Los Cabos Fishing Report – November 1, 2017
November 5, 2017 by Leave a Comment
November 5, 2017 
Large crowds of vising tourists are being greeted with pristine fall conditions. Winds have been somewhat unpredictable, at times from the north and then from the south, but as this week progressed conditions seemed to improve, colder mornings that had dipped into the 60s are now back into the 70s and daytime highs are still reaching into the upper 80s. Plenty of warm sunshine for all. The season’s final big tournament this week, the WON Tuna Jackpot, attracted some 146 teams, battling for high stakes, searching for the largest yellowfin tuna, with other jackpots for dorado and wahoo. Check the WON web site for overall results.
Surprisingly there still have been supplies of sardinas available, anglers are also using slabs of squid, some caballito, ballyhoo and chihuil as well. Fleets have been searching in all directions, as is common for this time of year, local charters from San Jose del Cabo have mainly been concentrating on the fishing grounds from the Gordo Banks to San Luis. Ocean water temperature are now in the 81 to 85 degree range.
Most common species has been the yellowfin tuna, sizes ranged from small footballs up to 90 lb. plus, including fish to over 300 lb. Tuning up for the WON tournament local panga skipper Chame Pino landed a 322 lb. yellowfin on Tuesday off of the Gordo Banks, while drift fishing with chunk bait from skipjack. Iman Bank has held the most numbers of schooling tuna, though of the smaller sizes. San Luis has produced tuna in the 70 to 90 lb. class, while the Gordo Banks are the grounds that have proved to the best bet of hooking into a cow, though again these big fish are not numerous, lots of patience and chumming is involved. Very heavy pressure now, as well as once again we are into the full moon phase, which can often cause the fish to be even more sporadic and finicky.
Early in the week the wahoo bite showed improvement, best spot being near Iman Bank, slow trolling with chihuil was the best technique, though these baitfish are not easy to come by, the wahoo also hit on rapalas at times, though not like on the live bait. Wahoo up to 45 lb. were brought in, some boats landing as many as four, though as the week progressed and the pressure was increased the wahoo action also tapered off. The water temperature is just starting to drop some and as it drops a few more degrees conditions will be ideal for peak activity for these prized gamefish.
Dorado are being found in limited numbers, the largest we saw were in the 15 lb. range, striking on lures and baits, no particular spot to specifically target them. Billfish was spotty as well, though some charters did report better action later in the week outside of Gordo Banks, where a few blue and striped marlin were found. Not much bottom action even being targeted now, more triggerfish, bonito and misc. pargo than anything else. Water still warm for much inshore action to start up, though it is a good sign that schools of sardinas are still in the area, despite the heavy pressure.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 144 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 2 blue marlin, 4 striped marlin, 36 wahoo, 580 yellowfin tuna, 66 dorado, 8 yellow snapper, 22 huachinango, 24 Eastern Pacific bonito, 9 cabrilla, 5 barred pargo and 84 triggerfish.
Good fishing, Eric
—
GORDO BANKS PANGAS
Eric Brictson / Operator
619 488-1859
Los Cabos (624) 142-1147
e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com
Los Cabos Fishing Report – October 29, 2017
October 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment
October 29, 2017 
Large crowds of anglers and visitors alike are arriving in Los Cabos, as we are now in the midst of the peak fall season. This past week the huge story was the Bisbee Black and Blue Tournament, which is the highest paying fishing tournament in the world, with this year’s event attracting 120 teams from across the globe, with over 800 participants. For final results you can check on Bisbee’s web site. Swirling winds from the north finally resided late in the week, with prevailing clear sunny skies and warmer than normal high temperatures, this all made for ideal conditions, actually still feeling almost like summer.
Heavy pressure now on bait resources, but so far supplies have held up, though if wishing to obtain sardinas, that meant traveling towards Chileno and waiting each morning as netters worked overtime to find enough bait to go around. Other options were caballito and slabs of squid. Some panga guides are starting to scout out chihuil options, as well as smaller sized skipjack.
Sportfishing fleets, as well as tournament teams, have been scouting fishing grounds in all directions. For fleets out of San Jose del Cabo, thought much of the week they were heading south towards Cabo San Lucas, in order to find calmer waters, since north winds had their normal grounds from Gordo Banks to Vinorama all stirred up and very choppy. Also with the sardinas now being located close to Cabo San Lucas, that is a long back tack, to travel that far south to wait around for sardinas and then motor back to grounds such as Iman or San Luis Banks, not a normal plan, this takes way too much time, not to mention how much extra fuel is needed. Charters were fishing areas from the Hyatt, Cabeza Ballena, Los Arcos and to el Faro around the corner on the Pacific. Main target species being the yellowfin tuna. Drift fishing with sardinas was the most productive technique, the tuna were seen in flurries, at times proved to be very finicky, catches ranged from zero up to ten fish per boat, depending where you happened to be at a given time, lots of black skipjack were mixed in with the yellowfin tuna. Average size of the tuna were 5 to 10 lb. though other larger fish were mixed in. The biggest yellowfin tuna for the week was taken Friday off of the Outer Gordo Banks, angler Bob Deeter hooked into the cow tuna while trolling a live chihuil, after a crazy surface battle, the fish actually expired and was subdued in relatively easier than normal manner. Back at the docks the yellowfin weighed in at 304 lb.
Dorado were very scarce early in the week off of San Jose del Cabo grounds, better chances were found trolling in Pacific waters, though later in the week we saw more dorado showing up, still not in significant numbers, but at least somewhat encouraging. Sizes ranged up to 15 lb. Wahoo action finally showed much more activity later in the week, as ocean conditions calmed down and charters were able to comfortably work areas such as the Iman Bank. With a slight change in climate as well, this seemed to trigger the wahoo. Many boats reported having six or more chances of wahoo strikes, most on baitfish such as chihuil or caballito. Other reported strikes on skirted lead heads and Rapalas. Of course as is usual with wahoo fishing, a higher percentage of strikes were lost, as compared with actually wahoo being landed. Several charters had two or three wahoo in the box, at least one had four. Sizes were not huge, but average of about 20 to 25 lb..
Bottom action was limited, one 60 lb. amberjack was accounted for, but only sporadic catches of snapper, cabrilla and triggerfish were reported. This is not the normal season for that type of fishing, with more surface action going on, nor has much at all been reported close along the beach stretches.
Billfish was spread out, but the tournaments have found a respectable number of qualifying black and blue marlin that have passed the 300 lb. minimal weight limits, Not many striped marlin now, water too warm for them, with temperatures now averaging 84 to 85 degrees.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 162 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 3 blue marlin, 1 black marlin, 28 wahoo, 4 amberjack, 215 yellowfin tuna, 75 dorado, 11 yellow snapper, 34 huachinango, 2 pompano, 18 Eastern Pacific bonito, 13 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 6 barred pargo and 96 triggerfish.
Good fishing, Eric
—
GORDO BANKS PANGAS
Eric Brictson / Operator
619 488-1859
Los Cabos (624) 142-1147
e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com
Los Cabos Fishing Report – October 22, 2017
October 22, 2017 by Leave a Comment
October 22, 2017 
This week is traditionally really the time when things become very busy for local sportfishing fleets and sure enough the crowds have arrived in force, almost to capacity levels. The high stake billfish and yellowfin tuna tournaments are in progress, with the granddaddy of all events, the Bisbee Black Blue, scheduled for this next week. Weather conditions are near ideal now, though we have felt warmer than usual conditions recently, just the past couple of days we saw early mornings just slightly cooler, still in the 70s. We do believe the next couple of weeks should have pristine conditions. Ocean water temperatures have remained warm as well, with most of the region averaging from 85 to 88 degrees. Clean blue water now within a couple of miles from shore, swells were moderate, though slightly increased with the recent higher tidal swings, larger waves make it more difficult for the bait netters to safely reach where the schooling sardinas are. Most days they were able to find sufficient supplies of the sardinas, with schools found off of Palmilla, near marina jetties, as well as north near Vinorama. Squid has been the other bait that is being offered and if possible it is best to obtain both sardinas and slabs of squid in order to increase your chances, the more the better. This is always the time frame when bait supplies feel the heaviest demand, we will cross our fingers that supplies hold up throughout the fall season.
This week we saw scattered numbers of dorado up to 20 lb. accounted for, but as the week progressed we saw much fewer dorado, hard to say what the deal with that is. Only a handful of wahoo were reported for the entire fleet, warmer than usual water temperatures help make wahoo more sluggish. As currents cool down to the 80 degree range this will usually trigger more activity out of these highly sought after gamefish.
Most consistent action was for yellowfin tuna, bite was more hit or miss that the previous week, heavy pressure and long waits to obtain bait, just part of the factors that come into play this time of year. Best action was found near San Luis Banks. Though other areas also produced. The yellowfin were striking on sardinas and strips of squid while drift fishing over the grounds, sizes of the tuna ranged from 5 lb. footballs up to 100 lb. specimens. Catches varied from a few fish per boat, to easy limits, some days we saw a higher percentage of yellowfin in the 30 to 80 lb. class, while other days more numbers of smaller fish, with a handful of larger fish weighed in. Lots of tuna now in the area, though they can become even more finicky with increased angling pressure.
Very little billfish action reported, though tournaments teams are landing a few and there is definitely the chance that someone will be hooking into a big black or blue marlin during the big buck events. No inshore action to report, such as sierra or roosterfish, some big jack crevalle hanging around the marina jetty area. Off the bottom there was only sporadic catches of various pargo, cabrilla, bonito, pompano, amberjack and triggerfish
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 185 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 1 blue marlin, 1 black marlin, 3 sailfish, 4 wahoo, 6 amberjack, 880 yellowfin tuna, 78 dorado, 28 yellow snapper, 54 huachinango, 6 pompano, 95 Eastern Pacific bonito, 9 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 12 barred pargo and 140 triggerfish.
Good fishing, Eric
—
GORDO BANKS PANGAS
Eric Brictson / Operator
619 488-1859
Los Cabos (624) 142-1147
e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com
Los Cabos Fishing Report – October 15, 2017
October 15, 2017 by Leave a Comment
October 15, 2017 
Large crowds of anglers are arriving early this fall season and sportfishing fleets are very busy with near capacity crowds. Weather settled down after we saw very strong wind gusts last Sunday, lingering until Wednesday, this limited what options were practical, especially in the direction of Vinorama, being too far north when the south winds picks up is not fun. Calm days are prevailing once again and anglers are scoring well for both yellowfin tuna and dorado.
Ocean swells were minimal, supplies of sardinas were still holding up, anglers were also using strips of squid. Ocean temperature was averaging in the 82 to 85 degree range and water color was clean and blue close to shore. Most productive fishing grounds were found from the Gordo Banks, north to Vinorama. Drift fishing over the various high spots produced limit style numbers for yellowfin tuna, most of the tuna were in the 7 to 15 lb. class, but every day there were much larger yellowfin found mixed in the same schools, or on other quieter locations, that were ranging up to 80 lb. or more. The tuna were a bit line shy and anglers found better success using lighter leaders, but then they could be in trouble if they hooked a larger fish.
This week with we saw more numbers of dorado moving onto the same tuna grounds, striking on trolled lures, as well as on various baits. Most of the dorado found were under 15 lb., with an occasional larger bull reported. Only a scattering of wahoo reported, though they are in the area, on Thursday there was a 50 lb. wahoo landed out of Puerto Los Cabos, this fish hit on a strip of squid, lucky with no wire leader. Actually more wahoo were talked about this week, as compared to last, they did show more signs of activity, usually the first part of November they start biting more readily.
Not much billfish action being reported, though there was a 200 lb. blue marlin landed off of a panga early in the week. A few sailfish scattered about as well. Bottom action consisted of huachinango, yellow snapper, cabrilla, island jack, bonito, pompano and amberjack, no big quantities, but as strong currents resided some, this was opening up more opportunities for working the bottom structure with both yo-yo jigs and bait.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 139 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 2 blue marlin, 1 black marlin, 9 wahoo, 8 amberjack, 1150 yellowfin tuna, 110 dorado, 4 sailfish, 18 yellow snapper, 52 huachinango, 1 island jack, 2 pompano, 6 bonito, 11 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 5 barred pargo and 120 triggerfish.
Good fishing, Eric
—
GORDO BANKS PANGAS
Eric Brictson / Operator
619 488-1859
Los Cabos (624) 142-1147
e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com
The Day of the Dead in Los Cabos
October 11, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Mexico isn’t the only country to honor the deceased with official days of remembrance, but the nation’s observances are 
so visually distinctive and emotionally resonant, its iconography so potent, that Day of the Dead is often thought of as an exclusively Mexican holiday.
The roots of Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, date back in Mexico to the time of the Aztecs, when festivals for Mictecacihuatl, queen of the underworld, were celebrated each year in August. After colonization by the Spanish, indigenous practices often became syncretized – essentially folded into the state religion of Catholicism – to avoid discrimination or suppression.
Since the Spanish colonial period, Day of the Dead remembrances have coincided with the Catholic observance of Allhallowtide, from October 31st to November 2nd. Traditions vary from region to region, but include visits to the graves of deceased forebears, and the building of altars (called ofrendas) at home to welcome the returning souls of children (Nov. 1) and adults (Nov. 2)
Ofrendas are one of the items most synonymous with Day of the Dead. These private altars are often adorned with traditional items like cempasúchil flowers (Aztec marigolds), calaveras de azúcar (candy skulls), and pan de muerto (a sweet bread made especially for Day of the Dead); but are also often stocked with favorite food and drinks of the dearly deceased.
Perhaps the most famous symbol of the holiday, however, is Catrina: an elegantly costumed female skeleton. Catrina was the creation of a famed Mexican illustrator named Jose Guadalupe Posada, and first appeared between 1910 and 1913, as an image meant to satirize Mexicans with pretensions to European gentility.
Another notable Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, helped to re-popularize the Catrina figure when he included her in his 1948 mural, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central (now housed in the Diego Rivera Mural Museum in Mexico City).
Today, Catrina figures proliferate throughout Mexico – they are a staple at art galleries and souvenir shops – and are commonly seen throughout Los Cabos during the Day of the Dead period.
Day of the Dead should not be confused with Halloween (which originated as a harvest festival), although they take place at approximately the same time, and many Mexican children, particularly in Los Cabos, have become fond of U.S. Halloween traditions like dressing up in costumes and “trick or treating” for candy.
So if you happen to be in cape cities Cabo San Lucas or San Jose del Cabo on Oct. 31, it couldn’t hurt to buy a bag of candy just in case…and to keep an open mind to the presence of powerful spirits.
Photo courtesy of Tomás Castelazo (Wikimedia Commons).
Call Los Cabos Vacation Rentals for Condos, Homes & Villas 1-888-655-4548
Upcoming Event Calendar
October
Sammy Hagar Birthday Concerts – Oct. 9, 11, 13 – 14
Fiestas Patronales (Patron Saint Festival) in Cabo San Lucas – Oct. 17 – 22
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 15 – 19
Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore – Oct. 19 – 22
Bisbee’s Black & Blue – Oct. 24 – 28
David Pack’s Legends Live at Bisbee’s Black & Blue – Oct. 28
IAGTO Golf Tourism Convention – Oct. 29 – Nov. 4
Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Oct. 31 – Nov. 2
November
San José del Cabo Art Walk – Thursday evenings, 5 – 9 p.m., November through June
WON Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot Tournament – Nov. 1 – 4
Jim Flick Invitational Golf Tournament at Cabo del Sol – Nov. 7 – 12
Los Cabos International Film Festival – Nov. 8 – 12
Ironman Los Cabos Triathlon – Nov. 12
50th SCORE Baja 1000 – Nov. 14 – 18
Día de la Revolucion (Revolution Day) – Nov. 20
Día de Acción de Gracias (Thanksgiving) – Nov. 23
Extreme Sailing Series – Nov. 30 – Dec. 3
December
LigaMAC Christmas Party – Dec. 5
Dressed to the K-9s Charity Gala – Dec. 8
Sabor a Cabo Food and Wine Festival – Dec. 9
Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12
Whale Watching Season – Mid-December to Mid-March
Las Posadas – Dec. 16 – 24
Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24
Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25
Día de los Inocentes – Dec. 28
Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31
January
Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) – Jan. 6
Tropic of Cancer Concert Series in Todos Santos – Jan. 11 – 21
Los Cabos Pro-Am Golf Tournament – Jan. 15 – 19
La Ventana Classic (Kiteboard and Windsurfing Tournament) – Jan. 17 – 21
Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Jan. 27 – Feb. 3
February
Todos Santos Open Artists’ Studio Tour – Feb. 10 – 11
Valentine’s Day Dinner at Sunset da Mona Lisa – February 14
Carnaval La Paz – Dates Not Yet Announced
Los Barriles Dog Show – Dates Not Yet Announced
March
Todos Santos Film Festival – Dates Not Yet Announced
Baja Shakespeare Festival – March 9 – 11, 14 – 17
El Triunfo Arts & Crafts Festival – Dates Not Yet Announced
East Cape Arts Festival – Dates Not Yet Announced
Fiestas Patronales in San José del Cabo – March 19
Annual Cheese & Wine Festival at Sheraton Hacienda del Mar – Dates Not Yet Announced
Los Cabos Events 2017-18
October 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Event Season Kicks Off in Los Cabos 
Los Cabos has now become such a popular year-round travel destination that the traditional lines between high and low tourist seasons have become blurred. The distinction is still observed, however, when it comes to event scheduling. October remains the banner month for signature local events in Cabo San Lucas, symbolically kicking off the high season – October through May – in high style.
Sammy Hagar Birthday Concerts – October 9, 11, 13 and 14 in Cabo San Lucas
Every year, loyal “Redheads” from around the world flock to Cabo San Lucas for Sammy Hagar’s Birthday Bashes. This year is particularly big, as the former Van Halen and Montrose frontman turns 70 on October 13. An all-star cast of visiting musicians – including fellow members of The Circle: Michal Anthony, Jason Bonham, and Vic Johnson – will join the “Red Rocker” for a series of special shows at Cabo Wabo Cantina, the landmark local bar and live music venue that Hagar opened with Van Halen bandmates in 1990.
Patron Saint Festival – Oct. 17 – 22 in Cabo San Lucas
Many place names in Spanish, particularly those in the “New World,” were bestowed by explorers based on the Catholic calendar, in which days were associated with different saints. Cabo San Lucas was named for Saint Luke, whose feast day is October 18. Each year, the Land’s End city hosts a Patron Saint Festival (called Fiestas Patronales), remembering the day – October 18, 1541 – when the place was named by Spanish sailor Francisco de Bolaños. Highlights include the crowning of a festival queen, and a colorful parade down Marina Boulevard.
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 15 – 19 in Cabo San Lucas
Bisbee’s two cash-rich tournaments get most of the publicity, but the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament also sends out a siren call to big-game fishermen eager for big-money prizes and jackpots. The three tournaments combined this year are expected to pay out over $4,735,000 to the winners. The 19th annual LCBT has three entry levels: a $5,000 base entry for each 6-person team; daily jackpots for the largest tuna, wahoo and dorado; and daily billfish release jackpots.
Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore – Oct. 19 – 22 in Cabo San Lucas 
Commonly known as “Little Bisbee’s,” to differentiate it from the “Big Bisbee’s” Black & Blue marlin fishing tournament that also takes place each October in Los Cabos, the Los Cabos Offshore dates back to 2002, and is considered a more laid-back, charity focused endeavor than the Black & Blue. Cash prizes are awarded to the teams with the three biggest qualifying fish in the game and billfish categories at the LCO, and large amounts of money are always donated to local causes.
Bisbee’s Black & Blue – Oct. 24 – 28 in Cabo San Lucas 
Oft billed as “The Super Bowl of Sportfishing” thanks to its million dollar payouts, this marlin focused fishing tournament originally premiered in 1981, and remains to this day the highest profile annual event in Los Cabos. The $4.165 million payout in 2006 was and still is the largest in sportfishing history. Those who can’t afford the base entry and jackpot fees can still gather each day behind Puerto Paraiso to watch the weigh-ins.
David Pack’s Legends Live at Bisbee’s Black & Blue – Oct. 28 in Cabo San Lucas
Bisbee’s Black & Blue is going bigger than ever this year, bringing in five rock star legends – David Pack of Ambrosia, John Elefante of Kansas, Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger, Wally Palmar of The Romantics, and Jim Peterik of Survivor and .38 Special – to perform at the post-tournament awards banquet on the A.P.I. Cruise Ship Pier in Cabo San Lucas. The concert is part of a fundraising effort for the Bisbee’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fund.
For more information on local events, call us TOLL FREE at 1-888-655-4548, visit www.LosCabosVillas.com, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com.
Photos courtesy of Bisbee’s and Cabo Wabo Cantina.
Upcoming Event Calendar
October
Sammy Hagar Birthday Concerts – Oct. 9, 11, 13 – 14
Fiestas Patronales (Patron Saint Festival) in Cabo San Lucas – Oct. 17 – 22
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 15 – 19
Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore – Oct. 19 – 22
Bisbee’s Black & Blue – Oct. 24 – 28
David Pack’s Legends Live at Bisbee’s Black & Blue – Oct. 28
IAGTO Golf Tourism Convention – Oct. 29 – Nov. 4
Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Oct. 31 – Nov. 2
November
San José del Cabo Art Walk – Thursday evenings, 5 – 9 p.m., November through June
Jim Flick Invitational Golf Tournament at Cabo del Sol – Nov. 7 – 12
Los Cabos International Film Festival – Nov. 8 – 12
Ironman Los Cabos Triathlon – Nov. 12
50th SCORE Baja 1000 – Nov. 14 – 18
Día de la Revolucion (Revolution Day) – Nov. 20
Extreme Sailing Series – Nov. 30 – Dec. 3
December
Sabor a Cabo Food and Wine Festival – Dates Not Yet Announced
LigaMAC Christmas Party – Dec. 5
Dressed to the K-9s Charity Gala – Dec. 8
Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12
Whale Watching Season – Mid-December to Mid-March
Las Posadas – Dec. 16 – 24
Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24
Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25
Día de los Inocentes – Dec. 28
Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31
January
Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) – Jan. 6
Tropic of Cancer Concert Series in Todos Santos – Jan. 11 – 21
Los Cabos Pro-Am Golf Tournament – Jan. 15 – 19
La Ventana Classic (Kiteboard and Windsurfing Tournament) – Jan. 17 – 21
Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Jan. 27 – Feb. 3
February
Todos Santos Open Artists’ Studio Tour – Feb. 10 – 11
Valentine’s Day Dinner at Sunset da Mona Lisa – February 14
Carnaval La Paz – Dates Not Yet Announced
Los Barriles Dog Show – Dates Not Yet Announced
March
Todos Santos Film Festival – Dates Not Yet Announced
Baja Shakespeare Festival – March 9 – 11, 14 – 17
El Triunfo Arts & Crafts Festival – Dates Not Yet Announced
East Cape Arts Festival – Dates Not Yet Announced
Fiestas Patronales in San José del Cabo – March 19
Annual Cheese & Wine Festival at Sheraton Hacienda del Mar – Dates Not Yet Announced
COME TO CABO FOR FUN IN THE SUN!
Los Cabos Fishing Report – October 1, 2017
October 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
October 1, 2017 
Finally the weather in Los Cabos has changed and it is now actually feeling like fall, with cooler mornings, slightly less humidity and daytime highs a moderate 85 degrees. No new tropical storms on the horizon, last week we were a bit nervous about TS Pilar, but it never amounted to much, as it make contact with mainland Mexica and dissipated. On Tuesday we did have some isolated rain showers which just kind of formed locally, not associated with any tropical storm front, charter boats still went out, because early morning things appeared okay, but most everyone that did venture out became drenched to some degree. Early in the week there were several water spouts sighted, as skies was very tropical. The Baja landscape has transformed into a lush green jungle as a result to this seasons high rainfall total.
Anglers were using a mix of strips of squid and sardinas, concentrating on the fishing grounds from the Gordo Banks north to Vinorama. Very strong current has been running, pushing in off colored greener water on certain grounds, changing daily as to clarity on one area versus others. As a general rule the fishing action can become more sporadic and tougher when such strong currents are present. The most common target species has continued to be the yellowfin tuna, sizes ranging from 5 lb. footballs to 100 lb. Numbers were down in recent days, but some quality tuna were accounted for, all were taken while drift fishing various baits, sardinas, chunks of skipjack, cocinero or strips of squid. The yellowfin were finicky and line shy, so best results came on lighter leaders and smaller pieces of bait. Some of the more significant catches per boat consisted of landing several nicer grade tuna in the 60 to 90 lb. class per morning, though for the most part anglers were fortunate to account for one nice tuna, along with maybe a mix of a few pargo, small dorado or others, no big numbers of anything, but there were some quality fish being brought in every day.
Dorado bite was scarce and mainly for an occasional fish under ten pounds, no wahoo to speak of, though if anglers were to specifically target these fish near Vinorama there is a chance, because East Cape charters have been doing that. A couple of nice amberjack to over 50 lb., one rare 17 lb. golden phased leopard grouper, a handful of huachinango (red snapper) and yellow snapper rounded out the limited bottom action.
Billfish were very scattered, not much being reported on the grounds off of San Jose del Cabo, perhaps better chance for marlin now on the Pacific. No inshore panga action reported, though local surf anglers out of La Playita reported good numbers of barracuda, jack crevalle and a couple of days of nice tripletail action.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 105 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 3 sailfish, 35 dorado, 4 wahoo, 1 rainbow runner, 6 amberjack, 225 yellowfin tuna, 12 yellow snapper, 26 huachinango, 1 golden leopard grouper, 1 sierra, 4 barred pargo, 3 glass eye snapper (local name) and 80 triggerfish.
Good fishing, Eric
—
GORDO BANKS PANGAS
Eric Brictson / Operator
619 488-1859
Los Cabos (624) 142-1147
e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com
Los Cabos Fishing Report – September 24, 2017
September 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment
September 24, 2017 
Last week we were preoccupied following Tropical Storm Norma, local Ports were shut down for three days, Saturday thru Monday, due to higher storm swells, though the storm stalled and veered further off to the west and never did impact land. Hardly any rainfall at all was reported in Los Cabos and we felt 30 mph wind gusts, but basically we dodged a bullet this time. We have now officially started the fall season, though with the high humidity it still feels more like summer. Light crowds the past couple of weeks, with people being more nervous about traveling during possibility of storms moving through the area.
Fishing action has been mainly centered on the Gordo Banks and north to Iman Bank. Early in the week water clarity was greenish near Iman and the better action was found on the Gordo Banks, most common catches were for yellowfin tuna in the 50 to 100 lb. class, drift fishing with strips of sardinas, no big numbers of tuna being landed, though at times lots of yellowfin could be seen breezing the surface, just very finicky in striking the baits that had hooks in them. Anglers were doing well to land one or two of these quality tuna. Later in the week bait suppliers found some sardinas off the beach stretches further to the north and with the water cleaning up on the Iman Bank the medium sized tuna in the 5 lb. to 30 lb. range bit well there. Also some dorado in the mix, but most all under ten pounds and not nearly as numerous as before the most recent storm system passed by.
Some days the yellowfin tuna were more active early in the day, especially on the Gordo Banks, but then things switched around and more action on these grounds was found later in the day. Tuna of 170 lb., 238 lb. and another close to 300 lb. were accounted for by groups of local anglers, specifically targeting these larger tuna, putting in long extra hours and bringing ample supplies of slabs of squid to continue chumming throughout the day.
Anglers using yo-yo style jigs had mixed success on various red snapper, pargo and amberjack, no big numbers, but a few nice fish accounted for, a handful of nice yellowfin were also hooked into on these jigs.
Not much billfish action reported, though this week most anglers were targeting the tuna or dorado action. There was a lack of skipjack and other baitfish on the grounds early in the week, but as the week progressed and water conditions stabilized, there was more bait schools being reported.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 46 charters for the week, with anglers reporting a fish count of: 1 wahoo, 44 dorado, 1 blue marlin, 3 rainbow runner, 9 amberjack, 144 yellowfin tuna, 4 yellow snapper, 25 huachinango and 85 triggerfish.
Good fishing, Eric
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GORDO BANKS PANGAS
Eric Brictson / Operator
619 488-1859
Los Cabos (624) 142-1147
e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com
