Carl Blackledge
07-25-2018, 12:12 PM
Loreto Summary Report 2018
[Bulletin Board]
Posted by Carl Blackledge on 2018-07-25 13:18:40
Once again my annual fishing trip to Loreto, Mexico, was one for the books any way you look at it. Dorado, Marlin and Roosterfish were all caught in big numbers this year, and the amount and size of the Dorado and some Marlin seen in groups certainly did not disappoint. If you like to cast flies with a floating line and watch giant Dorado rush over with that big, green head half out of the water and smash your fly, then go on a 100-yard dash while making your fly reel scream like you've never heard it scream before, you might consider that to be "Dorado Heaven" which is where we found ourselves during the first two weeks of the trip.
This year we had a lot of generic Dorado in the 18-22 pound range with the occasional 30-pounder in the mix. The first few days we saw good top-water action and had a blast catching these beauties on cast flies. The fishing for the first two weeks casting to Dorado averaged from good to great. At the end of each day some of the guys came back having only gotten a dozen, and some brought in numbers in the high thirties - it all depended on which direction they went. Most of the guys cast to, and hooked the biggest Dorado they had ever landed (on top with floating lines) and these were fish that were very willing to eat the flies on top, which was OK with all of us.
On our best day of Dorado fishing we were 25-30 miles out on a dead-flat sea looking for some weed patches when all of a sudden we came upon a good sized patch maybe 30 feet across. As we pulled up we could see the Dorado buzzing around and instantly started casting our RIO OBS floaters which were connected to our Crease flies and then later we changed to the new Belly Dancer pattern. It probably didn't matter what flies we used. These were brand new, "stupid" fish in a feeding frenzy. Most of them were in the 20-25 pound range but we spotted some very large "submarines" down deeper and bigger fish kept showing up the longer we stayed.
We caught fish for at least four hours on cast flies then we ran out of chum and the fish started to get wise. We then began to troll around the Sargasso patch with the larger Chicken flies in blue and white and literally pounded the fish. Finally my boat partner held up the white flag and confessed he had enough. We had this patch all to ourselves all day long and I know I personally landed at least 50 on cast flies and then stopped counting. I landed probably another 20 on trolled flies and we had doubles on most of the time.
This amazing day ended with an experience I will never forget. I had just cast to a nice 25-pound Dorado and before he grabbed my fly it was intercepted by a smaller 8-pounder. Just as I started to pull the little fish in my guide started screaming at me to release my drag and give it some more line, because a "Grande" was trying to eat my smaller Dorado! I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched dumbfounded at the spectacular show. Then I came back to reality, let that HUGE bull Dorado run a few yards, and then I pulled as hard as I could in a vain attempt to get him up to the boat. He jumped completely out of the water, spit out the smaller Dorado, and disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving his image etched in my memory for good! I would have paid a thousand bucks to land that giant beauty!
The Marlin were there from day one, but it seemed like around the third week they just went crazy. We would hook about a dozen on most days and land maybe four or five by trolling the large Chicken fly. We never had any opportunity to cast to the Marlin or the Roosterfish. The last two days I went to all the Rooster "honey holes" and landed two on my first day and four on my second day. I went to the dark side with the Roosters and trolled a "big eye." I only had eight baits on my last day and I hooked a fish on every bait, then called it a trip and went back to the hotel.
I have to pay high compliments again this year to the staff of the Oasis Hotel and Guides who always go out of their way to make our stay comfortable and fun. Their service is "Five Star" and they always make us feel like family. They even opened the restaurant 15 minutes early so we could talk a few minutes after eating and plan our day.
If anyone would like information about the Oasis Hotel or anything at all to do with fishing in Loreto, please feel free to send me an email. I don't sell or book trips; I just like sharing the information.
General Note About Equipment:
Every fisherman is different and I have used different equipment in Loreto over the last many years. This is simply a list of what I used this year and why.
Rods:
For rods I used two 9-foot, 12-wt. NRX Loomis rods, one for casting the floating lines and one for casting 26-foot sink tips. For trolling I used a 16-wt. XI3 Sage rod.
I fell in love with the Loomis NRX 12-wt. It is just a casting thing of beauty.
It's also very flexible and holds up incredibly well doing battle with big fish.
Reels and Lines
This year I used the Tibor Signatures, the 11-12 S for casting and the standard 11-12 for my trolling outfit.
The Tibor sports a very large "sealed" cork drag and quick change spools. It's extra light with a very large capacity and it's built like a tank.
I also like the fact that it doesn't have any paws, springs, or other small parts that can break and jam the reel.
For the lines I always use RIO products, especially the floating line in the Outbound Short tropical. For the sardine flies I use the 26-foot sink tips and for trolling I use the RIO 550 gr. 30-foot shooting head Tuna line with its 72-pound core. All these lines work the best of anything I have used, and I think I have tried most all of them.
Flies
1. Trolling: Chicken Fly in blue, white or pink. This year blue and white had the best results.
When we are on the hunt for fish and don't find any by means of surface clues (fish jumping, birds diving, other pangas whaling on fish) then we troll in an attempt to find fish that may be hiding just beneath the surface. We use a locator fly in the hopes of finding even one Dorado that will strike and hopefully bring along other fish that may be curious or hungry. Sailfish and Marlin will attack these on sight.
2. Top Water: Crease, Belly Dancer, and Sardina patterns.
Crease Fly or Belly Dancer with a floating line for "fresh" fish.
After the fish wise up and the action slows, we switch over to a sink-tip line with a Sardina and that usually starts a new eating session.
A Note About the "Belly Dancer" Fly
A couple of months before my trip I came up with a pattern that looks very similar to Charlie Bisharat's "Pole Dancer" but there are several differences. It's weighted differently, it's tied with different materials and the hook size is different. When I used it this year I found that it cast really nice with a RIO OBS tropical line. It produced at least three Dorado over 40 pounds (caught by three different guys) and hundreds of Dorado in the 20-pound range. I think this fly works so well because it sets down in the water a lot lower and looks more like a natural sardine as you pull it along.
[click here to display pictures]
[Bulletin Board]
Posted by Carl Blackledge on 2018-07-25 13:18:40
Once again my annual fishing trip to Loreto, Mexico, was one for the books any way you look at it. Dorado, Marlin and Roosterfish were all caught in big numbers this year, and the amount and size of the Dorado and some Marlin seen in groups certainly did not disappoint. If you like to cast flies with a floating line and watch giant Dorado rush over with that big, green head half out of the water and smash your fly, then go on a 100-yard dash while making your fly reel scream like you've never heard it scream before, you might consider that to be "Dorado Heaven" which is where we found ourselves during the first two weeks of the trip.
This year we had a lot of generic Dorado in the 18-22 pound range with the occasional 30-pounder in the mix. The first few days we saw good top-water action and had a blast catching these beauties on cast flies. The fishing for the first two weeks casting to Dorado averaged from good to great. At the end of each day some of the guys came back having only gotten a dozen, and some brought in numbers in the high thirties - it all depended on which direction they went. Most of the guys cast to, and hooked the biggest Dorado they had ever landed (on top with floating lines) and these were fish that were very willing to eat the flies on top, which was OK with all of us.
On our best day of Dorado fishing we were 25-30 miles out on a dead-flat sea looking for some weed patches when all of a sudden we came upon a good sized patch maybe 30 feet across. As we pulled up we could see the Dorado buzzing around and instantly started casting our RIO OBS floaters which were connected to our Crease flies and then later we changed to the new Belly Dancer pattern. It probably didn't matter what flies we used. These were brand new, "stupid" fish in a feeding frenzy. Most of them were in the 20-25 pound range but we spotted some very large "submarines" down deeper and bigger fish kept showing up the longer we stayed.
We caught fish for at least four hours on cast flies then we ran out of chum and the fish started to get wise. We then began to troll around the Sargasso patch with the larger Chicken flies in blue and white and literally pounded the fish. Finally my boat partner held up the white flag and confessed he had enough. We had this patch all to ourselves all day long and I know I personally landed at least 50 on cast flies and then stopped counting. I landed probably another 20 on trolled flies and we had doubles on most of the time.
This amazing day ended with an experience I will never forget. I had just cast to a nice 25-pound Dorado and before he grabbed my fly it was intercepted by a smaller 8-pounder. Just as I started to pull the little fish in my guide started screaming at me to release my drag and give it some more line, because a "Grande" was trying to eat my smaller Dorado! I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched dumbfounded at the spectacular show. Then I came back to reality, let that HUGE bull Dorado run a few yards, and then I pulled as hard as I could in a vain attempt to get him up to the boat. He jumped completely out of the water, spit out the smaller Dorado, and disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving his image etched in my memory for good! I would have paid a thousand bucks to land that giant beauty!
The Marlin were there from day one, but it seemed like around the third week they just went crazy. We would hook about a dozen on most days and land maybe four or five by trolling the large Chicken fly. We never had any opportunity to cast to the Marlin or the Roosterfish. The last two days I went to all the Rooster "honey holes" and landed two on my first day and four on my second day. I went to the dark side with the Roosters and trolled a "big eye." I only had eight baits on my last day and I hooked a fish on every bait, then called it a trip and went back to the hotel.
I have to pay high compliments again this year to the staff of the Oasis Hotel and Guides who always go out of their way to make our stay comfortable and fun. Their service is "Five Star" and they always make us feel like family. They even opened the restaurant 15 minutes early so we could talk a few minutes after eating and plan our day.
If anyone would like information about the Oasis Hotel or anything at all to do with fishing in Loreto, please feel free to send me an email. I don't sell or book trips; I just like sharing the information.
General Note About Equipment:
Every fisherman is different and I have used different equipment in Loreto over the last many years. This is simply a list of what I used this year and why.
Rods:
For rods I used two 9-foot, 12-wt. NRX Loomis rods, one for casting the floating lines and one for casting 26-foot sink tips. For trolling I used a 16-wt. XI3 Sage rod.
I fell in love with the Loomis NRX 12-wt. It is just a casting thing of beauty.
It's also very flexible and holds up incredibly well doing battle with big fish.
Reels and Lines
This year I used the Tibor Signatures, the 11-12 S for casting and the standard 11-12 for my trolling outfit.
The Tibor sports a very large "sealed" cork drag and quick change spools. It's extra light with a very large capacity and it's built like a tank.
I also like the fact that it doesn't have any paws, springs, or other small parts that can break and jam the reel.
For the lines I always use RIO products, especially the floating line in the Outbound Short tropical. For the sardine flies I use the 26-foot sink tips and for trolling I use the RIO 550 gr. 30-foot shooting head Tuna line with its 72-pound core. All these lines work the best of anything I have used, and I think I have tried most all of them.
Flies
1. Trolling: Chicken Fly in blue, white or pink. This year blue and white had the best results.
When we are on the hunt for fish and don't find any by means of surface clues (fish jumping, birds diving, other pangas whaling on fish) then we troll in an attempt to find fish that may be hiding just beneath the surface. We use a locator fly in the hopes of finding even one Dorado that will strike and hopefully bring along other fish that may be curious or hungry. Sailfish and Marlin will attack these on sight.
2. Top Water: Crease, Belly Dancer, and Sardina patterns.
Crease Fly or Belly Dancer with a floating line for "fresh" fish.
After the fish wise up and the action slows, we switch over to a sink-tip line with a Sardina and that usually starts a new eating session.
A Note About the "Belly Dancer" Fly
A couple of months before my trip I came up with a pattern that looks very similar to Charlie Bisharat's "Pole Dancer" but there are several differences. It's weighted differently, it's tied with different materials and the hook size is different. When I used it this year I found that it cast really nice with a RIO OBS tropical line. It produced at least three Dorado over 40 pounds (caught by three different guys) and hundreds of Dorado in the 20-pound range. I think this fly works so well because it sets down in the water a lot lower and looks more like a natural sardine as you pull it along.
[click here to display pictures]