Species of Fish Found off Loreto; Dorado

Yellowfin Tuna and Wahoo

Yellowfin Tuna may be found off Loreto in the late summer and fall months. Generally they will venture into our southern region's waters off of Isla Catlana. Their size will range from 10-50 pound area. Their schools can be recognized as areas with sudden, fast and furious splashing, often above which, birds will be working. When they are feeding at the surface, they will be present in schools and the competition for bait will be ferocious. Flies are very effective at this time and they will quite often take whatever you throw at them. Their fighting tactic is to run hard and deep. They are strong and you must turn them and keep the pressure on to prevent from being spooled. Yellowfin Tuna will require a fast two-handed retrieve. To get them on the cast, allow your boat to drift in the area where their schools are and wait for them to come to you. More often than not, they will swallow the fly deep and will be bleeding heavily so release is not the best option in this case, sashimi is!

The unfortunate truth is that Yellowfin are highly sought after by commercial boats. When we're lucky enough to find them the commercials will be on them hours later. They listen to our VHF frequencies which is often more effective to them than their spotter planes and heliocopters. We'll have to get together and speak in code in the future so we can enjoy the schools for more than a day.

A Wahoo caught off Isla Coronado in early August 2007

Wahoo are not common off Loreto but they are occasionally caught from late June through November. They typically range from 30-50 pounds and will take live bait or trolled feathers. We see them most frequently in the fall months south of Carmen Island. Unlike most locations where they're more frequent, our Wahoo have been known to bite in the late morning and afternoon. We generally catch them by accident when targeting Marlin, Sailfish and Dorado. The Wahoo in the photograph above ate a drifting dead sardina. Wahoo aren't frequent enough here to target specifically but they do make for a pleasant surprize when one hits.