BajaNomad

Pacific vrs Sea of Cortez?

Cypress - 9-19-2010 at 12:25 PM

Think I made a mistake on my last trip to Baja. Bought into all the "Sea of Cortez fishing is great" info. Next time, if there is a next time, I'm heading to the Pacific side. Everything in between was super.:yes:

24baja - 9-19-2010 at 12:44 PM

One of the best things in life is our ability to chose the locations and activities that best suit our tastes. For us, it is the Sea of Cortes and fishing it. So, I thank you for making the decision to go to the Pacific side and leave fish for me to enjoy catching in the Sea of Cortes!!:bounce:

mcfez - 9-19-2010 at 01:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
Think I made a mistake on my last trip to Baja. Bought into all the "Sea of Cortez fishing is great" info. Next time, if there is a next time, I'm heading to the Pacific side. Everything in between was super.:yes:


Sea of Cortez side is indeed good fishing!

Were you fishing in the vicinity of San Felipe? :no:

My personal luck is at Pueritcitos and beyond southward in thjs order:

Black Mountain area = Trigger -Corvina-Pargo-Bass
El Huerfanito = Trigger -Corvina-Pargo-Bass-Grouper
Okie landing = Trigger -Corvina-Pargo-Bass
Gonzaga Bay = Trigger -Corvina-Pargo-Bass- Yellow Tails

Ever had Trigger fish? Cook it right, and it tastes like lobster. Seriously.

Order this fisherman's Bible:
The Baja Catch isbn 0-929637-05-4

Pacific side is great too...but the Cortez is super to me.

If you want some real fishing......from San Felipe...for trips of 3 to 6 days, catching till you drop dead:
http://tonyreyes.com/

Skeet/Loreto - 9-19-2010 at 01:39 PM

Both sides of Baja are Great Fishing.
It all depends on the Location, time of year, and movement of the Fish.

I like the Sea of Cortez as I like warm Weather instead of the Costal Fog and Costal Winds. Lobster is different as well as the Shrimp.

Let us know how you do,

Skeet

Skeet/Loreto - 9-19-2010 at 01:42 PM

Very true about Trigger Fish or El Coache.

Take the Trigger fish after cleaning, Broil for about 3 minutes, put in the Refer overnight then have it as Lobster bits on a Salad,

I have been eating it for years.

Skeet

Cypress - 9-19-2010 at 02:15 PM

Trigger fish are OK if that's all you can catch, fried, broiled, grilled etc.. Have eaten pleny of 'em. When I was fishing for Snapper there was no market for Trigger fish, would sell the Snapper and eat the Trigger fish. Considered 'em bait-stealing trash fish.

monoloco - 9-19-2010 at 02:34 PM

Trigger fish makes the best ceviche of any fish.

comitan - 9-19-2010 at 02:41 PM

X2

Russ - 9-19-2010 at 02:44 PM

"Very true about Trigger Fish or El Coache."
named a little different here "cochito". I think coache and coche is a pig pen and/or car. If you're gonna have a trash fish eat your bait and destroy your soft plastics it's nice they're so tasty. I don't know what happened to the fish in the SOC this year but I hope it's just been an off year and not a sign of things to come.

[Edited on 9-19-2010 by Russ]

Cypress - 9-19-2010 at 02:45 PM

monoloco, You might well be right. Ceviche is highly over-rated no matter what kind of fish you use. Would rather have my fish cooked with the exception of sushi or poke' now and then.;)

Skeet/Loreto - 9-19-2010 at 03:31 PM

russ; I have checked out some of my Old records that Virginia and I kept and the fish are following a Cycle.

Of course the huge run of Sardines early then the boats coming in helped, but those guys going pour a distance are reporting a lot of small Dorado.. Remember what that tell about next Season.

I will bet that Mercanerious Reef is Loaded and on top right Now.

Skeet

Skeet/Loreto - 9-19-2010 at 03:36 PM

Cerviche is actually "Cooked" in Lime Jucie if done the old Hotel Oasis way.

Many, many years ago when I would stay at the Oasis for $9 Dollars with 3 meals, we would always have Ceviche when we came in after a day of Fishing. Sierra was alsways used and it was always good.

I still prefer the Trigger Fish for Lobster type eating. and the Cabrilla switched in Soy Sauce is the only Raw Fish i will eat.

Cypress - 9-19-2010 at 04:00 PM

From my own experience I'd give the nod to the Pacific side as far as fishing is concerned. Way too many gill nets and purse seines on the Cortez side. When they fill the back of a truck with Sierra and no ice on 'em that's a total waste. What are they gonna do, feed 'em to the hogs?

DavidE - 9-19-2010 at 05:32 PM

Try stuffing a yellow rectangular can of OLD BAY SEASONING in the next time you're loading to go south...

When u going....here

mcfez - 9-19-2010 at 06:29 PM



cal.jpg - 43kB

Pescador - 9-20-2010 at 10:57 AM

That is too broad to get any kind of clear answer. The Pacific side has great fishing for certain species at a very narrow time of the year. The Sea of Cortez has great fishing for certain species at a narrow time of the year. It would be better to try to figure out what you like to catch and what kind of experience you like to have and then it would be much easier to narrow in on where you might have the best time. I fish both sides a lot and have learned to target species according to their movements, tides, and water temperatures.
One of the dumbest things I have ever seen is someone who comes down here and says they are only going to target Dorado with a fly rod and the yellowtail, or snapper, or whatever are going off like gangbusters on a deep reef. Frustrated him and probably peeed off all the fish.

Cypress - 9-20-2010 at 11:10 AM

Pescador, Yep! There's a season for each, although some of the "resident" reef fish should be there year 'round.

Skipjack Joe - 9-20-2010 at 11:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Pescador

One of the dumbest things I have ever seen is someone who comes down here and says they are only going to target Dorado with a fly rod and the yellowtail, or snapper, or whatever are going off like gangbusters on a deep reef.


Most fly clubs do just that. Members are forced to book their rooms, pangas, and guides by February for a week of dorado fishing without being certain the fish will be there. Laying the fly rod aside to fish the reefs is disappointing to most of them. Hitting a dorado run right on is pretty rare these days but was much more common years ago. Loreto in mid July was a time when the Oasis was booked solid with flyfishers.

Pescador - 9-20-2010 at 05:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
Pescador, Yep! There's a season for each, although some of the "resident" reef fish should be there year 'round.


Ok, lets talk resident fish. On the Pacific side good populations of groupers exist in the estuaries around Mag Bay and can be caught by knowledgable anglers almost year around. La Bocana has a good population of groupers that are usually catchable in the fall and early winter. Of course they are there at other times, but they move in their main locations and the catch goes way down except for the few who know where they move to. Same thing for Calicos which can be found most of the year in La Bocana. I am only becoming aware of the fishery at Asuncion so Shari is more of an expert on that fishery than I will ever be. Because of the protections offered by the Cooperatives in Asuncion, La Bocana, and Abreojos, the resident fishery is much healthier than it is on the Sea of Cortez side. I know of a lot of places to find Grouper and Cabrilla in the Santa Rosalia area but they have been seriously overfished and the same holds true on the entire Sea of Cortez side.
Migratory fish like yellowtail, tuna, dorado, and billfish are an entirely different story and depend on water currents, baitfish, temperatures, and the like which govern their movements.
If it came to the yellowtail fishery, I would never choose to fish the Pacific side. They use mostly trolling and the fish are not reef structure oriented and the fight is almost non-comparable. The Sea of Cortez fish pull much harder and for a longer period of time because they live so close to the reef and know that safety is within reach by diving into the rocks and crannies of the reef. I have people coming over from the other side frequently and they think they can land a 30 pound Sea of Cortez Yellowtail with 30 lb line or even 40 and it simply is not going to happen because that is what they typically use on the other side. But then some like the fact that you can use smaller lines to catch the same weight fish and consider the heavy pulling of the Cortez yellowtail as a negative.
So your question is a good one, it just needs definition. For example, if I wanted to catch Pacific Halibut from shore, I would not waste my time in the Sea of Cortez, even though I have caught them here from a boat, but I would head to La Bocana or Asuncion where they catch nice batches of fish.

Cypress - 9-21-2010 at 06:44 AM

When fishing wrecks or reefs I use 120 lb. test Dacron. Otherwise you're gonna spend your time re-rigging after being cut-off. You'll leave a lot of fishing with hooks in their mouths trailing leaders and line. Light line has it's place, but not on wrecks or reefs.