Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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Southland Fishing
Another Southland Fishing Report
Not a complaint but a celebration. The winter weatherman said yesterday would be calm and clear all day so I shoved off early to try my luck. We
found lots of bait and fish feeding close to shore so we stayed in tight and got lots of action – a few roosterfish all about 10 pounds, 7 nice
sierra. I expected some competition but only one small boat approached our area and made only a couple of passes.
We chased a traveling herd of dolphin until it became clear they were heading out to sea and just on the prowl, not feeding. All morning we watched
the tuna fleet work their big boats very close to shore (less than 5 miles); a big factory ship and one siener with spreader doors and big nets had
been hanging around night and day for about a week.
The sea was alive with big schools of barillette and all three of us had a ball fighting the 8 to 15 pound slashers each time we crossed their paths.
We pressed on toward the east away from our launch site hoping for some keeper dorado. After almost an hour I was beginning to think grim thoughts
about the tuneros sweeping the whole area for the last few days – envisioning the tons of tuna, dorado, billfish and baitfish now frozen in their
flash-freezer holds or processed and iced down in huge plastic crane bins.
A single hotel charter cruiser stopped just east of the Punta Colorado resort to boat a fish; I made a slow circle around him and picked up a nice 25
pound dorado on light tackle. We fought off the usual needlefish, martear, attacks on the way back in while trolling smaller hoochies for late sierra
and were back safely on our calm beach by 11.
In summary: while we are all still holding our collective breaths about the outcome of the long overdue Governor’s report to Calderon about NOM 029,
in my area we have one or two pangas that still use illegal purse nets inshore to harvest indiscrimanately and seiners raping the sea of everything
that will fill a net, if you keep your eyes open, your heart light, your lines tight you can still have a nice day at sea, catch enough fish for a
tasty dinner like the dorado empanizado I had last night.
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Sallysouth
Super Nomad
Posts: 1835
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Capo Beach
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Mood: missing Baja...
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Nice report Osprey! Sounds like you had a great morning on the water and made good use of every moment.You reminded me of a day we spent on
Carmen,Marquer Bay to be exact.We anchored the boat "El Fuerte" and swam ashore with lunches and snorkle gear, ready for a relaxing day on the
beach.Within just a few minutes, two pangas came into the bay and spread their nets all across the bay, taking everything they could from the water.
Really frustrating watching them and unable to do anything about it.And they call it a "protected Marine Park" HA!
Happiness is just a Baja memory away...
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Sally,
There was a thread about Loreto's Marine Park about a year ago. I believe it was Pam's. As I recall Mexicans are allowed to net in the park for
certain species and at certain times of the year. There is no total ban on fishing. They're allowed to fish for yellowtail in that area. That's what
got people all riled up.
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Sallysouth
Super Nomad
Posts: 1835
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Capo Beach
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Mood: missing Baja...
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I hear ya Skipjack, but theses guys took everything in the nets.There really didn't seem to be anyone "protecting" the area.I did think that they had
banned those huge nets, however I guess I am wrong.They spread them from one end of the bay to the other so nothing could get in OR out of the bay.And
they try to blame overfishing on the personal fisherpeople??Don't think it even comes close!!
Happiness is just a Baja memory away...
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Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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Don't need a bump but to add insult to injury 2 cameroneros, shrimpers, showed up yesterday and will probably be sweeping our inshore area til they
are convinced no living thing remains on the fertile sandy bottoms. Normally I wouldn't care so much but when and if the business end of the net has
little shrimp catch from the bottom they often raise the spreader boards, the nets, to harvest all the rest of the fish in the inshore environment,
flash freeze it, sell it legally as bycatch.
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Sallysouth
Super Nomad
Posts: 1835
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Capo Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: missing Baja...
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I have a serious problem with this.When they "legally" take everything in the nets, That depletes so much of the surrounding sea environment.That
means no bait, no food for the locals, no bigger fish waiting for the Fish for Dinner! It is so sad to see them rape as they do and "legally" also.I
would guess that a lot of the bycatch may not even be fit for dinner.So much waste.... 
Happiness is just a Baja memory away...
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