After a couple of quick stops trolling live mackerel, our guide Cali decided to head further north above Isla Coronado where other pangas could be seen in the distance.

The action was dramatically different here. The first fish of the day hit as I was feeding the bait out only 30 feet behind the boat. After a blistering series of runs and a number of impressive aerial displays, a 25 pound dorado was hoisted into the boat. I quickly baited up with a fresh mackerel and let it free spool behind the boat. Once again, I felt a sharp thump before the bait made it more than 40 feet out. I let the fish run for a good 20 to 30 yards, then quickly engaged the reel and reared back with all I had.

I looked on in total surprise as a large sailfish broke 5 feet into the air, then stripped off a quick 50 yards of line. The battle was surprisingly short, probably 20 minutes or so. These fish tend to tire quickly as they seem to spend as much time airborne as they do in the water. From that point on, we were into a wide open bite ending up with limits of large dorado to 35 pounds and releasing several more.

As for the rest of the group, everyone found similar results on large dorado. In fact, most of the group reported catching limits in less than two hours. Several fish in the 40 pound class were weighed in and everyone had fish topping 30 pounds. The largest dorado of the day (as well as the entire trip) was a 46 pounder taken by Fish Sniffer subscriber Jalene Martin of Antelope.

The following day, Thursday, we were greeted with excellent conditions, a light breeze with a 2 to 3 foot swell and large schools of hungry dorado seemed to be everywhere. Allen and I boated 10 fish in a little more than an hour and we were on our way back to the hotel before 9:00 am. The rest of the group reported the same type of action with Vito "Breezy" Fabrizio taking big fish honors with an 80 pound sailfish, the only other sailfish taken on the trip.

Friday proved to be the toughest day as the the swell had reduced to almost nothing and the air was dead still. Everyone still managed limits of fish, but we had to work a little harder and somewhat finesse the fish into taking the bait. Still, the entire fleet was back in by 11:30 and most of us even had time to stop off at Isla Coronado for a quick swim.

The weather took a drastic turn on Saturday, producing strong winds, heavy rains and an impressive display of thunder and lightning. Most of the party stayed in that day, with the exception of Graham Wilmott and Gregory Sanchez who decided to brave the weather. They did manage to catch 4 dorado, however, from the look of relief on their faces when they made back to the hotel, the decision to head out in that kind of weather was one they regretted and would not make again.

By Sunday morning, the weather was back to normal with temperatures in the low 90's and the sea was flat calm. So calm, in fact, that some of the group opted to get in one last shot of fishing before heading to the airport that afternoon. The bait had scattered during the storm, so everyone had to make their own bait early that morning. For the most part, the dorado action had dropped off a bit, except for Brandon and Vito who reported finding a large school of dorado. They caught and released 10 fish and were back at the hotel before 11:00 am.

All in all, the trip was a resounding success. The accommodations and food at the Oasis Hotel were first rate, the fishing couldn't have been any better, and a fantastic group of anglers made the entire experience one I will always remember. For information on our line-up of trips slated for next year, call Big Game Fishing at (510) 531-3701 or 800-458-2879.