Footage has surfaced showing a notorious sea lion named Pancho stealing a dorado from a fisherman who had been holding his catch.
Frequent visitors to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, know of and have probably encountered Pancho the sea lion.
The crafty pinniped is notorious for stealing fish from unsuspecting anglers after they return from a productive day at sea.
The accompanying video shows Pancho stealing a dorado, or mahi-mahi, from a Pisces Sportfishing Fleet angler who had collected his catch from a crewman.
Pisces described the incident Tuesday via Instagram:
“You always gotta watch your back when Pancho is around! Today our anglers aboard Pisces 30’ Karina learned the hard way and lost one of their Dorado to our famous & sneaky Cabo sea lion, but lucky for them they caught another 16 Dorado today too (10 released).”
Pancho has been around for years and crews sometimes toss him bait fish while returning to the docks. But as far as Pancho is concerned, all fish belong to him if he can access them.
Anglers vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Wednesday brought to port a blue marlin that weighed an estimated 1,000 pounds and measured an astonishing 14 feet.
Anglers vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Wednesday brought to port a blue marlin that weighed an estimated 1,000 pounds and measured an astonishing 14 feet.
Pisces Sportfishing, whose fleet was not involved in the extraordinary catch, reported via Facebook that the Minnesota anglers were aboard Dream Maker with Capt. “Cheque” Cervantes.
“Happening NOW in Cabo. Another ‘out of season’ Blue Marlin today, weighing in at 660 lbs and measured out to 169 inches; 14 feet!” Pisces exclaimed.
Marshall Ryerson, who arranged the charter, told FTW Outdoors that the marlin was so long and heavy that only part of the fish could be hoisted onto a local dock scale. Based on its 169-inch length and 69-inch girth, Ryerson added, the marlin’s weight was estimated at 1,000 pounds.
Anglers pose with blue marlin estimated to weigh 1,000 pounds
That would rank as one of the top blue marlin catches in the steeped history of Cabo San Lucas sportfishing.
(For the sake of comparison, a blue marlin caught by Pisces in 2019 weighed 814 pounds on an official scale after measuring 167.5 inches with a 66-inch girth.)
The marlin was caught by Caesar Larson and Luke Fox, who were among five anglers on a charter in search of tuna and dorado. The massive billfish attacked their lures five seconds apart and they fought the marlin with both rods for 90 minutes before it was alongside the 34-foot boat.
Ryerson, who said the marlin was in no shape to be released, addressed the greater challenge of transporting such a large marlin back to port.
“It took seven of us and every bit of energy from each of us to get the fish in the boat,” he said, referring to the anglers and crewmen. “After several attempts and help from the waves we were able to get the fish up and into the boat.”
Luke Fox (left) and Caesar Larson pose with marlin they caught off Cabo San Lucas
Ryerson added that the meat was donated to a local charity that benefits impoverished children.
Tracy Ehrenberg, who runs Pisces Sportfishing, told FTW Outdoors that a 700-pound blue marlin was landed a week earlier. Both catches were unusual because prime fishing season for blue marlin is July through October.
“However, there is always one big blue caught in the first month of the year,” Ehrenberg said. “Two is exceptional. But if you go back and examine the archives, the biggest blue marlin in my memory are caught out of season, like April or May.”
The marlin was donated to a charity that feeds impoverished children
Ehrenberg said the fleets are currently focused on striped marlin, which are more abundant during the winter, along with dorado and other small gamefish.
Catch-and-release marlin fishing is strongly encouraged in Cabo San Lucas, and the vast majority of anglers set their billfish free whenever possible.
Stories of epic battles with marlin and tuna abound in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, but a recent fishing report noted that a 4-year-old local kid caught his first dorado.
Stories of epic battles with marlin and tuna abound in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, but a recent fishing report noted that a 4-year-old boy caught his first dorado.
Quite a feat for Mischa Ehrenberg, whose Spiderman costume undoubtedly helped him gather the strength required to reel in one of the region’s most popular and scrappy game fish.
But Mischa’s story is perhaps more noteworthy because he caught the fish 27 years after his mom, Rebecca, reeled in her first Dorado – also as a 4-year-old.
Mischa Ehrenberg and his mom, Rebecca, with their first dorado, caught as 4-year-olds. Photo: Pisces Sportfishing
The Ehrenbergs, who founded Pisces Sportfishing 42 years ago, announced the catch Monday on Facebook, describing the family outing as a “Special day for our little Spider-Man!”
Mischa was on the yacht Karina with his mom and grandpa, and the crew. “He reeled it in completely by himself,” Rebecca told For The Win Outdoors. “Such a little trooper.”
One of the accompanying images shows Mischa displaying his catch, made last Saturday, and Rebecca posing with hers in 1993.
Dorado, loosely translated as “golden one,” are immensely popular among Cabo San Lucas anglers because of their acrobatics on the hook, and their delicate white flesh. (Dorado are referred to as mahi-mahi in Hawaii.)
Rebecca noted that she was equally proud of her son when he reeled in his first marlin as a 3-year-old.
The Facebook post states: “We get a few people asking if fishing is appropriate for the little [ones]. We think taking them fishing is one of the best things you can do for them; learning and creating memories that last a lifetime.”
Rebecca said that Mischa, understandably, napped on the way back to port.
A dorado caught last week off Mexico was exceptional not because of its size, but for its extraordinary coloration.
A dorado caught last week off Mexico was exceptional not because of its size, but because of its extraordinary coloration.
Keith Proudman, part of a group from British Columbia, Canada, caught a dorado that was strikingly blue, in glaring contrast to the typical greenish-gold dorado caught by his fellow anglers.
“We could see the colors in the water and were unsure what it was,” Dave Ball, part of the charter off Barra de Navidad in the state of Jalisco, told For The Win Outdoors. “The skipper knew, though.”
Keith Proudman (right) poses with blue dorado. Photo: Dave Ball
Dorado, as the Spanish name implies, flash golden hues while chasing bait and fighting on the hook. Their colors fade noticeably, however, after they’ve been gaffed and boated (see photos).
But not every dorado lives up to its name. Every so often, a blue dorado is caught.
Powder-blue dorado caught in Sea of Cortez. Photo: Dave Maynard
In 2013, Dave Maynard was part of a group fishing in the Sea of Cortez. They caught 154 dorado in four days, and six of them were blue.
More recently, Mark Rayor of Jen Wren Sportfishing in Baja California’s East Cape region, logged the rare catch of a silver dorado.
“They’re an odd fish and turn all sorts of colors,” he said.
Proudman, who is from Victoria but now lives in Barra de Navidad, was hosting his Canadian friends during the fishing charter.
Ball, who lives in Campbell River, B.C., said the group caught three dorado, using mullet as bait, before Proudman hooked his “prized blue dorado.”
“The first three were real good fighters, with runs and multiple jumps,” Ball said. “But the blue one was a little smaller and came right alongside the boat.”
Silver dorado caught in Sea of Cortez. Photo: Mark Rayor
Dorado, also known as mahi-mahi and dolphinfish, are famously acrobatic and prized as table fare.
They inhabit tropical and subtropical waters around the world and are typically encountered far offshore, often in large schools beneath floating debris.
The International Game Fish Assn. lists as the all-tackle world record an 87-pound dolphinfish caught off Papagayo Gulf, Costa Rica.
