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bartmanaz
Administrator
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Posted: Thu Jul 27th, 2006 07:04 pm |
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I don't get to spend the time on the water that Steve and others do, but here are my observations of late.
1. There are lots of Dorado in the water and I mean lots. These are smaller schoolie size fish now but since the early summer/late spring, it appears to me that the fish are growing quite nicely. They are clearly larger now than they were in May.
Sidebar: We hooked a marlin on Sunday in the tournament and from the time we got that fish to color until the point of release we were surrounded by schooling Dorado.
2. The amount of bait in the water is very high. We see large schools of bait on the sounder as well as on the surface. Can't remember ever seeing the numbers of flying fish I've seen this year.
3. We caught some nice size (10-12#) fish in the tournament and released all but dinner fare. We had big bulls make runs thru the pattern without so much as a knockdown. I agree with Steve on this point-I rig in tournaments very differently then I might for a day of catching fish for table fare. My lures are bigger and I am after billfish-we've had some recent tournament success and still have never seen any body win a billifish tournament without catching billfish. So while a big dodo is a nice kicker, that is not what I am after.
My conclusion is that these things run in cycles. Last year I do not recall even seeing the numbers of Dorado in the water that we are seeing this year. I do not believe the bait was as plentiful last year either. Now we are seeing lots of bait and lots of dorado that seem to be growing nicely. The fish seem a bit more finicky which I attribute to the amount of bait in the water. If I'm not matching the hatch very closely then I'm probaly not going to catch the fish.
Has commercial fishing taken a toll-probably. How much i cannot answer but it does seem to me that the numbers this year are up from last year and i see that as a good sign. In the final analysis if I don't catch fish I don't blame anybody but me.
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azotter
Member
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 06:39 pm |
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This is clearly not the way fishing used to be in San Carlos.
Diveurge,
Actually, I think the fishing is alot better than it used to be. In the 70s and 80s when we were down here, we would be LUCKY to catch/release a billfish for the summer. Most trips were without even seeing one. We would usually have to travel to the other side (ie Rancho, etc.) to see anything. I've come back the last couple years and can't believe how good it is now. You can literally see dozens billfish over a weekend and catch/release several in a day. No need to waste gas to travel to Cabo when it is great here.
Do you have any studies to support what you are saying? Like they said, only larger weigable dorado were taken, which did NOT happen in the 70s and 80s-everything went. A one weekend sample (n=1) is also not statically significant in my mind to think there is a crisis. I would bet most of us on here want large numbers of fish to survive and propagate, that ensures our future, hobby, or livlihood as well. I think if you quit telling everyone they are in denial, and maybe offer solid proof with possible solutions, you would get people willing to listen, and help out with the cause.
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DiveUrge
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| Joined: | Fri Jun 16th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 07:13 pm |
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Talk about anecdotal.
I never went back in the '70s or early '80s, but, I have friends that used to go down and tell me about 30lb+ yellowtail caught at will from the shoreline almost anywhere, casting. This was back when the Shangri-La was the place to go. 40 lb dorado were caught regularly inside 3 mi out of the mouth of the marina and tuna were there all season long, big ones. This was before the shrimp fleet got big, trawlers were scarce and no hooka or longlines/gillnets. When I started going, early '90s, there were still a lot of hammerheads everywhere, big mantas, white seabirds hitting all over, baitballs surrounded by bulls and dorado, big fish the rule. I haven't seen a baitball at all since the late '90s. Lobster - forget about it. They may be extinct.
If you want to get a sense of the declines you should look at the tournament numbers. Memorial day only goes back to '94 (I think). A lot fewer boats back then but a lot more fish and much much bigger. The size limits went up a bit so I suppose you can factor that is to some extent. Try fish/boat/day for every year in that tournament. That should tell you something.
I will concede that there are at least as many billfish in the water now, maybe even more. That's because for whatever reason they don't tend to get caught by longlines (they are more selective & go after moving prey?... and gillnets seem to be on the decline). Also, sportfishermen are releasing them as a rule - PROGRESS.
I intend to help with the aquaculture project. That seems to be one way to get the panga fishermen something environmentally friendly to do that has the potential to feed their families. At least it's something new. Laws sure don't work.
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azotter
Member
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 08:55 pm |
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Talk about anecdotal.
Well of course it is anecdotal, and perhaps myopic, but it has been my observations for the past couple decades, not just one bad "weekend". If this is also what others have observed on here, it will be hard to convince people there is a problem, that is all I'm saying. Maybe there is a problem, and bringing it to light is great and we can try to correct it. BTW, what is aquaculture? Thanks,
Sharon
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azfoote
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| Joined: | Fri Jul 7th, 2006 |
| Location: | Phoenix, AZ, USA |
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 09:07 pm |
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| Whatever the conclusions might be about Dorado in the Sea of Cortez, what is happening in San Diego is unusual. The Albacore virtually bypassed San Diego this year, and the bite is now virtually nonexistent on Albies there. On the other hand, Dorado, which have been almost nonexistent in San Diego waters, are plentiful, and boats which would have brought back Albies are now bringing in plentiful catches of Dorado. Also, boats out of San Carlos, like the Como No have found many dorado, sail and marlin around Mulege, Loreto and the East Cape. What irritates me is to see any boats bringing in any sail or marlin, all of which should be released, in my opinion.
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DiveUrge
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Posted: Sun Jul 30th, 2006 09:37 pm |
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otter, what do you mean by 1 bad weekend? Are you talking about the Memorial Day tounament? One weekend in isolation is anecdotal I'll agree. However, if you take that weekend and compare year over year over year for 14 years that is hardly anecdotal if it shows a clear trend. You can do the same for all the other tournaments too, but traditionally dorado have been more plentiful in May/June. Just don't mix tournaments since fishing is definitely seasonal. The schools move around and the bulk seem to migrate elsewhere for the most part outside of May/June (that is my opinion).
Aquaculture is the business of raising fish in hatcheries and then moving the fish to pens once they are old enough. Apparently dorado do reasonably well in pens elsewhere, Australia as an example. I don't know how or if this will actually play out or if enough science has been done. The fact that the SoC get cold may make SC less practical than other areas - Mazatlan, Puerta Vallarta... The thing is, it's at least a practical approach as it gives the otherwise unskilled fishermen something to do other than break the law without consequence.
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