Isla San Marcos Fishing Report

June, 29th 2008

Hola Everyone~

And the first week of summer has come and passed. As usual I'll break down this weeks weather and water conditions. Weather feels like summer that's for sure, getting pretty stifling hot down this way. Time of year where it's not cooling off all that much during the evening and morning hours. Lows are about 78 degrees with daytime highs in the 90s with YES... HUMIDITY too boot, making for sweaty never dry doing anything physically outdoors kind of time. Now the strange part of it is, inshore and around the north end Isla San Marcos bajo's water temps, still cool and tons of bait like the spring produces, but offshore waters are hitting 80 degrees with stained blue green water. Overall visibility is good with over 50 feet in some areas around San Marcos and add 20 feet to that farther offshore you go.

So now on with the fishing, I'll say this... after last Friday it blew strong out of the southeast till about Wednesday. I mean you could make the run in decent water till about 9-10 am it's hitting 18-22 knots and nasty washing machine close chop of about 2 seconds apart. Think I'll past till Thursday. The night before fishing on the shore of Isla San Marcos, un-used pangas wait for the morning as a large freighter gets loaded in the background. I always try to catch a few minutes of the sunsets here when I can.

With that said, water laid down and the morning was an erie black still as Myself and son Miguelito made our way for the bait grounds of San Lucas cove. Bait has been... there's too much really and everything is trying to eat each other. The bait I want to catch were feeding on anchovies and sardine fry, as small (2-5 pounds) Squid were grabbing all of it, including our bait rigs. So had to move off a few stops and had more big eyes and mackerel than we need. And as all that was going on this was the back drop for the morning.

Just another Baja sunrise.

Still a lot of dust in the air from the winds earlier in the week, making the sun look like planet rather than a sun rising. So with that, we made it to the 110 bajo. Ah ha.... unlike last week with no surface yellowtail gear rigged or even on the boat. This time I was ready. Looked kind of the same out there too, lots of birds, bait fish, whales, dolphins and squid feeding away. Just not seeing the game fish in all of that food chain soup. We started our first drift just inside the high spot and I heard the distinct sound of bigger fish crashing... long cast over the port side or start the boat. Start the boat, my son already had a bait ready to go on the fly line and I had the surface iron. We both put it right on the money and well guess what? Kid got first blood and I rolled through them twice and nada. Least we had one on, water still had some ripple on it so I cast a live one where the iron was going and seconds later I was bit, but after a fashion pulled the hook. Still kid was on and getting worked, but got the fish to gaff and another high twenty pound yellowtail was on the deck.

Kid getting the first.... again on this morning. Miguel cast a fly lined rigged mackerel on what was a surface feed. I managed to pull the hook on my fish. Nice summer toad... as for the LA hat well, he has a blue motorcycle. Yes I live there now but always a SF fan till death when it comes to sports. Rest of the morning went pretty good. Three other boats out fishing that day, had Rigo and his brother, think they got three, Ed Hogan and Beth put at least 5 that I know of , another boat with three guys I didn't know had three fish and we totaled for four yellowtail in the sub 30 pound class. I did take another 7 mile run offshore and didn't see much fish-able water, but reports keep coming in with a dorado here and there trolled up. Most dorado were report to be in the 10-17 pound range. Should have stayed put with Ed... would have had a few more tails in the box, we kept quacking back and forth on the radio and while I was looking at nothing, he was catching fish. Still much better than last week, things are looking up.

Here's a pair of toads I did old school style. Narrow 6/0 Penn Senator with the stock 2.9:1 gear and straight 80 pound line. Rig a 12 inch mackerel on a dropper loop and and a 12 oz weight.... send that to the bottom, put it in gear and HOLD ON! It's been working for me on everything that lives on the bottom or feeds there and if you're going to try it get the drag as tight as it will go. If you don't and line can move off the reel... your 're not going to pull those fish away for the rocks. I get guys on the boat all the time with heavy gear and light drag. Concept is not to let them get to where they're going and if the drags working?? then you might as well be using 40 pound, cause they get to those rock it don't matter what pound test your using right?

And that was Thursday's run, Friday need to get a new fishing permits in Santa Rosalia. When I got back home Doug Moranville called me and we exchanged fishing info, only it was Jeff Vogel for last week over at Doug's place, then on the phone asking if I was open for a run the next day. Been open all year really.

With that, a little of the same old same. 5:30 am pick up, catch the bait and on Johnny on the spot right at sunrise. Only difference was no surface feed on this day. Got a quick double, lost one got one. Jeff caught another pair and then the bite slowed up and stopped dead. Long story short we tired a few areas and got some nice bass and right on top of the bajo a panaga was shouting and pointing Pez Vela Pez Vela (sailfish) and sure enough I saw not one ,but a least four finning up. Got the boat in in the cut off zone and Jeff made a good cast, fish kicked after it.... Jeff said he was picked up and did get some bend in the rod, but didn't get the hook on the fish. Oh well get'm next time.

Here's Jeff on one of two fish for this morning, I took the other one for a total of three. It was a good bite soon as we rolled up on the fishing grounds and then stopped as fast as it started. All in all it's still pretty good fishing.     Only down side is the lack of tourists for this season. had two three charters the whole month.... normally it's more like 23. Do have a couple for July which my deckhand Danny will fish. I'm heading north for a part time summer job this year till things return to normal. At any rate I'll keep doing what I'm doing.... and see you all here next week Till Then~ BACK