Offshore; Dorado, Sailfish and Marlin: This is the second offshore report of the season and there is a lot of sargasso out there but that doesn't mean much unfortunately, unless it stays with us for several months. There is also a lot of sargaosso still anchored and growing on the rocks at La Cholla reef, the bajo off Coronado, San Bruno and points North and South. This is encouraging for good sargasso structure in summer. We have already caught our fisrt Sailfish of the season, and this doesn't surprize us as every year we land a Sail in late April. This one was caught on Monday April 21st by Verda Boyd of San Francisco. Last year on April 21st, Verda also caught a 130 pound Sailfish off Punta Lobos so this was a repeat of last year exactly on the same date! She was trolling a mirro-lure when the fish hit. The sailfish was revived and released.

Inshore: The Yellowtail are either just entering their spawn, actively spawning or post spawn and actively feeding. From my observations the Yellowtail are still spawning off Isla Catalana, and off the Northern portions of Isla Carmen. It looks as though the fish at San Bruno are just off their spawn and they are feeding on everything and anything. Boats that fished there yesterday limited out easy and every single bait cast on them was inhaled by a fish. It takes a lot of energy to spawn and they don't feed while they're spawning. Before the spawn they fatten up in preparation for their important task, and after their spawn its prime fishing.

We know that the Yellowtail generally spawn at the same time when they are swimming in the same school and in the same location. They may spawn in one general area and stay until they start to feed again but we have no way of telling for sure (being sport fishermen and not marine research biologists). It pretty cool to observe these things and try to put it all together.

It looks as if Yellowtail inside the bay between the northern Point of La Cholla and the Western Point of Tintorerra may be spawning. They are grouped densly together and for the most part, unresponsive to the large bait. Sardinas will get fish like this thinking though but only the rougue fish will eat in a school like this. We just had a full moon (April 20) and generally the Yellowtail spawn takes place around the bright moon portion of the lunar cycle.

Captain Francisco Muñoz noticed this behavior inside this same bay on Wednesday (the foggy day, April 16th). The fish preferred the sardinas to the large bait, but they only got one interested enough to take bait there. Unfortunately he also witnessed several pangas wrapping schools of fish. Other witnesses to this commerical fishing activity have come forward and we have learned that it had taken place for over three weeks.

BAIT AND MARINA SCENE The baitsellers are selling mackerel and bigeye again. They are the three or four pangas with lights on them right off the entrance of the marina.

Sardinas are still on the small side and located inside and outside the marina just off the structure. They're rising at about 6:30 a.m. but as much as an half hour to an hour later if there's cloudcover.

Breakwall fishermen are targeting barracuda and sierra mackerel.