Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 2723 Oct 26-Nov 9 | Page 32

30 Oct 26 - Nov 9, 2018 BAJA ROUNDUP VOL.37 • ISS. 23 Excellent Action Greats Fall Anglers In Cabo “ T he weather has been really good with days of sunshine and it is pretty much normal weather for this time of year,” reported Captain Jerry Chapman of JC Sportfishing. “What I have noticed is it is the first of October and the humidity continues to linger with us at night. It is cooling some but we have had days like last week where it was really hot in the day time and some of the most humid nights we have had all year. We are starting to get that October breeze from the north which is cooler and you can feel the change in the air coming, but it hasn’t quite set in yet and any old time local can tell you October can be like September and we really don’t get cooler temperatures until November.” “The striped marlin fishing has been decent with lots being landed as we speak and most being landed at the horseshoe and as far north as San Jamie Banks. So now there is plenty of the marlin action if that’s what you are looking for I This rare spearfish was caught and think over the next 2 weeks it will stay pretty good. If you aren’t catching released off the East Cape on marlin then tuna and dorado have been off the charts,” said Chapman. August 31. Photo courtesy “The dorado bite is only 2 to 3 miles from port. Lots of boats are getting of the HOTELO their limits and coming in early. We had one day our own Bob Marlin PALMAS DE CORTEZ, Van brought in 11 Dorado and was back at the dock at 12 noon. Dorado fishing Wormer Resorts. is super hot and the fish are right on the beach all the from Light House to Rancho Migrino and being landed with lures, striper bait and ballyhoo. Most are in the 15lbs to 35lbs range with some going to 40lbs but this is a lot better than what we were catching 3 weeks ago because those were much smaller dorado,” related Chapman. “The tuna fishing is really good with lots of action being reported over the past week. The tuna have been from 1150 to San Jamie Bank area and lots of tuna in the 15 to 35lbs range have been caught about every day. King Busters, live bait and chumming with sardines have been very effective but you must find the schools of porpoise, look to the skies for the birds, and you will run into them,” tipped Chapman. 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Email digital_subscriptions@fishsniffer.com 3203 Martin verdugo’s Beach resort Call Toll Free: (888) 567-8552 www.verdugosbeachresort.com (949) 226-7169 Or 01152 624 141 0054 E mail: martinverdugo@prodigy.net.mx Opening Weekend of Lobster Season Keeps Southern California Wildlife Officers Busy W ildlife officers from across Southern California par- ticipated in an enhanced patrol for opening weekend of the 2018 lobster season, which began on Sept. 29. The goal was to facilitate a safe and enjoyable start to lobster season and enforce the laws so future generations can also enjoy the sport. Wildlife officers from inland re- gions of Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties converged on the coast to pool resources and enhance coverage. Both shore- based patrols and boat patrols were utilized. In total, officers made 2,088 contacts with lobster fishers, gave 165 warnings and issued 106 citations. Citations included over- limit of lobster and other fish, take of undersized lobster and other fish, unlawful take from Marine Protected Areas, lobster report card violations, an unlawful Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel operation and even a DUI. One particularly notable case was in San Diego, where wildlife officers on boat patrol pulled up on a vessel with two persons on board. Upon ap- proach, the men started throwing lob- sters overboard. The officers quickly boarded the vessel and located 26 lobsters hidden throughout. The men were cited for an overlimit of lobster and report card violations. Another significant bust and citation occurred farther north in Orange County, where two wildlife officers made one case involving 27 lobsters taken the night prior to the opener (thus out of sea- son). During a large opener like this, the vast majority of individuals contacted by officers are law-abiding fishers and divers who cooperate with law enforcement and are even eager to show off their hard-earned catch. For example, in Dana Point Harbor in Or- ange County, Warden Andreas Gilbert contacted a group of four lobster free-divers (a free-diver is a diver who holds their breath, dives to the bottom for lobster, sometimes in the dark with a flashlight in one hand, and grabs the lobster with the other). The four were in possession of several legal lobsters and were extremely cooperative with Gilbert. After the contact, they asked to pose for a photo with Gilbert, who happily obliged. CDFW’s Law Enforcement Division reminds lobster fishers to keep their activities safe. SCUBA divers should make sure their gear is in order and they are healthy and strong enough to safely dive. Most dive shops offer refresher courses for SCUBA-certified divers who may be rusty. At minimum, divers should try on all their gear ahead of time and hop in a pool. And always dive with a buddy – never alone. Officers are always on patrol, and this year they are keeping a par- ticularly close eye out for incidents of poaching from commercial traps. The State of California has partnered with commercial lobster fishers on permitting and scientific data collection for decades, and strictly regulates commercial lobster fishing in large part to support and protect the resource and industry. Stealing from commercial traps is a serious crime – in additional to being illegal, the behavior is uneth- ical and unsportsmanlike, and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In July, a San Diego area poacher previously convicted of stealing lobsters from traps was convicted and sentenced to 45 days in jail, was fined $1,000 and all gear seized during the investigation was forfeited by the court. He was also placed on three years probation, during which time he must stay away from the South La Jolla State Marine Reserve.