Fishing Reports -- 2005 Season

May 10th to May 13TH--The weather has finally gotten over 80 degrees. The water temp was in the low 70's. We fished the Golden Reef and caught 9 Black Sea Bass up to 250 pounds. We lost about a dozen due to sharpness of the golden reef. This has been a really great trip everything was excellent except for the live bait. But we had plenty of live squid available Our catch was 14 Black Sea Bass to 250 pounds 19 Yellowtail to 26 pounds 4 Pargo 6 White Sea Bass to 40 pounds. Jose Montenegro from San Ysidro caught the jackpot 250 pound Black Sea Bass.

May 14th to May 19th-- Passengers on a 6 day fishing trip enjoyed fishing as far as Saucipuedes. The further south we went the colder the weather. The water temp was 57 to 62 degrees and the air temp was 82 degrees. There were tons of baby sardines in the water but very little mackerel. Bob wants to know why the passengers are not allowed to take squid home with them. They are only allowed to eat on board or use as bait on board. The officials informed him about this last week. Fish count 63 Yellowtail to 25 lb. 1 Black Sea Bass to 60 lb. 2 White Sea Bass to 20 lbs 57 Cabrilla to 23 lbs. 54 Pargo to 12 lbs. 1 Grouper 52 lbs a few giant squid and full limits of spotted bay bass.

May 28th to June 2nd-- On a fishing trip led by Rick Huntington of Palmdale Ca. They caught the following catch 95 Yellowtail 39 White Sea Bass 56 Pargo 41 Mexican Rock Cod and 189 Misc. The weather temp was in the mid 80's and the water temp was up to 66 degrees. The Mackerel is still scarce however we have plenty of giant squid which we can only use for bait now. The fishing conditions were excellent to the last day we caught some wind.

June 4th to June 9th-- We fished from Cardenosa to San Esteban then to Devils Point then to Refujio Bay. Then the last day we fished the Enchanted Islands. Everyone had a great time We had a lot of active and retired fireman on board as well as Bob Castellons daughter Tiffany Castellon who works for Long Beach Fire Department and is a very good fisherman. All had a ball enjoying everyone's company. The bait is still difficult to come by as the water is still in the low 60 degrees but what we did get was big bait. Fish count 97 yellowtail to 38 lb. 58 Cabrilla to 16 lbs. 5 Pargo to 12 lbs 6 Mexican rock cod to 40 lbs and 120 misc.

June 11th to June 16th-- The mothership Celia Angelina fished from snake Island to San Esteban and Ensenada Grande to Punta Finale We had an excellent trip We captured 126 Yellowtail to 40 lbs. 9 Mexican Rock Cod to 40 lbs 31 Pargo to 17 lbs. 6 White Sea Bass 12 sheephead 104 Cabrilla 101 spotted Bay Bass and 38 Giant Squid The water temp is in the mid 80's and the water temp is in the low 60's

June 25th to June 30th A group led by Donny Harris of Hermosa Beach Ca. included 3 Doctors from San Felipe had a really great fishing trip. The air temps have gone up to 90 degrees and the water temps have gone up as high as 74 to 75 degrees. Toyo Hirami of San Gabriel Ca. captured one of the biggest yellowtail that Bob Castellon has seen in 10 years a 45 pound yellowtail. Bob also claimed the first Dorado of the year caught at San Pedro Matyr. Fish count: 149 Yellowtail to 45 lbs. 89 Pargo to 12 lbs. 168 Cabrilla to 18 lbs. 1 Black Sea Bass 40 lbs. 12 White Sea Bass 44 lbs. 3 Dorado 54 Giant Squid 89 Spotted Bay Bass 9 Sheephead 6 Shark and 108 Misc. also caught and released 3 Grouper under 25 lbs.

 Fishing Reports -- 2002 Season

3 Mag Bay Trips Ending November 21, 2002-- Fish count: 78 striped marlin to 200 pounds, 1 blue marlin, 20 wahoo to 75 pounds, about 50 dorado to 38 pounds, over 300 yellowtail to 57 pounds, 9 white seabass to 43 pounds, 28 yellowfin tuna to 29 pounds, numerous halibut, 18 snook to 19 pounds, and "many others I could not I.D." Four of the total 79 marlin were kept after they could not be successfully released.

Bob said the fishing was relatively slow the first two weeks, and then turned on. Bob said he saw, "plentiful sea life everywhere we went. There were birds, seals, four different species of sea turtles, lots of red crabs in the water, and at times I thought we were going to be swamped by the porpoise activity. The main snap was between the Thetis and the 23, also between the 23 and Uncle Sam Bank. All the high spots held fish."

Bob said weather was 77 to 82 degrees, and water temperatures between 68 and 73 degrees. He added that he is undergoing tests after experiencing chest discomfort during the trip. "I want to thank all who helped me on board with my medical problems. At this time I'm undergoing further tests to determine exactly what happened."

Trip Ending August 8, 2002-- Fish count: 70 yellowtail, 156 pargo, 105 cabrilla, 77 giant squid, 2 dorado, 3 grouper, 7 grouper under 25 pounds released, 1 amberjack, 190 spotted bay bass, 150 miscellaneous fish, and 1 huge hammerhead shark estimated at 350 to 400 pounds. The hammerhead shark measured 10 feet 9 inches long from the snout to the tip of its tail, and it was 24.5 inches between the eyes. It was caught by David Yavelok of Rancho Cucamonga. I am still trying to figure out how they got it into the skiff. Jackpot winner Pete Matthews of Los Angeles took 2 large grouper on the same day, 1 in the morning, and 1 in the afternoon. His fish weighed 86 and 97 pounds. It was one of the better trips of the year for the bigger fish. The Celia Angelina fished at Bahia de los Angeles, San Francisquito, Isla San Lorenzo, Snake Island, Devil's Point, and a final day loading up on pargo at the Golden Reef. Bait was available but not abundant, air temperatures were in the low-90s, and water temperatures ranged to 83 degrees at the Golden Reef.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending July 27, 2002-- 70 cabrilla, 127 yellowtail, 3 grouper, 1 black seabass, 20 pargo, 6 white sea bass, 65 giant squid, 15 sheephead, 1 roosterfish, and 256 miscellaneous fish.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending June 27, 2002-- Bait is becoming more plentiful . The air temperature is running 93 degrees. The
water temperature was 77 degrees at the Golden reef. Fish count: 92 yellowtail to 28 pounds, 186 cabrillla to 17 pounds, 6 white seabass to 14 pounds, 181 giant squid, 33 pargo to 12 pounds, 1 grouper, 184 miscellaneous fish.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending June 20, 2002-- Combined catch of: 39 yellowtail to 30 pounds, 217 cabrilla to 16 pounds, 189 giant squid, and 221 miscellaneous fish. Yellowtail fishing was on the slow side during a charter led by Clarence Brown, but everybody enjoyed the catch of cabrilla and giant squid. The Celia Angelina fished at Cardenosa, Salsipuedes, Isla San Esteban, San Francisquito, Bahia de los Angeles, and Bahia Gonzaga. Rough seas prevented fishing at the Golden Reef, but the boat did fish at the Enchanted Islands, catching 39 cabrilla over 14 pounds. Plenty of bait now available, in weather averaging 92 degrees, and water temperatures of about 79 degrees. The Celia Angelina loaned an anchor to the panga mothership Erik after the boat lost its own.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending May 30, 2002-- We are finally catching bait consistently. We fished from Cardinosa to San Esteban to San Francisquito and to the Enchanted Isles. The air was 72 to 85 degrees. The water over 70 degrees. Police officer Pat Gray, a first-timer on a rental rod, put the handcuffs on a jackpot-winning 40-pound black sea bass. A father and sone team, John and Matt Clarke, took 2nd and 3rd with 33-pound and 28-pound white seabass. We are off to an excellent start. Water is now over 70 degrees. Bait and giant squid are at several locations. We are looking forward to dorado season. FISH COUNT: 1 Black Sea Bass, 266 Cabrilla, 62 Yellowtail, 5 White Seabass, 101 Giant Squid ,39 Pargo, 18 Grouper, 396 miscellaneous fish, released 2 Golden Grouper---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending May 23, 2002-- A mixed group of guys from all over the USA went fishing with Bob, and fishing was excellent when the winds would let up. We fished Devil's Point to Tiburon, San Fransciquito to Bay of L.A., and the Golden Reef. Still no live bait, so we were cutting up squid heads. The wind was blowing from the north to west at the Golden Reef, but still gave up a 57-pound cabrilla. Ninety percent of cabrilla were caught on trolling lures. No hot colors this week. They were all working. Jackpot was a 57-pound black sea bass caught by Howeard Beasley of Dallas, Texas; 2nd Place was a 37-pound yellowtail caught by Bob Stevens of Phoenix, Arizona; 3rd Place was a 27-pound yellowtail by Lloyd Hubbard of Phoenix, whose fish had to have its jig cut out of his mouth; he inhaled it. The air was 71 to 82 degrees, water 61 to 65 degrees. FISH COUNT: 63 yellowtail to 37 pounds, 1 black sea bass of 37 pounds, 1 grouper of 67 pounds, 36 giant squid, 157 miscellaneous fish, full limits of cabrilla.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending May 16, 2002-- A charter of 18 fishermen with John Borger and Mike Cross of Orange County as the chartermasters fished Refugio Bay, Devil's Point, Snake Island, San Lorenzo, Bay of L.A., and the Enchanted Isles. We found excelllent cabrilla fishing, yellowtail bite on the slow side becasue we fished the cabrilla so hard. The size of the yellowtail was excellent, a lot of fish over 20 to 25 pounds. Bob took a 30-pound yellowtail on an orange MirrOlure. Bob wants to thank everyone on cooperating in releasing the baby grouper. We released over 50, including one of 24-pounds by Mike Cross. There were a lot of baby grouper out there. FISH COUNT: 113 yellowtail, limits of cabrilla, 2 pargo, 12 giant quid, 5 grouper, 193 miscellaneous fish. Air temperature 88 degrees. Water temperature 59 to 67 degrees.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending May 8, 2002-- Sixteen anglers led by Bob Obryant of Simi Valley, CA found excellent cabrilla fishing and big yellowtail for this time of year. We caught 5 big fish over 25 pounds. We fished from Ensenada Grande to Snake Island. The 111 MirrOlure continues to be the hot lure for us with the orange-and-purple being our top fish getters, as live bait is very hard to come by. The cold spell is over, as the air temperature is above 80 degrees in the daytime, and 69 to 74 degrees in the evening. The water temperature is 59 to 66 degrees. Our first 6-day trip is coming up, and I look forward to going further south to find larger yellowtail. On our 4-day trips we go south only to Snake Island. On another note, anyone fishing the Midriff for totuaba, stop. It is illegal. FISH COUNT: 98 yellowtail to 26 pounds, 132 cabrilla to 19 pounds, 45 pargo, 15 giant squid, 221 miscellaneous, 2 grouper to 37 pounds, released 11 grouper under 25 pounds and 31 small yellowtail.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending May 2, 2002-- On a 4-day fishing trip led by Bob Johnson of San Felipe everyone enjoyed a great time. The fish were plentiful. The water is warming up to 56 to 63 degrees. The air temperature is 80 to 83 degrees. Our jackpot winners were Randy Welsh with a 34-pound grouper; Larry Brown with a 31-pound yellowtail; and Shirley Sherrill with a 28-pound yellowtail. All above fish caught with an orange MirrOlure. FISH COUNT: 142 yellowtail to 31 pounds, 121 cabrilla to 18 pounds, 1 grouper of 34 pounds, released 9 under 25 pounds, 13 pargo, 191 miscellaneous fish, and our first giant squid of the year.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending April 24, 2002-- On a 4-day trip out of San Felipe we had near-perfect weather conditions. The water was like glass. Weather is finally starting to warm up. We fished from Bay of L.A. to Snake Island, and the Golden Reef the last day. The Golden Reef producd few fish even though the weather conditions were near-perfect. We learned later that local pangueros are setting nets over the reef. This breaks my heart, as this area has been more or less off-limits to commercial fishermen. The air temperature was 71 to 83 degrees. The water temperature was 54 to 66 degrees, and we made bait for the first time at Snake Island. The weather is starting to warm up. I had a few family members on board, and we had a great time. FISH REPORT: 44 yellowtail to 26 pounds, 218 cabrilla to 15 pounds, 5 white seabass to 23 pounds, 3 pargo, 2 grouper, released 4 to 67 pounds, 289 miscellaneous fish, 1 golden grouper released. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending April 14, 2002-- On our first 3-day trip to the Enchanted Islands we found bait extremely hard to make. There were sardines instead of mackerel. The water conditions around the Enchantted Islands had an explosion of plankton that caused a riptide condition that made it hard to make bait. But the weather held out for us. Just a little wind in the afternoon. We had a very good first trip of the year. We are looking forward to the rest of the season. The conditions look good this year. FISH COUNT: 43 cabrilla, 5 white seabass, 81 spotted bay bass, 2 pargo, 8 broomtail grouper, 6 grouper released, 21 yellowtail, and 121 miscellaneous fish. We have a 4-day trip coming up next. We are looking forward to it. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Fishing Reports -- 2001 Season

Trip Ending September 20, 2001-- Great fishing trip with great weather all 6 days. The air was low 90s water up to 83 degrees. Bait was plentiful from San Francisquito to Enchanted Islands. Lucky angler was Jerry Duchnowski from Alta Loma CA with 2 Grouper to 39 pounds. The yellowtail were mostly caught at San Esteban and the Dorado were caught outside of San Francisquito and around the corner at Rancho Barril. Catch: 2 Grouper, 11 White Sea Bass, 162 Yellowtail, 81 Dorado, 193 Spotted Bay Bass, 45 Pargo, and 129 miscellaneous.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending September 13, 2001-- Water temperature 76-85. Air temperature 95-100. The fishing trip left to beautiful clear weather. One of the best trips of the year. Seas were like glass for the first five days, but it blew on the sixth day and we were slightly delayed getting back to San Felipe. The wind came up on the Golden Reef and we only got in one-quarter day of fishing. We waited things out in the lee of Isla San Luis. Yellowtail fishing was super good at Isla San Esteban, with limits all around, also 179 yellowtail, 3 giant squid, 12 cabrilla, and lots of skipjack. Dorado fishing was exceptional at San Francisquito. They were caught on jigs and feathers, black/red and green/yellow were favorites. We had one sailfish hookup, and the fish almost jumped into a skiff of one of the other boats! That was exciting for a while. There was lots of bait in all the usual spots. A great time was had by everyone. I'm calling this in as we pass Puertocitos headed south. More news in a week.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending August 16, 2001-- What was mostly a family oriented trip of 4 different families from northern California, Las Vegas, and Ohio found excellent weather conditions. There was not much wind and slack tides, good weather. The water temperature was high 86-74. The air temperature was high 9476. Seventy percent of the fish were caught at San Lorenzo and San Esteban. There was plenty of live bait and fresh dead. Fish count: 86 yellowtail, 41 cabrilla, 14 pargo, 18 giant squid, 199 spotted bay bass, 49 dorado, 4 shark, 4 grouper, 196 miscellaneous.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending July 26, 2001-- A group of fireman led by Mike Skinnell and Richard Voss encountered lower water and air temperatures. Air was down to 80 degrees, and high water temperature was 77. No Dorado this week. Bob talked to a commercial fisherman and was told the bite was an a.m. affair, we only fished the area on Sunday in p.m. Eighty percent of the yellowtail were caught at San Esteban. Fish report: 1 broomtail, 158 yellowtail, 76 cabrilla, 123 giant squid, 7 pargo, and 136 misc.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending July 21, 2001-- Clarence Becker of Upland Calif.led a charter of 18 fishermen this week. Dorado bite is still on but they are still on the small side. We fished them for 3 hrs one day because of this. We also had wind for a day and a half. This time of year conditions continue to change from trip to trip. Weather temp continues to climb. The air temp high was 94 and the water 73 to 82 degrees. We caught 102 yellowtail, 78 cabrilla, 67 dorado, 9 sheephead, 90 giant squid., and 185 misc. We released 3 grouper under 25 lbs and 2 golden grouper.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending June 28, 2001-- John Piazza and family and friends on a 6 day full charter out of San Felipe found excellent tide and weather conditions last week in the Sea of Cortez. Fog on Wednesday was the only negative weather condition. Air temps were a high of 90 at the Enchanted Islands to a low of 72 at Snake Island. The water temps were a high of 80 at Enchanted Islands to low of 68 at Bay of L.A. Yellowtail bite is in high gear. The Cabrilla made a big time comeback after a slow showing the last two weeks. Grouper are still on the small size, we released 6 under 25 lbs, also two golden cabrilla. FISH COUNT Full limits of Cabrilla; 152 Yellowtail to 30 lbs; 9 Pargo to 12 lbs; 2 Grouper 46; Giant Squi;d and 146 misc.---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending June 21, 2001-- Nineteen anglers led by Sonny Loo of Calexico found fishing a bit slow the first two days of trip but Bob took them as far south as San Franciscito and things got hot in a hurry. Yellowtail up to 38 lbs and Grouper to 48 lbs. There are alot of fish up on the top right now and all they want are the deep diving lures, all colors seem to be working, the black purple and the green and yellow took their share of fish. There are a few fish taken on bait and blue and white jigs. Because of the size of the fish we are farming 25 to 30% of our hookups. Water temps 81 high at Enchanted Islands to 63 lows at Snake Island. Air temp 90 to low of 71. We took 2 grouper to 47 lbs released 8 under 25 lbs,102 Yellowtail to 38 lbs(50% OVER 25LBS), 79 Cabrilla to 12 lbs, 43 Pargo to 8 lbs, 1 White Sea bass 37 lbs, 92 giant Squid and 143 Misc. Bait is now becoming more accessible. Thats all for now. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Cell phone report from the bridge of the Celia Angelina, anchored at the Golden Reef, June 21, 2001-- Fantastic morning. We caught 86 pargo from the mothership. Also 5 or 6 yellowtail.

Cell phone report from the bridge of the Celia Angelina, anchored at San Francisquito, June 20, 2001-- Wide open fishing today. 130 yellowtail caught, one-half of them over 30 pounds, largest 38 pounds. Weather is excellent. Water temperature 73.1 degrees. Air temperature 84. No wind. Over 90% of yellowtail hit on MirrOlure MR111s. Very few on iron. They refused to hit live bait today. So go figure that. Anyway, we are heading north now, and we will be fishing at the Golden Reef tomorrow on the way back to San Felipe. This has been a great trip. Best colors on the MirrOlures were purple, black, and some pink.

Trip Ending June 11, 2001-- Sixteen anglers led by Clarence Becker of Upland California found the fishing a bit slow. Lost one full day due to a wind storm at Sierra Prieto. Wide open fishing for cabrilla fishing has slowed down considerably and the yellow tail fishing was strictly scratch. Water temp. continue to rise 77 degrees at Golden reef to a low of 63 degrees at Snake Island. Air temp 90 degree at Enchanted Island to low of 74 degrees at Refujio Bay. Once again bait was difficult to make! The best day of fishing was at the Golden Reef. Unfortunately the reef is loaded with Totuaba, we release 10 to 14 Totuabas 62 to 100 Lbs. Bob said he was very pleased to see one of the other party boats releasing and puncturing air bladders before releasing. Fish count was: 1 Grouper released too, 91 cabrilla, 56 yellowtail, 1 white seabass, 1 pinto bass, 171 spotted bay bass and lots of miscellaneous.

Trip Ending May 31, 2001-- Bait was made only at Refugio Bay and Enchanted Islands. Bait is there but have to work at it. No hot colors for the MR111. All colors were working. There is no water or air temp this week as Bob was home celebrating his 35th year wedding anniversary. Pin told me over the phone that one of the other motherships took an estimated 50 to 60 totuava on the Golden Reef Thursday a.m. This is outrageous, this is out and out poaching. This iillegal fishing by certain motherships has got to stop. Passengers remember, no matter what the crew tells you this fish is protected by Mexican and American law. Our fish report: 160 yellowtail to 26 lbs; Full limits of cabrilla to 24 lbs; 27 pargo to 12 lbs; 2 white sea bass to 17 lbs; 3 grouper to 71 lbs; 40 giant squid and 293 misc. That's all for now. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending May 24, 2001-- Under very good conditions 18 anglers led by Lloyd Hulbert of Phoenix Arizona had a very good time fishing the Midriff. We fished the islands of San Esteban, Refujio where we caught a lot of Cabrilla, Cardinosa, Punta Diablo, and mainland Baja where we caught a lot of yellowtail. The water temp is 66. The air temp is in the 90s. Here's our fish count: yellowtail 126 to 22 lbs; cabrilla 246 to 21 lbs; grouper 3 to 60 lbs; and 182 misc. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending May 17, 2001-- Under ideal conditions again this week 14 anglers from Los Angeles led by Clarence Brown found excellent cabrilla, limits are the rule rather then the exception with yellowtail, black and white sea bass and giant squid. The largest fish caught were a 42 lb black sea bass and a 40 lb grouper. We also released 5 grouper under 25 lbs. The hot colors of the lures were hot pink and fire tiger with the purple also getting its fair share of fish.The water temp high was 64 the air in the 90s. Live bait is still extremely hard to make, but no problem as the giant squid were plentiful. Fish count--full limits of cabrilla to 23 lbs; 89 yellowtailto 23 lbs; 101 giant squid; 2 black sea bass to 42 lbs; 3 white sea bass to 18 lbs; and 256 misc. That's all for now. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending May 9, 2001-- On one of the better trips of the past couple of years Bob OBRYANT of Simi Valley under perfect weather conditions sent 16 anglers to Punta Final, Cardinosa, Refujio Bay and finally the last stop of the trip The Golden Reef. Castellon says fishing was pretty much wide open on all our stops! Grouper to 85 lbs, 119 Yellowtail to 47 yes 47 lbs, 212 Cabrilla to 22 lbs, 24 Pargo to 15 lbs, 336 misc., and we released 3 grouper under 25 lbs and 30 cabrilla to 4 lbs, 96 giant squid to 30 lbs. 85% of fish were taken on the MirrOlure 111. Hot colors were Fire Tiger and Hot Pink. The air went over 90 degrees but the water temp is holding at 68 degrees. Bait is almost impossible to make. The water and air temp were excellent, the only thing lacking was live bait which we did not need. We had an excellent trip. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending May 4, 2001-- A group of fishermen from San Diego enjoyed excellent to windy conditions on a 4 day trip out of San Felipe aboard the Celia Angelina. We Fished from the Enchanted islands to Roca Partida. The water temp was 67.5. The air was in the mid 80s.We caught 74 yellowtail to 18 lbs. Limits of Cabrilla to 14 lbs. A lot in the 10 to 12 lb class. 2 white sea bass to 20 lbs. 4 Black sea bass to 80 lbs. 12 Shark. 327 Misc. Unfortunately we don't have the equipment to release the smaller type sea bass but the areas that we fish are loaded with black sea bass right now. Trip #5 for the year and we are off to a good start. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending April 29, 2001-- We had a wonderful time fishing on a 3 day trip from April 26th to April 29th. The weather was fairly good but we could not fish the Golden reef because of wind. Most fish were caught on artificials. We had several family members on board and a good time was had by all. Fish report: Yellowtail 57 to 19 lbs; Cabrilla 18; Sierra Mackeral 33; White sea bass 1; Shark 2; Miscellaneous192. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Client Report For Trip Ending April 29, 2001-- Hola Amigos: Just returned from San Felipe. Bobby sends his regards and asked me to send in the fish report. Here we go. The "Celia Angelina" returned to her home port of San Felipe on Friday 4/20/01 from a 4 day fishing trip of the upper Sea Of Cortez. A limited load of 12 avid fishermen including Uncle Mike, John Norlin, Ron Hoel and yours truly, fished the following areas: the famed "golden reef", Punta Refugio, Los Diablos (La Guarda), Roca Partida,"tear drop", los diablos and finally Las Encantadas. The group caught the following fish: full limits Yellow tail to 24 Lbs; full limits Cabrilla to 22 lbs; 30 Pargo to 18 lbs; muchos Giant Squid to 42 lbs (all you wanted); 35 Sierra to 8 lbs; 182 Misc to 6 lbs. Live bait was used only one day and was made at Punta Final. The usual jigs in the usual colors and flavors: Chrome, chr/blu, grn/yel,blu/wht,and white were effective. The hot ticket again was the MirrOlure in: #1, Orange and #2 was pink.

The weather cooperated with us for 3 of 4 days, 90 degree weather and clear skies finally giving in to wind and coooool temperatures the last day. Water temps are still cold by Baja standards but show signs of warming up...low,low tides of spring and cold, cold water at some of the high spots are in order for this time of year. Low of 54 and high of 72 (Partida).

This trip went well except for the ^%#$@ tourist visa BS. Guys coming on a future trips have your visa, they're 17 dollars and good for 6 months. Be smart get it at the boarder in advance. You can get one in TJ and Mexicalli as you enter it's on the right and a bank window is open 24 hrs behind the migra office(TJ). If you can't get it or dont want to hassle, Bobby can get it for you but you have to tell him in advance. That's about it for this first report. ---Dan Madrid

Trip Ending April 16, 2001-- A group of retirees from Sun City, Arizona enjoyed a 7 day trip aboard the Celia Angelina with fishing ranging from fair to excellent, cabrilla and spotted bay bass were pretty much wide open. Yellowtail and giant squid were found at two locations. Mainland Mexico north of Tiburon Island, San Estaban and Refujio were hot locations. Weather temperature was on the cool side, water temp. ranging from 53 degrees to 68 degrees, air temp. from 60 degrees to 80 degrees. Bait was at Francisquito. The yellowtail ranged up to 23 lbs. Cabrilla to 17 lbs. and giant squid were in the mid season form as they were up to 30 lbs. The weather curtailed our fishing on the mainland side. Bob feels really good about the start of the season. Looking forward to white seabass fishing. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing

Trip Ending April 15, 2001-- We had very good weather and caught some very nice fish.The fishing has realy taken off for us at Punta Final, the weather conditions were the best of years. Most fish were caught on artificials.The hot MirrOlures were the orange and pink.The air temp was in the 90 to 93 range and the water temps are warming fast 68 to 78 range. We got 34 yellowtail to 20 lbs; 21 cabrilla to 18 lbs; 12 white sea bass to 33 lbs; 2 grouper to 44 lbs; 4 black sea bass to 90 lbs; 17 pargo to 12 lbs; 4 shark; and 269 misc. ---Bob of Sea of Cortez Sportfishing