MitchMan
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Cabrilla!
Cabrilla is the best tasting fish, I think.
What's the best way to fish for them in La Paz: Shallow? Deep? Bait? Jigs? Close to shore? Out in the deeper waters? By Trolling? Where in La
Paz?
[Edited on 5-15-2010 by MitchMan]
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Pescador
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The best cabrilla fishing I had in La Paz was closer to Muertos and in the Punta Perico area. You want to look for water from 100-200 feet, with good
rock bottom, as they like to ambush baitfish swimming by. Small live bait like the sardinas they fish with in that area are tops and normally rigged
with a sliding egg sinker from 3oz to 6oz. and I prefer a 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook like the Owner.
I do think that if I was specifically targeting cabrilla, though I would tend to look further north maybe even as far north as Loreto. The best
cabrilla fishing I ever had was south of Loreto in the Tembabiche area and it was unbelivable.
Deep diving plugs also work and do best early in the morning if you have to troll and will let you work the shallower water next to the rocks.
Troll faster than you normally would and if you bump a rock occasionally, you are in the right zone. Also, do not just pull plugs through the water,
you need to pump the lure as you are trolling which changes the speed that is presented to the fish. Almost all cabrilla that I catch this way hit
the lure when I am starting to pull forward on it since they think the fish is speeding up to escape.
Finally, if you really want to catch a few and learn how it is done, hire a good panguero for the day and he will share locations, techniques, and
secrets that are more than worth the price of admission.
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BillP
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Gotta agree with pescador, trolling plugs is very effective no matter where you are. Choose Rapala CD18, Yozuri L-jacks, or if you can find 'em, my
favorite, Bagleys Bang-O-B's.
You'll sometimes have to "tune" them to get them to run at the trolling speed you want, usually 7-8 knots. If they won't stay down at that speed,
watch the way they roll up out out of the water. If they roll up to the right, you'll have to bend the eye to the left. Which ever way they want to
roll up, bend the eye towards the bottom of the ocean. Go a little at a time.
Troll hot and tight to the shore/rocks. If you get snagged, and you will, turn around and go past the snag spot, 9 times out of 10, the snag will pull
free.
If I had to pick in the La Paz area, my first choice would be the back side of Cerralvo.
Plugs will catch everything that swims and is probably the single most effective trolling lure there is IMO
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Udo
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Priceless information, Pescador and Billp. I'll be at Bass Pro next week.
Hopefully my wife won't see the lure bill this time.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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MitchMan
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Ah, man, this is great stuff!
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Pompano
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Ah...Cabrilla!
Great table fish. Almost as tasty as walleye.
I use Mirrolures, Rapalas, krocs, and jigs. Caught the most and biggest so far on a pink Mirrolure trolled slow- medium..then FAST and zig-zagging.
At this time of year..spring..you can really produce with casting after first locating schools by trolling over rocky points leading to flats.
[Edited on 5-16-2010 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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BillP
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Udo
Priceless information, Pescador and Billp. I'll be at Bass Pro next week.
Hopefully my wife won't see the lure bill this time.
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Udo, Bass Pro is a fun amusement park, lots to keep outdoor folk entertained for hours, myself included. That said, because they're a national chain,
they don't always have the area specific products and or knowledge. A coupla other stores to check out, The Longfin in Orange and Saveon Tackle in
Santa Fe Springs are the biggest and most knowledgeable. Let me know where your soCal travels take you and I'll put you on some of the best stores
around.
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Udo
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Priceless stuff here on Nomads. You can't buy this anywhere.
Bill,
Bass pro just happens to be nearby where I travel regularly. The local one is in Ranch Cucamonga.
That said, I don't mind traveling to Orange or Santa Fe Springs for fishing provisions.
I have printed every post about fishing, lures, rods, etc. plus followed pescador's advice to the letter. You should see my pescado folder.
I'll google Longfin and Saveon for addresses and directions.
Mil gracias, a todos!
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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MitchMan
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I buy all my stuff at The Longfin in Orange.
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BillP
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While we're on the subject, question for Pescador and Pompano, when trolling plugs around the rocks, what size line do you use?
I'm a fan of heavy line, usually nothing less than 40lb and preferably 50lb with the drag hammered. I've had my arse handed to me too many times on
anything less.
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Pescador
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Bill, I am not a big fan of trolling because I find live bait and jigging more effective. I get bored out of my mind when driving the boat around
even though it can be pretty effective. That being said, for many years it was the way I caught fish so I have had a lot of experience with it. I
think 40 is generally good, and sometimes you need to go to 50 or 60 if you get bigger fish near the rocks.
I have a friend who is a trolling specialist and he uses a little lighter line and a spinning rod. He pulls things in really shallow water right
next to the rocks and keeps his rod pumping all the time. The first time I saw him doing that I thought he was pulling a water skier, he was going so
fast. He prefers 40 because if goes down deeper than 50 or 60 but when he hooks a big one he does not make the critical error of shutting off the
engine, but instead pulls or planes the fish to deeper water. I have seen him catch 10 lb cabrilla in less than 15 feet of water. He does catch a
lot of what he calls "shakers" which means they are small and he just shakes them off of the hook and goes back again, but it is a really effective
way to put some fish on the table if that is your goal.
When the cabrilla really started feeding, I was losing a lot of fish because they would hit the bait, but only in the tail section. They have some
really good raker teeth and you would get the bait back with scratch marks all down the side. So I started using a small stinger circle hook and
putting it in the tail and starting catching all those missed bites. Since I used ringed Owner Circle hooks, it is really easy to tie a tail stinger
hook and attach it to the ring portion.
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Skipjack Joe
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Also, try swimbaits...
Click Here to Read!
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Alan
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Swim baits are very effective but between triggerfish and needlefish they don't last long 
[Edited on 5-18-2010 by Alan]
In Memory of E-57
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Hook
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Are we talking true cabrilla (spotted cabrilla or pinto bass) or are you guys including leopard grouper, which many also call cabrilla.
Then, there's the spotted bay bass and the gold-spotted bass which are also called cabrilla by some.
I've eaten all these and the best tasting, IMO, is definitely the spotted cabrilla. They are right up there with calico bass and just behind dorado,
to my palate.
Over here in Sonora, these are generally so deep (100+ feet) that they are only caught incidentally fishing with live whole dead bait deep for YT or
baqueta. But I have also caught them on gangions rigged with cut sardine or squid.
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bajabass
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There is no feeling like when a big fish slams a swimbait on the fall! I've almost
lost a few rods. Shear rocks or walls up tight and close. They get destroyed, but it sure is fun!! I've seen a commercial for a new "indestructable
plastic" I think the co. is Z-Man??? If I find them, I'll test them out and
report. I much prefer casting spoons, bait, swimbaits to trolling. Find 'em trolling, then rip some lip!!
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Pompano
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CABRILLA
I used to fish for a living, both commercial and sportfishing...Alaska, Canada, and USA. With all that experience, I'm constantly still learning
from others and experimenting myself with whatever can be dreamed up with a rod and reel..including slingshotting swimming mice under the jungle
overhangs for peac-ck bass. Have fun with that one!
When paying the bills, trolling was my bread and butter method of finding the fish quickly and surely. Then break out the casting/jigging routines
per the expertise of those aboard.
This thread reads cabrilla..so that's our target.
Troll with as light and small diameter line as you think possible..then go one size smaller. When I first fished Mulege and the Sea of Cortez back in
the Golden Days of Baja (for me the 60's-70's), I used 18lb test mono on a spinning rod for cabrilla. I still do..but only when I am alone
nowadays...and with much better equipment. (It drives my fishing buddies nutzo) Stretch or non-stretch depends on who and where you are. You can
troll with 40-50-60 lb test, and you'll catch some cabrilla if you keep at it, but you won't get nearly as many hookups. This will have to be your
choice entirely. You can always keep 2-3 rod/reel setups at the ready..say 20lb-80lb lines, just in case you feel the need to pull thier lips off.
Using 18lb line I catch cabrilla-type fish constantly, but ocassionaly lose my share of $$ lures to some giant grouper or another anomaly. Fair to
say, I've landed a lot more than I've lost. Your knowledge of the rocks below and how to quickly get the fish to deeper water will increase with time
and experience only.
My biggest cabrilla of all time is only a 26 pounder. Very easy to handle on 18lb test..or much lighter line in open water. You can always grab one
of the other heavier rigs if you feel more comfy keeping those spendy lures in your tackle box...just remember, you won't get as many stikes. When
using 18lb, it drives my fishing buddies crazy because I am hooking up when they were not. Reason is, my plug is on the lightest line..and
tied directly...no terminal tackle. Less friction..more depth...more action..more control. Makes the lure do what the inventor
wanted...work for you.
Learn to tweak it left or right..up and down. I would also troll at the highest speeds possible for whatever lure or bait I was using. Then run a
zig-zag course, speeding up and down occasionally. You will find you will most always get a strike on changes of direction and speed.
(Ever watch a coyote running down a snowshoe hare in the winter?..same thing.) Also, if windy, your downwind troll generally produces more.
If you have a choice, fish the windy shores rather than the lee.
Springtime..now..is the perfect time to go after cabrilla. Hit the flats off those rocky points where you know the fish have been before. Troll
first to locate them, then cast krocs or any shiny spoon, swimbaits, or whatever you want to experiment with...you will have action plus. For a
Mulege area tip, try the 50 ft flats off the south edge of the point just north of Pta. Teresa...look on the shore for the old fishermen's shacks and
palapas. Or try the Sta. Inez islands, southwest corner and troll along the southern side, paying particular attention to a rock ledge coming up
from 50 to 18ft.sharply. Get ready for action! ..Or troll the entire 3-60ft shoreline of San Marcos Island..east side, naturally. .. Or try
Tortuga's southeastern points clear around to the NW corner..same depths...say 25-60..sometimes 70ft. We get lots of grouper action there. It's all
good now.
Here's MY personal preference on trolling. I troll oceans, bays, lakes, rivers, and whatever water will float my boat..so I use tillers.
Using a tiller boat (steering from the rear.. and sometimes backtrolling) lets you keep right on top of the structure below..critical in walleye
fishing especially...and almost every other type of structure-attracted fish. Now, don't worry if you don't have a tiller boat. It's not the end of
your fishing days...and you do have that lovely steering wheel to play with, right? 
Depending on the moon first..then the stars..I go trolling near the rocky outreaches in depths ranging from 15 to 60 ft deep. Some of the new plugs
will troll at 8mph down to depths of 30 feet. Keep one eye on the depth sounder and try to bump those lures now ..check how deep they are running.
I started as a Huckleberry Finn type, and then became engaged in more serious fishing during the last 50 years. Personally, in all that time..
...I have found there is ONE truth to fishing. You'll never know it all.
Basically, get out there and get involved..experiment with these tips the posters have given..but most important, learn for yourself what YOU
like..it's all good after that. Support your local tackle dealers!
Finally, trolling premits one to relax, open a cold one and start a warm conversation....
...or if alone, to put your feet up...and like me..
...comtemplate why you are out here wearing two different sneakers. 
Ciao y tight lines!
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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MitchMan
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Great post, Pompano. Many thanks.
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