“They’re baaaa-Aaack!” The waters of the Sea of Cortez are getting colder as we move closer and closer to our official winter fishing- mucho Sierra Mackeral confirm exactly what time of year it is.  Inshore fishing continues to get stronger as anglers get more familiar with Cabrilla and Pargo fishing off the mainland or from various spots off of the islands Esiritu Santo and Cerralvo.  Dorado fishing remains strong in various spots around the islands and really strong towards Las Arenas/Muertos Bay.  The winter fishing in La Paz is a lot of fun, especially on lighter tackle vs the generally smaller fish caught this time of year.

The Sierra Mackeral, great eating, relentless on their attacks, and an outstanding fight on the right match-up.  These fish look like a Barracuda bred with a Trout…..seriously, and they have the teeth to go with that crazy mental picture.  They like the colder water temperatures and are being caught in pretty shallow waters, 10 feet or less just off the shore.  Sierras aren’t usually too picky about what they eat, “anything that glitters is gold” to a Sierra, almost literally.  They’ll eat lures just as fast as live bait or even strips.  Great fun and fantastic eating!

As I have stated in the past few weeks’ fishing reports, fishing inshore and around structures can produce some of the best fishing (and spearing) for Pargo (snapper) and Cabrilla (seabass).  Fishing for these rock dwellers is challenging, because as soon as they know they’re hooked, they fight straight for the rocks; you have to be quick and strong on the initial set.   Whats great about this challenge, are the unique dishes you can cook up with these fish.  More great eating!

The Dorado are still here, smaller in size, but make up for size in numbers.  If you ask any of my captains, they’ll reiterate their love for these fish!  It is arguably our favorite species to fish for.  Not only are they great fighters with their aerobatics, beautiful colors, and fantastic meat, but dorado can be caught almost anywhere throughout the Sea of Cortez.  On a yachtfisher like the MARIANA, where you can take an awesome 2 day cruise North to Loreto or South to the East Cape and Cabo San Lucas, vacationers can cover a lot of ground on their way to and from these popular destinations.  During winter fishing, Loreto is considered the Yellowtail capital of the world and is one of the most popular whale watching areas in the world from January to March.

We also heard that the some anglers got into schools Giant Squid, which are still around, as well as the ever elusive Wahoo, still gracing the Island of Cerralvo’s south end with their presence.  We also heard that the Yellowfin Tuna are still here; they’ve been hanging out near La Reyna, which is a structure somewhat in between the two islands of Espiritu Santo and Cerralvo. 

I want to end this week’s report by thanking Ronnie Kovach and the Radio Fishing University on 50,000 mega-watt AM 830 KLAA, for having me in studio this past Saturday as we begin to build “2009 RFU Listener Trips” on the MARIANA.  A special thanks and congratulations to Dennis who won the MARIANA Sportfishing Ronnie Kovach La Paz VIP Kit; I look forward to seeing you aboard soon.  I am also looking forward to speaking further with Saturday’s RFU callers Tom (from Lake Forest), Rick (from Mission Viejo), and Dave who has fished with Ronnie on numerous occasions.  Give me a call and I’ll help you build your trips for 2009.  Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday week.

If anyone wants to replace their Turkey with an excellent Cabrilla (Sea Bass) dish, try this:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced white onions
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 4 cups chopped plum/cherry tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 2/3 cup sliced stuffed green olives
• 1/4 cup drained capers
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 (6 ounce) fillets of fresh caught Cabrilla (Sea Bass) from www.LaPazFishingCharters.com  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS