Carl's Loreto report

Posted by Carl Blackledge on 2019-08-05 14:03:52

Early summer fishing in Loreto this year was a bit slower than in years past but not if you like catching billfish. Large Dorado were few and far between but we had some days where we nailed 20, 25, or 30 small or medium-sized fish. Even with lots of Sargasso and tons of sardines, the Dorado just didn't show up to the party in the sizes and numbers we had hoped for, but there were a couple of large ones in the mix and some of the ones in the 25-pound range put up a heck of a fight.

While we were trolling the Chicken flies in an attempt to bring up Dorado we discovered we couldn't keep the billfish away from them! Everyone has a different opinion but I think the 60-80 pound little Marlin are better than a Tarpon on steroids! We had many days where we caught 10 billfish (Marlin and Sailfish); all the Marlin and Sailfish we hooked and landed were caught trolling. We only had one opportunity to cast to billfish when we spotted about five sunning themselves. We tossed sardines at them but they just disappeared and that was our only shot.

Loreto has always had a variety of spots known to the guides where you can catch Roosterfish. They are also a lot of fun to catch but in order to catch the big ones, we usually have to drag some bait around called "big eye" to attract them. But this year we didn't have any of that type of bait available so we settled for the little guys to beat up, and we did so on several mornings before heading further out to the blue water. Then we stopped at another honey hole on the way home and caught a bunch more. We probably got more than a hundred Roosters, all told, on cast flies.

As it got closer to departure day more and more Marlin started to show back up, then we finally had a blast of decent-sized Dorado arrive in the 20-pound range and beat them up with cast Belly Dancer flies. Tan Belly Dancer flies were also the hot ticket for the Roosters and the Dorado that did show up. The Chicken flies in pink and blue worked best for trolling.

Those of you who have read my Loreto reports over the years know that I always stay at the same hotel, The Oasis, and use the same guides, many of whom feel like family. I don't sell trips but I would be happy to talk to anyone who thinks they might be interested in making the trip next year, and maybe answer some specific questions about gear or other travel details. Last but not least, I don't want to make it seem like the number of fish we catch in a given year is a barometer of how much fun the trip is, because for me it's always fun, and many first-timers have a lot of great memories of landing their first big Dorado or Marlin.

Carl Blackledge

[click here to display pictures]

Hey guys, I was showing the new guy how to land a Marlin, he was a trout fisherman...I hope it posts Ok

[QUOTE=Carl Blackledge;191309]Posted by Carl Blackledge on 2019-08-05 14:03:52


Here are the hot flies that worked the best...I have installed rattles in all these flies

Sounds like a great way to spend a month. I enjoyed seeing the daily reports you sent to Bill. Thanks for putting those up. I was recently reading Steinbeck’s Log From The Sea of Cortez. He was down there for six weeks in 1941. People were still paddling around in dug out canoes.