Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said La Paz fishing area weather on the south side of the hill was very hot to 98 degrees, with scattered rain on some days over the entire region including the city itself. "But the sea has been calm. The water temperature was about 88 degrees at the buoys," Hernandez said.Tortuga Sportfishing pangas found lower water temperatures at about 84 degrees in other areas on the Las Arenas side as dorado action slowed down on fish of 15 to 25 pounds. Some yellowfin tuna were also caught."This week, the fishing picked up for dorado around Punta Perico and Ensenada de los Muertos," Hernandez said. "Only dorado are being caught in this area, and we are using squid for bait because the sardinas are small."

DORADO FOR ALL--This group of anglers from Huntington Beach, Calif., led by Crissy and Pete Techman found consistent dorado action while fishing the Las Arenas side of La Paz with Tortuga Sportfishing.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz said weather conditions for his pangas fishing on the Las Arenas side were cloudy at 90 degrees, with plenty of humidity for 3 days running, but without any storms. Water temperatures south of La Paz were at 80 to 83 degrees as Tortuga Sportfishing pangas worked the nearby Baja coastline areas around Punta Perico and Ensenada de los Muertos for dorado to 35 pounds and yellowfin tuna of 15 to 25 pounds."We haven't run out to the famous 88 Bank or to the north point of Isla Cerralvo for the past few days," Hernandez said. "There are no reports of marlin, sailfish, or other larger fish from out there."Along the Baja coast, Tortuga pangas caught good-sized roosterfish into the 60 and 70-pound class. Sardina bait fish were in adequate supply, but were small and were being used for tuna. Giant Humboldt squid were also present and being caught for dorado bait.

GOOD LA PAZ TRIP--Phill Schenck and daughter Gale went panga fishing south of La Paz with Tortuga Sportfishing for a catch including dorado, tuna, and some giant Humboldt squid.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz reported some days of wind on the south side that kept his pangas fishing close to shore for catches around Ensenada de los Muertos of medium-sized dorado and yellowfin tuna, both of about 15 to 25 pounds. Some pangas ran offshore to the 88 Bank east of Isla Cerralvo and found larger fish. "We're hoping now to catch some larger dorado," Hernandez said. "Recently, we've been using squid bait for the tuna. We also have good quantities of sardina bait available." La Paz fishing area weather was cooler in the 90s.






ANAHEIM BOMBEROS--A big group of firefighters, or bomberos in Spanish, found good panga fishing action for dorado at La Paz with Tortuga Sportfishing captains. Ralph Moreno, below, shows off a roosterfish mixed in with the group's offshore catch that included yellowfin tuna as well.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said tropical weather cells provided more action than the fishing on the south side of La Paz during the week as wind and rough seas prevented his pangas from reaching offshore fishing zones for dorado and yellowfin tuna."Tropical Storm Lowell affected the La Paz fishing area this week," Hernandez said. "Some boats still fished near shore and caught some smaller tuna and dorado. The weather is normalizing now. At La Paz, the rain we got was more beneficial than damaging."

LAS ARENAS SIDE--Henry Barrios and Daniel Escalera show off some football yellowfin tuna caught while panga fishing on La Paz' Las Arenas side south of town with Capt. Rigo Lucero of Tortuga Sportfishing.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz said his pangas launching on the Las Arenas side found improved action for medium dorado of 15 to 25 pounds while fishing north off Las Cruces following last week's rough tropical weather. "We also caught yellowfin tuna to the south off Punta Pescadero," Hernandez said. "They're still small, but they have been consistent for the past several days. We haven't caught anything big in recent days, but we're waiting for them to come."La Paz fishing area weather was cloudy and humid in the mid-90s, with some periods of rough seas but no rain. "There is plenty of bait around Isla Cerralvo, but sometimes it's difficult to get it," Hernandez said.

LA PAZ SUMMER MIXER--Under uncertain summer tropical skies filled with powerful clouds, Joshep Holtz and his sons fished south of La Paz with Tortuga Sportfishing's Capt. Jorge Hirales for a mixed species panga catch of dorado, football tuna, and triggerfish.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz said his pangas were already fishing again, for a few dorado on the day after the passage of Julio. The day after that, yellowfin tuna were found again by pangas running out to Isla Cerralvo and the 88 Bank. "But there is a lot of current, and we didn't catch dorado out there," Hernandez said.

Fishing conditions on La Paz' Las Arenas side were returning to normal by midweek. "We really don't have any complaints about the tropical storm," Hernandez said. "It was more of a benefit than a problem."

At midweek, pangas running to the south point of the island were beginning to catch some dorado in addition to tuna. But pangas checking the action at the north end of the island scored zeros.

HARD BATTLING SAILFISH--This good-sized sailfish died during the fight after being hooked south of La Paz by Larry Klein and his family group who were fishing aboard a Tortuga Sportfishing panga with Capt. Rigo Lucero.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz said his pangas on the Las Arenas side south of town fished within sight of rain clouds over the mountains at the end of the week, with high summer air temperatures in the mid-90s, and equally high water temperatures of 84 degrees at Isla Cerralvo and 87 degrees outside at the 88 bank. "But we haven't had any bad weather for fishing," Hernandez said. "Our pangas have been fishing mostly in the same locations, at Las Cruces for larger dorado, and at Punta Pescadero for smaller tuna and medium-sized dorado."Tortuga Sportfishing pangas running out to the 88 spot did not find big dorado, but blue marlin and sailfish mixed with striped marlin were in the area. "But the remoteness of this fishing area does not allow us to go there all the time, and our anglers were fishing more in the other areas," Hernandez said.

DORADO AT LA PAZ--Joseph Song and his son Patrick of Fullerton, Calif., fished on La Paz' Las Arenas side and hooked into tuna plus dorado like this one aboard a Tortuga Sportfishing panga with Capt. Jorge Lucero.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz said his pangas on the Las Arenas side south of town fished within sight of rain clouds over the mountains at the end of the week, with high summer air temperatures in the mid-90s, and equally high water temperatures of 84 degrees at Isla Cerralvo and 87 degrees outside at the 88 bank. "But we haven't had any bad weather for fishing," Hernandez said. "Our pangas have been fishing mostly in the same locations, at Las Cruces for larger dorado, and at Punta Pescadero for smaller tuna and medium-sized dorado."Tortuga Sportfishing pangas running out to the 88 spot did not find big dorado, but blue marlin and sailfish mixed with striped marlin were in the area. "But the remoteness of this fishing area does not allow us to go there all the time, and our anglers were fishing more in the other areas," Hernandez said.

DORADO AT LA PAZ--Joseph Song and his son Patrick of Fullerton, Calif., fished on La Paz' Las Arenas side and hooked into tuna plus dorado like this one aboard a Tortuga Sportfishing panga with Capt. Jorge Lucero.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said his charter pangas fishing on La Paz' Las Arenas Side found midsummer weather reaching the mid-90s, with some clouds but no rain or wind to hamper anglers. "We continue to catch good numbers of dorado of 25 to 35 pounds in the area around Las Cruces," Hernandez said. "Good quantities of dorado are also at Punta Pescadero. In this area, the dorado are mixed with yellowfin tuna." Tortuga Sportfishing charter pangas running out to the 88 Bank off Isla Cerralvo did not find dorado, but released both blue marlin and sailfish. Fishing near the Baja coast around the Punta Arena de la Ventana lighthouse produced continued good numbers of roosterfish including some big ones.

CLOUDY DAY FISHING--Matt Curley of Encino, Calif., fished under cloudy summer skies but good sea conditions for a catch including this nice bull dorado with Tortuga Sportfishing's Capt. Rigo Lucero. Curley also scored on a bunch of yellowfin tuna.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said his charter pangas fishing on the Las Arenas side found some periods of complete calm seas, as full summer conditions prevailed and air temperatures averaged about 95 degrees. "For this period, our boats found the best fishing at Las Cruces," Hernandez said. "In that area they caught dorado of 20 to 30 pounds around the buoys. To the south at Boca del Alamo, we caught medium-sized tuna in good numbers, and also some dorado. Along shore around Boca del Alamo we also caught some smaller roosterfish. The bigger roosterfish were caught around the Punta Arena de la Ventana lighthouse."

LAS ARENAS PANGAS--Carrie, Lynn, Reed, and John Barnes of Santa Clarita, Calif., fished aboard a couple of Tortuga Sportfishing pangas on La Paz' Las Arenas side south of the city for good action on tuna plus these dorado caught with Tortuga Capts. Jorge and Rigo Lucero.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz reported typical summer fishing weather on the Las Arenas side of the hill, with air temperatures in the 90s, some cloudy but rainless skies, and panga fishing at the 88 Bank offshore buoys producing dorado to 45 pounds plus striped marlin. "The bigger fish were caught by anglers arriving at the bank early and fishing with small barrilete baits," Hernandez said. "There's a lot of sea weed around Las Cruces, and many smaller dorado of 30 to 35 pounds are located there." Big numbers of medium-sized roosterfish were also located at La Ventana and southwards to the Punta Arena de la Ventana lighthouse. "We've got a large quantity of sardina bait at Isla Cerralvo and this helps the fishing very much right now," Hernandez said.FULL FILLET TABLE--Ken Faunce of San Francisco, Calif., and John Steintz of San Diego, Calif., filled the fillet table on the beach south of La Paz after a panga outing with Tortuga Sportfishing that produced these quality dorado.

July 21, 2008

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said his charter pangas fishing on the Las Arenas side south of La Paz had some cloudy mornings but without rain during the week and found good numbers of dorado of 30 to 40 pounds on buoys about 15 miles out. "We also found large dorado out at the 88 bank, and smaller ones of 15 to 25 pounds north of Punta Arena de la Ventana," Hernandez said. Black skipjack and small greenjack or cocineros in Spanish were being used for bait at the offshore buoys. "We are finding these baits right at the buoys so we can start fishing early," Hernandez said. "For fishing close to Isla Cerralvo, we're using sardina baits that we find in that area, and we're still catching snappers there, but they are smaller now."

LA PAZ PANGA FISHING--Sam Mills of Huntington Beach, Calif., with a nice La Paz dorado caught aboard a Tortuga Sportfishing charter panga with Capt. Rigo Lucero. "This dorado is typical of the ones being caught now at La Paz," said Tortuga's Gerardo Hernandez.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said his pangas fishing the Las Arenas side south of La Paz had some days of completely flat sea conditions, with summer temperatures in the 90s, and continued action close by off Bahia de la Ventana for dorado in the 20 to 30-pound class. Dorado of 35 to 40 pounds were also caught by pangas running to Las Cruces, and some big fish were caught at the buoys. "Some boats also found big ones at the 88 Bank buoys," Hernandez said. Pangas fishing near shore at the south end of Isla Cerralvo found good action for amberjack, pargo, and some yellowtail.

IT'S DORADO SEASON--The southern Sea of Cortez north to Loreto has had a good early summer dorado season this year and Mark Stoner, left, of Huntington Beach, Calif., hooked this nice bull out of La Paz' Las Arenas side while fishing at the 88 Bank with Tortuga Sportfishing's Capt. Adrian Lucero.

July 7, 2008 -- Fishing News

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing said his La Paz south-side pangas found full summer fishing conditions by the end of the week, with warm temperatures, calm seas arriving, and catches of large dorado at the 88 Bank outside Isla Cerralvo leading the counts. "Other boats that fished close to the south end of the island did very well on pompano, amberjack, pargos, and wahoo," Hernandez said. "We also found marlin, sailfish, and lots of roosterfish that were released. The best roosterfish action was on the Baja shore at Punta Perico." Live bait supplies continued good at Isla Cerralvo, helping to increase fishing time on the water for Las Arenas side pangas.

NICE LA PAZ FUERTE--Mike Madeksho of Huntington Beach, Calif., shows off a nice La Paz amberjack, or pez fuerte in Spanish, caught while panga fishing on the Las Arenas side with Tortuga Sportfishing. At right, trip partner Matt Potter reveals their secret big fish bait, looking suspiciously like a greenjack, or cocinero in Spanish.

Gerardo Hernandez of Tortuga Sportfishing at La Paz said his Las Arenas side pangas fished in variable winds with good action on mixed species including summer season yellowtail, pargo lisa, pargo perro, some pompano, and amberjack and wahoo of good size. "We're feeling the heat now with air temperatures to 95 degrees," Hernandez said. "Water temperatures have been up to the 80s at the 88 Bank, and 78 to 80 degrees close to Isla Cerralvo. We had some large swell outside that made it hard for pangas to fish at the buoys." Tortuga pangas found their best dorado counts on medium fish at Las Cruces, and some dorado to 40 pounds were caught at the buoys on days when pangas were able to get outside.

NICE LA PAZ WAHOO--Crissy Teichman of Huntington Beach, Calif., whipped this trophy-sized wahoo during panga fishing at the south end of La Paz' Isla Cerralvo with Tortuga Sportfishing.