La Paz/Muertos Report March 23rd, 2008

Keone · 03-23-2008, 01:01 PM

PHOTO 1: Whoaa...off Punta Perrico the yellowtail are still milling! These first two photos are two of our best amigos and favorite poster boys! They know how to fish and they also take great photos for us trip after trip. This is Charlie "Stix" McGhee, a great drummer, music professor and angler. We've done several long range trips together. Stix knows how to put fish in the boat. This yellowtail is impressive. It's almost as tall as him...and Charlie is taller than me!

PHOTO 2: Mitch Chavira, like Charlie McGhee also from the San Diego area and perhaps one of the best anglers in our area. He's another of our poster boys. I have so many photos of him over the years as well as his son, Cole. Many of them make it into the magazines that I write for. Mitch knows how to pose with a fish! Check out this huge yellowtail. Note the calmness of the water and how close they are to shore! I keep telling folks that unlike so many other places in the Baja, we don't have to go out very far for our fish! The guys fished at Punta Perrico which is literally 5 minutes away from where the boats left the beach.
They got 12 of these in one day. Some anglers are hooking this many, but the fish are taking them into the rocks. When these bad boys bite, you gotta PULL and lock down. Once they turn their heads...you're done! Mitch and Charlie have fished the area for years and have done big fish out at Guadalupe Island as well.

PHOTO 3 : Jack Galloway from Alaska came down for some sunshine and tangled with some of our big yellowtail. This is an absolute HAWG fish! The yellowtail continued to bite off Punta Perrico, but some of the other area also started to open up as well.

PHOTO 4: A great rack of trophy-size yellowtail. This bite has been ongoing now for the better part of two months...close to shore and fish willing to eat live bait in shallow water. Fish are going 20-40 pounds with some larger. Great eating!

PHOTO 5: Sara Galloway is 12 years old. She and her dad came from Alaska. Take a look at this great picture! That's a big mossback yellowtail she has there and check out the other 'tails behind her. Sara got a couple of these fish with her dad, but lots of fish are getting the better of anglers taking them into the rocks before they can dig in and get the fish out!

PHOTO 6: Take a look at the size of this big boy (No, I'm not talking about Captain Victor who seems to be wearing a big of winter weight...we'll work it off him!). Seals got into the act and tore into some big fish. Nothing more frustrating than hooking a fish then watching the dogs get him. We don't normally have a problem with seals, but everyone now and then one gets a wild hair and comes out to the fishing grounds ruining some great trophy fish!

PHOTO 7: I guess this needs no explanation. This is the bandito. I don't like to hurt 'em permanently , but I don't want them around either. . That's why I always try to keep a dead bonito or skipjack around. If the sealion comes around, I fill up the inside of that dead fish full of the hottest hot sauce I can find and throw it at the seal. The seal gulps it and immediately goes ballistic flipping around the ocean. And goes away!

PHOTO 8: This one made it to the boat. Great photos and a trophy fish for Sara. This would be great framed. That's alot of meat there. Captain Victor lends a hand. Even a 12-year-old can do it!

MORE BIG YELLOWTAIL ROMP ON ANGLERS AT MUERTOS, BUT CALMING WINDS ALSO PRODUCE FISH NORTH OF LA PAZ!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for March 23, 2007

Happy Easter everyone! God bless you all and your families!

The yellowtail got bigger, feistier and hungrier this past week. Check out these photos above. I guess if you just read the captions, there's not much more for me to write without sounding like a broken record! See, the thing is, La Paz just isn't known as a great yellowtail fishery. When someone says, " I really want to catch yellowtail!" and are in earnest, I usually send them to Loreto, Mulege or Santa Rosalia where the waters are cooler and the yellowtail fishery is much more predominant.

La Paz gets it share of yellowtail, but it's sometimes hit or miss. We get a few days in spring, then nothing, then a few more days, then nothing, then a few more days. You get the idea. Fortunately, other fish are often biting when the yellowtail aren't biting.

But this season the yellowtail have come on like gangbusters and they showed up early. Normally, we don't see yellows until late March or April, but these fish have been parked off Punta Perrico for the better part of two months. How long will they stay? I have no idea!!! The neat thing is that with the winds calming, we can now start checking out some of the other spots like Espiritu Santo Island or El Bajo or other spots around Cerralvo that have been too rough to get to. Who knows? Maybe even more and bigger yellowtail! We do know that some schools of the big pargo have started showing up around Cerralvo in a couple of our secret spots and also amberjack as well...the big toad boys that go up to 100 pounds. One lump of about 60 was hooked and busted off near the boat at color! But the captain told me he saw larger ones following it up as amberjack will often do! Dang...that gets my toes curling thinking about that. We actually got a few of those big boys last season!

Anyway, the yellowtail are eating sardines. No secret about that. Same with the pargo. Same with the roosterfish and cabrilla. Same with he sierra and big eye jacks we are also catchiing as well.

The biggest problem has been the seals and the rocks. Both are out there ready to cut you off! You really can't horse with these fish. You have to turn their heads and get them to the boat ASAP! The longer they are in the water, the great the chance you're gonna lose it!
We'll keep you posted!

ALASKA RATES DROP
We noticed that on selected dates, Alaska Airlines has dropped it's rates again. We found some as low as $350 round trip from Los Angeles to La Paz and back. That's incredible. It was close to double that early in the year! Alaska flies Mon/ Wed/ Saturdays into La Paz. If you happened to purchase one of the higher priced tickets early, you may want to re-book at the lower rate. Even if Alaska charges 75 bucks or so to re-book, you still save money!

FISHING IN A PEN? IS THIS CHEATING? OR ARE YOU JUST A WEENIE? Hahahahaha....Man up!
Click this. Can you believe it? They are putting marlin in a pen as well as tuna, jacks, wahoo...whatever fish your little heart always dreamed of catching. They put the boat in the pen with you and the fish and you hook up. Guaranteed!!! C'mon... Big bad big game fisherman!!! Pound your chest! Maybe this is what it's coming to!

It's a fishing ranch, where they catch 'em; grow ''em in a pen just so YOU can tell everyone you caught a grander marlin or 200 pound tuna! Click this: http://www.bluewaterfishingranch.com/

Have a great week!

Jonathan

PilotLight · 03-23-2008, 01:33 PM

Thanks Jonathan. PLEASE tell the big Mossbacks to stick around for at least another month! See you and Jill in 29 Days!!!!!!

Kel

**Carnivore** · 03-23-2008, 01:46 PM

WOW those are pigs, thanks for the report and good luck to all going to the cabin fever get together.

Sirena · 03-23-2008, 01:55 PM

Kel, El Jefe will do his best to get those bad boys to hang another few weeks for you and the East Coast friends heading our way!! Congrats to the whole fam from both of us on the addtion of your adorable Chloe!! Been smiling all week after I saw the photo...... Yes, you have Angels!!

and Carni... see you in the Fall??

Jill