Pompano
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Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Pompano fish report
Yesterday, wind conditions improved enough to let us fish comfortably near Sta. Inez Islands and Chivato Point. I had thought of making bait early,
but the day started off rather cool at the house so I let everyone sleep a couple hours more in their warm beds. My fishing partner this morning was
Mike and we launched my Yarcraft at the Serinadad ramp around 8:30 or so...not exactly early birds! 
We motored through very moderate seas..less than 1 foot swell...wind was ESE at 6-7mph..water temp was 68...We had a chilly ride across the 9-10 miles
to the yellowtail hole out of Chivato Pt. I put on some sweats and a warm cap.
I slowed down near the first Sta. Inez island long enough to troll a Mirrolure. I nailed a nice 12 pound cabrilla right off in about 35
feet...trolling pretty fast to trigger a hit from the fanning females.
We kept on towards the latest yellowtail action of a week ago. The live-bait fishermen were already in place, having been there at least an hour
earlier. Their action was a little slow and we observed no hook-ups at that first hole in about 230 ft. I looked to the north and saw some good bird
action so away we went. We closed on the little boil and put two Mirrolures over the side to troll at about 7-8mph .......Wham! Got the first one
very quickly! Had a good fight as he headed for bottom against a tight drag and finally got him stopped. A nice 20 lb. yellow which I pumped up and
gaffed while Mike took a photo of the action. Then we threw the lures out again and had not gone 30 feet before we had a double hook-up...2 more
nice yellows. I had a little fun trouble now...my drag setting nut was nearly screwed all the way out from an adjustment I had been making while
letting out line and now the damn thing fell completely out, with the holdspring, onto the boat floor. I was just reaching down to get them when a
big yellow hit the Mirrolure! The line started screaming out and all I
could do to stop it from spooling me was try to thumb the line....which gives you a good burn, let me tell you. I decided to let the fish run while I quickly put things back together, threw in the drag, and got the fish under
control again...What a hoot!
Mike brings his to gaff and we laugh about the reel parts laying around the boat. A fun morning.
We got there late...got 5 hookups...landed 4..and headed for the dock by noon-thirty. All in all, a good morning. With mucho fish to give to our
friends and neighbors.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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nice report Pompano sounds like you had a good time.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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capt. mike
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good stuff Pompano!
sure wish i was back there this weekend!
formerly Ordained in Rev. Ewing\'s Church by Mail - busted on tax fraud.......
Now joined L. Ron Hoover\'s church of Appliantology
\"Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over....\"
www.facebook.com/michael.l.goering |
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Pompano
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Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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a little fish to go with our clam/pasta dinner tonight.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Tommy A
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Location: Manhattan Beach, Ca
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Pompano
What lure do you recommend for Dorado and can you post a picture of it. Thanks
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woody with a view
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Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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and post a pic of your mirror lure/size/color
thanks-
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fishinrich
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Registered: 8-28-2003
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thanks
Roger--Nice to have met you and thanks for the tequila. Had to bug out fast and make a run for the border. Will stop by when I am in the area
next---fishin rich
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mirrolure & dorado feathers....
here's a photo of the Mirrolures and some dorado feathers.
I think the Mirrolure (8") is a very good trolling performer and I have used it to catch most saltwater species (yellows, grouper, cabrilla, snapper,
dorado, rooster, etc, etc.) The BEST way to use this is to tie them directly to the line..NO swivel or other hardware..using a good lure knot, such
as a palomar or blood cinch. I like to troll them as fast as possible without popping the surface..say 5-7 mph. They run about 24 ft. down when
properly trolled. You can make minute right/left adjustments on the line-ring, like most any good trolling plug.
As far as color goes, that varies with the fish...and the fisherman. Light conditions generally predict this way: Bright sky = bright color, dark
sky = dark color. My personal best has been 'hot pink'. (but then, most of my clothes are that color also..) Seriously, that pink Mirrolure has caught my biggest cabrilla, my biggest yellowtail, quite a few BIG red snapper,
and a whole bunch of other large Baja gamefish. But use a variety of colors for whatever reasons...just remember, the 'action', speed range, and
depth capability of the Mirrolure are it's keys to success.
Dorado are very easy to catch when they are hunting their prey. A good feather with double or single hooks rigged on a 3ft. plus leader will do the
trick if you prefer lure fishing or you can use bait.. guys will use strips of squid, green macks, etc. and flyline those out near the floating
patties...or you can flyfish any number of good saltwater flies, casting to the floating grass beds. The methods are endless. (I have somewhere a
great old video of my neighbor and I catching and releasing 15 nice-sized dorado..all caught on a 'Daredevil' spoon I dug out of my Canada tackle box.
I had used it in the Far North to catch pike and walleye. That lure still had the price mark on it...75 cents.)
There are many ways to catch dorado, but probably the easiest and most productive way is to troll feathers. You will see many varieties of feathers.
See the photo for some I have used over the years. Oddly enough the biggest dorado I have caught so far was taken on ...you guessed it!..a 'hot pink'
feather. I like a feather that spurts and bubbles a lot. Jet-heads.
Get that lure going fast! Skip it around out there to entice a strike...remember that feather is supposed to be a flying fish escaping from the jaws
of a big bull!
Hints for trolling feathers for dorado. Look for bird action...especially a frigate bird circling and diving down to the water. In season, there
will dorado there. Look for floating beds of grass or scumlimes that hide the baitfish..then troll your feather past these ...closely, just missing
the grass. Also vary your speed and direction..no long straight trolling lines...follow tidelines, scumlines, etc. Most of your unexpected hits come
when changing speed or direction. If windy, I have more hits downwind then upwind. You can only use 1 or 2 fish for eating, so we always bend the
barbs down on trolling feathers to make catch and release so much easier. If you keep a tight line, you won't lose a fish..try it.
Once I went about 30 miles straight east from Pt. Conception in a spotty late spring fog until we came upon a hole in the sky...with the sun's ray
shinging down like a beacon on a large kelp patty. It was like a message from Above...'Pompano, thou shalt fish here!' As I neared the grass bed, I
started to see dorado crashing everywhere, chasing flying fish..gets you excited fast! We quickly got 3 feathers over the side and
whammo-whammo-whammo....3 hookups and the fun was on. We never really kept count, but I am sure we caught and released over 20 big dorado before I
thought I'd try something.... I had been trolling those feathers pretty fast, say around 12-13 knots..skipping them. Now I tried some really fast
trolls past that bed. I caught a nice bull at 16mph..then another at 18..and the last one, my biggest ever, at 20mph! We watched that feather
crashing and skipping past the bed and this huge dorado busts out after it...giving a powerful lunge and inhaling it. Blam! The fight was on and I
knew I was into the granddaddy of bulls. He tried a run for Guaymas, then Mazatlan, then Mulege, but I kept him from spooling me or breaking my
rather light line. That fight lasted about 40 minutes and we have a great video, thanks to my buddy, Johnny Tequila. We were awestruck when the
bull jumped again closer to the boat...he was a giant.
Finally tired out, the bull came to gaff..this one we would keep for sure. He came flopping heavily into the boat, taking up a lot of room. He
measured over 64" and we guessed his weight at over 70 lbs..our only scale bottomed at it's limit of 55. All thanks to that 'hot pink' feather!!
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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CJ
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Posts: 204
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: Loreto, B.C.S. y Lopez Mateos
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Great report Pompano.....you da man! Save a few for me, as we will be in Loreto in a week fishing for Jurels.....and waiting for the arrival of Dodos.
We always have good luck with a purple and pink Venturi jet head. The dorado go crazy over that color. Tight Lines......CJ
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Mexray
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Posts: 1016
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Location: California Delta
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Pompano...
you're just having too much fun! Sure wish we were down there!
BTW...had a fellow stopped by my battery shop here in Stockton last Friday. He was driving an older, cream colored, Toyota motorhome. He had
'chopped' the back half of the MoHo off, and installed a flatbed with open sides....anyway, it was so unusual, that I asked him what he carried back
there.
He told me he traveled to Baja and carried lots of stuff each trip. When I asked him where we went in Baja, he hesitated, as if trying to figure out
how to tell me where their home was...he asked if I'd ever hear of Mulege!...sure, I replied, go there several times a year! His eyes lit up, and
then he told me he had a place at Posada! As you probably know by now, his name is Rod (I believe). He mentioned that they also have a place over on
the Pacific side @ La Purisima.
They a boat they keep up here in the Calif Delta.
It's a small world, indeed! Even up here, just can't help but to bump into a 'Baja Nerd' from time-to-time!
According to my clock...anytime is \'BAJA TIME\' & as Jimmy Buffett says,
\"It doesn\'t use numbers or moving hands It always just says now...\"
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backninedan
Senior Nomad
Posts: 865
Registered: 3-8-2003
Location: Loreto
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Thanks Whistler, I thought I may be the only trolling hater.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
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Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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thanks pampano-
the stories get the blood pumping. the only "real" fishing i've done was in puerto escondido, oaxaca when a friend, out of desperation, paid for me to
go out for 3 hours before dark.
well, i caught a 15# dorado and two 10-15# blue fin trolling what i call marlin plugs?
that dorado was jumping at a 45degree angle to our pattern and i was saying, "wooh, check that out! finally realizing that the fish was swimming with
us so i wasn't feeling the drag yet.
long story short, roger got skunked.
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#1
Junior Nomad
Posts: 46
Registered: 12-26-2003
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I enjoy trolling, it gives me a chance to kick back and enjoy the scenery. Which makes me an easy mark. We were dragging rapala broken-backs around
Bahia de Los Angeles, three of us in a 16 ft. Crestliner, bass boat style. Bob had the helm, Randy had the bow seat and I was riding shotgun.
Awesome day, great weather and I've drifted off into a state of bliss. BAM! Hook-up. Bob backs off the throttle, I'm ready for battle, but the fish
let go. Oh well I'll get the next one. Nope, missed 'em, and several others too.
All of a sudden I see something I want to point out to the others so I turn around just in time to see Randy tap the butt of my rod with the boat
hook, and Bob trying his best to keep a straight face. They got a big kick out of it, and I got a big kick outfishing them.
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bajabum
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Registered: 9-29-2003
Location: San Diego, Ca
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#1...how dare you blame someone else for your inability to hook a fish 
That reminds me of a time we were fishing out of Gonzaga bay in a 15' gregor with a guy from Vegas. He had the boat, we had the tackle so we partnered
up and headed out trolling the wind sheltered shoreline. We were also using broken back rebels and the one I tied on for the guy from Vegas had no
hooks . Randy and I caught fish after fish and the other guy missed fish
after fish, had the same problem as you I guess, just couldnt seem to set the hook right . Every time he missed a fish he would cuss up a storm and after about an hour of this I was laying in the bottom of the boat holding my
gut trying not to wet my pants I was laughing so hard! We finally told him he better reel in his lure and check for weeds, he stared at the lure for
minutes before it clicked in and he realized the lure was weedless (hookless)
Man was that guy peeed!
Work is just something I do to keep me buzy between baja trips!
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bajabum
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Location: San Diego, Ca
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Tommy A....
Chunk bait fishing for Dodos works good also. Find a sargasso paddy or a scum line or find an area holding fish via info from the locals and catch a
few needle fish, macks or a big squid. Chunk em up, get a chum line going and put a hook into a nice meaty chunk and free line it with a small rubber
core to keep it below the surface and drifting in the current. work the boat up and down the chum line. If the Dodos are there they will show up and
be easy pickins on light tackle. I have caught alot of fish using this method fishing offshore SD and in Baja.
Work is just something I do to keep me buzy between baja trips!
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