The 2005 season was as bad a fishing season as we have seen here in the last 20 years. The tuna that did show up were at least 75 miles offshore and they were constantly moving. From one day to the next there was no telling where they were.
High winds and high seas were also a trademark of the 2005 season and kept many small boats inside. Running 75 to 90 miles offshore is one thing. Doing it in 8 to 12ft seas with 20kt to 25kts of wind is another. On top of that gas prices made selecting the right day that much more critical.
High winds, high seas, high fuel prices and few fish...that pretty much sums up the 2005 fishing season of of San Diego. But then we have a little thing in our backyard called BAJA!
La Bocana, Baja Sur
La Bocana is located about 550 miles south of the border on the Pacific side. It's a small fishing village of about 1400 people whose primary product is lobster and abalone. There is very little fishing pressure here as most people don't visit because it's about 30 miles of dirt road to get to it. Conditions of that road can vary depending on recent rains or usage.
We visited last year during the shakedown cruise and I vowed to come back when the weather was better. On this trip we hit it about as good as it gets.
Our first two days fishing were two of the calmest days I've seen on the Pacific side of Baja. Because we were blown out most of the year up north it made it that much sweeter to be fishing in sunshine and calm conditions.
Fishing was great. Yellowtail up to 34 pounds and Grouper to 20 pounds. Fished a total of four days and had a blast. We will be back.
