Sea of Cortez, Mexico Fishing Report Today

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Sea of Cortez fishing report.

We woke up to light morning breezes and typical early-summer heat building fast. Along much of the Baja side, winds are generally under 10–12 knots in the morning, stiffening in the afternoon with a bit of chop once the sun gets high. Skies are mostly clear, and the water’s warming nicely, which means the pelagics are pushing in tight.

Tides today are running on a pretty standard mixed semi‑diurnal pattern: a decent pre‑dawn high, easing toward a mid‑morning fall, then another push late afternoon. That early high tide has been the money window inshore, especially on the sand beaches and rocky points, with another good bite as water starts moving again before sunset.

Sunrise is right around the very early six o’clock hour local, with sunset in the ballpark of eight in the evening. The best action has been from gray light through the first two hours of sun, then again late afternoon into dusk once the wind lays down and the surface cools a touch.

Offshore, boats out of San José del Cabo and La Paz have been finding solid yellowfin tuna mixed with skipjack on porpoise schools and under bird piles. Most reports are of school‑size tuna in the 15–30 pound range, with some nicer models in the 40s. Cedar plugs, small feathers in dark/green combos, and live sardina slow‑trolled or fly‑lined are doing the work. A few dorado are showing, mostly gaffers in the 10–20 pound class, taking trolled skirted ballyhoo and bright‑colored plastics when the sun gets higher.

Inshore around rocky structure and reef edges, there’s been steady action on cabrilla, pargo, and a mix of jacks. Slow‑pitch and vertical jigs in 60–120 grams, natural bait colors or blue/silver, have been hot. Live bait—sardina, caballito, or small mullet—still outfishes hardware when the current’s moving. Around the estuary mouths and beaches, roosters have been cruising the surf, with a few quality fish caught on big surface poppers and live mullet right in the wash.

For artificial lures, keep it simple:

- For tuna and dorado: small tuna feathers, cedar plugs, and 4–6 inch skirted lures in green/black, zucchini, and pink/white.

- For roosters and jacks: big topwater plugs, stickbaits, and shiny spoons you can bomb from the sand.

- For bottom fish: slow‑pitch jigs, butterfly‑style irons, and 3–5 inch soft plastics on heavier jigheads.

Bait‑wise, live sardina are still king offshore and nearshore, with caballito and mullet taking the bigger grade fish. If you’re stuck with dead bait, rig ballyhoo or chunk skipjack on fluorocarbon leaders; keep presentations natural and drifting with the current.

Couple of hot spots to circle on the chart:

- The Iman and Gordo Banks off San José del Cabo have been holding tuna and the occasional wahoo, especially when there’s good bait and current.

- Around Espíritu Santo and Cerralvo Island near La Paz, look for bird life and color breaks for tuna and dorado, and work the east and south points for pargo and cabrilla on jigs and bait.

Fish the moving water, be on the spot at gray light, and be ready to adapt—switching between live bait and irons has been the difference between a slow day and a full fish box.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Sea of Cortez fishing report.

We’ve got classic Gulf conditions right now: light to moderate morning breeze out of the northwest, building mid‑day, then easing off toward evening. Skies are mostly clear, with hot temps pushing well into the 90s by afternoon, so plan on that early‑morning or late‑afternoon bite. Sunrise is right around six a.m., sunset close to eight p.m. local time, giving you a long glow window at both ends of the day.

Tides are running a decent swing on this moon, with a good moving-water window mid‑morning and again late afternoon. Around La Paz and the islands, the flood pushes bait tight to the points and reef edges, then the ebb drags it off into the channels. Work those transitions and you’re in the game.

Pelagics are active. Boats running out of La Paz, Los Barriles, and down toward Cabo Pulmo have been into school‑size **yellowfin tuna**, scattered **dorado**, and a few **striped marlin**. Most tuna are footballs to 30 pounds, with the odd bigger model mixed in. Dorado have been small to medium, with the better fish on the current breaks and around buoy lines and weed patches.

According to recent dock chatter from La Paz pangas, the **inshore** bite has been steady: **roosterfish** along the beaches, **jack crevalle** marauding bait balls, and solid **pargo** and **cabrilla** on the rocky structure. Roosters in the 10–30 pound class have been cruising sandy stretches with light chop and nervous mullet; jacks are smashing anything that moves when the bait stacks.

Best lures right now offshore:

- For tuna: small **cedar plugs**, compact **metal jigs**, and blue‑and‑white or zucchini **feather jigs** trolled a bit back.

- For dorado: **bright skirted lures** in lime, orange, and pink, plus small hardbaits near flotsam.

- For marlin: classic **lure chains** in blue/white or black/purple and rigged ballyhoo if you have them.

Best bait: live **sardinas** are gold when you can get them; slow‑trolled or fly‑lined they’re producing tuna, dorado, and roosters. Mullet and caballito are the ticket for bigger roosters and jacks along the beach. For bottom fish, fish **cut squid** or chunked bait tight to the rocks with enough lead to stay pinned.

Inshore artificials:

- Roosters and jacks are crushing **surface poppers**, chugging plugs, and 4–6 inch **soft plastics** in white or bone on stout jigheads.

- Pargo and cabrilla are chewing on **deep‑running cranks**, 2–4 ounce **butterfly jigs**, and heavy **swimbaits** slow‑rolled along the reef.

A couple of hot spots to circle on your mental chart:

- **Isla Espíritu Santo / Partida area (off La Paz)** – Current edges and reef drops are holding pargo, cabrilla, and the occasional wahoo, with dorado outside on temp breaks. Work the up‑current sides of points as the tide starts to move.

- **East Cape beaches, from La Ribera toward Los Barriles** – Classic roosterfish highway. Walk the sand at first light with a big surface plug or live mullet, and be ready when that comb cuts the surface behind your bait.

Midday, the bite slows with the heat and wind chop, so either go deep for grouper and snapper or take a siesta and save your energy for the evening run.

That’s the Sea of Cortez report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a tide.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Sea of Cortez fishing report.

We woke up to classic Gulf conditions: light predawn breeze, seas starting out around 1–2 feet and building just a bit by late morning, mostly calm inside the bays. Skies are mostly clear with a few coastal clouds and warm, sticky air pushing into the mid‑80s before noon and well into the 90s this afternoon. The heat is already driving the best bite to early and late.

Tides along the central Sea of Cortez coast around La Paz–Loreto are running on a moderate cycle today, with a decent predawn high, a dropping tide through the morning, and a low late morning to midday. That falling water has been concentrating bait on the points and at the mouths of arroyos. Evening brings a gentle push back in, just enough current to set up a good sundown chew on the reefs and inshore humps.

Sunrise cracked just after 5:30 local time, with first good light right before that, and you could feel life turn on: birds up, flying fish skipping, and scattered boils of jacks and small tuna pushing sardines tight to the surface. Sunset will be early evening, and that last golden hour is lining up perfectly with cooler air, softer wind, and the incoming tide.

Offshore, boats working the 20–40 mile line and the seamounts have been picking away at yellowfin tuna in the 15–40 pound class, with the odd bigger model mixed in. Dorado are around in better numbers now, mostly school‑size fish, but enough 20‑plus pound bulls to keep things interesting. Sailfish and the occasional striped marlin are sliding through the warmer blue water edges; the billfish bite isn’t wide‑open, but it’s steady for crews willing to put in the time.

Inshore, the story has been variety. Roosterfish patrol the beaches and rocky points, with most fish running 10–25 pounds and a few brutes over 40 showing on the cleaner stretches of shoreline. Cabrilla and pargo are stacked on structure in 40–100 feet, and there are respectable flags of yellowtail still hanging deeper on some of the cooler, high‑relief spots, especially where current is strongest.

Best producers lately: for offshore pelagics, trolled skirted ballyhoo, small to medium marlin lures in dark/bright combos, and cedar plugs or small bullet heads for the tuna. When the fish come up, live sardines fly‑lined on light fluorocarbon have been deadly. Inshore, big roosters and jacks are crushing live mullet, caballito, and sardinas slow‑trolled tight to the beach. For artificials, work stickbaits, medium diving plugs, and 1–2 ounce surface poppers in natural bait colors early, then switch to darker or more contrasty patterns as the sun climbs. Around the rocks and reefs, yo‑yo iron and 2–4 ounce jigs in blue/white, scrambled egg, or chrome, plus simple chunks of cut bait, have been putting cabrilla and pargo in the box.

A couple local hot spots to keep on your radar:

- The reefs and seamounts off La Paz and Cerralvo/Isla Espíritu Santo: good mix of tuna, dorado, and the occasional billfish offshore, with solid pargo and cabrilla on the structure edges.

- The points and beaches around Loreto and down toward Puerto Escondido: prime roosterfish and jack crevalle water, plus nearby high‑spot structure that’s still holding yellowtail and grouper where the current hits hardest.

Plan to fish hard from gray light until mid‑morning on the falling tide, then take a break through the worst of the heat. Slide back out for the late‑afternoon incoming tide and work that last light for your best shot at quality fish.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Sea of Cortez fishing report, straight from Baja-style boots-on-the-sand.

Up the Cortez side from Los Cabos through La Paz and north toward Loreto, we’re sitting on a classic early-summer pattern: warm, clear water pushing mid to high 70s near shore and low 80s offshore, light morning wind, building breeze mid‑day, then easing toward evening. Local marina boards in San José del Cabo and La Paz are showing steady flags of dorado, yellowfin, and billfish the past few days, with inshore boats stacking up cabrilla and snapper.

Tides along the Baja Sur Cortez coast are running a modest morning high, dropping through late morning into early afternoon, then a building flood toward sunset. That first light high tide has been the money window inshore, especially around rocky points and reef edges. Sunrise is right around very early morning; you want lines in the water in the gray light. Sunset is early evening, and that last hour of incoming tide has been turning on the surface bite for dorado and schoolie tuna.

Offshore, the action line has been roughly 10–25 miles out where the blue water meets greener currents and scattered weed lines. Recent charter counts out of Cabo and La Paz report decent numbers of **dorado**, school‑size **yellowfin tuna**, a mix of **striped marlin**, plus the odd **sailfish**. Boats running cedar plugs and small to medium skirted lures in blue‑white, purple‑black, and zucchini patterns are doing best. Drop a live or chunked sardina or caballito back into the chum line once you get a strike; that’s been key for converting singles into doubles and triples.

Inshore and around the islands, it’s classic **grouper, cabrilla, pargo, sierra, and jack crevalle** fishing. Pangas working tight to the rocks with 2–4 oz lead and live sardinas or cut mullet are coming back with solid mixed bags. For artificials, think yo‑yo jigs and metal spoons in 40–80 grams, plus 4–6 inch soft plastics in baitfish colors on heavy jig heads. Early and late, a walk‑the‑dog topwater or popper along the shoreline rocks can draw savage strikes from cabrilla and jacks.

Couple of hot spots to circle on your mental chart:

- **Cerralvo / Isla Espíritu Santo area out of La Paz** – Current edges and high spots holding tuna, dorado, and the odd wahoo, with strong bottom fishing around the structure. Slow‑trolled live bait and mid‑size diving plugs in blue‑silver are producing.

- **Gordo Banks and Iman Bank off San José del Cabo** – Good marks of tuna and billfish with dorado around floating debris. Start with small‑profile skirted lures, then switch to live sardina or caballito once you find life. Bring fluorocarbon; the clearer water has the fish a little line‑shy.

Best bait overall right now: **live sardinas** when you can get them, followed by caballito, squid strips, and fresh cut bonito. Best lures: small‑to‑medium trolling skirts, diving plugs like Rapala‑style minnows, yo‑yo jigs, and surface poppers at dawn and dusk.

That’s your Sea of Cortez report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss the bite.

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This is Artificial Lure checking in with your Sea of Cortez fishing report, from Loreto down to Cabo and across toward La Paz.

We’re sitting in a classic early-summer pattern. Light offshore breeze at dawn, picking up to a moderate onshore wind mid‑day with chop on the windward sides. Mornings are starting in the low 70s, afternoons pushing into the upper 80s and low 90s, with strong sun and generally clear skies. Humidity is up but we’re still before the heart of storm season.

Sunrise is just after 6 a.m. local on the Baja side, sunset a bit after 8 p.m., giving a long fishing window. First light topwater has been money, and that last 45 minutes before dark is turning on the inshore fish.

Tides are running a modest swing – not huge spring tides, but enough movement to matter. The stronger bite has been around the morning incoming and the first half of the afternoon outgoing. If you can line up that tide change with dawn or dusk, you’re in business.

Water temps are solidly into the summer band now, mid‑70s to low 80s depending on how far offshore you run. That’s brought in more pelagics: striped marlin, some blue marlin starting to show, yellowfin tuna scattered but present, and the usual run of dorado getting more consistent by the day. Roosterfish patrol the beaches, and inshore structure is holding snapper, cabrilla, and a few amberjack.

Recent catch reports up and down the corridor have been strong:

- Offshore, boats are tagging 2–4 striped marlin on a decent day, with some crews finding small pods of yellowfin and putting 4–10 school‑size tuna in the box when they hit the porpoise right. Dorado counts are creeping up, 1–6 fish per boat, mostly schoolies with the odd bull.

- Inshore, pangas working the rocks and points are seeing limits or near‑limits of leopard grouper and various snappers when the current is moving, plus a handful of trophy roosters for the guys putting in time on the beaches.

Best producers right now:

Offshore lures:

- Medium‑sized skirted trolling lures in blue‑white, black‑purple, and petrolero patterns for marlin and tuna.

- Small jet heads and feathers in pink, zucchini, and blue‑white for yellowfin and school‑size dorado.

- Cedar plugs or small bullet heads run way back when the tuna get picky.

Bait offshore:

- Live caballito, mackerel, or sardina slow‑trolled on circle hooks have been deadly on marlin and dorado.

- Chunked or fly‑lined sardina when you find tuna on top.

Inshore lures:

- 4–6 inch swimbaits in sardine and mackerel colors bounced around rocky structure for cabrilla and snapper.

- Surface poppers and stickbaits in white or bone for roosters along the beaches.

- Metal jigs worked vertically on high spots for mixed bottom fish and the occasional amberjack.

Inshore bait:

- Live sardina is king – free‑line them along current seams, points, and color changes.

- Cut bait or squid on heavier leader near the rocks for bigger snapper and grouper.

Couple of local hot spots to put on your list:

- Isla Carmen and Isla Coronado area off Loreto: work the edges and high spots around Carmen for cabrilla, snapper, and the occasional yellowtail, and look for dorado and billfish just outside the island line when the water edges clean up.

- Gordo Banks off San José del Cabo: classic high spot for yellowfin, billfish, and some serious bottom dwellers. When the current is right, it can light up, especially with live bait.

- As a bonus, the beaches near La Ribera and down toward Los Frailes have been giving up some quality roosterfish to guys willing to walk and cast poppers at dawn.

Overall, fish activity is solid, with the best action at gray light and late afternoon around the tide changes. Midday can get slower with the sun high, so that’s a good time to run, scout, or grab a taco and wait for the light to soften.

That’s your Sea of Cortez rundown from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Sea of Cortez fishing report.

We woke up to a light southwest breeze and mostly clear skies along the Baja side of the Cortez, with mid‑70s at daybreak climbing into the high 80s to low 90s this afternoon. Humidity is up but not brutal, and the typical afternoon chop will build once the sea breeze turns on.

Local tide tables from La Paz and Cabo Pulmo show a predawn low followed by a solid mid‑morning flood and another smaller swing late afternoon. That incoming morning tide has been the money window, stacking bait tight to the points and inside the main bays. Sunrise is just after 6 a.m., sunset a little after 8 p.m., giving a long light line but the best bite is still first light to about 10, then again in the last two hours before dark.

Inshore, the roosterfish game has been good from Los Barriles up toward La Ribera and inside Bahia de los Muertos. Boats are reporting multiple shots per morning with a mix of school‑size and some bruisers over 40 pounds. Slow‑trolled live mullet and caballito are the top tickets, but big surface plugs and stickbaits in sardine or mullet patterns are getting crushed when the fish are actively chasing bait along the beaches.

Sierra are still hanging around the cooler pockets, especially early, with some chunky fish in the mix. Small trolling feathers, chrome spoons, and Rapala‑style minnows in blue‑white or green‑yellow are producing, particularly when run a bit faster just outside the color line. Yellow snapper, cabrilla, and pargo have been biting over rocky structure in 60–150 feet; cut squid, chunked bonito, and live sardina dropped on 40–60 lb leader are putting meat in the box.

Offshore, the warm blue water line is holding decent dorado, with a mix of schoolies and a few bigger bulls. Trolled skirted lures in blue/white and pink, plus cedar plugs and small jet heads, are working well around floating debris and current breaks. Yellowfin tuna reports are on the upswing farther out, with footballs to mid‑grade fish taking live sardinas, cedar plugs, and small Halco‑style hardbaits. Striped marlin are still around the fleets off San José and La Paz; pitch baits to tailers and trolled lures are both producing steady shots.

Best artificial choices right now:

- For roosters: big poppers and walking baits in bone or natural baitfish, plus weighted swimbaits for when they sound.

- For reef fish: 2–4 oz bucktail or slow‑pitch jigs in white, glow, or red/white.

- For tuna and dorado: small to medium skirted trolling lures, cedar plugs, and 30–40 lb fluorocarbon leaders.

Hot spot number one: the drop‑off outside Los Barriles toward La Ribera, where that morning flood tide is pushing bait up onto the line of color. Work the edges with trolled lures early, then switch to live bait or jigs once you mark fish.

Hot spot number two: the reefs and rocky humps just outside Bahia de los Muertos and Cerralvo Island. Good mix of snapper, cabrilla, and passing pelagics when the current is moving; fish the up‑current side with live or cut bait tight to the structure.

Plan to launch early, fish that incoming tide hard, and be ready to switch from topwater to subsurface as the sun gets high and the fish slide deeper.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Sea of Cortez fishing report, talking mainly La Paz to Cabo Pulmo and up toward Loreto.

First, conditions. Weather this morning is classic Cortez summer: light southerly breeze early, building mid‑day, with hot, clear skies and a bit of afternoon chop. Daytime highs are running in the low to mid‑30s Celsius, with warm, blue water pushing in close to shore. Sunrise hit right around 6 a.m. local, sunset will be just after 8 p.m., so you’ve got a nice long fishing window.

Tides are in a mellow phase, with a modest morning incoming and an afternoon outgoing. That softer swing means the key bite windows are right around first light through mid‑morning, and again on the first push of the late‑day current. Slack periods in the middle of the day are slower unless you’re deep‑dropping or working structure.

Fish are active. Roosterfish are cruising the beaches and points, especially where there’s a bit of wave action and bait stacked—sardina and mullet are tight to shore. Inshore boats have been seeing quality roosters in the 20–40‑pound class, with a few brutes bigger. Alongside them: jack crevalle, ladyfish, and the odd snook around rockier outcrops and mangrove edges up north.

Offshore, dorado are around floating debris and current lines, mostly school‑size with some nicer bulls mixed in. Yellowfin tuna have been showing on porpoise schools and temperature breaks, mostly football to mid‑grade fish. A few wahoo have been taken on the edges of seamounts and drop‑offs where the current is pushing.

Recent catches out of the local fleets include mixed bags: a couple of tuna per boat when they find the life, solid dorado counts when there’s structure on the surface, and steady inshore action on roosters and jacks. Bottom fishing has kicked out snapper, cabrilla, and some leopard grouper off the reefs when current and boat traffic cooperate.

Best baits right now: live **sardina** is king, followed by caballito and mullet. If you can net or buy fresh live bait at first light, do it. Slow‑trolled live baits near points, color changes, and bait balls are getting bit fast. For bottom fish, fresh cut bait—chunked sardina or fillet strips—on a dropper loop is doing work.

Best lures: for roosters, big **surface poppers** in bone, blue, or mullet patterns, and long, sleek stickbaits you can rip fast. They want speed and commotion. For dorado and tuna, small to medium **feathers**, cedar plugs, and skirted lures in blue‑white, pink‑white, and zucchini colors are reliable. Metal jigs yo‑yoed over structure in the 120–250‑foot range are producing grouper and snapper. For wahoo, high‑speed trolling with diving plugs or heavy bullet‑head lures in dark‑back patterns is your best bet.

A couple of hot spots to keep on your radar:

- **Cerralvo/Isla Espíritu Santo area**: Good mix of tuna, dorado, and strong inshore rooster action along the island edges and nearby beaches. Work the current lines, any floating debris, and wind lanes.

- **Cabo Pulmo and nearby reefs**: Productive for snapper, cabrilla, and the occasional wahoo and dorado on the outer edges. Fish the structure lines and watch for birds and bait getting pushed up.

If you’re on foot, those beaches east and north of La Paz with some surf and a bit of color change are prime for casting poppers and stickbaits at first light. Keep moving until you find bait and birds.

That’s your Sea of Cortez report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss the bite.

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This is Artificial Lure with your Sea of Cortez fishing report.

We woke up to a light southerly breeze and warm, stable weather along the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez, with a mild chop building by mid‑day and calmer seas again toward evening. Skies are mostly clear with good visibility and only a bit of afternoon haze. Air temps are climbing fast into the upper 80s and low 90s, water temps sitting in that classic early‑summer band that really wakes the pelagics up.

First light slid in just after 5:30 a.m., with sunrise shortly after. Sunset will be early evening, giving you a long, bright day with a strong low‑light window at both ends. The tides are running moderate today, with an early morning incoming and an afternoon outgoing—those swing periods around peak flood and start of the ebb have been the most productive.

Warm blue water is pushing close to shore, and the bite reflects it. Boats working off Los Barriles and La Ribera have been into good numbers of dorado, mostly schoolies in the 10–20 pound class with a few bigger bulls mixed in. A handful of striped marlin and the odd sailfish have been raised on the temperature breaks. Inshore, around rocky points and reefs near La Paz and north toward Isla Espíritu Santo, anglers are finding solid roosterfish, jack crevalle, and mixed pargo and cabrilla.

Trollers offshore are doing best with small to medium skirted lures in blue‑white, green‑yellow, and pink, plus cedar plugs and feather jigs pulled at 6–8 knots. Rigged ballyhoo or sardinas slow‑trolled around current lines are getting the better‑quality dorado and billfish. Inshore, big roosters are chasing surface plugs and stickbaits in bone, mullet, and sardine patterns; if they get picky, swap to live mullet, caballito, or sardinas on a fluorocarbon leader.

Bottom and structure anglers are scoring snapper and grouper on cut squid, fresh fillet strips, and live bait fished tight to the rocks, especially during that first push of the incoming tide and again as it starts to fall. Metal jigs and 2–4 ounce bucktails worked vertically are also producing when the current slows.

Two hot spots to circle on your mental map: the drop‑offs and color lines off Los Barriles, where warm blue meets slightly greener water and floating debris is holding dorado; and the rocky points and island edges around Espíritu Santo, where bait stacks up and roosters, jacks, and pargo are feeding hard in the low‑light hours.

If you’re heading out, plan to be set up and fishing by first light, then again for that late‑afternoon swing. Keep an eye out for birds, flying fish, and any floating structure—out here, that’s your roadmap to the fish.

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Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Sea of Cortez fishing report, coming at you like a dawn patrol panga sliding off the beach at first light.

We’ve got a classic early-summer pattern setting up. Skies mostly clear along the Baja side from La Paz up through Loreto, light morning breeze under 8 knots, building to a moderate afternoon chop once the onshore wind fills in. Air temps are running warm and muggy by midday, but that early window is just about perfect—light jackets at launch, sunburn by brunch.

Sunrise is right around six in the morning with sunset near eight in the evening, giving you a long, bright day to work the water. The main feed has been early and late: first couple hours after sunrise, then again in that last golden hour before dark when the shadows stretch over the points and the bait balls push tight.

Tides today are on the modest side, a gentle morning incoming followed by an afternoon drop. That means the best movement—and best bite—lines up with the top of the flood and the first push of the outgoing. When that water starts to roll around the points and island passes, the whole place wakes up.

Offshore, boats out of La Paz and Los Barriles have been into solid yellowfin tuna and football-sized dorado, with a few bigger bulls mixed in. Most of the tuna have been coming on cedar plugs and small feather jigs trolled a bit deeper, while the dorado are smashing bright skirted ballyhoo and flashy surface irons. Keep a live bait rod ready; tossing a frisky sardina into a lit-up dorado school is still about as close to a sure thing as it gets out here.

Inshore, the usual Sea of Cortez suspects are chewing. Roosterfish have been cruising the beaches, especially along the East Cape. Guys slow-trolling live mullet and caballito tight to the sand are getting into some proper gallos. For artificials, big surface poppers in bone or blue mackerel, and long pencil plugs worked fast, are drawing savage blowups.

Around rocky structure and island edges, snapper and cabrilla are holding tight. Live bait on a simple knocker rig is putting meat in the box, but if you’re a lure junkie, heavy jigs and 4–6 inch swimbaits in sardine or green mackerel patterns are doing solid work. Let them sink to the bottom, then rip them up with sharp lifts—most bites are coming on that first crank off the rocks.

A few striped marlin and the odd sailfish are still moving through the deeper blue water. If you see tailers or birds packing up, toss a rigged ballyhoo or a brightly colored lure spread and be ready; the billfish have been window-shopping then committing when the boat makes a turn and the baits speed up.

Best bait right now: live sardina, mullet, and caballito. If you can get a tank of good, lively sardina from the bait guys at first light, do it—those little silver rockets are the currency of the kingdom. For artificials, pack surface irons in blue/white and scrambled egg, medium poppers, and a mix of soft plastics rigged on 1–2 ounce heads.

Couple of hot spots to circle on your mental chart:

First, the waters around Isla Cerralvo—also called Isla Espíritu Santo area by some skippers—have been producing tuna, dorado, and solid bottom fish along the drop-offs and pinnacles. Second, the stretch off the East Cape beaches toward Punta Arena has been steady for roosterfish and jacks, especially when that morning swell lays down and the bait stacks in tight.

That’s the Sea of Cortez scoop for today from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a tide, a bite, or a hot lure tip.

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This is Artificial Lure with your Sea of Cortez fishing report.

We’re sliding into true summer mode now. Air temps along the Baja side are running warm and dry, mid‑80s to low‑90s in the afternoon with light morning winds and a typical afternoon breeze kicking up chop. Nights are still comfortable, dropping into the low 70s. Skies mostly clear, so plan on strong sun and glare on the water.

Along the central gulf, sunrise is right around 5:30 a.m., with sunset near 7:40 p.m. That gives you a long window, but the best bite has been early morning into mid‑morning, and then again late afternoon as the light drops. Midday is workable for bottom fish, but the pelagics push deeper and get picky.

Tidewise, we’re on a moderate cycle, not those huge spring swings. That means softer currents, especially around the islands and inside the bays. The more aggressive surface action has lined up best around the morning incoming and the evening outgoing, especially near points and reef edges where the bait stacks.

Water temps are in the high 70s to low 80s, and that’s turned the gulf into a buffet line. Reports from captains working out of La Paz, Los Barriles, and down toward Cabo Pulmo have been steady on school‑size **yellowfin tuna**, scattered **dorado**, plus **striped marlin** and the odd **sailfish** offshore. Inshore, the usual Sea of Cortez lineup is showing: **roosterfish**, **jack crevalle**, **pargo**, **cabrilla**, and plenty of triggerfish for anyone looking to fill a cooler.

Offshore boats have been hanging small yellowfin most days when they find birds and spinner dolphin, with double‑digit counts possible on the better pods. Dorado numbers are improving, mostly schoolies with a few legit bulls if you put in the miles. Billfish are catch‑and‑release, and some boats are raising several marlin a day when they work temperature breaks and color lines.

Inshore, roosters have been cruising the beaches and points, especially where there’s clean, green‑blue water and a little surf. Jacks are mixed in, hammering bait balls tight to shore. Structure fishing around rocky points and island edges has been good for cabrilla and pargo, with slow‑worked offerings right in the rocks producing the larger models.

For lures, keep it simple and proven. Small to mid‑size trolling feathers and cedar plugs in blue/white, purple/black, and zucchini are still money on tuna. A couple of skirted trolling lures or rigged ballyhoo‑style plastics in dark over natural colors will cover marlin and sailfish. Dorado are smacking bright chuggers and smaller plastics in lime, orange, and pink.

Inshore, big surface poppers and stickbaits in natural baitfish patterns are drawing violent strikes from roosters and jacks when worked fast and erratic. Metal jigs and 2–4 oz bucktail or lead‑head jigs with soft plastics are doing work on bottom fish; drop them right on the structure and hop or slow‑roll them back.

For bait, live **sardina** are still king when you can find them—perfect for tuna, dorado, roosters, and just about everything else. Live mullet or caballito are prime for big roosters and jacks off the beaches and rocky points. Cut squid and chunked bonito will get bit by tuna and also keep bottom fish chewing when the live bait runs thin.

A couple of hot spots to circle on your chart:

- **Cerralvo/Isla Espíritu Santo area near La Paz** – Working the island edges, seamounts, and nearby high spots has produced tuna, dorado, and billfish offshore, with cabrilla and pargo tight to the rocks. Early and late around current edges and bird activity is key.

- **East Cape stretch from La Ribera to Los Barriles** – Classic summer Sea of Cortez. Slow‑troll live baits or medium lures just off the beach for roosters and jacks, then slide deeper to temp breaks for tuna, dorado, and marlin. Watch for frigate birds and dolphin.

That’s the word from the gulf for now. This is Artificial Lure reminding you to hydrate, respect the sun, and handle those fish with care.

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