Goliath Grouper: The Goliath Grouper
is found primarily in shallow tropical waters
among coral and artificial reefs at depths of up
to 165ft. Thier range includes the area from the
Sea of Cortez to Peru. They may reach extremely
large sizes, growing to lenghts of 8ft and can weigh
as much as 800lbs. in and around the loreto marine
park they are fairly rare and have been fished to
near extinction. But world class Grouper fishing can
be done on the Pacific side of the Baja. In Punta
Abreojos using 3-5lbs. whitefish as bait.The current IGFA record for a Goliath Grouper
is 677lbs Caught off Florida.
Blue Marlin: are possibly the most sought-after
Marlin species. Beautiful in form, Capable of
spectacular fighting ability and having the potential
to reach great sizes. The Pacific Blue Marlin is
considered by many to be sportfishing's ultimate prize.
Growing as large as 2000 pounds fairly rare to
Loreto but can be caught from June-Sept in the
warm current out in the middle of the Sea of Cortez
The current IGFA record is 1,376lbs caught of
Hawaii in 1982
Yellowfin Tuna: is one of the largest
Tuna Species, Reaching weights of over 300lbs
but is significantly smaller than Bluefin Tuna
that can reach over 1000lbs, Yellowfin Tuna are
epipelagic fish that inhabit the mixed surface
layer of the Ocean above the thermocline. sonic
traking has found that they mostly range in the
top 300ft. but have been recorded at depths of
over 3800ft. Can be caught from July- Oct.
Only the Profishermen or the lucky ones are
going to land this prize. The current IGFA
record is 388lbs and was caught in Baja in 1977
Cabrilla: is reef-associated, being abundant in patch and rocky reefs where it is readily caught by anglers. Spotted Cabrilla feed mainly on crustaceans and fishes on rocky and sandy bottoms. During winter, individuals move closer to the shore and feeds heavily on swarms of pelagic red crab.
The black marlin, is a strong, fast pelagic species highly prized by sport fishermen. It has a dark blue dorsal side, a silvery white belly, and faint blue vertical stripes running down the sides. The first dorsal fin is blackish to dark blue, while the other fins are dark brown, occasionally with blue tinges. A specimen may have anywhere between 39 and 50 dorsal softrays. Males may reach a length of 15ft and weight of 1,653lbs but females are generally much larger. The black marlin is the only marlin with non-retractable fins. Like all billfish, the species has a distinctive elongated sword-like upper jaw. The black marlin's dorsal fin is proportionately the lowest of any billfish, standing less than 50 percent of the fish's body height. Scientists do not yet know how long a member of this species lives. The current Black Marlin IGFA record is 1,560lbs. caught in peru in 1953
Broomtail Grouper: Groupers are teleosts, typically having a stout body and a large mouth. They are not built for long-distance fast swimming. They can be quite large, and lengths over a meter and weights up to 100 kg are not uncommon, though obviously in such a large group species vary considerably. They swallow prey rather than biting pieces off it. They do not have many teeth on the edges of their jaws, but they have heavy crushing tooth plates inside the pharynx, They habitually eat fish, octopus, crab, and lobster. They lie in wait, rather than chasing in open water. According to the film-maker Graham Ferreira, there is at least one record, from Mozambique, of a human being killed by one of these fish.
Their mouth and gills, form a powerful sucking system that sucks their prey in from a distance. They also use their mouth to dig into sand to form their shelters under big rocks, jetting it out through their gills. Their gill mussels,are so powerful that it is nearly impossible to pull them out of their cave if they feel attacked and extend those muscles to lock themselves in. The current Broomtail Grouper IGFA record is 100lbs caught in Ecuador in 1998
Broadbill swordfish: are blackish-brown on the upper body, fading to light brown on the belly, deep azure blue to bright metallic purple on the back when alive. The eyes are very large and black. Their fins are brown or blackish-brown. Their upper jaw extends into a long bill which has a flattened oval cross section. The bill is approximately one third of the fish's total length. Adults have no teeth or scales and they have a large keel on each side of the body in front of the tail The dorsal fins are broadly separated and there are no pelvic fins. Broadbill Swordfish IGFA current record is 1,182 pounds caught in Chile in 1953
