BIG Tuna!

[Rebecca]

I want to catch some big tuna. Where's the best place to go in August or September?

[Cass Tours]

In August, the East Cape (45 miles north of the Los Cabos Airport on the Sea of Cortez) has been know to produce tuna over 100lbs. In September the monster tuna arrive into Puerto Vallarta. For more information: www.casstours.com [phone].

[Mark Daugherty]

Hi Rebecca, I'm assuming you want to catch yellowfin tuna, as bluefin tuna on the east coast can get to well over 750 pounds. Tuna fishing in Mexico can be excellent in the months August and September. Warm water currents pushing up from Central American collide with cold waters from the north causing upwellings of plankton and phytoplankton, small fish eat plankton, big fish eat small fish. Yellowfin tuna can be found under schools of pantropical spotted dolphin in the Sea of Cortez throughout the summer months and into the fall. These fish are usually in the 10-50lb. range but larger units up to 200lb. can be found under the football size tuna. September is an excellent time for tuna off the Gordo Banks near San Jose del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta at Corbeteña and El Banco. The Gordos, Corbeteña and El Banco are all seamounts where upwellings occur, small fish eat plankton, big fish eat small fish and hopefully you can get a bait in front of one of those big bruisers. The largest yellowfin caught in the Sea of Cortez that I know of was 362lbs. by a friend. The current world record is 389lbs. caught off San Benedicto Island in the Revillagigedo Islands 350 miles off of Cabo.

These fish will put a hurtin' on you...one boat in Puerto Vallarta calls their cockpit the torture chamber. But from the looks of how you are holding that rod in your photo, you can handle yourself.

Buena pesca, Mark