BAD DOG ON THE BANKS

[Bad Dog]

With word of a white seabass bite my Marinero and I arrived on the El Farito rock a mile off of the Marina Coral breakwater at 0430 last Thursday......in the dark. At the high point it is 32' deep. I dropped down two white jigs and kept them off the bottom and two droppers with live mackerel and kept them just off the bottom too. On a rope I dropped Tommy's uni bucket to the bottom. At 0800 we packed it up with nothing. Couldn't even catch a sand bass with plastics or squid. While this spot is famous for sand bass I have fished it a half a dozen times now and have never caught a fish on this rock. We then ran over to the pens where I was also told that "Big Yellows" were caught that same day. I trolled 5 Rapalas back and forth for nothing. The water temp was a chilly 52 degrees and was murky. With impending guests and buddies of mine from San Diego Anglers coming down for dinner for my well publicized Ensenada experience the pressure was on to catch something. So I went to the good old reliable Banda Bank. My marinero and I immediately began lifting 4 to 5 pound bocaccios into the boat until the seals arrived. I looked up some Southern numbers and I ran at full throttle to shake them off. 5 miles later we put out our Berkley Braids in increasing winds and white caps.There I lifted an 8 pound ling that pulled like a tuna, Juan Lu lifted a 12 pound ling and we got enough reds for the dinner guests. Then in 58 degree blue water we both saw a huge swordfish running upswell. This fish had to be 500 pounds as he effortlessly powered his way through the swells in plain view. Another sword was spotted the Saturday before in the same area...perhaps he is a resident now eating the giant squid.......I hope. I did meter the big squid once again just off the bottom but they didn't take the Ahi.....thank God. Back to Marina Coral, showered and out for dinner with the guests to Bahia de Mariscos where the big ling's fillets were cooked to perfection and the smaller ling and reds were pesca frito to everyone's delight. With empty paddies everywhere and Todos Santos Bay being almost empty of bait and yellows, fishing has become tough. Last Saturday we ran 200 miles for 2 blind jig strikes yellowtail and a friend (Wahoo) went 250 miles of driving and got skunked. Sorry to be a Preacher of Doom but it just ain't happening.......YET

[SeaDawg]

Bummer, we were going to come down there this week, your report and the weather report have me re-thinking that idea

Is Mike selling bait?????????

Is there a red tide down there?????

[Bad Dog]

Excellent Question.
I spent all last Thursday morning trying to catch mackerel for my bait receiver. We went all over to my favorite spots for nothing. Not one mackerel. I had 4 rods at the ready with Yozuris. We pounded Ensenada Bay and fished around both Gordo's bait receiver and Mike's bait receiver and chummed. the water was shit, maybe precisely shit. It was thick enough to call it a red tide but looked more like thinned out diarrhea. I couldn't even buy mackerel as Gordo's was empty with their seiner anchored a few yards away from their box and Mike had all of his nets hauled out of the water and he wasn't there. His seiner Jacqueline was gone so I called on Ch. 6 and picked up Julio who said that Mike was on Ch.72.........NOT. I don't know where Mike is and I don't know where his seiner is either. I went back to the slip without anything in the tank. The guy who took my bait out of my receiver hurt me bad. We fished without live bait..........sometimes they have it, sometimes they don't. Bring frozen squid. Good sign, there were two guys on Gordo's box and they were diving in the water to clean it. However, the guys on their seiner have no clue on how to catch live bait and you will have a tankfull of chopped up live sardines that will roll unless you have a swimming pool on board. There have been times where the Maria Veronica returns from a whole night of fishing with nothing in their nets. Mike knows how to catch sardines for live bait and provides a high quality product. I hope he opens up for business soon. But, there isn't much business to open up for right now. I don't know where his seiner is, I don't get over to the Harbor much and stay in Marina Coral. I can't catch any mackerel in Marina Coral either, just smelt. Ever through a smelt at a gamefish? He just sits there looking around like an idiot. You don't have to be very bright to catch mackerel......maybe I'm like a smelt. Oh Yeah, about the red tide.......YES, there is a red tide all over the place on the shore up and down the Coast.

[SeaDawg]

Well, I think I'll stay closer to home for the moment

Thanks for the report, saved me a trip and lots of gas...