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Crossing them off the bucket list – Mexico style
BY ROBIN WADE/WON Staff WriterPublished: Jan 27, 2012
PUERTO VALLARTA — With Mazatlan on the upswing this past week in the offshore waters, a wonderful week for sailfish in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Cancun, a few summertime species still a possibility in Puerto Vallarta along with the winter regulars; there are many options for anglers in Mexico’s waters. So check out the airfare deals, come on down and start checking fish off your bucket list.
“If I told you there were dorado outside the bay at Corbeteña right now, you’d call me a liar,” Stan Gabruk of Master Baiter’s Sportfishing and Tackle said. “And I won’t even mention the 2 striped marlin at Corbeteña that were boated this past week, or the tuna when you can find the right colored water. But for those looking for action, we have that, and if you are hoping to check specific summer species off your bucket list in January, you may even get have a shot at some of them.”
“Corbeteña has seen some strange yet welcome dorado action,” Gabruk said. “Running from 30 to 45 pounds, you can have a great day with some arm breaking action. Some days are better than others, so roll the dice. But lures and google eyes are doing the trick. And there’s no need to worry too much about bait; there is plenty now, unlike the previous week.”
“If you are just a touch inward between the areas of the Marietta Islands and Corbeteña, there has been some striped marlin action lately and since they like colder water temperatures, it may be worth your time to take a run out this way for them as well,” Gabruk said. “Cubera snapper are here for the bottom guys, along with a host of other unexpected possibilities.”
“The Marietta Islands and El Morro hit the skids for about three days last week when things just came to a halt, leaving us all scratching our heads,” Gabruk said. “We had bait, clean water and favorable water temperatures, but the currents were so strong they could wash away a ship wreck.”
“Sailfish are still in the area here as well and they might just take a bait now,” Gabruk said. “The secret for the islands are the currents and they have been changing, almost violently, causing rough water as the tides change. But these conditions should settle back down over the next day or so by the time this report comes out, so keep an open ear and get those fuel dollars ready to go. Still, there are jack crevalle to 30 pounds, sierra mackerel to 25 pounds, snapper, roosterfish, bonito and the list of regulars goes on, just check the latest conditions before making a decision about where to go.”
“Forget inside the bay for now though as long as the whales are there,” Gabruk said. “Even the crevalle are not around, as the whales have moved into the Bay of Banderas, as they normally do this time of the year,” Gabruk said. “Any trip less than six hours will not put you onto fish, so unless you’re taking a boat sightseeing tour in the bay, make sure you know what you are in for first and where to go.”
In other Mexico fishing action:
— CANCUN TO COZUMEL: The sailfish bite has been very good for anglers, especially on the 6- to 8-hour charters and the peak of the season is still four months away; it was another excellent fishing week for the Marina El Cid Sportfishing Fleet at Puerto Morelos.
The Atlantic barracuda bite has been offering anglers another good alternative and good action, with fish ranging in the 15- to 35-pound ranges. “The overall fish counts for the week reflected a mixed bag catch of 12 species that included 14 sailfish, 3 wahoo, 34 barracuda, 33 bonito, 9 Spanish mackerel, 5 king mackerel, 14 dorado, 4 blackfin tuna, 1 amberjack, 5 snapper, 4 triggerfish and 13 grouper for a total of 24 charters,” Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said.
— IXTAPA-ZIHUATANEJO: The fishing improved again this past week, with each boat connecting with 2 or 3 sailfish a day and a very decent sized dorado or two averaging 22 pounds. The 81-degree blue water still follows the 100-Fathom line about 6 miles off the beach, marlin releases also picked up, so here’s another good area to consider.
“Mecate, on the cruiser Aqua Azul released 4 sailfish in one day,” fly fishing guide Ed Kunze said. “And Cheva, on the panga Dos Hermanos II, released 5 one day and then released 4, two of which were on the fly rod the next day. Several large blue marlin were also taken this past week, with many more breaking off due to anglers being under gunned with light sailfish tackle.”
Kunze said very large jack crevalle, ranging from 18 to 25 pounds and sierra to 9 pounds were giving light line anglers all they could handle in front of the White Rocks; this bite has been steady for the last two weeks now.
“There were two large groups of anglers here for the week from Denmark, but other than that, there have been very few people fishing,” Kunze said. “The captains have all been complaining that there are just not many people here again this year.”
“Capt. Temo Verboonen reported a wonderful week for sailfish, ‘just like the old times,’ with many strikes each day and just 12 miles from the bay," Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said.
“In addition to the excellent sailfish bite, quality dorado in the 30- to 40-pound range were reported, with even a day that included yellowfin tuna,” Edwards said. "Fly fishing is an excellent option for the sailfish right now, given the numbers of daily strike opportunities; anglers often get 8, 10, or even 12 or more shots at them.”
“There was less focus on the inshore fishing this past week, as most of the boats targeted the offshore action,” Edwards said. “However, for those that did, the results were all good, with lots of jack crevalle, sierra, a few roosterfish and many bonito.”
Edwards said sea conditions were near picture perfect, with very calm flat seas and temperatures from 81 degrees inshore and slowly rising to 83 degrees offshore, with good clarity and very light tropical surface breezes. The 12-mile mark was the hot spot but the fish bit well anywhere from 10 miles to 14 miles out from the bay entrance.
The sailfish were eager to bite rigged baits and artificials, too, while the inshore fish were biting well on poppers and live bait.
— MAZATLAN: The change in a week's fishing can truly make all of the difference in the world. Mazatlan was unquestionably on the upswing this past week in the offshore waters; as all the jumping marlin from the prior week decided to cooperate and bite a little.
“Moving off the full moon phase created a mood change for the fish and they were considerably more eager to bite the rigged baits and the artificials, too,” Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said. “Even the inshore fish were active this past week and provided a terrific mixed bag catch of 9 different species,” he said.
The overall catch reports for 16 offshore fishing charters included a total of 14 stripers, 8 dorado, 1 yellowfin tuna and 1 mako shark. The inshore super pangas, reporting in for 15 charters included 95 jack crevalle, 5 permit, 8 barracuda, 2 sierra, 4 seabass, 38 perch, 12 grouper, 3 snapper and 145 white snapper.
Sea conditions were mostly calm with warmer waters inshore at 74 and 75 degrees out to 18 miles and then falling to 71 degrees. The marlin were coming in hard on the rigged baits and working very well.
— SAN CARLOS (SONORA): There were a few reports of a yellowtail or two being caught at San Pedro Island and San Antonio Point but few boats were taking advantage of the many glass calm days.
“There were lots of small baits but no reports of boils and it sounded pretty slow for the most part,” Brian Replogle of Team Margarita Sport Fishing said. “Water temperatures are in the low 60s and we are experiencing a lot of nice sunny days though,” Replogle said.
Readers: To have your reports included in the Mexico report, send photos and e-mails to baja@wonews.com
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PUERTO VALLARTA — With Mazatlan on the upswing this past week in the offshore waters, a wonderful week for sailfish in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Cancun, a few summertime species still a possibility in Puerto Vallarta along with the winter regulars; there are many options for anglers in Mexico’s waters. So check out the airfare deals, come on down and start checking fish off your bucket list.“If I told you there were dorado outside the bay at Corbeteña right now, you’d call me a liar,” Stan Gabruk of Master Baiter’s Sportfishing and Tackle said. “And I won’t even mention the 2 striped marlin at Corbeteña that were boated this past week, or the tuna when you can find the right colored water. But for those looking for action, we have that, and if you are hoping to check specific summer species off your bucket list in January, you may even get have a shot at some of them.” “Corbeteña has seen some strange yet welcome dorado action,” Gabruk said. “Running from 30 to 45 pounds, you can have a great day with some arm breaking action. Some days are better than others, so roll the dice. But lures and google eyes are doing the trick. And there’s no need to worry too much about bait; there is plenty now, unlike the previous week.” “If you are just a touch inward between the areas of the Marietta Islands and Corbeteña, there has been some striped marlin action lately and since they like colder water temperatures, it may be worth your time to take a run out this way for them as well,” Gabruk said. “Cubera snapper are here for the bottom guys, along with a host of other unexpected possibilities.” “The Marietta Islands and El Morro hit the skids for about three days last week when things just came to a halt, leaving us all scratching our heads,” Gabruk said. “We had bait, clean water and favorable water temperatures, but the currents were so strong they could wash away a ship wreck.” “Sailfish are still in the area here as well and they might just take a bait now,” Gabruk said. “The secret for the islands are the currents and they have been changing, almost violently, causing rough water as the tides change. But these conditions should settle back down over the next day or so by the time this report comes out, so keep an open ear and get those fuel dollars ready to go. Still, there are jack crevalle to 30 pounds, sierra mackerel to 25 pounds, snapper, roosterfish, bonito and the list of regulars goes on, just check the latest conditions before making a decision about where to go.” “Forget inside the bay for now though as long as the whales are there,” Gabruk said. “Even the crevalle are not around, as the whales have moved into the Bay of Banderas, as they normally do this time of the year,” Gabruk said. “Any trip less than six hours will not put you onto fish, so unless you’re taking a boat sightseeing tour in the bay, make sure you know what you are in for first and where to go.” In other Mexico fishing action: — CANCUN TO COZUMEL: The sailfish bite has been very good for anglers, especially on the 6- to 8-hour charters and the peak of the season is still four months away; it was another excellent fishing week for the Marina El Cid Sportfishing Fleet at Puerto Morelos. The Atlantic barracuda bite has been offering anglers another good alternative and good action, with fish ranging in the 15- to 35-pound ranges. “The overall fish counts for the week reflected a mixed bag catch of 12 species that included 14 sailfish, 3 wahoo, 34 barracuda, 33 bonito, 9 Spanish mackerel, 5 king mackerel, 14 dorado, 4 blackfin tuna, 1 amberjack, 5 snapper, 4 triggerfish and 13 grouper for a total of 24 charters,” Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said. — IXTAPA-ZIHUATANEJO: The fishing improved again this past week, with each boat connecting with 2 or 3 sailfish a day and a very decent sized dorado or two averaging 22 pounds. The 81-degree blue water still follows the 100-Fathom line about 6 miles off the beach, marlin releases also picked up, so here’s another good area to consider. “Mecate, on the cruiser Aqua Azul released 4 sailfish in one day,” fly fishing guide Ed Kunze said. “And Cheva, on the panga Dos Hermanos II, released 5 one day and then released 4, two of which were on the fly rod the next day. Several large blue marlin were also taken this past week, with many more breaking off due to anglers being under gunned with light sailfish tackle.” Kunze said very large jack crevalle, ranging from 18 to 25 pounds and sierra to 9 pounds were giving light line anglers all they could handle in front of the White Rocks; this bite has been steady for the last two weeks now. “There were two large groups of anglers here for the week from Denmark, but other than that, there have been very few people fishing,” Kunze said. “The captains have all been complaining that there are just not many people here again this year.” “Capt. Temo Verboonen reported a wonderful week for sailfish, ‘just like the old times,’ with many strikes each day and just 12 miles from the bay," Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said. “In addition to the excellent sailfish bite, quality dorado in the 30- to 40-pound range were reported, with even a day that included yellowfin tuna,” Edwards said. "Fly fishing is an excellent option for the sailfish right now, given the numbers of daily strike opportunities; anglers often get 8, 10, or even 12 or more shots at them.” “There was less focus on the inshore fishing this past week, as most of the boats targeted the offshore action,” Edwards said. “However, for those that did, the results were all good, with lots of jack crevalle, sierra, a few roosterfish and many bonito.” Edwards said sea conditions were near picture perfect, with very calm flat seas and temperatures from 81 degrees inshore and slowly rising to 83 degrees offshore, with good clarity and very light tropical surface breezes. The 12-mile mark was the hot spot but the fish bit well anywhere from 10 miles to 14 miles out from the bay entrance. The sailfish were eager to bite rigged baits and artificials, too, while the inshore fish were biting well on poppers and live bait. — MAZATLAN: The change in a week's fishing can truly make all of the difference in the world. Mazatlan was unquestionably on the upswing this past week in the offshore waters; as all the jumping marlin from the prior week decided to cooperate and bite a little. “Moving off the full moon phase created a mood change for the fish and they were considerably more eager to bite the rigged baits and the artificials, too,” Larry Edwards of Cortez Yacht Charters said. “Even the inshore fish were active this past week and provided a terrific mixed bag catch of 9 different species,” he said. The overall catch reports for 16 offshore fishing charters included a total of 14 stripers, 8 dorado, 1 yellowfin tuna and 1 mako shark. The inshore super pangas, reporting in for 15 charters included 95 jack crevalle, 5 permit, 8 barracuda, 2 sierra, 4 seabass, 38 perch, 12 grouper, 3 snapper and 145 white snapper. Sea conditions were mostly calm with warmer waters inshore at 74 and 75 degrees out to 18 miles and then falling to 71 degrees. The marlin were coming in hard on the rigged baits and working very well. — SAN CARLOS (SONORA): There were a few reports of a yellowtail or two being caught at San Pedro Island and San Antonio Point but few boats were taking advantage of the many glass calm days. “There were lots of small baits but no reports of boils and it sounded pretty slow for the most part,” Brian Replogle of Team Margarita Sport Fishing said. “Water temperatures are in the low 60s and we are experiencing a lot of nice sunny days though,” Replogle said. Readers: To have your reports included in the Mexico report, send photos and e-mails to baja@wonews.com |
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