Pompano Fish Report - Mulege Dorado, Jurel, Pinto & Spam

MAY 7TH DORADO REPORT

Today we decided to target yellowtail, pintos, and dorado. This is the time of year when all 3 are readily available in our area. The jurel have been cooperative the last few days and are still holding in lots of areas..including Mateo's Hole near Pta. Rosa.

A relaxing way to fish, yellows are usually easy to score on live mackerel or bigeyes..so...we took off from the Rio Mulege at dawn..a good time to make some bait at Punta Prieta.




A nice time of day.. thankfully, still cool., which means we still wear sweats in the wee hours. (Air temps have been climbing the last few days!)


We made about a dozen baits in record time. Mostly mackerel with only 1 or 2 bigeyes. Off we went, heading towards Pt. Conception and then south towards Pta. Rosa. The sea was flat calm with some gentle swells left over from previous windy conditions...a pleasant run at around 30mph.

Mulege guide, Mateo, and another local angler, Mi Mujer, were ahead of us, heading for the same area. Other boats were headed for Santa Inez and east to the canyons. It's what makes fishing Mulege so interesting..so many choices.
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On the way south we came across several sea lions. Here's a solo guy loafing on the surface..just sailing along...what a life, right?


I think some of these fellows are starting to recognize us, cuz of the extra baits we throw to them after our fishing is done. Nothing like a free lunch.
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Then we come upon more sea lion sights..but this one is of a more 'intimate' nature..a male and female..so we take a quick photo and leave them to thier privacy.
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We arrive at our yellowtail destination and find Mateo already fishing with his clients. We wish each other luck..and Mateo clowns a bit for the camera. By the way, if you are looking for a sure thing fishing out of Mulege, look up Mateo. He's one of our best guides and will try his best to ensure you have a great day fishing. His place is next to the river ramp by the Serinadad Resort.


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We put down our baits, using 60lb test, with 3oz egg sinkers above a 4ft swimming snell w/circle hooks. We drop the baits down to the 230 ft rockpile below, crank them up about 20 feet..and then free spool them with the clicker on..just enough to keep the swimming baits in check.

Okay, now we can sit back and relax for a bit, right?

Wrong...Right out of the chute, I get a hook-up..and promptly lose it.

I 'may' have been a little hasty in throwing the drag into gear...duh..

Then Co-pilot's clicker goes..zzzzzzzzzz..zzzzz...zzz..and she is in the rocks.

"Uh, you may have waited a little too long on that one, tesoro." I turn away so she can't see my grin.

That's pretty much our yellowtail tale of woe..as we decide the radio traffic about the dorado bite is more fun to pursue. BUT..we cannot leave without a sure 'dinner'..so Co-pilot drops her favorite green dart down to the rocks and promptly gets a couple nice pintos for the larder. Way to go!

This talk about dinner got me ravenous and I offered Co-pilot some of my boat's standard 'survival food.' Okay, okay...Not exactly gourmet, but like Crocodile Dundee said..'It'll keep ya alive.'

She asked me.."I know the boleos, but what is this 'Spam'..?"

I told her, reading the label. (Whoa..I wish I had'nt..I never really knew...gag..)

She said..."You eat this? This is poison."

.... ..a puzzling term she has for most of the canned goods, hot sauces, condiments, and foodstuffs in my cupboards...


(..as shown here during a recent kitchen inspection.)


Anyhoo, after her comment I thought about all those lips, cheeks, and eyebrows in my lunch, and decide to forego the spam sammies... and eat the cold fruit plate she had packed. Hey, that stuff ain't half bad. What a novel idea!
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Now we are back on track..and fishing!

So...We had our dinner menu filled..pintos..thanks to Co-pilot..and we head due east to find some warmer water..and..hopefully...the DORADO.


We started out rather cool, but the temps quickly went up about 10 miles out. On our previous dorado hunt we had found them in this general area, so we kept a sharp lookout for frigates, sargasso, and slicks. I gave Co-pilot the helm......hmmm....ah..Co-pilot?


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We came across some small bunches of floating weeds...and threw out some feathers to explore for some action.
It happened fast..and furious..



Having found them, we launch a couple of floating mats to attract the school..and to mark our spot. Then switch back and forth from trolling feathers past them...and to casting spoons to our 'paddies'. Silver krocs worked just fine. It was a ball catching and releasing them with barbless single hooks. What a great way to spend a day..



We were rewarded with lots of action, although the dorado were smallish. No huge bulls ..yet.



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We'd caught and released many dorado by now..and I see some fog coming in from the eastern Cortez. We kept 3 dorado for the grill and friends, and decided..Time to head back home.

It got Foggy fast..



The horizons and land all disappeared. The bad part was, I had somehow erased the ramp's location on my gps, but I had it's neighbor, Punta Prieta, marked as a waypoint. I know that location intimately, and it was close enough for today's route home.

Running almost to the baithole and head a very short 1/4 mile south.. we had no problems finding Mulege and the estuary..


Amendment: "I don't like Waves..and now Fog."
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Back at the floating dock, we take time to compare our catches.

"Hey..mine is LOTS bigger, Co-pilot." (..and.. if I had held it even closer to the camera, it would have been bigger yet!)

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Well, we meet mi amigo, Rafeal, who has set up business at the ramp as a fish cleaner. Good idea, Rafa! Most of the time, Rafa is selling oysters, shrimp, and scallops door-to-door.

We give him our iced fish and he quickly filets them for a 'pittance.'

Hmm..At least that's what he said when I offered him some pesos. 'Pince pittance' I believe were his exact words..odd fellow, that Rafa..

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The day was super hot and we are parched, so off to Antonio y Lorena's carnitas cafe and a cool, refreshing.. lemonade?..lemonade!..oh well, Pacificos are so fattening, you know..more 'poison'..sigh.

We sit there sipping and then Lorena comes over with this women's magazine and shows Co-pilot she has the same boat bag. Evidently this is a big thing with gals. Some Frenchman ..or Belgium?.. named Louie Vouitton or ? (Okay..I guess I shouldn't call it a 'boat' bag, right?)

Guys, have you noticed how Mulege is changing... fast!..sheesh.

Well Hey, I'm stylish, too..my peso coin bag is a 'La Crown Royale'.

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Heading homeward to Coyote Bay, we are rewarded with a nice fog scene rolling into Conception Bay from the Cortez.



Life is good everywhere..bu Damn Good in Baja!

WayTo Go! Great day. That's exactly the size dorado i need to break in my light bait caster setup. Guess I need a co-piolot

[Edited on 5-8-2010 by Russ]

Pompano, What a day! You and co-pilot. Thanks for sharing your fishing trips and good luck.

10 miles out just east of conception point
today...

yesterday they were 10 miles out from the slide

looks like they are heading north

[Edited on 5-9-2010 by Bob and Susan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob and Susan 10 miles out just east of conception point today... yesterday they were 10 miles out from the slide looks like they are heading north [Edited on 5-9-2010 by Bob and Susan]