lp2578 - 10-21-2008 at 12:10 AM
Headed out from Marina Coral on Saturday 10/18/08. Along for the ride were Eric and Ramiro. Mike at Ensenada bait was low on mackerel and we waited
around for awhile for Julio who works on the bait barge to chum some up so needless to say we got a late start. Live bait would not be a factor on
this trip so we burned valuable time for nada. Oh well go figure. We got some numbers for the Peanut Bank which is south and inside of the Lower
500. Word was that the fish were holding there a couple of days before. Not! Water temps were 61 to 62.7 and the large kelps that we hit were not
holding anything. The word was to head back Northwest to the 450. Yes! First bluefin for the It’s 4 Reels!
Weather was pretty rough and around 4PM we heard that the 1010 was going off. Let’s see 40 miles from where we were and 3-5 foot white capping
conditions. Again, Not. We settled for multiple hookups of larger model bonitos.
We did run into a large pod of mammals. They were everywhere but the fish finder was not lighting up and non of our trollers got bit. Oh well,
that’s fishing. Hit the Coral launch ramp at 8:45pm tired and exhausted. Heading out one more time this weekend. Good times, good music and lots of
cold cervezas with some good friends. On the way back we crossed the border at 11:30pm No problems crossing or driving.
P.S. We BBQ’d the bluefin and it was excellent! Watching the Rams, Raiders and Rays win with the ocean as a backdrop was pretty cool too!
Skipjack Joe - 10-21-2008 at 04:47 AM
Those fish you are holding may not be bonito. Bonito usually have diagonal stripes. It's often common for skipjack to travel with tuna. Their
preferred water temperatures are about the same.
Congragulations either way!
[Edited on 10-21-2008 by Skipjack Joe]
Pompano - 10-21-2008 at 05:25 AM
Great fish and photos, guys....kudos!
Igor,
Your post got me to thinking...which is painful this early!
What do you think is thee best fish identification site...with lots of BIG photos? Got any favorite ones? Maybe Gene Kira's
Mexfish site...always fun to visit...but must be other good ones out there.
Seems like every now and then I catch a puzzler and should know what I'm bringing home.
[Edited on 10-21-2008 by Pompano]
Wiles - 10-21-2008 at 06:12 AM
Good eye Skipjack Joe. Correct call.
lp2578 - 10-21-2008 at 08:29 AM
Those are not Skipjack. They are definietly Pacific Bonito. Skipjack have stripes that run along the belly. Here is a picture of a skipjack:
Skipjack Joe - 10-21-2008 at 02:59 PM
Roger,
I've been using www.fishbase.org. For example, the fish in question appear to be:
http://fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=98
This website is a bit overwhelming in my opinion and not much fun to search, but has a lot of info. Including maps of global distribution, which show
that this species is not rare off so cal.
Bajanomad had posts in the past about skipjack/tuna/bonito identification so I don't want to dwell upon it.
baitcast - 10-22-2008 at 08:15 AM
Igor lets hope this doesn,t degrade into another corvina debate
........how are
things going for you? I had hoped that you would let us see some stuff on your trip north.
Rob Baja or not,fishing is fishing no matter where.
Skipjack Joe - 10-22-2008 at 09:06 AM
I had another biopsy yesterday, Rob, which proved negative. So, I feel great today. Feel like I've got a new lease on life.
Pompano, I spent a month at Naknek Lake, your old stomping grounds. We paddled from Brooks Lodge to Bay of Islands in our canoes. I'm afraid that may
be the closest I'm going to get to Sevareid's experience. It was a great experience overall, from downpours to pike fishing to foraging for mushrooms
and blueberries.
Perhaps you're right, Rob. A few pictures of those fish may be welcome here by some. I'll see what I can do.
Pompano - 10-22-2008 at 09:19 AM
Bluefin, bonita, skipjack, corvina, and Naknek pike...it's all great. As this thread's original poster knows well.
I say bring on those Baja-type 'northern adventures.' If you love Baja, you will certainly love Up North. Make a new thread for all to contribute
and share thier passion for fishing..wherever.
Igor, thanks for that site..I will favorite it. And congrats on the Alaska canoe trip, which had to have been truly an experience we all would love
to see and hear about.
(p.s.. congrats on the exam. Mine went from 9 and 14 biops to 'good'. Hence .. going fishin'!)
[Edited on 10-22-2008 by Pompano]
baitcast - 10-22-2008 at 09:42 AM
You bet,Igor bring it on,as long as its got fins and pulls
.......My PSA
went from 7 down to 2.7 since my rooter job
Rob
[Edited on 10-22-2008 by baitcast]