Santiago
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July Loreto Dorado trip: Here's my report, scroll down
Annual Loreto trip coming up in 3 weeks and we have seen little reports so far. Last year was horrible for dorado, those of you that regularly fish
this area, what do you see developing?
[Edited on 7-25-2017 by Santiago]
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fish101
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Fishing for the Mission tournament is July 7 & 8th, so will get a good idea what they are catching this week as far as Dorado is concerned. Its
been better so far this year, although most of the larger ones are out 30 to 40 miles East of Loreto. Water temps are still under 78 in close, so not
much for size yet..
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bajario
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Just returned Sunday. While I didn't go looking for Dorado (1 YT, 1 Red snapper on Thursday) there were lots of reports of most fisherman finding
Dorado out and about. Mostly the smaller grade now but they were starting to show in decent #s.
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bill erhardt
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Santiago.....Bring your light tackle. 32 boats fished in a tournament out of Loreto yesterday and today and the biggest dorado weighed in over the
two days was 15.2#. A fish that would not have been a keeper five years ago. The average of the dorado weighed looked to be around 10# on the board,
and fish were weighed as small as 5# - 6#. This is consistent with recent torneo results in San Carlos, Sonora and the "Bulls only" tournament in
Punta Chuvato a couple of weeks ago where 10 of the 12 dorado weighed in were reported to be under 10#.
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Santiago
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Quote: Originally posted by bill erhardt  | | Santiago.....Bring your light tackle. 32 boats fished in a tournament out of Loreto yesterday and today and the biggest dorado weighed in over the
two days was 15.2#. A fish that would not have been a keeper five years ago. The average of the dorado weighed looked to be around 10# on the board,
and fish were weighed as small as 5# - 6#. This is consistent with recent torneo results in San Carlos, Sonora and the "Bulls only" tournament in
Punta Chuvato a couple of weeks ago where 10 of the 12 dorado weighed in were reported to be under 10#. |
Sheesh, Bill, robbing the cradle. Last year 3 pangas in 3 days caught one teeny Dorado. Roosters and stripers but only 1 dorado. I think I'll pack
my fly rod too.
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nwbg2loreto
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Hopes are high! My annual trip in a couple of weeks also. Its been so many years since I heard of anything over a few pounds, so this could be the
year ...how has the bait situation been lately? any info?
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bill erhardt
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| Quote: Originally posted by nwbg2loreto | | Hopes are high! My annual trip in a couple of weeks also. Its been so many years since I heard of anything over a few pounds, so this could be the
year ...how has the bait situation been lately? any info? |
Last week just before daybreak the water in front of the marina in Loreto was teeming with what looked like yellowtail fry about 1" long, and 10" -
12" mackerela gorging on them. drifting in 25' water both were attracted to the underwater light under my outboard bracket. Drop a 6 hook Sabiki rig
in without spooling any line off, and bring it back in with 6 mackerela. If you did not want to deal with six baitfish, then drop only 2 or 3 of the
hooks in and get 2 or 3. That didn't always work, however. Sometimes a mackerela in a feeding frenzy would jump out of the water to get the next
hook up on the bait rig. I've never made bait so easily.
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Hook
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Bait has really not been the problem in San Carlos, in the last year. There's been plenty to be had.
But the dorado fishing continues to be dismal. Four years running, really. Even fish above 20# are becoming rare.
The start of summer hasn't been very conducive, weatherwise, though. Strong SE winds that start early, many days.
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Santiago
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Just finished our annual 3 day dorado fishing trip to Loreto; 6 guys in three pangas; here’s how it went.
Day 1:
5:30am bought bait (macs)@ $30dllrs, to fill the two bait tanks and headed due east. 45 minutes later, about even with Punta Lobo, halfway between
Karmen and Coronado we finally find some Sargasso, random chunks at best. Slow troll the macs for 40 minutes and get a report of dorado closer to
Karmen so head over to where the ‘fleet’ was, maybe 10 boats, are working a good size school of little dorado. Everyone is hooked up, lots of
doubles and whooping. I get a 4’ hammerhead fly-lining a mac in between the 2’ dorados. By 10:00 it was pretty much broken up and everyone
slowly worked their way back, stopping now and then on another school for a few more 5 pounders. We pass by a marlin, only one we saw in three days,
the guide looks at our 20# rigs and shakes his head and powers up. Back at the marina by 1:00. Largest dorado was 25# and broke the guys bass rod.
Literally, a fresh water bass rod. Ok so this year we will catch dorado, just not very big. Last year there was one dorado caught in three days we
are not complaining.
Day 2:
5:30 get macs and sardinas, I bring my 9-weight fly rod for sh*ts and giggles. Boogie back to the general same spot and find a dozen boats all bendo
on small dorado. We get one each and I string up the fly rod. I spend the next hour or so basically providing comedy relief to everyone in sight as I
get fly line around the antenna, extra rods, fish bag, under my foot, even around my hat - but every once in a while the cast would layout just like
Lefty does it and the dodos would smack it. It helped that the guide would toss a half-dozen sardinas in the general direction of the fly. Let’s
just say that throwing 400 grain line on a nine weight is not fly fishing; not sure what it is but it ain’t that. Two guys in a panga next to us,
dressed out of an Orvis catalog were throwing, and I’m not making this up, sardinas on a hook. That’s just wrong. Both my buddy and I are 66 and
in an hour we were wiped and soaking wet. We beg off and fast troll feathers all the way back, enjoying the wind and a couple of beers. Okay, maybe
three but it took 90 minutes so we feel that’s not excessive, right?
Day 3:
Neither my buddy or I have ever caught a rooster so this was going to be the day. We head north with two loads of macs, maybe 45 minutes and slowtroll
the macs – I get hammered in 10 minutes, not the usual finicky fish slowly eating its way up the mac, maybe, maybe not getting the hook. You know
the drill, the moment you’re sure he’s at the head you set the hook and out flies a half-eaten mac. It takes me maybe 10-15 minutes to bring in
my first rooster, guide says 20# but I think he was pushing it a little. And that was it, we see lots and lots of breezing roosters, get bit over and
over but just can’t get another one to stick. We go so far as to take the reels out of gear and just let them run with it under the theory that
eventually they will eat the thing. We did not have any circle hooks, might have been the downfall?
Many in our group have been coming to Loreto for 30 years and we marvel at how few fisherfolks are in town. The pangas seem to be a guide model made
in Sinaloa (we were told), had radios and new 4 stroke engines. Some in our group remember having to be towed in as worn-out motors finaly did wear
out, and having to stand up and wave to any passing boat for a tow. Now there are radios, cell phones for goodness sakes, padded seats, kill bags with
ice, and 20 per cent of the customers. I’m not sure we would trade the gear, but we darn well would the fishing.
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Hook
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Yeah, I think circle hooks would have been the trick. Always use those with live bait. Its also much easier to release any fish that you dont want. It
almost never gets hooked down in the gullet.
What a disappointment the dorado fishing has become in the Sea. It's everywhere. Just no real quantity.
I did read about some dorado over 50 being caught off the East Cape. But that is so rare now.
Come to think of it, dorado over 50 have always been rare. Never mind.
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chuckie
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Inshore and off shore fishing Is excellent out of Venice La. Same species+...Great area and people and FOOD...We switched...
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woody with a view
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Heard a report of 5# dorado caught and released outside BdeLA.
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