

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jill

 

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
https://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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Late in the season is a good time to chase the bigger bull dorado we see here in La Paz. What we might lack in quantity with fewer small fish is made up for with larger trophies like these two that Rich Ogden from Morro Bay CA got fishing with Captain Chito north of La Paz.

I don't know how much longer the tuna will be around as waters cool, but both the north and south ends of Cerralvo Island are still producing fish between 25 and 80 pounds although it's getting a big bumpy and windy out there! Our good friends, John and Dolores Ehlers came out from Colorado to spend a week with us and got into some nice fish like those they pose with here at Muertos Bay.

From Utah, Justin and Jarron Cozad had some nice days on the water with us including a good day chasing the dorado around Espiritu Santo Island. Here's two of their catch. That's La Paz in the background.

After several trips to La Paz, Coral Ogden from Durango, CO put her biggest dorado in the boat and had "her best day fishing" with a solid day of big dorado. She was fishing live bait on the west side of Espirito Santo Island.

Captain Archangel with our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet bends to get out of the way of the photo with Justin Cozad holding up another nice yellowfin tuna. Check the flat waters! They were fishing the ridge south of Cerralvo Island chunking drifted dead sardines.

It's been an unusually productive last few weeks on striped marlin and especially sailfish which we usually see in the spring and early summer. For whatever reason, we seem to be hooking quite a few sails which are a nice bonus for many anglers who have never hooked a billfish. Most of them are getting released or breaking off on light tackle. John Ehlers battled this estimated 150 pound sail for 3 hours...his first! This is a BIG sail. They were not able to release it and the meat was donated.

IT’S GETTING COOLER AND WINDIER AS CROWDS THIN BUT FISH STILL BITE!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, 2011

It wasn’t a bad week of fishing.  It was a really good week for fishing down here.  It’s just that there weren’t alot of fishermen.  So, overall, the counts might not look that good, but it’s deceiving because there’s just not that many folks fishing this past week!  Almost like clockwork, November hits and I think folks are already gearing up for the holidays.  There’s a bit of a lull in anglers coming to town.  However, those that showed up were treated to finding themselves often the only folks on the hot spots and cooperative fish willing to bite!

 

For our Las Arenas fleet, the tuna are still there.  Both north and south Cerralvo gave up some nice fish with some fish in the 50-60 pound class found at the north end of the island, but a long way to run from Bahia de Los Muertos where our pangas are beached these days.  However, if you were looking for quality, that’s where you had to go.  The south end of the island that has been a hot spot for the last several weeks still kicked out the 25-40 pounders…a real nice grade of yellowfin and usually about the size that most can handle without busting a back, gut, or fishing rod! 

 

Again, we’re using fresh dead sardines for bait and drifting over the spots.  The biggest problem has been a sealion or two that continues to pester and bogart many of the fish that are hooked up.  Nothing like watching the big dog take a big tuna right off your line that you’ve been fighting for an hour and leave you with only a head as it swims away and then teases you by tossing the carcass back and forth in front of you!  Grrrrrr….

 

Legally, we can’ t do anything, but some anglers have found that when they see the sealion approach they put their reel into free-spool and at least give their tuna a fighting chance to dive down and escape.  It seems to work about 1/2 the time. 

 

As well for our Las Arenas anglers, they’re still finding those big roosters, a nice smattering of late-season sailfish and marlin plus an increasing number of sierra, pargo and cabrilla.

 

For our La Paz anglers, those fishing north from the city near Espiritu Santo Island are still finding a good quality dorado with some really exceptional bulls being taken up to about 30-40 pounds.  Live sardines, caballito and strips of dead bonito are working best.  Don’t be surprised either by big sailfish and marlin still moving in the warm waters.  Inside the bay where waters are cooling, more and more sierra are being caught.

 

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jill

 

 

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 

Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.

Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
https://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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Dennis Fuji from Sacramento brought his group of 14 to visit us this week. Although the tuna were sometimes hit-or-miss, the gang did get into some nice fish on two days plus some great dorado fishing. Here's Dennis with 3 of the guys standing on the beach at Bahia de Los Muertos. The fish were found near the S. end of Cerralvo Island.

Characteristic of late fall fishing, many of the dorado were sizeable bulls between 30 and 40 pounds! Eric McClanahan had a banner day off the charts with a day full of bulls like this fishing north of La Paz with his son (see other photos below).

I gotta hand it to these guys (L-R) Mike Cutchin, Bob McPhee, Dan McPhee, Josh Charleton from Napa CA went out on one of the roughest days we've had in awhile. Some of the guys got more than a big queasy, but they hung in there. Caught some fish. Came back to shore to get their sea-legs and went right back out to fish s'more! They're showing off their yellowfin tuna here!

Our good friend, Jeff Sakuda, has come down more times than he and I can count. Sometimes he comes down 3 times a year and always does well...except this past week. Just one of those things. The tuna were elusive, but Jeff still got into some nice snapper, pargo and cabrilla to take home. More reef fish are showing up in the counts as we transition towards winter fishing and cooler waters.

Most of us tend to think the big pargo are only around in the cooler waters of the spring, but there's some resident fish hanging out in the reefs like this one caught by Rich McClanahan and his dad Eric near Cerralvo Island. The nice thing about it is that this time of year, virtually NO ONE if fishing for them!

Dave Combes and Mel Uchida pose with some of their yellowfin tuna taken late in the week with us. The bite was often early and furious then tapered as the winds and sealion made things difficult. So...early to the bite!

VIDEO CLIP OF THE WEEK:

Just click the link! 

Tailhunter International Fishing Clips from Week of Oct. 22-30, 2011

TUNA PLAY GAMES AS DO THE WINDS BUT DORADO AND OTHER SPECIES HELP OUT!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 22-30, 2011


It was a bit of an up-and-down week around La Paz waters. Clearly things are changing as water temperatures, water conditions, winds and currents all seem to reflect that the seasons are in transition.  One day, the tuna bite at Las Arenas would be hot, but the next day, it would go completely down the tubes.  The next day, the dorado bite for our La Paz boats would be on fire and the next day, the guys would have to scratch for fish to fill the fish boxes.

 

Most of the tuna were nice grade.  They were 25-35 pounders.  The dorado were ranging in size from smaller schoolers of 10 pounds, but some really nice fish in the 30-40 pound class were taken every day. 

 

But things are changing…no doubt…

 

…it was clear that things are changing by the varieties of species that were caught.  Along with dorado and tuna, there were marlin and sailfish hooked; roosterfish that were still prowling the shallows; pargo starting to bite again; plus sierra inshore in the cooler waters and more cabrilla (seabass ) in the counts as well. 

 

Mostly, things were great.  If anglers were spending two or three days with us, they went home with a nice load of fish.  If they had one bad day, they usually made up for it on the other days.  I imagine if the winds pick up consistently, the warm water species will soon be replaced by more inshore varieties.

 

One thing…it’s really pleasant in town right now. Air temps about 75-85 degrees most days, but the mornings can be chilly (by our standards!). If you’re going fishing, bring a light windbreaker or sweatshirt that you can always take off later when it warms up!

 

 

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jill

 

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
https://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

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As the seasons start to change, it was another good week for roosterfish along our beaches with some nice trophys making the report. Jerry Wansack came all the way from S. Carolina and fished an entire week with us and his buddy, Luke Britz. They planned the trip for 3 years and really wanted a rooster. Well, they got tuna and dorado and other species, but they didn't get roosters until their last day when persistence paid off and they got a handful of nice fish including this one taken off Punta Perico near Las Arenas. All the roosters were released.

Yes, the tuna are still biting off the south end of Cerralvo Island across from Las Arenas. Our pangas are averaging about 1-4 fish per day mixed in among all the big bonito and it can be an arm-tiring day as shown by Victor from El Monte CA who has to lean up against the panga with his duo of tuna.

Larry Wayne looks on as his amigo, Bob Sklar, holds up his yellowfin tuna. Both are from Orange Co. CA and Bob had a banner trip getting his first tuna and marlin (see below).

As shown in the photo above, Bob Sklar from Orange Co. CA got his first tuna ever fishing with us but also got his first marlin as well. In fact, he got TWO marlin...and BRAVO to him...HE RELEASED BOTH OF THEM! He took this photo just before letting the 2nd one go. It was caught off Punta Arenas. Well done, Roberto!

Like I said, a pretty nice week for roosters! Double hookup with Captain Archangel from our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet and Luke Britz from S. Carolina who caught these not far from shore in shallow water. Both fish were released.

I don't often post-up photos of the pesky feisty bonito that rampage through our waters bending rods and tearing up anglers. But take a look at this huge bonito that Mimi Wayne caught! Compare that to the tuna photos in this week's report! Is that a slug bonito or what? Pound-for-pound, bonito fight alot harder than their more popular cousins the yellowfin tuna!

As the weather and waters start to get cooler, I'm not sure how much longer the dorado will be around, but for the time-being, we're still pulling them in...mostly with our pangas fishing north of La Paz around Espiritu Santo Island. However, John Mc Lucas and Bill Lee took time of from a week of light tackle fishing on pargo, cabrilla, and roosters to put a couple of dorado fillets in the box.

SEASONS CHANGING BRINGS A VARIETY OF SPECIES!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 16-23, 2011

You can tell the seasons are finally changing!  Not only has the heat and humidity been exchanged for pleasant tropical sunshine and off-shore breezes but the variety of fish we’re taking give every indication that we’re turning the corner on the season.

 

The tuna bite off S. Cerralvo we’ve had the last few weeks is still there with some nice 20-45 pound fish and our pangas averaging maybe 1-4 fish per boat/day.  Our Las Arenas fleet is still finding the best results with drifted chunking dead sardines in the area about 2 miles off the island.  In the same areas, it’s not been unusual to also get a hook up on dorado, sailfish or marlin or other species cruising through the area and having no hesitation just slurping up all the dead sardines in the areas…some of which just happen to have a hook…attached to a line…attached to a rod…in the hands of one of our anglers trying to catch a tuna!

 

For our La Paz fleet, the dorado are still the main event as well.  Western Cerralvo Island continues to be the target area.

 

It’s a pretty simple formula for the most part.  Fish with our Las Arenas fleet if you want tuna.  Fish with our La Paz fleet if you want to target dorado.

 

However, I mentioned things changing…

 

In addition to the tuna, dorado, marlin and sailfish, if you look at our fish reports, we had a great week on roosterfish as well as pargo, cabrilla and good numbers of sierra are now showing up in La Paz Bay and inshore where it’s obvious that the waters must be cooling down if the sierra are around.  Lots of fun on light tackle plus great eating!  We’ll probably see more of all these species as things change. 

 

That’s our story!

 

Jonathan and Jill

 

 

 

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
https://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

Read Full Post »

Although the main focus has been on the tuna and dorado bite, roosterfish are still around and are a great trophy catch. Trudy wanted one of these and got it just off the Las Arenas lighthouse which is a world-reknowned "roosterfish alley." The pretty fish took a live sardine and was quickly released after the photo.

Our Sacramento amigo, Wade Gomes, comes to visit us yearly and shows off one of the nicer dorado we've been getting with our Tailhunter La Paz fleet. The bite was a little stickier this week than normal, but schools of dorado are definitely around and the bite got better as the week went on.

Shane Grove from Utah gets a special mention. Y'know some guys will wear our Tailhunter t-shirt. Some sport our Tailhunter stickers. Take a look at the inset photo. Shane went and got our Tailhunter logo tatooed on his shoulder! This so rocks! Thanks, Fish Brother. Oh...nice dorado too!

Our yellowfin tuna at Las Arenas were better than last week when we had the full moon, but still not exactly wide open on the bite. Our pangas averaged 1-5 tuna per boat and the bite was late in the day. Fish went 20-30 pounds on the average like the nice trio of tuna caught by our buddy, Leif Dover, who came ovef from Hong Kong where he works. This was his 2nd trip to see us in two months! He's an animal fisherman!

Over the last few weeks, the ladies have really been doing well. Marsha Barnett, on her first trip to La Paz, spent 3 days catching dorado like these. She's holding this one after her first day fishing with our Tailhunter Las Arenas Fleet.

Another of our lady anglers who had a banner week, Kathy Terbu, from Utah pulled this nice bull out of the waters west of Espiritu Santo Island. The bite for our La Paz fleet was a little off but dorado got hungier as the week went on.

Johnny Terbu had a banner week of fishing and snorkeling with us and all the while kept his flyrod handy just-in-case. On his last day, the dorado boiled up all around the boat and he was able to get in some casts hooking up on dorado like this one in the channel between Cerralvo Island and Las Cruces. Here's what John said: " Awesome trip! Best day we had was 13 Dorado! Done by 12:00 noon. Also, got the 1 tuna I wanted. Even got one onthe fly rod! 12 wt. isn't big enough. Go big or stay home.Can't wait til next trip. Thanks so much for a wonderful trip and condo!"

POST – FULL MOON BITE IMPROVES WITH BETTER DORADO AND TUNA FISHING

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for Week of Sept. 25-Oct. 2, 2009

It wasn’t the best of weeks for fishing, but it was certainly better than the week before when we had the full moon playing games with us.  It was still scratchy fishing but the fish were more cooperative to a degree.  But, we still had to work hard for them.  Things were compounded by the fact that many days the bite was late in the day.  So, sometimes guys would get out to the spot and sit there…and sit there…and sit there…and work the area with their captain.

 

There’s only so much patience.  And, in some cases, they’d get the captains to leave the spot and go hunt for roosterfish or cabrilla or some other species.  Those boats that stuck around would suddenly get rewards with biters of tuna or dorado.  It’s just a matter of knowing when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.  Of course, being fish…sometimes sitting at one spot didn’t do much good either and the guys who pulled off found some action.

 

Anyway, for our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet, tuna were the center stage again.  Fish were a bit larger this week.  Most fish were in the  20-25 pound class, which is a real bull for alot of folks, but there were others in the 30-40 pound class and some larger that anglers never saw and busted off.   If you count up 1-5 tuna per boat/day then add in a few dorado and about 20 bonito and the occasional roosterfish, it’s an arm-tiring day especially in some cases where all the pandemonimium doesn’t even start until late in the day!

 

For our La Paz fleet, well, the dorado continue to be good to us and honestly, the mahi are our bread-and-butter-fish.  All summer we could count on them to bend the rods and fill the ice chests.  This week, they were a little more reluctant.  Not so crazy, but what they lacked in numbers they made up for in quality.  Quite a few fish were in that nice grade 30-40 to pound size!  So, one or two fish could stuff a fish box very easily and it wasn’t unusual to see big tails sticking out of the fix boxes because the whole fish wouldn’t fit with the lids on.

 

Knock on wood, we did dodge hurricane Hillary that kept our attention most of the week and had us answering phone calls and e-mails from clients wondering if they should still come down.  I don’t want to spit in the face of the weather-gods but Hillary fizzled and we didn’t even get any strong winds or storms.  We were pretty happy about that, needless to say.  We still have to keep an eye on the weather as we wind down the season, but it’s clear that fall is coming.  Shadows are longer.  It’s a tad cooler.  A bit breezier.  We hope the fish keep biting.

 

That’s our story!

Jonathan and Jilly

 

 

Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter International

 

TAILHUNTER FISHING FLEET #1 Rated on Trip Advisor

TAILHUNTER RESTAURANT BAR #1 Rated in La Paz on Trip Advisor

 

Now follow us on FACEBOOK TOO

 
Website: www.tailhunter-international.com
U.S. Office: 3319 White Cloud Drive, Suite A, Hacienda Hts. CA 91745
Mexico Office: 755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863

.
Tailhunter Weekly Fishing Report:
https://fishreport.jonathanroldan.com/

Tailhunter YouTube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pangapirate


“When your life finally flashes before your eyes, you will have only moments to regret all the things in life you never had the courage to try.”

 

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