La Paz/Las Arenas Fleet Report July 6th, 2008

Keone · 07-06-2008, 07:10 AM

PHOTO 1: A sure sign of summer when we have dorado like this showing up! The big bulls were out in force this week. This fish tickled the 50 pound scale! Captain Chito Martinez and Jarrett Pfost of San Diego help Illiana Stevens formerly of Alpine CA with this big meaty bull caught east of Espiritu Santo where sargasso weeds congregated all week holding nice schools of varied-sized dorado.

WHOA!!! MUST BE SUMMER...DORADO SCHOOLS COME ON BIG TIME FOR LAS ARENAS AND LA PAZ BOATS...SAILFISH BITE HARD AT ISLAND...SOME TUNA BREAK OUT...WAHOO TOO!

La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report for week ending July 6, 2008

PHOTO 2: Norm Fulco was on his first trip with us and in 3 day fishing racked up quite an impressive record of hookups. By his own account he had close to 70 hookups...including billfish, pargo, dorado, and snapper. And...yes...out of nowhere at the end of the day he drags a Rapala and nails this nice-sized wahoo off Cerralvo Island. Captain Victor does the gaff work!

PHOTO 3: I was out one day at Las Arenas, the day the tropical storms to the south drove huge swells, waves and wind up towards us. It was rougher than a washing machine, but I was fishing with Jarrett Pfost from San Diego who knows how to fish as he also deckhands out of San Diego. We got 6 medium dorado and then got a double hookup on sailfish as both fish crashed the sardines off the stern of the panga simultaneously. Both of us were on light tackle! Jarrett had 25 pound test spooled on a little Accurate with only about 100 yards of line on it. I happened to grab a little Avet SX with 30 pound test. Both fish went in opposite directions! We did quite the firedrill for awhile but got both to the boat. We were able to release one, but not the other unfortunately, but the meat fed a lot of people who needed it. (see the video below)

PHOTO 4: This was the week for some big bull dorado! Jorge Romero is a famous fisherman here in La Paz and is a big guy. He put this bull on a hand scale that read 67 pounds! He was fishing off Las Arenas beach when the mahi struck.

PHOTO 5: Some people swear that pound-for-pound, nothing fights harder than a jack crevalle. These fish are schooling up in several spots for both our La Paz and Las Arenas fleets and are dogged fighters. We release most because they just don't taste that well, but check out the size of this jack held up by Jarrett Pfost of San Diego.

PHOTO 6: Nothing wrong with this photo. Trophy fish held up by Jarrett Pfost, Illiana Stevens, Charlie Wilmer and Pete Makhaus all standing on Balandra Beach after a day of pulling fish east of Espiritu Santo Island where the sargasso weeds have drawn dorado into the area. The smallest fish here is about 35 pounds. The largest close to 50.

PHOTO 7 : Check out the colors of this great looking dorado hung by Shane Evans. Captain Jorge "Chavelon" helps with the fin. First timer Shane with his clan had some banner fishing over the week that may have spoiled them for future trips. I think they had more than a cooler full of fish to bring home!!

PHOTO 8: The Evans boys...brother Gary and Bill (now living here in La Paz) hold up just a few of their fish from the day. Gary (wearing his lucky black hat) holds the dorado. Bill (missing the entire crown of his hat) holds up a great eating barred pargo.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK:
Wide open dorado plus a double sailfish hook up on light tackle. All sails this week except one were able to be released. All big roosterfish this week were released.

YouTube - Tailhunter Fishing La Paz June 30-July 5 2008

THE FISHING REPORT
Well...it's about time! Dorado in the chumlines! Both our La Paz and Las Arenas fleets jumping into the summer bite with dorado in many areas and ranging in size from little punks up to 40, 50 and 60 pound slugger bulls!

If you fished with our La Paz fleet, the hot spots were in the sargasso weeds to the east of Espirito Santo Island about mid-way up adjacent to Partida then out 3-5 miles off the beach. Weeds gathering there hold batches of breezing fish willing to jump a sardine, slow trolled caballito, feather (get hung up on the weeds), or slow trolled slab of bonito. You can go all day and not hit a thing then all of a sudden, you're surrounded by fish on the chew slamming every rod on the boat. The hardest things become keeping the punk fish off the line so the big boys can feed! Other spots include an area in front of Punta Coyote as well as Las Cruces in the channel and then up by La Reyna lighthouse. Moving in and out and eating the smaller dorado, striped marlin are also being hooked.

If you're coming down, we've been getting some larger caballitos and mackerel in the bay. You just need a few to top off the sardines in the tank. Bring some lucky joe or sabiki rigs to catch the bait as well as a torpedo sinker.

If you fished with out Las Arenas fleet, the dorado could be just about anywhere! Offshore, the buoys have been productive, but south Cerralvo Island on the high spots; the drop off near the Arenas lighthouse; the buoys in Bahia Ventana and the slope beach in front of Boca de Alamo all produced dorado of varying sizes.

As well, the variety for our Las Arenas boats continues to blow me away! This week we nailed a few more wahoo; more big roosters (and small ones too!); a few stray yellowtail; cabrilla, pargo, bigger amberjack and....get this...even some yellowfin tuna popped up at the buoys and under some schooling porpoise!

The only hinderance all week to an otherwise outstanding time were the big swells, wind and chop that came in mid-week from the big tropical storms about 300 miles south of Cabo. The storms pushed out to the west without doing anything, but they did push up some rough waters that made it difficult to fish on Thursday and Friday. Before and after...nice and smooth!

Hope this keep up! Hope you had a good 4th of July weekend!

That's our story!
Jonathan

sourcreamnjive · 07-06-2008, 07:26 AM

Oh dang, those Dodo's are big! Another great report by Jonathan! Thanx for sharing!Nice release of the Marlin!

Surf Hunter · 07-07-2008, 07:12 AM

17 days till I drive to Ventura, 19 days till my happy butt is sitting on the beach at the La Concha hotel scoping the surf looking for signs of chicken roosters and jacks all while enjoying the cool refreshing sensation of an adult beverage.

moogie · 07-07-2008, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surf Hunter

17 days till I drive to Ventura, 19 days till my happy butt is sitting on the beach at the La Concha hotel scoping the surf looking for signs of chicken roosters and jacks all while enjoying the cool refreshing sensation of an adult beverage.

Don't forget your ear muffs and snow shoes.
By the way, the chicken roosters are plentiful at KFC.

Surf Hunter · 07-07-2008, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogie

Don't forget your ear muffs and snow shoes.
By the way, the chicken roosters are plentiful at KFC.

got the ear muffs and the snow shoes, Hell, Shannon ended up throwing a pair of snow skis in the rod tube. Jonathan even has a snow mobile lined up in case we need one (Man, that guy takes care of all the details

).
Have plenty plenty of pesos for KFC for the chicken roosters as well.
Anything else you think we need Moogs?

Alrock805 · 07-07-2008, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surf Hunter

17 days till I drive to Ventura, 19 days till my happy butt is sitting on the beach at the La Concha hotel scoping the surf looking for signs of chicken roosters and jacks all while enjoying the cool refreshing sensation of an adult beverage.

Hey SH,

Is there good fishing off the beach at La Concha?

moogie · 07-07-2008, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surf Hunter

got the ear muffs and the snow shoes, Hell, Shannon ended up throwing a pair of snow skis in the rod tube. Jonathan even has a snow mobile lined up in case we need one (Man, that guy takes care of all the details

).
Have plenty plenty of pesos for KFC for the chicken roosters as well.
Anything else you think we need Moogs?

Ya, Shannon's really on the ball. She must have heard that they're having downhill ski racing on Ceralvo Island. It's all over the news.

Jonathan is definitely the man however, I hear that he's bringing down some sled dogs from Alaska so when the snowmobiles run out of gas, you'll still be able to get on over to Rancho Viejo for a few frozen tacos.

Make sure you bring a pair of mittens and fur lined undies.
You may want to consider bringing a motorcycle helmet with you in case they have a hail storm.
Global warming my friend.
La Paz, the winter wonderland.
Moog

Surf Hunter · 07-08-2008, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alrock805

Hey SH,

Is there good fishing off the beach at La Concha?

From what I hear, and it is by word on mouth only, you can get into small fish, little roosters, jacks, needles, puffers etc.
Our goal is basically to get up really early before sunup and most other folks, and hit the beaches just to see what we catch on our non-offshore fishing days. Once the sun is up, go some breakfast and chill he rest of the day, maybe snorkel, or go into town etc. Repeat t gray light.
Pretty much going explore and just see what lives around the area.
If no fish, maybe we will hunt for iguanas or something