La Paz Fishing Report / july 18th 2021
Weather & Bait
As we enter the middle of July the weather conditions are definitely starting to feel tropical. Air temps are consistently in the high 90’s occasionally breaking triple digits. The biggest difference now are the daily thunderstorms that are starting to build over the mountains increasing the humidity levels.
The water temperature continues to increase. As inshore temps are reaching low 80’s and offshore temps pushing mid 80’s.
We did meter a few spots offshore nearing 87 degrees. There are a couple of organized storms south west of us. These storms pose no threat to us but they will continue to increase the humidity levels making for hot and sticky afternoons.
Bait continues to be a non issue as sardines are plentiful on the way to the fishing grounds and larger baits can be made on the seamounts.
Fish Talk
This week fishing slowed down a little bit. Perhaps the mid day tide which is almost non existent has something to do with the feeding patterns. This will change by mid week with more favorable tides in the morning.
Last week we had to literally run from the striped Marlin. This week we had to work a little harder if this was your targeted species. Trolling lures or live bait will still get there attention but they definitely were not as aggressive as weeks past. We did have better formations of sargasso paddies mostly along the coast line from Punta Coyote to Rosario. Paddy hopping while chumming a few sardines near the floating grass will let you know if anybody’s home. This is the most effective way to hit the paddies before the other boats get there. The key is to be the first boat out.
The Dorado are still running in the mid size range 15-25 lbs with the occasional bull pushing 40lbs. Remember your limit is 2 per angler so if you hook up a peanut it’s best to release it.
All species of snapper are available and eager to bite. There are some real trophy Cubera snapper hanging in the rocks on the seamounts. They are easy to hook but almost impossible to land as they will have you in the rocks before you can say hook up.
The Alamaco Jacks are still hanging around the seamounts with 50 pounders the norm. The Spearos are have the best luck with these brutes, but as the water continues to warm we expect they will head off to deeper waters and disappear altogether.
A few sails are in the mix making for a great show but, not great eating. Slow trolling ballyhoos on light tackle make for a great fight and awesome pictures.
We had a few groups travel far offshore looking for tuna running with the porpoise. Although they were fortunate to find a few schools west of El Charro they weren’t holding any fish. This kind of fishing is definitely fun but it’s a hero or zero experience. A few wahoo have been seen breezing around but not many being boated. It’s still early for these speedsters. Another month or so should make a difference here.
As I said last week your best bet is not to be species specific. Your captain who’s out everyday knows what’s biting and best to let him guide you to success.
With the tides changing for the better next week I’m confident we should see better results. Fingers crossed.
Stay safe, hasta la próxima semana
Keep the faith
Scotto
