We thought the summer season had finally arrived last week when the weather had become hot and humid, more tropical, but once again this last week conditions cooled due to persistent south winds pushing in Pacific currents. Water temperatures were up to 80 degrees at the start of the week before dipping back down to a chilly 70 degrees and turning a murky green color throughout the inshore areas. By the weekend the conditions began to improve some and cleaner blue 73 degree water was reported found within eight miles of shore. Although the climate has been very mild and comfortable for this late in the month of July, the constantly changing ocean conditions have scattered the baitfish and gamefish as well. Just as we thought the cold currents are finally over with, we are set back once again with cooler off colored conditions, as we near the month of August we are optimistic that warm blue water will prevail and the offshore fishing action will get back on track.

Last year at this time there was wide open action for yellowfin tuna found around the Iman Bank, so far that has not happened yet this season, only a scattering of tuna were reported, most recently from the area of the 1150 off of Chileno. Dorado continued to be scarce as well, the few that are being found were in the warmer blue water and ranged in sizes from 10 to 30 pounds, striking on lures and trolled baits. Live bait supplies were limited, mainly just mullet and mackerel now available, sardinas have become very scattered off of the Puerto Los Cabos jetties where they had been congregating for so many months, all of the dredging activity and the higher surf conditions undoubtedly attributing to this situation. The recently opening of the channel of the new marina has also caused many of the schools of baitfish to move inside where they are not schooling on the surface and hard to be captured by throw nets.

There had been consistently good numbers of several species of pargo being found closer to shore, but now with the lack of their preferred baitfish (sardinas) the fleets have had one less option. Choppy ocean conditions also made it difficult for anglers to concentrate on the rock piles with yo-yo jigs, which had been producing amberjack and cabrilla, just too much current in recent days. The majority of charters are now trying their luck offshore, looking for the cleaner water and trolling a combination of lures and bait. There have been more striped marlin than any other species, often seen riding the swells on the surface, but at times they were not easy to entice into striking, a percentage were hitting on lures, but live mackerel proved to be the best bet, the stripers that were landed were ranging in size from juvenile 50 pound fish to hefty adult 150 pound plus specimens.

Quite a few large sized jack crevalle were found closer to shore while trolling with baits, but roosterfish were few and far between. Have not heard much from surf fishermen, this is normally the time when the season's first snook are reported.

The combined panga fleet from La Playita sent out approximately 52 charters for the week and anglers accounted for a fish count of: 24 striped marlin, 28 skipjack, 34 bonito,13 dorado, 3 yellowfin tuna, 76 various snapper species, 12 amberjack, 62 jack crevalle, 4 hammerhead shark, 4 roosterfish and 17 cabrilla.

Good Fishing, Eric