Day 31, off the edge!

[JerryInLodi]

My wife and I left the dock at 5:45. We attempted to make bait but ended up with two lizard fish and one small sardina. I took a side trip into Concepcion bay to check out a new locatiion for Roosters. Nothing.

We headed out past Point Concepcion and once out five miles saw birds working everywhere. The water was almost flat calm with a slight breeze ripple, a beautiful day. We dropped out hoochies and were almost immediatly into bonito. We reeled back in, keeping one for chum, and headed farther out and farther south than we had ever gone before. We ended up 25 miles out and seven miles south of Pt. Concepcion without even seeing a fin, sail, splash, or bird.

After an hour and a half's worth of trolling we decided to head to the rocks. As we were traveling at speed we saw six dorado chasing flying fish. We slowed and trolled for a while and then discovered some paddies close by. We found one dorado but it spooked at the sight of the boat and was gone.

We ended up fishing the rocks, catching a few triggers and a few other snapper type fish, a couple of lady fish, no groupers, no cabrilla.

We finished the day 15 gallons of gas lighter and 60 miles more on the odometer.

Seven sport boats went out in the morning carrying 18 anglers. Each ran between 40 and 60 miles, say an average of 50 or 350 miles total. Total Dorado caught, TWO!

If you count ALL species, I was probably the lead boat with about a dozen fish landed, banana and all.

It's like we've fallen off the edge of the earth!

[Katz]

Bummer! I don't know how many days you have left down there, but I hope the fish show up for you before you are all done!

Kraig

[JerryInLodi]

Katz, I have about ten days fishing left if I choose to go out. We've decided to go on a picnic and clam dig in the bay tomorrow and look for some roosters on the way in. I was told of ANOTHER rooster location so I'll check it out. The real problem with roosters up here is that they migrate out of the area in May and all that are left are a few stragglers and some juveniles. That's why it's so much of a challenge in July, like trying to catch a ghost.

Carl, the temperature was 86 out 25 miles. We actually did SEE six Dorado chasing flying fish. They go so FAST! I wouldn't have bet on the flying fish!

We saw another under a paddy fairly close in, wow, yes, we actually did see some grass. That fish spooked though and with no amigos around, left for other zones.

My theory is lack of food. We jigged for bait today. My tally was two lizard fish and one small anchovy like fish. I think most of the boat's catches were similar. The purse seiners have cleaned out the bay and what is left is being killed by the gill netters and long liners, although not Dorado food for the most part anyway.

The small Mexican purse seiners don't work the deep water, neither do the panga gill netters and long liners and that's where the Dorado seem to be. When I encountered them earlier in the summer (my count this year to date is 57 Dorado about half on fly, half trolling, one striped marlin) they were actively hunting in huge packs in the open water, the closest about 14 miles out.

In years past they were much more territory oriented with all of the floating grass, waiting in most cases for their food to come to them. With the lack of grass and the lack of bait fish in the shallow water, I think they've adapted their feeding tactics, working up the Sea of Cortez, much like wolf packs, locating schools of bait and then destroying them.

I was witness to one of these frenzies earlier in June. Thousands (truely!) of Dorado had five bait balls of mackerel in the open water, about 14 miles out and literally ate them to oblivion. It was the greatest boil I've ever witnessed in all my years of fishing.

I just think the wolf packs of Dorado have moved on, maybe north, maybe east, looking for those schools, knowing that they've cleaned out much of this area.

Oh, and guys, the purse seiners, gill netters, and long liners are much like the Dorado. They are not resident to this area. They move their boats and camps up and down the coast to where the fishing is productive and someone else is not already there.

[Darian]

Well,.... It sure seems like the fish have left the area and all of it started when the first seiners showed up.... No food, no fish!!!

Well, maybe some Roosterssssssss will show up and play