Darn Bycatch

[Tightlines667]

Electric reels, momma always did say, "work smart not hard".

I used hydro reels when deep droping (125-225fa.), and they worked sweet...though not very 'sporting'.

[SoCalAngler]

Greetings from Loreto (me too!)

I think that the  Baqueta (Gulf of California local name) is  a star studded grouper  (Epinephelus niphobles).    11 dorsal spines, second spine the tallest.    The IGFA all tackle world record is 25 lbs, if you are into that kind of thing.

Tough for me finding decent sized dorado.  Little guys all over.   some nice roosterfish and even a few amberjack shallow enough to target with the fly.  Seen more marlin than sailfish so far.   Marine weather report the last couple days-   seas 0 ft.  winds 0-8 knots,  sunny.

Took a couple days off from fly fishing to do the deep drop fishing as well.  All big yellowtail, 25-40 lbs.     Just catching the bait deep  is a workout in this heat.    We got a baqueta ~15-20 lbs in about 600 feet with some current.   Captain nearly emptied a tld 30 to hit bottom.   No way I'm going to wind that thing in   Don't know how you deep drop guys do it...



-j

Thanks for the heads up I did a little research, granted not much, and this is what I found.
Baqueta, A.K.A a "Gulf Coney" the IGFA world record fish went 32.5 lbs

Record Details
Angler   George Hurchalla
Weight of Fish   14.66 kg (32 lbs 5 oz)
Length of Fish   cm ( in)
Girth of Fish   cm ( in)
Location of Catch   Huatulco
Date of Catch   10/19/2012
Type of Rod   Jarvis Walker
Type of Reel   Shimano TLD
Type of Line   PowerPro
Line Size   50 lb
Method of Catch   Jigging
Lure or Bait   jig head w/ soft plast



I know my pic dosen'tlook the same as the IGFA pic but the fish looked the same in real life.

Hmmm, ate a world record?

[jurelometer]

I still think it was a Star Studded Grouper and not a Gulf Coney.  But either way, you ate a record       As it should be.  Those darn things are tasty.   And there are no good recipes for an  IGFA certificate. 
All sorts of  species are called "baqueta" by the locals.  I read that the best way to ID similar looking groupers is to count the dorsal spines.   mexfish.com is a good resource.

The dorado are finally picking up in Loreto.   They have been doraditos all over the place for the last week or two, but finally, more mid size fish showing up.   Found about a dozen 10 lbers today under a tumbleweed    .  Saw a marlin within casting distance of the beach.  Gotta love Baja.

-J

[SoCalAngler]

I still think it was a Star Studded Grouper and not a Gulf Coney.  But either way, you ate a record      As it should be.  Those darn things are tasty.   And there are no good recipes for an  IGFA certificate.  
All sorts of  species are called "baqueta" by the locals.  I read that the best way to ID similar looking groupers is to count the dorsal spines.   mexfish.com is a good resource.

The dorado are finally picking up in Loreto.   They have been doraditos all over the place for the last week or two, but finally, more mid size fish showing up.   Found about a dozen 10 lbers today under a tumbleweed    .  Saw a marlin within casting distance of the beach.  Gotta love Baja.

-J

Not sure if you can tell from this pic what type of fish it was, it's pretty hard to count the spines? Anyway this guy holding Ricks fish is muy fuerte as my best guess this fish went around 40 lbs maybe more. The fish lost it's color due to being on ice for several hours but out of the water it had the same coloration as the IGFA pic.

[jurelometer]

Unlike mexfish, Fishbase lists both species with 11 spines...

I'm sill voting star studded grouper.    Both species change appearance as they mature, but check out the flat tail in your photos vs. the rounded tail of the gulf coney in the photo below.


Congrats on the nice fish!

[Dominick]

Here is another example of by-catch down where I fish in Baja.  Here is a 331lb by-catch.  See the 3rd paragraph of the text for a narrative of why it is by-catch.  Dominick

http://gordobanks.com/category/fish-reports/