Mexico

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
March 26 to April 1, 2007

WEATHER: This weeks weather was a great prelude to summer as the winds were light, the sun was out and our daytime temperatures were in the mid 80’s. Of course things are going to warm up, but what a great introduction! Nighttime lows were in the high 60’s and the light winds we had were mostly from the east and northeast, a bit unusual but welcome as it made water conditions on the Pacific very nice.
WATER: The Pacific side had a bit of a swell at the beginning of the week with some sets reaching 6 feet, but they were spread apart so it was not too bad. I was able to run to the San Jaime bank in the 58’ at 20 knots without pounding and after you got outside the current line it mellowed out. The Pacific side was 69-71 degrees with a band of warm water running from the coast out to the San Jaime Bank and it looked like a hook running from there to the south, tapering smaller as it bent to the southeast. To the west of this warm band the water averaged 68 degrees. On the Cortez side of the Cape things were warmer as the water from the Cape and up to the Punta Gorda area, and out to a distance of 30 miles was a fairly consistent 71 degrees. To the southeast of the Cape there was an area of cooler, greener water from the 95 Spot and extending south 30 miles and east-west 15 miles.
BAIT: We had a good mix of live bait available this week with Mullet, Caballito and Mackerel all readily available at the normal $2 per bait. There were very few Sardinas and they were $25 a scoop from a few boats up at San Jose.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There was no change in the location of the Striped Marlin from last week as they were still holding on the San Jaime Bank on the Pacific side and around the Punta Gorda and Gorda Banks area on the Cortez side. Most of the boats were fishing the San Jaime Bank as it was a shorter run to the fish and there were massive amounts of bait in the area. Trolling lures and drifting live baits both accounted for fish and often there were multiple hook-ups. Boats were averaging two to three Marlin per trip and some of them were decent size fish. I had one release this week on a Striped Marlin of about #180. It was surprising considering how much bait was in the area, but the fish were fairly aggressive when attacking the lures. There were a few Blue Marlin reported from the Punta Gorda area and I did hear of one Blue caught just on the inside of the San Jaime this week. There should be more Blues as well as a few Blacks showing up as the water warms.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Tuna fishing was slow this week but at least we were seeing some of them. At the San Jaime Bank fish from 50 to 80 pounds would pop up every now and then causing a lot of commotion, but no one as far as I heard had any luck getting them to bite. Guys were trying drifting live baits at 300 feet, chunking for them and yo-yoing as well with no luck. In the San Jose area there were smaller fish to 25 pounds reported but the only guys having any luck on them were the ones using Sardinas on #20 flouro-carbon leaders.
DORADO: No change from last week as the lucky boats were catching one fish a day but they were good size, in the 30-40 pound class. There was no concentration of fish and they were scattered.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo this week.
INSHORE: Even the inshore fishing was spotty this week. There was some Sierra, a few Yellowtail and a scattering of bottom fish, but no great catches to be had.
NOTES: This makes three weeks in a row with very little change in the fishing. Hopefully things pick up soon! The bright spot for the week was having the Striped Marlin bite turn on and the water being in great condition at the same time. Until next week, tight lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
April 2-8, 2007

WEATHER: Things can sure change quickly down here and this week was a perfect example of it. At the start of the week we were feeling as if summer had already arrived but by Wednesday evening the wind started to blow and the temperatures dropped. We have had nighttime lows in the low 60’s since then and daytime highs in the low to mid 80’s. The wind hasn’t really stopped except for early in the morning around first light, and then it picks up again. It has been blowing from the west at a fairly steady 15-20 mph with higher gusts.
WATER: We still had swells on the Pacific side large enough to bring surfers to our area, and now with the wind on top of that the Pacific side of the Cape looks like a sheep farm, or maybe that should be a sheep feedlot, everywhere you look it is white. With the wind from the west there is not really any way to get in calm water, the only really calm stuff is close to shore on the Cortez side of the Cape. The water on the Pacific side cooled off to around 68-69 degrees and there is an area just in front of the Cape that extends out to the 95 spot that has water as cold as 62-63 degrees. The warm water is up around Punta Gorda and out to the east past the Cabrilla Seamount, but with the wind like it is, it’s a tough go and return.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito this week at the usual $2 each. I didn’t hear of any Sardinas available.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The San Jaime and Golden Gate banks were still holding great amounts of Striped Marlin at the beginning of the week and the bite continued, even through the heavy winds. Almost all the boats that went early in the week were able to get hooked up to at least one or two and most boats did a bit better than that. The best result I heard of was a boat with 18 releases on the Golden Gate. Reportedly, the best results were on dead bait back in the shotgun position and drop-backs on fish raised to the lures. Many boats started drifting bait early in the week but later on the water was too bouncy and rough to fish in the trough so everyone switched to trolled lures or slow trolled live bait. I am not sure what this wind is going to do with the fish, but if it follows last years pattern it should push the fish to the Cortez side and we should start to have decent action closer to home, and hopefully in calmer waters. We sighted a few tailing Marlin at the end of the week less than a mile from shore off of the Cabo Real area so more may be showing soon. I heard of a Blue Marlin from up around the Punta Gorda area and there are Striped Marlin there as well, just not in the numbers we were finding on the Pacific banks.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The only Tuna I heard about or saw this week came from the San Jaime Banks. One of the fleet boats brought in a nice #80 fish on Saturday that they hooked on live bait. They said they had several more bites but the fish were lost due to the rough conditions.
DORADO: Repeat: No changes from last week as the lucky boats were catching one fish a day but they were good size, in the 30-40 pound class. There was no concentration of fish and they were scattered.
WAHOO: Repeat: I did not hear of any Wahoo this week.
INSHORE: Repeat: Even the inshore fishing was spotty this week. There were some Sierra, a few Yellowtail and a scattering of bottom fish, but no great catches to be had.
NOTES: Be careful what you hope for is a lesson I learned this week! I was hoping that the fishing would improve and it did, but the downside was the increase in the wind and the change in its direction. If the wind dies down things should be good once again. This weeks report was written to the music of the Jeff Healy band from the soundtrack of the movie “Roadhouse”. Until next week, tight lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
April 9-15, 2007

WEATHER: We had great weather this week. Not too cold, not too warm, just right! Our nighttime lows were in the mid 60’s while the daytime highs were in the mid 80’s, we stay pretty evenly 20 degrees difference most of the time. A little cloud cover but only later in the week. No rain of course, but a little of that would be nice.
WATER: We really had some big swells this week, at least early on and until mid-week, things died down a bit at the end. There was no wind to speak of later in the week and it appeared that most of it was close to home; once you got a ways up on the Pacific side it just laid down. Our water temperature has been a bit cool right in front of town as we had a cold plume pushing from the Cape toward the south for most of the week, but by the weekend we were at 68-70 degrees everywhere within charter range.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito this week at the usual $2 each. I didn’t hear of any Sardinas available.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Marlin bite at the San Jaime Bank dropped off and the fish moved a bit. During the middle and early part of the week there was good action on the edge of the cold-water plume atop the 95 spot, a lot of boats were getting two to five Stripers a day there. On the Pacific side the bite moved up to the Golden Gate Bank, and there were rumors that the Finger Bank was starting to produce a lot of fish once again. Most of the action with the Striped Marlin was on bait, and at the Golden Gate it was on deep drifted live bait, elsewhere slow trolled dead bait got most of the attention.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Well, we still have not had a really strong appearance of school Tuna, but there has been some action on the San Jaime and the Golden Gate. Early in the week there were Tuna in the 60-100 pound range popping up at the Jaime, but the fish were spooky. A few boats got fish but more were seen than were hooked. Later in the week, around Thursday, there were nicer fish showing up at the Golden Gate. Once again they were appearing on the surface at infrequent intervals, but a few boats were able to catch some while using 50# flouro-carbon leader and live bait dropped deep. These same boats were loosing lots of rigs due to cut off’s from small Mako sharks and brief fights with Striped Marlin that wore through the leaders, but that was the way to get the Tuna to bite. Most of the fish were over #100 and I heard of a few in the #200 class but never saw one.
DORADO: I did not see a yellow flag flying from any outrigger this week, unless it was on a boat that had not gone out in a long while.
WAHOO:I heard of a few Wahoo caught this week, but have no information on who, what, when, where or how. Just full of good information, aren’t I?
INSHORE: Sierra fishing was wide open this week with later in the week being better. A couple of Pangas were coming in after five hours with 40 fish! Fishing for other species was slow, but with Sierra action like that, who cared?
NOTES: Almost no Whale action remains, there are still a lot of small Mako sharks around, I expect there to be some warming of the water soon and maybe a few more Tuna showing up. Meanwhile, I am almost regretting ever taking up the game of golf except for the fact that I get to enjoy some great scenery. Maybe some lessons would help? Until next week, tight lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
April 16-22, 2007

WEATHER: Our perfect weather continued this week with our daytime highs in the high 80’s to low 90’s with scattered clouds and light winds. Our nighttime lows were in the mid to low 70’s, really perfect evenings for sitting out on the patio with friends. Of course we had no rain this week although we did feel the presence on Thursday, but those clouds ended up dropping their load up in the mountains, great for later in the year as it percolates into the aquifer.
WATER: Things can sure change quickly out on the ocean. We still had large swells on the Pacific side of the Cape, and if you went up past the Punta Gorda area you confronted some decent size stuff getting pushed down the Sea of Cortez. This meant that they met about six or so miles off shore between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose. Inside that5 range there was really nice water, outside there it could be pretty mixed up. According to reports and personnel observation, the water on the Pacific side =was cold and pretty green this week. The Cortez side had good water around the 1150 area and just to the inside of there; otherwise it was a bit off color.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito this week at the usual $2 each. Some of these Mackerel were small ones and it was nice to have a selection. There were also plenty of Sardinas this week at the normal $20 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin were the fish of the week but the action definitely dropped off. Water on the Pacific side became cooler and definitely off color. This pushed the fish south and at the end of the week we had fish showing up on the Cortez side of the Cape between the 95 spot and the 1150 area. The water here was blue and right at 73 degrees. The number of fish spotted tailing on the surface dropped dramatically and the better catches were only in the 3 fish range instead of the 15 fish range from last week. Live bait dropped back to fish that appeared in the lure pattern worked, and the better lure results came from the Guacamaya colors. We had good luck with dead bait rigged behind Islander lures in the shotgun position, often if a fish lost interest in a lure or live bait it would come back on the dead bait.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Well, like I said earlier, things sure can change quickly. The Pacific side bite at the San Jaime and the Golden Gate Banks ended as the cool green water moved in and the fish did not appear anywhere else. I hear rumors of a few fish being found 40 miles to the south, but after looking at the temperature and chlorophyll charts I thing that may be exactly that, rumors, or if the fish were really there it was a fluke. Anyway, Tuna were a non-event this week as far as I am aware.
DORADO: There were a few scattered Dorado caught this week. I know because I caught one of them on Saturday. The very few fish found were on the Cortez side within 5 miles of the beach, just on the edge of the off colored water.
WAHOO: Once again I heard of a few Wahoo caught this week, but have no information on who, what, when, where or how. Just full of good information, aren’t I?
INSHORE: The Sierra action continued but not as quite the hot pace as last week. There were plenty of fish to be found and most of them were in the 5-6 pound range and the best action was on the Cortez side and had by boats using Sardinas as bait. Bottom fishing was good with plenty of snapper and small grouper. We saw some local hand-line fishermen catch five fish in the 100-pound class; they must have been anchored right over the honeyhole! There was good action on Yellowtail off of the arch and off of the Gray-rock area. The better catches were made on live bait and the best boats were getting up to 8 fish in the 20-30 pound class per trip as well as a mix of Snapper and Sierra.
NOTES: All right, golf lessons will help. Enough already, all right? On the fishing scene, inshore action picked up this week and it was a good thing as at the end of the week offshore action deteriorated. With my fingers crossed I am hoping that the Tuna will show up in numbers soon. This weeks report was written to the music of Joe Cocker on his 1996 Sony release “Organic”. I hope the New Jersey boys, especially Jimmy, enjoy the sounds! Until next week, tight lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
April 23-29, 2007

WEATHER: Every week is a surprise this time of year. While things were just perfect on the weather front early in the week with nighttime lows in the low 70’s and daytime highs in the high 70’s in the middle of the week that changed. Starting about Thursday the wind here at the Cape picked up and cooled things down quite a bit. On Friday morning it was howling here at home and the thermometer showed 59 degrees. In the afternoon it rose to 78 degrees. Here on Sunday morning the wind finally died down and things have returned to normal. On course we still had mostly sunny skies all week and no rain!
WATER: Surface conditions on the Pacific side of the Cape were nice at the beginning of the week and very choppy at the end of the week due to the wind I mentioned above. Most of the fishing was done on the Cortez side of the Cape anyway due to the color of the water on the Pacific. For the most part the temperature was in the 64-68 degree range and very off color, with the water close to shore almost pea soup green. On the Cortez side of the Cape things were quite a bit better. The wind that was coming from the northwest had little effect on the water and from five miles past the arch, almost at the 95 spot and continuing eastward, the water to the north was warm, in the 71-74 degree range and most definitely cleaner.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito this week at the usual $2 each. Some of these Mackerel were small ones and it was nice to have a selection. There were also plenty of Sardinas this week at the normal $20 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Most of the Striped Marlin action moved a bit farther to the northeast as the cool, green water pushed the bait around. The best action occurred within five miles of the shoreline between Santa Maria beach and San Jose with cleaner, warmer water giving up better catches. Most of the fleet was able to get a hook into at least a couple of fish per trip and there were a lot of three and four fish days, as well as a few reported 10 fish released days. Plenty of fish were being spotted on the surface but they were not in a real feeding mood. Boats fish right along side each other could have totally different results, depending on the mood of the fish they were tossing bait at. Drop-back baits accounted for about half of the fish, about a quarter of the fish came on jig strikes and the other were caught on thrown live bait. Once again slow trolled dead baits were working very well; with the marlin full they seemed to be able to slurp down dead bait without having to work hard for it. The Marlin were averaging 110 pounds with a few larger fish in the 150-pound class.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I did see a few Yellowfin flags this week but I have no idea where the fish were found as I could not find anyone that had actually caught one! Hopefully this situation will change soon.
DORADO: A few scattered fish on the Cortez side of the Cape up around the Gorda Banks area were all I heard about.
WAHOO: As with the Yellowfin and the Dorado, there were a few Wahoo caught but I have no information on where or how. For some reason it is difficult to find anyone who actually caught these fish, I am just seeing a few flags flying, and on the Wahoo, some of these flags could be for Sierra.
INSHORE: There are still plenty of Yellowtail at the arch but the Sea Lions have been harvesting more of them than the anglers have been, plus those guys have been taking the live baits as well. Most of the guys have given up on the arch and have been working the rocky points on the Cortez side of the Cape for these tasty fish. Both live bait and using yo-yo jigs have worked. The Sierra action has continued, but not quite as wide open as a few weeks ago. The average catch now is about a dozen fish per trip along with scattered Jack Crevalle. There have been a lot of Mullet showing up in the Marina so it won’t be long before the larger Roosterfish start to show. Right now the average size on these guys is about 10 pounds with a few in the 30-pound range being caught every day. The big story around the Marina this week was a boat that brought in a 100 + pound Cabrilla from just off of the arch. That is one old fish for sure.
NOTES: I am listening to Joe Cocker again this week, Jimmy got me hooked last week as I had not listened to the “Organic” album in a long time, it has to be one of his best ever, released in 1996 by Sony Music. Striped Marlin were the fish of the week, no doubt about it. I hope to get up to southern California in the next three weeks to pick up my Jeep and tow it down, do a little shopping while I am there. Depending on when I go and return, I may be missing a report, but I’ll let you know. Meanwhile, have a great time if you manage to get out on the water and remember, don’t kill your limit, limit your kill! Until next week, tight lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
April 30-May 13, 2007

WEATHER: It’s getting warmer! I have been thinking about getting the air conditioning unit in my bedroom cleaned so it is ready to go. Our daytime highs are getting into the 90’s while the nighttime lows are in the mid 70’s. The humidity hasn’t climbed up there yet so it’s bearable, but the heat should be hitting us soon. This past two weeks has given us partly cloudy skies at the beginning of the month and clearing skies during the past week. No rain of course, and we are back to the prevailing northwesterly winds that start to kick in mid-morning.
WATER: Water temperatures on both sides of the Cape continued to climb these past two weeks. As of the end of this week we were seeing water temperatures on the Cortez side as high as an occasional 81 degrees close to shore and up around the Vinorama, Los Frailles and East Cape areas. A little farther off shore there were consistent 78-degree areas. On the Pacific side the water was warming up as well but didn’t get much higher than 72 degrees. It was also a bit more off color on the Pacific with water close to shore being very green and outside 5 miles from the beach being a blue-green color. It looks as if the warm Cortez water is starting to push over into the Pacific and that could mean good things in the coming week.
BAIT: Almost the only baits available over the past two weeks were smaller Mackerel at the normal $2 per bait. The bait boats were saying the Humboldt Squid have moved in and have made getting bait locally difficult. Most of the bait they have been selling has come from the bait receiver out front, and they are getting low as well. There have been Sardinas available from a few Pangas at the normal $20 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Almost the only action on Striped Marlin for the past two weeks has been in the area from Inman Banks to the Red Hill area. Early in this time frame the bite was really going off on the Outer Gorda Bank in the afternoon, but things have calmed down quite a bit since then. There have been quite a few fish found still, but they have spread out and are now being seen closer to shore between San Jose and Chileno, out to about 5 miles. Most of the Marlin at the outer Gorda Banks was caught while either drifting along the submerged bait balls with rigged live baits at 100 to 150 feet, or slow trolling rigged dead baits in the same area. Fish that were outside the D’estilledera area at the end of last month moved to the Gorda following the bait balls, but there were still nice big piles of bait up in the shallows off of Punta Gorda in 200-250 feet of water. Most of these Striped Marlin were in the 100-pound class with a few fish found pushing 150 pounds. There were reports of Blue Marlin bites up off of Los Frailles in the warm water but no reports of large fish yet.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: What can I say? I overheard one conversation on the radio this week where one captain was talking to another and mentioned getting into some decent Tuna, but there was no information as to when or where. Other than that, I didn’t hear of any action on the Tuna. Hopefully some of them will show up soon!
DORADO: A Friend of mine caught a couple of Dorado this week, one about 50 pounds and the other about 40 pounds up off of Cabo Pulmo. In our area the fish have been considerably smaller. Yesterday I caught on that might have pushed 10 pounds and it was caught on live bait on the inner Gorda Bank. There have been a few Pangas coming in that got into Dorado very close to shore, but again these have been small fish in the 8-10 pound class. These Dorado were caught in very shallow water while slow trolling live bait for Sierra and Roosterfish.
WAHOO: My same friend who got the two nice Dorado this week also managed to get two nice Wahoo in the same area. One of them was reported as being about 40 pounds and the other about 50 pounds. Other boats have found an occasional fish in the past two weeks but there has been on consistency to the catch, almost all of the fish have been incidental catch.
INSHORE: The inshore water has warmed up along with the offshore water so the Yellowtail bite we had going on last month really tapered off. A few fish are still being caught off of the arch but it really takes commitment to get one, as things are not hot and heavy and the Sea Lions make getting a fish that is hooked up almost impossible to get to the boat. The Sierra bite is still on, but not the numbers we were seeing earlier in the year. A 10 fish trip is still a happening thing, but 20 fish per trip is pretty much over for most of the boats. Bottom fishing is a bit better as there have been more Grouper and Snapper caught than in the previous month. There are also some pretty steady Roosterfish days. These great fighting fish are not large with the average weight being 10 pounds, but when the bite is on it has not been uncommon to have a 10 fish day.
NOTES: I apologize to everyone for missing the report last week. I came down with the flue and it was all I could do to keep working, let alone sit down and write. Things are better now though and I hope it remains that way, being sick sucks. On the note side of things there are two important issues that you need to be aware off. First off, if you need to get a fishing license, try and do it from the states before you come down. For some reason we are now required to go on-line to purchase licenses with a credit card, and there have been a lot of failures happening. Supposedly you can fill in the forms, print out a receipt and then print out your license, but as a few folks have found out, there are some bugs in the system. Paying for a yearly license, a friend printed out his receipt, then inserted the receipt number to print out his yearly license and instead had a yearly license for someone else printed, and it was not valid until November of this year. The good part of this is that they are not checking licenses until this issue is fixed. And by the way, it appears that our state was the only one in Mexico to have the fishing license fees raised at the beginning of the year, if you go on line the cost of a license is the same as it was last year. Hmm??? The other issue that you need to know about is the fact that the Mexican legislature passed the Shark Norma #029. This law allows the commercial fishing of sharks by long-line vessels within the Sea Of Cortez and on the Pacific. Striped Marlin and Dorado are a very significant by-catch of this method of fishing and in many peoples opinion since the value of the by-catch exceeds the value of the targeted species, this law is only a roundabout way for the commercial interests to get into a new market. You can imagine what sustained long lining will do to the “Marlin Capitol of the World” in a few years. Short sightedness on the part of the government and deep pockets of the commercial industry will end up killing sport fishing here unless the government changes its mind. That is not going to happen without a public outcry and if you want to make your voice heard, please contact either Minerva Smith at the Minerva Fleet or Tracy Ehernberg at the Pisces Fleet for information on what you can do to assist in opening the ears of the Mexican government. Until next week, Tight Lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
May 14-20, 2007

WEATHER: O.K., we have had partly cloudy skies for most of the week but as we came closer to the end of the week the winds picked up and the skies started to clear a bit. As of this morning, we had an early morning cool temperature of 58 degrees here at the house, yesterday our low was at 64 degrees. One of the reasons for the lowering temperatures has been a strong wind from the Pacific, it is always a few degrees cooler, often as much as ten degrees when we have the northwesterly wind coming through town. Our daytime highs have ranged from a high of 96 degrees top a low of 82 degrees, again depending on the wind.
WATER: Water temperatures of 64 degrees on the Pacific side of the Cape combined with green water and rough conditions have made the Pacific an untouched region for most of the week. Immediately to the south of the Cape things warmed up a bit to 70 degrees but the water has still been a bit off-color. If you headed due east from Cabo you had temperatures that were consistently in the 74 degree range with just a tinge of green and if you went up the coast on the Cortez side things warmed up and blued out a lot. From the coast out to a distance of five miles from Cabo to San Jose the water was an occasional 80 degrees (mostly in the 78 degree range) and blue, outside of that it dropped to 74 degrees. Once you got past the Punta Gorda area it warmed to 80+ degrees and became a deep blue for the most part.
BAIT: Smaller Mackerel were the normal $2 per bait, there were few if any Caballito around and there were some large Mullet at the $2 per bait price. A few bait Pangas were selling Sardinas brought down from San Jose at $20 a scoop, but these went quick to the fishing Pangas, and if you wanted Sardinas you needed to make arrangements in advance.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: I almost don’t know what to say about the fishing this past week, not just for Billfish but also for all of the species. I had a friend spend three days fishing the East Cape area offshore and only catch one small Blue Marlin, estimated at #100. I spent the day fishing on Thursday and had one unidentified knockdown out at the Cabrillo Seamount. A couple of other friend went skunked as well on various days this week. Then I had a couple go on a Panga yesterday and land a #200 pound Striped Marlin yesterday at the last minute, right in front of Cabo. The Marlin bite is off, way off, and I am not sure of the reason. The fish that have been found have been in the warm water boundary from Cabo to San Jose out 5 miles and then again up to the Punta Gorda and Vinorama area within five miles of the beach. There have been fish there but they have not been real hungry. We have a couple of release tournaments coming up at the end of the month and there are a few teams pre-fishing for them. One of these teams reported releasing 7 Striped Marlin up around the Vinorama area.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Who knows? A few fish were caught this week but there was no consistency to location or method, one day they were there and the next day they were gone. Most of the fish that were caught were in the football size range, I did not hear of anything larger than 35 pounds. Where-o-where have these fish gone?
DORADO: Just like last week, there were some small Dorado found close to the beach and a few scattered large ones off shore. I had one the size of my shoe come out from under a turtle and strike a swivel, when we turned around and dropped a live bait back the bait was bigger than the Dorado!
WAHOO: There were a few scattered Wahoo in the 20-30 pound class reported this week but I did not see any of the fish myself. Who Knows?
INSHORE: We are still finding some Sierra inshore on the Cortez side and a good day will result in 6-10 fish in the 6 pound class. A few Yellowtails are still being caught off of the arch and the lighthouse on the Pacific side, but you have to get both the bait and the hooked fish past the Sea Lions. Up around the Punta Gorda area the bottom fishing has been fair, but still nothing to write home about.
NOTES: Fishing this past week left a lot to be desired. All right, let me be honest, it sucked. There were a lot of boats coming in skunked, and knowing the fishing, listening to the radio and seeing what is going on out there, I find it difficult to believe that some fleets are still reporting outstanding action. Honestly, there are a few boats that have done well on one day, but I don’t know of any of them that have been hammering the fish on every trip. I hope things change quickly as we have the four day IGFA Offshore Tournament happening this week and then the World Championship Release Tournament right afterward. Our fingers are crossed, I hope yours are as well!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
May 21-27, 2007

WEATHER: What a change seven days can make! We started this week with our evening and early morning temperatures in the high 50’s, specifically on Monday morning it was 58 degrees here at my house, and there was a lot of wind with it. For the next three days I had on long jeans and a light jacket every morning. This morning, Sunday, I got up and it was 78 degrees at 4:30 am here at the house! Yesterday it was registering 94 degrees downtown and there was just a light breeze out of the west. Now the skies are clear, the weather great and it feels like a non-humid summer!
WATER: Along with a change in the weather we saw a great change in the water as well. On the Pacific side early in the week there was water as cold as 58 degrees according to the sea-surface charts, the water was too choppy and green for us to go that direction and check it out. On the Cortez side of the Cape we had much warmer water, on occasion as warm as 81 degrees up around the Punta Gorda area. At the end of th4e week it appears as if the warm water is starting to wrap around the Cape and intrude into the Pacific as we are reading temperatures in the range of 76 degrees encroaching onto the southern edge of the San Jaime Banks. Just to the north of there the water quickly cools to 67 degrees and colder with a fairly well defined temperature break. On the Cortez side of the Cape the 80-81 degree water runs right up against the coast, extending out no more than five miles from the Punta Gorda area to Cabo, outside of this area it is just a bit cooler at around 74 degrees with no defined break. The warmer water is the blue water so most of the action we have seen has been within 5 miles of the beach.
BAIT: Bait became a bit scarce this week, and the IGFA Offshore Championship Tournament boats received the first pick for the most part. With the water warming up quickly Pacific Mackerel has become a commodity much in demand and supplies were scarce. Four days of tournament fishing put quite the dent in available supplies, and with three days of tournament fishing starting Monday you can expect things to remain on the lean side. Most of the fish were in the 1/3-pound range and the cost remained at $2 per bait. There were a lot of Caballito available early in the week but with the full moon coming up soon they have become hard to get as well. Sardines, nice sized ones, were available at $25 a scoop from the bait boats up in the Palmilla area.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: As a change of pace there were some Swordfish hooked up close to home this week. I had confirmed reports of two fish, one of them fought for 6 ½ hours and another for 2 ½ hours and both of them ended up getting away. More were sighted but refused to eat. I managed to catch and release my first Blue Marlin of the year at the inner Gorda Bank, a little guy of about 130 pounds. On the radio I hear reports of some Blues caught up in the East Cape area in the warmer water so more of them should be arriving soon. The just completed IGFA Offshore Championship Tournament had a total of 62 teams fishing for four days and resulted in the release of a total of 325 marlin for an average of 1.3 marlin per day, per boat. That is a bit slow by our standards but it just goes to show that the bite has been a bit off for the stripers. There were a lot of tailing fish early in the week due to the wind, but later on it was a matter of searching for feeders and being there at the right time. There were concentrations of fish up at the Vinorama area but they scattered mid-week and seemed to move in closer to Cabo. The bite happened for a lot of boats in the area of the 1150 spot and that was right at the edge of the warm blue water and the slightly cooler green water and at the end of the week it seemed as if the fish had moved in even closer with a lot of tailing fish seen off of Punta Ballena.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: At the end of the week there were some fish found offshore up around the Vinorama area mixed in with Porpoise. They were decent fish in the 35-pound class. Other than that there was not much found in the way of Tuna.
DORADO: Dorado are still an occasional catch with a few small fish being found in close to shore in the warmer water. With the influx of 80+-degree water we hope to see more of them soon.
WAHOO: There were a few scattered Wahoo in the 20-30 pound class reported this week from the Punta Gorda area. With the upcoming full moon on the 31st we will probably be catching a few more.
INSHORE: Inshore has still been good for Sierra to 8 pounds with a lot of boats getting double digit numbers of fish on the Pacific side of the Cape. The Roosterfish have begun to show as well with some Pangas reporting up to 10 releases in a days fishing, and the fish have been a decent 10-20 pounds. At the end of the week there was a reported bit on Dogtooth Snapper (Pargo) on the Pacific side up in the rocks at the points.
NOTES: The IGFA Offshore Championship Tournament is now over and starting Monday is the World Championship Billfish Release Tournament. http://www.wcbrt.com/ I am fishing in that one so will be pretty busy this coming week. I golfed this morning and finally broke the magic 100 mark with a score of 98; maybe I can buy a good driver now! Our local protest against the Shark Norma #029 was given a ½ page in the L.A.Times along with a photo of the boats in the marina protesting the law just recently passed and signed by the President. For more information on the shark longline fishing law, you can go to this website for updates.
http://www.billfish.org/new/NewsArticle.asp?ArticleID=60
Until next week, Tight lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
May 28-June 2, 2007

WEATHER: After the warming trend last week I was expecting things to get really hot this week. The arrival of that high-pressure system was a good intro to the temperatures to expect later in the year, and without the humidity. At the beginning of this week the warmest morning I recorded was 84 degrees before the sun came up, and 98 degrees during the middle of the day. At the end of the week the high-pressure system had moved on and we were back to having our morning lows in the low 60’s and our daytime highs around the mid 80’s. Of course we had no rain.
WATER: There was absolutely no doubt that the water was warmer on the Cortez side this week, and clearer also. We were seeing temperatures in the 78-79 degree range from the beach on out to the Cabrillo Seamount. The cleaner water was a band running from the Vinorama Canyon across the Outer Gorda Banks to the 1150 spot, elsewhere it was slightly tinged with green. The Pacific side started out with a push of warm water up the coast but as the week went on that push tapered off a bit and the water temperatures dropped a bit as well. Right now there is a significant temperature break off of the lighthouse and extending to the southwest. On the south side the water is showing a warm 72 degrees. 2 miles farther north it drops to 62 degrees and becomes very green. Surface conditions on both sides of the Cape were great with little surface chop and very light winds, with the exception of Thursday as the edge of the high-pressure system came across us.
BAIT: I really thought that bait would be harder to come by this week since it is the week after the IGFA Offshore Championship and the week of the World Championship Billfish Release Tournament but there was no problem getting all you needed. Of course there were not many Caballito yet, mostly it was Mackerel with a few Mullet at the normal $2 per bait. Up toward San Jose there were some really nice Sardinas in the 3-4 inch size at $25 per bucket, closer to home here at the marina the price was a bit higher with ¾ bucket costing the same.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Probably the best was to describe the fishing for Billfish this week was, in the right place at the right time. Having the full moon this week helped and the bite was definitely tide related with the best bite happening close to the tide change on most days. The Billfish most folks found were the Striped Marlin and while they were out there in good numbers, they were pretty concentrated as well. During the three days of the World Championship Tournament 23 boats were successful in releasing a total of 325 billfish for an average of 5 fish per day per boat, the large majority of which were Striped Marlin. There were a few Sailfish mixed in as well as two reported small Blue Marlin. Most of the action was concentrated up to the north on the Cortez side around the Vinorama Canyon area, the Gorda Banks and the 1150. I had fair luck Monday finding fish on the Pacific side to the south of the lighthouse but the water changed and the fish moved away. Almost all the fish reported released were hooked up on live bait. Light leader seemed to be the way to go, as the fish were a bit leader shy. There has been an abundance of squid in our area and the Marlin have been too full to chase artificials (on average). There were quite a few Swordfish sighted as well (comparatively speaking) and at least once was caught. There were several hookups reported to last between 2 to 6 hours where the fish were lost.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Just as I reported last week, there were some fish found offshore up around the Vinorama area mixed in with Porpoise. They were decent fish in the 35-pound class. Other than that there was not much found in the way of Tuna. A few boats reported finding fish in the greenish water south of the San Jaime area early in the week but those fish did not stick around.
DORADO: The Dorado bite has started to pick up a bit with a few more fish showing up in the catch’s every week. We had two on Wednesday while fishing up to the north in the Sea of Cortez in 79-degree water using live bait. They are not large fish yet with the biggest I heard of in the 35-pound class, but it is a definite improvement and hopefully a sign of things to come.
WAHOO: I was amazed that I did not hear of more Wahoo being caught during this Championship Billfish Tournament. Most of the boats were fishing in areas that traditionally hold Wahoo this time of year. A few were caught but they were not large fish, mostly in the 30-pound class, and on artificial lures.
INSHORE: Inshore has still been good for Sierra to 8 pounds with a lot of boats getting double digit numbers of fish on the Pacific side of the Cape. The Roosterfish have begun to show as well with some Pangas reporting up to 10 releases in a days fishing, and the fish have been a decent 10-20 pounds. At the end of the week there was a reported bit on Dogtooth Snapper (Pargo) on the Pacific side up in the rocks at the points.
NOTES: There have been many protests locally this week about the Shark Norma 029. Several winning teams in the World Championship Billfish Release Tournament donated part of their winnings to the Billfish Foundation to help fight this law. For more information on the shark longline fishing law, you can go to this website for updates.
http://www.billfish.org/new/NewsArticle.asp?ArticleID=60
Until next week, Tight lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
June 3-10, 2007

WEATHER: Once again we had a beautiful week go by with our daytime temperatures in the high 80’s to low 90’s and the nighttime lows averaging 70 degrees. We had one mid-week day with high winds but for the most part the wind was a minor consideration either blowing itself out by 6 am or not picking up until 1 pm. No rain of course and only a scattering of clouds this week.
WATER: The Cortez side of the Cape remained much warmer than the Pacific side with the average temperature being 76 degrees up to 15 miles offshore. The 95 and 1150 spots were the outer boundaries where the temperature dropped to 70 degrees or less and the warm water continued up into the East Cape region well offshore. On the Pacific side the water was much cooler with a finger of cold water from the beach inside the Golden Gate bank down to Cabo extending out to the southwest across the San Jaime Bank. This water was in the mid to low 60’s and very green. Surface conditions were good on the Cortez side of the Cape with small 2-4 foot swells most of the week with no wind o top of them. We did have one say of 4-6 foot swells (made the surfers happy) but with no wind they were not very noticeable. On the Pacific side the afternoon or early morning winds made things very interesting and most of the boats avoided working the cold green water.
BAIT: As is normal for this time of year there was a good mix of Caballito and Mackerel available from the bait boats at the normal $2 per bait. Sardinas were available as well and they were quality baits, most in the 3-4 inch size. In the San Jose area you could get them for $20 a bucket but here in Cabo they averaged $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: On a good note, the Striped Marlin have shown up close to home. I fished on Tuesday for Marlin and it was great, we never went farther than 5 miles for the marina and released one Striped Marin estimated at 120 pounds and one small Blue Marlin estimated at 170 pounds as well as seeing a lot of fish free jumping and sleeping on the surface. The one day mid-week when the wind blew like a banshee resulted in very few fish but for most of the days this week the Marlin were there, and in numbers. Best bets were slow trolling live baits or throwing live bait to tailing or sleeping fish. As well as Marlin, there were still quite a few Swordfish being seen, and a few caught and brought to the dock. They were also being seen close to home and a few of the boats have made plans for overnight Swordfish trips for the coming week. I’ll let you know if things work out for them.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin Tuna were just about the only slow fishery this week. There were a few fish found but they were small fish in the 10-15 pound range. Most of them were caught on the Pacific side in the rough water and there were no great numbers found, for the most part it was a picky catch. There were good fish reported from boats fishing the East Cape region 30 miles off the beach, but that is too much of a run for our local boats. Hopefully these fish will move into our area soon.
DORADO: The Dorado bite has continued to pick up and the numbers are increasing every week as the water warms. For the most part the fish are small with a large number of fish less than 6 pounds reported (please release these month old fish, they will be eating size soon) but there were still good numbers of fish in the 20-35 pound range being found. The Cortez side of the Cape in the warmer water was where most of the larger fish were found but waters close to home had larger numbers albeit the smaller fish. Small lures in bright colors trolled between 7 ½ and 9 knots did well on the Dorado as well as slow trolled live baits.
WAHOO: There were still Wahoo reported this week but they were still small ones, in the 20-30 pound class for the most part. Once the water warms up a bit there should be more action. The fish that were found and caught were from the Punta Gorda area as well as on the temperature break at the 95 and 1150 areas.
INSHORE: Inshore fishing has been hot this week with good numbers of Sierra continuing to hold angers attention on both the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez side of the Cape. The majority of the cooler water fish, Sierra and Yellowtail have been found between the Pedregal and the Lighthouse between 50 and 200 meters from the shore. Large schools of Sierra have given anglers all they can handle on live bait and hootchies as well as small jointed Rapallas. Slow trolled Mackerel have resulted in nice Yellowtail to 35 pounds, but a lot of Sierra bite-offs have occurred due to the use of light Mono leaders needed to get the Yellowtail to bite. In close to eh beach, the rocks have produced consistent action on Dogtooth Snapper to 20 pounds as well as Red Snapper to 8 pounds.
NOTES: The fishing continues to pick up as the water warms up offshore and meanwhile the inshore action is just great, everyone is having fun! If things continue this way there can be smiles on everyone’s face. I have hope for the Tuna showing up soon as that is the only thing we are really lacking at the moment. So far this year I have released two Blue Marlin and that is a sign that the water is warming and things are getting better! Fingers crossed for tight lines for everyone out there. Until next week!
http://www.billfish.org/new/NewsArticle.asp?ArticleID=60
Until next week, Tight lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
June 11-17, 2007

WEATHER: We had a quick and thankfully short reminder of what to expect later in the year early in the week. Waking up to early morning temperatures in the mid 80’s and muggy air let us appreciate the rest for the week. Monday and Tuesday were a bit on the mid-summer side of hot but the rest of the week was great with nighttime lows in the low to mid 70’s and the daytime highs in the mid 80’s. There was a light wind from the northwest early in the week and on Sunday we had a switch to winds from the East. All in all it was a great week on the weather front.
WATER: The Cortez side of the Cape continued to be the warmer side with water up off of the East Cape around the 80-degree mark. Closer to home and between the 95 spot and the Punta Gorda area the water was cooler with most of it being in the high 70’s early in the week. During the middle of the week a combination of extreme tides and shifting wind dropped the water temperatures across the area by an easy 5 or more degrees and put the fish into shock mode. Surface conditions remained good but the water cooled off and became very green in most of the areas that we had been getting good fish. At the end of the week the cleanest water was from the 1150 area on the Sea of Cortez and out to the Cabrilla Seamount and outside the 1,000-fathom line on the Cortez side. On the Pacific the water remained cold and green almost everywhere, with water temperatures in the sub-70’s to as low as 65 degrees.
BAIT: As is normal for this time of year there was a good mix of Caballito and Mackerel available from the bait boats at the normal $2 per bait. Sardinas were available as well and they were quality baits, most in the 3-4 inch size. In the San Jose area you could get them for $20 a bucket but here in Cabo they averaged $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Ouch, the water turned over and the fish moved offshore to the Cabrilla Seamount area. You could go out there and find fish but they were in temperature shock (sounds as good a reason as any) and getting them to bite was very difficult. That was just about the only area there were Marlin in any numbers. The area around the Vinorama Canyon produced some fish as did the area within 3 miles of the beach on the Cortez side, but the bite in these locations was early in the week. Also early in the week and continuing slightly into the end of the week was the sighting of Swordfish on the surface. A few of them were hooked up and a couple of them brought in. My friend Martin (Kiwi) caught a #200 fish on Wednesday.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: We did finally have some Yellowfin show up this week but they were all small football fish, and not in any great numbers. On Saturday there were some enormous bait balls of Sardinas in the vicinity of the 95 spot and the small Yellowfin and Skipjack Tuna were harassing them all day long. Farther offshore in the 15 mile range there were small scattered pods of Dolphin holding the small Tuna under them as well. No one scored high numbers but there were fish caught by boats that put in the time and effort. Considering how slow the fishing was for everything else, getting a few Yellowfin was nice.
DORADO: The sudden change in water temperature and clarity had the Dolphin on the run but a few boats were able to get three of four fish on Saturday by finding the Frigate bids working the Sardinas. Using very small lures in Green-silver to imitate the Sardinas they were able to get small skipjack hooked up and slow trolling them in the same area brought in the Dorado.
WAHOO: I had no reports of Wahoo this week.
INSHORE: The inshore fishing had been great but when the currents changed and the clarity and temperature dropped the fishing did as well. There were still a few Sierra caught on the Pacific side but the green water made fishing for the Yellowtail difficult at best and Roosterfish were almost non-existent.
NOTES: June has always been a difficult month to figure out as things are in constant flux. This year is no different and we can only hope things settle down soon. Until next week, tight lines and give Ottmar Liebert a listen to. One of my favorite guitarists and hopefully to become one of yours.
http://www.billfish.org/new/NewsArticle.asp?ArticleID=60
Until next week, Tight lines!

[George Landrum (Captgeo)]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com (http://www.flyhooker.com)
Cabo Fish Report
June 18-25, 2007

WEATHER: It was so nice this week, no hot weather, just daytime highs in the mid 80’s and nighttime lows in the low to mid 70’s. We had the wind start to blow from the west during the middle of the week and that cooled things off a bit as well. We had mostly sunny skies with an overcast morning now and then, burning off mid-day.
WATER: On the Cortez side of the Cape the water cooled off a lot between the Cape and San Jose. Cold water, as low as 63 degrees on the satellite shots but registering 62 on my boat ran from right in front of the marina and up the Cortex and across the Gorda Banks extending out past the 1150 spot. The water was green and did not get blue until you got outside of the 1,000-fathom line. On the Pacific side things warmed up quite a bit with water temps on the San Jaime and the Golden Gate banks in the 73-75 range with just a tinge of green to it.
BAIT: Almost all the bait this week was Pacific greenback mackerel at the normal $2 per bait.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The most consistent are this week was at the doughnut, 20 miles to the east at the 1,000-fathom curve. That is where they were concentrated and a few boats did as well as two or three fish a day with one boat reporting releasing five fish. There was a nice size Swordfish reported caught this week as well by one of the fleet boats, supposedly in the #350 range. I released one small Blue, estimated at #110 on Thursday as well as a couple of Stripers at the doughnut area and released one more on Saturday. The water was choppy with the westerly winds and northwesterly swells but even with that there were very few Striped Marlin reported up and tailing down swell.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I have almost given up on the Yellowfin this year. I keep going out and looking for them but have not had a lot of success. I keep hearing of a boat now and then getting lucky with a fish or two in the 50-100 pound class in among the black porpoise, and a few boats getting into fish in the 20 pound class among the white-belly porpoise, but I have not been able to find any of these fish myself. No sashimi for me this week!
DORADO: There were a few fish to 50 pounds caught this week and a few boat reported on the radio of catching three or four in the 10-20 pound class. Most of them were found at the temp-color break along the 1,000-fathom curve and a few were reported from up north along the Inman Bank area.
WAHOO: I heard of one small Wahoo caught this week form a source I trust along with a few radio reports of scattered fish at the 1,000-fathom line.
INSHORE: There were nice Pargo found in the rocks along the points on the Pacific side as well as up in the Punts Gorda-Los Frailles area. The Yellowtail bite dropped off when the water turned, as did the Roosterfish bite.
NOTES: Humboldt Squid to 50 pounds were found due south of the Cape mid week and I baited a Swordfish estimated at #300 in the same area, along the 1,000-fathom line. We spotted this fish jumping. Overall the fishing has been slow this past week, I went out five days and was skunked on two of them catching three Humbolts on one trip, two Stripers and a small Blue on another and one Striper on the fifth trip. With the fishing slow, my golf game got a workout and with a very hazy brain today I managed to turn out a very non-respectable 103 (lots of margaritas lass ninth, don’t-cha-know!).
http://www.billfish.org/new/NewsArticle.asp?ArticleID=60
Until next week, Tight lines!

[bajafly]

REPORT #1072 “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update July 21, 2007

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/magbaykayaks.gif

You know that season has arrived when you get a late night phone call reporting that some bruiser tuna in the 100 lb. class have been found just outside Boca de Soledad. The conversation went something like this:

“Amigo, the commercial panga guys found some really *** tuna outside--- so *** they couldn’t catch them on their handlines. We are going out tomorrow (Thursday) and we will let you know what happens.”

That’s it! Nothing more. Either they are still hooked up, are still cleaning their catch or it was bum dope. Stay tuned…I will let you know! Just before I posted this report I received the following “yellowfin tuna WFO thirty miles outside Boca de Soledad”.

Meanwhile more and more dorado are being seen each week near the shark buoys west of the Entrada. Yellowtail fishing continues to provide the best surface action at the entrada. On the bottom there are enough grouper to keep it interesting.

At Lopez Mateos, Mag Bay Outfitters finally received the kayaks they had ordered a while back. The Captains and crew couldn’t wait for clients to show up to try them out, so they loaded them on Mar Gato and headed up to the Esteros for their trial run. Judging by the photos the kayaks are a welcome addition!

Water temperature 64 - 76
Air temperature 69 -88
Humidity 94 %
Wind: WNW 9 – 13 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 2 miles
Sunrise 6:49 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:17 p.m. MDT

East Cape

Spring is gone and summer action is beginning to seriously kick in. Offshore, striped marlin and a few sails provided the best action this week with only a few blues reported so far. There are plenty of stripey’s around; they just don’t seem ready to get serious just yet.

Football sized yellowfin tuna dominated the offshore action this week. Distances ranged from a few miles offshore to more than thirty. As usual the boats arriving early to the spots got limits while the late ones watched.

Dorado action continues to be disappointing for most. There have been a few quality fish caught (up to fifty pounds) but they are few and far between.

Early in the week, a floating carcass produced the best concentrated action of the season, including limits of smaller dorado and YFT’s

Inshore the cooler water stubbornly remains close to shore and seems to have caused the sardina to evaporate, leaving us with only with a few larger live baits and dead ballyhoo. It has also slowed the rooster bite to a trickle compared to a few weeks ago. Still the tenacious angler prowling the beach has been rewarded with a few fish here and there.

Water temperature 75-87
Air temperature 67-93
Humidity 92%
Wind: ENE 5 - 6 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:43 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:07 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

We had a lot of rain for a couple of days this last week. On Wednesday, I recorded 12 inches of rain between 5:00 in the afternoon to 7:00 the next morning. This pushed a lot of weeds, trees, and debris out of the rivers, and it also pushed the blue water out to at least the 20 mile mark.

Most of the captains are reporting averaging between 1 and 2 sailfish a day per boat. And all of them are complaining that the weed lines are in such abundance, it is making trolling difficult. A trolled bait, with three feet of weeds trailing behind it, will not catch any fish.

However, a lot of the captains are also reporting several schools of peanut sized dorado among the weeds. Hopefully these fast growing fish will stick around for a while.

The inshore fishing was great early in the week. Santiago, on the panga, Gitana, did get 7 roosters, up to 40 pounds, in one day for his clients. And Adolpho, on the panga, Dos Hermanos, spent several days with an ESPN2 TV crew in Puerto Vicente Gro. They got a bunch of roosters and plenty of footage for their show.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 71-93
Humidity 92%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:21 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:24 p.m. CDT

[administrator]

REPORT #1062 “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update May 12, 2007

East Cape

While the roosters were not exactly numerous close to the beach there were a few quality shots and patience on the hunt finally paid off Friday when a true "Grande" roosterfish came in from the deep water. After chasing a fly in classic fashion, the rooster with its comb fully extended, tracked the fly for a short distance and then devoured it. A brand new fly on a razor sharp hook wasn't enough to keep the fish hooked up and the fish came unbuttoned after a short fight. Those *** ones are really tough to get a good hook set into. After all the hard work, it was brutally tough to see a "Grande" swim away. But that's roosterfishing...the high's are high and the lows are low. Next time!
At least the jack crevalle were kind enough to eat flies with some frequency and take some of the sting out of *** rooster loss. Early in the week, Lance battled with one of his best jacks ever. When those fish get over 20lb they are a force to be reckoned with.
The panga fleet had some great days on roosters to 10lb's just off the beach. Lance, fishing with Brad Ellis on his panga, “Macaira”, had some great action teasing roosterfish with live bait. In just a couple of hours they had lots of chances and Brad hooked 3 nice Pez Gallo on the new fly.
Dorado action was great for the few lucky ones who stumbled on the right school. For others, it was a single here and there. Yellowfin action disappeared when the Mexican seiners, led by a helicopter overhead, wiped out the school. However, by the end of the week the Seiners had been run off by the government and the YFT action picked back up.
While there are plenty of billfish to look at, getting them to bite is the tough part.
Water temperature 65-74
Air temperature 75-87
Humidity 77%
Wind: ENE 2-3 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:15 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:19 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico


The weather and Estero fishing both improved late in the week. The spotted bay bass, halibut and grouper finally decided to bite along with a few corvina. Out at the entrada the small yellows, along with schools of bonito, continued to put on a show, chasing bait on the surface. Down lower in the water column a few decent sized grouper were also willing to bite a slow-retrieved chartreuse Baja Deepdiver.

Out at the Entrada, the *** swells, pushed by the wind, made it difficult to get under the bird schools feeding on the sardines that were chased to the surface by firecracker yellows and small bonito.

Offshore, strong winds and *** swells prevented many boats from getting outside the Entrada.

Water temperature 65 - 72
Air temperature 67 -89
Humidity 61 %
Wind: NW 12 - 20 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 6:44 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:02 p.m. MDT


Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
After this last week's short down-turn from the effect of the full moon, the fishing for all species has been turning on again. Last week's 114 boat annual sailfish tournament (the 40th) also hurt the fishing early in the week. There were just too many boats out there pounding the water. But, sailfish averages are again close to 6 to 8 strikes a day, one boat in three is getting a shot at a blue marlin, a few dorado are being taken, and the yellowfin tuna are at the thirty mile mark.

Plus, the roosterfish are starting to show on the beaches. In fact, this last Wednesday they really put on a great show down at Puerto Vicente Gro. Fly fishing client, Jim (Doc) Coulthurst of Portland, OR, fished with Cali and me in one of the three pangas set up for sport fishing in the Port (meaning it has a shade cover).
Doc is an experienced guide in the Northwest states, but this was his first time for roosters.

By 11:00, we had raised 20 roosters on a hookless popper, giving Doc five legitimate shots with the fly. He hooked two, but was only able to get one to the boat for photos. The roosters were all on the small side, averaging between 12 and 25 pounds. The *** boys should follow in a couple of weeks.

Doc finished up the day catching several black skipjack tuna. At times there were so many tuna breaking the water, it sounded like a rainstorm. With acres of fish on the surface, it was almost a fish a cast.

Even Cali got into the action. With his first time ever at casting a fly rod, he managed to land several skipjack from the bow. He even talked about it with the other captains at the municipal pier in Zihuatanejo. He is hooked!

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 78-99
Humidity 77%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:15 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:10 p.m. CDThttp://jerrylabella.com/discus/messages/6/7183.jpg

[bajafly]

REPORT #1072 “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update July 21, 2007

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico


You know that season has arrived when you get a late night phone call reporting that some bruiser tuna in the 100 lb. class have been found just outside Boca de Soledad. The conversation went something like this:

“Amigo, the commercial panga guys found some really *** tuna outside--- so *** they couldn’t catch them on their handlines. We are going out tomorrow (Thursday) and we will let you know what happens.”

That’s it! Nothing more. Either they are still hooked up, are still cleaning their catch or it was bum dope. Stay tuned…I will let you know! Just before I posted this report I received the following “yellowfin tuna WFO thirty miles outside Boca de Soledad”.

Meanwhile more and more dorado are being seen each week near the shark buoys west of the Entrada. Yellowtail fishing continues to provide the best surface action at the entrada. On the bottom there are enough grouper to keep it interesting.

At Lopez Mateos, Mag Bay Outfitters finally received the kayaks they had ordered a while back. The Captains and crew couldn’t wait for clients to show up to try them out, so they loaded them on Mar Gato and headed up to the Esteros for their trial run. Judging by the photos the kayaks are a welcome addition!

Water temperature 64 - 76
Air temperature 69 -88
Humidity 94 %
Wind: WNW 9 – 13 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 2 miles
Sunrise 6:49 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:17 p.m. MDT

East Cape


Spring is gone and summer action is beginning to seriously kick in. Offshore, striped marlin and a few sails provided the best action this week with only a few blues reported so far. There are plenty of stripey’s around; they just don’t seem ready to get serious just yet.

Football sized yellowfin tuna dominated the offshore action this week. Distances ranged from a few miles offshore to more than thirty. As usual the boats arriving early to the spots got limits while the late ones watched.

Dorado action continues to be disappointing for most. There have been a few quality fish caught (up to fifty pounds) but they are few and far between.

Early in the week, a floating carcass produced the best concentrated action of the season, including limits of smaller dorado and YFT’s

Inshore the cooler water stubbornly remains close to shore and seems to have caused the sardina to evaporate, leaving us with only with a few larger live baits and dead ballyhoo. It has also slowed the rooster bite to a trickle compared to a few weeks ago. Still the tenacious angler prowling the beach has been rewarded with a few fish here and there.

Water temperature 75-87
Air temperature 67-93
Humidity 92%
Wind: ENE 5 - 6 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:43 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:07 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

We had a lot of rain for a couple of days this last week. On Wednesday, I recorded 12 inches of rain between 5:00 in the afternoon to 7:00 the next morning. This pushed a lot of weeds, trees, and debris out of the rivers, and it also pushed the blue water out to at least the 20 mile mark.

Most of the captains are reporting averaging between 1 and 2 sailfish a day per boat. And all of them are complaining that the weed lines are in such abundance, it is making trolling difficult. A trolled bait, with three feet of weeds trailing behind it, will not catch any fish.

However, a lot of the captains are also reporting several schools of peanut sized dorado among the weeds. Hopefully these fast growing fish will stick around for a while.

The inshore fishing was great early in the week. Santiago, on the panga, Gitana, did get 7 roosters, up to 40 pounds, in one day for his clients. And Adolpho, on the panga, Dos Hermanos, spent several days with an ESPN2 TV crew in Puerto Vicente Gro. They got a bunch of roosters and plenty of footage for their show.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 71-93
Humidity 92%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:21 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:24 p.m. CDT

[bajafly]

REPORT #1073 “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update July 28, 2007

East Cape


This week brought the first Tropical Storm of the season; Delila popped up out of nowhere and things went from flat calm to grumpy in the space of an afternoon. Fortunately, sea conditions were only messed up for a few days and then it was back to normal.

Delila departed just in time for the “East Cape Bisbee” which begins next week (Aug. 1-3). This year’s purse is expected to be around $300k so it’s no surprise that everyone has become tight-lipped about the current billfish action. Striper action continues to improve and rumors of a few blues are flying. The rumors claim that several have been caught weighing over 300 lb. and one purportedly in the high 4’s, which is all the encouragement needed to justify lots of pre-fishing.

Good news for the fly fisher’s; there were more and more instances of multiple fish showing up behind the teasers.

Tuna action slowed for weather related reasons. However a 145 lb. gorilla-class yellowfin made it to the scales… the largest of the 2007 season so far…stay tuned. For the football sized tuna we are having great success with our Baja Wasabi fly.

Dorado action continued to be less than wonderful, partly because of the weather; we are just not seeing the schools that provide the best action for the fly rod.
Lance Peterson reported; “Plenty of small jacks up to 5 lbs. to take shots at, along with breezing schools of small pompano that can be sucker-punched with small Clousers or even smaller ‘Crazy Charlies’. Roosterfish have been hit or miss. Most fish are seen in pairs or daisy chains of up to 6 fish. Mostly very tough to move them but I had some good reactions from them several days ago and landed one in the 30's. The weather has changed. Lots of clouds, some rain, very warm SE wind.”
On the bait front, live sardina are tough to come by unless you are willing to make the thirty mile run up to Bahia de Los Suenos. The good news is that there were some live mackerel being offered by the bait guys locally.

Water temperature 68-85
Air temperature 75-96
Humidity 73%
Wind: S 4 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 6:47 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:04 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Tropical Storm Delila also dumped some rain here along with stronger winds. Tuna action resumed as soon as the seas settled down. Most of the action has been inside of thirty miles from Boca de Soledad. Closer to shore, inside of ten miles the dorado action broke wide open according to Bob Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters. It was so good that they were headed out today with a couple of kayaks loaded on Mar Gato. Hopefully he will have photos to share next week.

Because of the unsettled weather no one made the twenty mile run out to the Entrada this week. Up at Devil’s Curve, grouper and pargo provided the best action. Still a decent bite on the surface for corvina up to ten lbs.

Water temperature 64 - 76
Air temperature 70 -84
Humidity 73 %
Wind: WNW 9 – 13 knots
Conditions: Fog in morning
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:52 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:14 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Conditions have improved this week, with the inshore action for roosters being phenomenal. The boats are each averaging between 7 and 8 roosters a day! Plus, that does not count an almost equal number of the hard fighting jack crevalle. The jacks are averaging between 12 and 16 pounds, with the roosters averaging a whopping 30 to 40 pounds.

It really does not matter if you go North or South out of Zihuatanejo Bay, all the beaches are producing jacks and roosters. Also, with most of the fish being taken on surface poppers, it is an ideal situation for the fly caster. The same popper, with the hooks taken off, makes an excellent teaser to bring the rooster to the boat, and well within fly casting distance.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77-95
Humidity 73%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Thundershowers
Visibility 2 miles
Sunrise 7:24 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:22 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
July 23-29, 2007

WEATHER: I love it when we have daytime temps in the mid 90’s, we get to sweat and clean out our systems. When we add a light breeze in the evenings as the temperature drops to the mid and low 80’s it means that things are just about perfect here in Cabo. I know that these temperatures a too hot for a lot of people, and we did have the humidity raise up a bit this week, but it sure beats 112 degrees, and I don’t care it that is a “dry” heat or not, that is just too damn hot for me. I guess what I am trying to say is that things were just about perfect this week considering that we are in a summer weather pattern. We did have Tropical Storm Delilah pass to the southwest mid-week and she brought a scattering of rain to us on Wednesday along with some winds that decreased the temperatures but for the most part she was a “non-event”, but a warning of what might happen during the next several months.
WATER: As far as the basics are concerned we had storm swells at the middle and end of the week from Tropical Storm Delilah, large enough that there were high surf warnings out at all the hotels and resorts on both sides of the Cape. The wind combined with the swells were enough to convince the Port Captains office to close the Marina to departures after 7:30 AM on Wednesday, a lot of boats returned very early due to seasick clients. The storm came up from the south and pushed warm water with it. Early in the week prior to the storms arrival we were seeing offshore temperatures in the low 70’s, on Thursday we has a steady 79 and over across the board. At the end of the week the California current re-asserted itself and we had temperatures in the mid 70’s along the Pacific coast and as far up the Sea Of Cortez as Punta Gorda, and extending up to 10 miles off the beach on the Pacific side and 3 miles on the Cortez side.
BAIT: There were plenty of Mackerel and Caballito available this week as well as Mullet and Sardinas. The Mullet and Sardinas were difficult to get at the beginning for the week and of course on Wednesday there was no bait available, at least fresh caught bait, the water was just too rough for the guys to catch bat. At the end of the week there were bait balls all over the place, both up close to the beach and far offshore. Prices were the normal $2 per large baits and $25 per scoop of Sardinas.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin action was close to the beach on the Cortez side for moat of the week with most of the action happening place in the cool water within three miles of the coast. There were groups of fish tailing on the surface, occasionally as many as 7 or 8 fish together, and there were also lots of sleepers on the surface. Farther offshore the water was warmer and there were not the numbers of fish to be found. There were a few Blue Marlin reported and this was expected as the offshore water warmed up. Hopefully we will start seeing some good numbers of these fish as the warming continues and spreads. Also, there were Sailfish reported. These are not as common in our area as they are in many parts of Mexico, but here they are also an indication of warming water and a precursor to good Dorado fishing!
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I keep hoping for the Tuna fishing to improve and this week there were a few days when almost every boat that went out returned with Tuna flags flying. Unfortunately most of these fish were only footballs in the 6-12 pound class, very few larger fish were found. Most of the action occurred wither 5 miles off of Chileno beach early in the week, 12 to 18 miles south of the Cape during mid week or at the San Jaime bank at the end of the week. Sounds like they are traveling, yes? As is often the case with the football fish, the best results were had with small re hootchies or dark colored feathers, slow trolled while being “jigged” among the porpoise.
DORADO: A few boats really did well on Dorado this week but most of the guys were lucky to get a fish or two. The clue was to find something floating on the surface or slow troll live bait in the area where Frigate birds were seen to be working. Most of the fish were in the 12-20 pound class with a few stretching the springs on the scales to 45 pounds. The best action was prior to the storm, early in the week, on the Cortez side of the Cape, but I believe that things will pick up really fast now that there is more warm water in the area.
WAHOO: We are just coming up on the full moon on the 29th and I am surprised that I have not heard of more Wahoo being caught. There were a few fish reported, but not in any numbers or from one particular area.
INSHORE: Inshore action was good for Roosterfish early in the week but the rough conditions as a result of Tropical Storm Delilah really had the inshore bite drop off. While it has been a few days since the storm passed, it nor until just now that the swells have died down enough to make the fishing comfortable close to the beach again.
NOTES: I am going to be very busy the next few weeks so I will have more “hands-on” report information in the next couple of reports. I really like that, it makes for better first hand information and also allows me to do an informal check on the “b.s.” factor of information I receive. Until next week, please take a few minutes to check out the following link, especially if you like fishing here!
http://www.billfish.org/new/NewsArticle.asp?ArticleID=60

[bajafly]

REPORT #1074 “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update August 4, 2007

East Cape

Most of the activity this week revolved around the “East Cape Bisbee Tournament” which finished up yesterday with a disappointing few qualifying blues; the largest blue was caught on the Tres Hermanos out of Hotel Buenavista Beach Resort. Angler Julio Cota took 1st Place Blue Marlin—418.0 lbs. An impressive 164.1 lb. tuna yielded 1st Place Angler for John Martin fishing on the boat, Wildcatter. There were enough stripers showing up in the pattern that only served as a distraction for the fleet that were targeting blues. A handful of dorado over fifty pounds were weighed in as well.

The reappearance of sardinas along the beaches in limited numbers should bode well for the beach action.
Most of the larger roosters seem to be cruising in pairs or in daisy chains and don’t seem to be too interested in eating. Occasionally one will light up but the shots are few and far behind.

While few boats targeted them, the action down south for football sized tuna with some skipjack mixed in continued to be decent.

Water temperature 68-85
Air temperature 71-95
Humidity 94%
Wind: N 10 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:50 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:00 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/grouper.gif
Grouper bite picks up
Bob Hoyt, Magbay Outfitters, reported wide open action for yellowtail ten miles outside the Boca in 72 degree blue water with plenty of skipjack in the same area.
Farther outside, there is a band of red tide that is keeping the dorado off the beach; however, above San Lazaro toward the Thetis bank is a solid string of dorado and outside of that line tuna can be found under the bird schools.

In the Esteros, the bite has picked up with plenty of halibut along the shallows near the sandy beaches. Up against the mangroves in the deeper water there has been a consistent grouper bite, with a few in the 10 – 20 pound range, rounding out the count were two snook.


Water temperature 64 - 76
Air temperature 70 -84
Humidity 87 %
Wind: N 7 - 9 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:55 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:10 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The outstanding inshore action is still holding up for the roosters and jack crevalle. The roosterfish are averaging between 30 and 40 pounds, with a few fish taken this week estimated to be in the 60 to 75 pound class. Some of the jacks have tipped the scales at 25 pounds, but most are averaging about 15 pounds.

The full moon has the blue water fishing a bit on the slow side, but a few people were surprised by the huge blue marlin making another show this summer. Adan, on the panga Gitana II, was back at the dock with his client by 10:20 in the morning having caught and released a sailfish and an estimated 450 pound blue marlin. The client was worn out and had enough for the day.

A few other blues were hooked this week, and the sailfish are averaging about two fish per boat per day.

The 60 to 80 pound yellowfin tuna are at the 35 mile mark.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75-91
Humidity 73%
Wind: NNW 3 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:26 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:19 p.m. CDT

[administrator]

REPORT #1074 “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update August 4, 2007

East Cape

Most of the activity this week revolved around the “East Cape Bisbee Tournament” which finished up yesterday with a disappointing few qualifying blues; the largest blue was caught on the Tres Hermanos out of Hotel Buenavista Beach Resort. Angler Julio Cota took 1st Place Blue Marlin—418.0 lbs. An impressive 164.1 lb. tuna yielded 1st Place Angler for John Martin fishing on the boat, Wildcatter. There were enough stripers showing up in the pattern that only served as a distraction for the fleet that were targeting blues. A handful of dorado over fifty pounds were weighed in as well.

The reappearance of sardinas along the beaches in limited numbers should bode well for the beach action.
Most of the larger roosters seem to be cruising in pairs or in daisy chains and don’t seem to be too interested in eating. Occasionally one will light up but the shots are few and far behind.

While few boats targeted them, the action down south for football sized tuna with some skipjack mixed in continued to be decent.

Water temperature 68-85
Air temperature 71-95
Humidity 94%
Wind: N 10 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:50 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:00 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/grouper.gif
Grouper bite picks up
Bob Hoyt, Magbay Outfitters, reported wide open action for yellowtail ten miles outside the Boca in 72 degree blue water with plenty of skipjack in the same area.
Farther outside, there is a band of red tide that is keeping the dorado off the beach; however, above San Lazaro toward the Thetis bank is a solid string of dorado and outside of that line tuna can be found under the bird schools.

In the Esteros, the bite has picked up with plenty of halibut along the shallows near the sandy beaches. Up against the mangroves in the deeper water there has been a consistent grouper bite, with a few in the 10 – 20 pound range, rounding out the count were two snook.


Water temperature 64 - 76
Air temperature 70 -84
Humidity 87 %
Wind: N 7 - 9 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:55 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:10 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The outstanding inshore action is still holding up for the roosters and jack crevalle. The roosterfish are averaging between 30 and 40 pounds, with a few fish taken this week estimated to be in the 60 to 75 pound class. Some of the jacks have tipped the scales at 25 pounds, but most are averaging about 15 pounds.

The full moon has the blue water fishing a bit on the slow side, but a few people were surprised by the huge blue marlin making another show this summer. Adan, on the panga Gitana II, was back at the dock with his client by 10:20 in the morning having caught and released a sailfish and an estimated 450 pound blue marlin. The client was worn out and had enough for the day.

A few other blues were hooked this week, and the sailfish are averaging about two fish per boat per day.

The 60 to 80 pound yellowfin tuna are at the 35 mile mark.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75-91
Humidity 73%
Wind: NNW 3 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:26 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:19 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
July 30-August 5, 2007

WEATHER: Up until August 2nd we were enjoying some very non-seasonal weather here in Cabo, it was more like spring with our nighttime lows in the mid 70’s and daytime highs in the mid 80’s, along with some slight breezes. Of course it had to change and now we have the normal situation with daytime highs reaching 99 degrees and on the 4th at 6 am we had 86 degrees here at the house. The humidity has kicked in as well and this morning we have a fairly good amount of cloud cover, the result of a small storm system moving across the Sea of Cortez from the mainland and crossing the Baja north of us.
WATER: The warm water we have been waiting for has finally arrived! On the Sea of Cortez we have had water in the 80-86 degree range while on the Pacific side it has been 78 degrees at the San Jaime Bank. Of course we have also had great surface conditions to go with this and it has made for some very good fishing trips! Swells have been moderate at 2-5 feet with just a light afternoon chop at the end of the week. Earlier in the week there were a couple of days when things got ugly when you returned to Cabo as the winds did pick up strong from the southwest, but it was only late in the day and did not affect many people.
BAIT: There was no problem getting bait this week with plenty of Mackerel, Caballito, Mullet and Sardinas. The bigger baits were the normal $2 per bait while the Sardinas were $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: I mentioned on the last report that I would be doing a fair amount of fishing this past week and I did get out for three days. I was amazed at the number of Striped Marlin still being caught! On Monday we released two small ones and had a few others in the pattern, Wednesday we released one nice fish out of about a dozen hook-ups (they did not want the live bait that day, just toying with it, and we are using single hook rigs on the plastic lures) and on Friday we released two Striped Marlin (a double strike, one on a lure and the other on a drop-back bait) out of 6 bites, one big Sailfish of over #100 out of three bites (all at the same time) and on the way home stopped just outside the bay when we say a free jumping Striped Marlin, trolled a few minutes and hooked, fought and released a small Blue Marlin! Now that was a good day! All this action has been within 5 miles of the coast on the Sea of Cortez between Palmilla and home, so there was no real need for a long run, all the action was within 12 miles. Of course that made it pretty crowded as well so a few of us just kicked it in gear and went farther to the north to escape the crowds and still found good fishing. It seemed that except for Wednesday when we had a run of fish that would not eat the bait, the action was evenly divided between artificial lures and live bait.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: These fish are still not here in any real numbers of large sizes yet, but I hope that will change any day now. The few fish that have been found close to home are still in the “football” category but there have been reports for the last two days of some decent fish in the 20-30 pound class outside of the San Jaime. The Bisbee East Cape Tournament had no qualifying fish (over #40) in the Tuna category for the first two days but on the third day a boat fought a fish of #160 for an hour before bringing it to the scale, so there is hope!
DORADO: The Dorado action continued to improve as the water warmed and the fish have been a bit larger on average as well. We caught a couple of fish this week that were over #40 and it seemed that every other boat returning to the marina had at least one yellow flag flying.
WAHOO: Just a few fish were reported this week but I have no information on them, sorry about that, just the rumors.
INSHORE: The reports were that the inshore action has been pretty much limited to either Roosterfish or bottom fishing. Most of the Pangas have been working on the large number of Striped Marlin, Sailfish and Dorado just off the beach.
NOTES: The fishing has improved and that has everybody here happy! Now, if the Tuna just make an appearance it will be that much better. On a musical note, my friend Daniel Tuchmann has returned from 6 months in Ireland, visiting all the stone circles possible, meeting other musicians and trying to get a little Irish influence into his music. It only took him a couple of days to settle back in and now he is playing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Hemmingway’s, just behind Cabo Wabo. An excellent guitarist, he plays covers with his own influence as well as some of his original work. Please check out the Billfish Foundation web-page concerning the recently passed shark fishing law in Mexico. http://www.billfish.org/new/NewsArticle.asp?ArticleID=60

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 08/11/2007
REPORT #1075 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape

The fly flingers were smiling this week as billfish action improved. There were multiples of sails, stripes and even a few blues showing in the patterns.

Our clients, Chris and Ryan Mott, from El Paso, Texas, managed to be the early birds on the scene when the YFT’s were busting sardina on the surface near La Ribera. They had three to the boat before the other boats arrived and drove the tuna down deep. A second day, the Motts had a very fun day catching lots of 5lb roosters, along with a few tuna.

With the sardina thick in spots, the bait guys have plenty to sell. The sardina have attracted these schools of 5-6 lb. roosters along with jack crevalle, sierra, green jacks, triggerfish, and enough needlefish to be a nuisance.


Dorado action consisted of nice sized fish, mostly singles showing up in the trolling pattern; not many found in schools.

Water temperature 78-87
Air temperature 74-98
Humidity 74%
Wind: NNW 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 2 miles
Sunrise 6:53 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:56 p.m. MDT


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico


Lightly fished this week, the offshore action continued to produce excellent catches of dorado and tuna. Football sized tuna, small yellows and nice sized dorado were found feeding on breezing bait just a few miles outside of the Boca. Also a few marlin are beginning to show under circling frigates near the Thetis.

Estero action included good catches of medium sized grouper, corvina, a few pargo and several small snook.

Enrique Soto reported good surface action at the Entrada for small yellows and bonito under the bird schools.

Water temperature 64 - 76
Air temperature 70 -87
Humidity 74%
Wind: WNW 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:05 p.m. MDT



Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The small yellowfin tuna are still around the six mile mark and they are keeping the blue marlin around. These small tuna are only about 4 or 5 pounds, and are candy for the big blues. Several more blues were hooked this week.

The larger yellowfin are still out beyond the 32 mile area of the 1,000 fathom curve.

A few dorado are showing this week, and hopefully these are the leaders of the September mass migration we get about every 4 years. When the migration happens, a 100 dorado a day is not unreasonable: unless you get tired and quit before then.

The roosterfish bite is still awesome, and an excellent opportunity for a fly rodder to get in on the action.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77-97
Humidity 92%
Wind: ENE at 2 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:28 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:15 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 6-12, 2007

WEATHER: Summertime is definitely here as we had daytime highs in the mid to high 90’s and nighttime lows averaging in the mid to low 80’s. We did record a nighttime low of 74 degrees here at the house on Wednesday morning, but I attribute that to the fact that we had a storm come and cross over us from the mainland and it lowered temperatures across the board for at least one day. It also brought easterly winds on Wednesday and Thursday that mad for some fairly rough and choppy conditions out in front of town. There was quite a bit of rain in the mountains as a result of the storm but we did not receive anything more that a slight splatter here in town as a result.
WATER: Let’s start with surface conditions first. On the Pacific side we had swells from the northwest and winds at 10-15 knots up until Tuesday night. When the storm from the East moved through the swells remained the same but there was no chop on top of them. You had to be up the Pacific side past San Cristobal before you realized the difference, but it was definitely there. On the Cortez side of the cape we had very choppy and rough conditions starting on Wednesday, getting very rough on Thursday and tapering off in Friday, and back to normal by Saturday. Sea temperatures were averaging 82-86 degrees on the Cortez side of the Cape and between 77 and 81 degrees on the Pacific side of the Cape.
BAIT: There was no problem getting bait this week with plenty of Mackerel, Caballito, Mullet and Sardinas. The bigger baits were the normal $2 per bait while the Sardinas were $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin action continued to be pretty much wide open for the boats this week and it has me confused. Normally when the water get this warm the Stripers have all but disappeared and we are lucky to get into a decent Blue Marlin bite this early in the season, but it appears that everything is still a little bit late. Most of the Striped Marlin have been in the 90-110 pound class but there has been an occasional fish to 180 pounds. These fish have been close to shore on the Cortez side of the Cape and there was no problem at all getting their interest before the storm moved in even if you were trolling plastic lures. After the storm came thought, the fish seemed to spread out a bit and live bait worked better then plastics died. Most of the fish that came to boatside coughed up squid in the 8-12 inch range so lures in the red color range worked a lot better than other colors for almost every species targeted this week. There were also a few small Blue Marlin caught and released, we had out third of the season on my boat, a small fish of about 120 pounds. There were fish reported between 180 and 500 pounds though and the reports were scattered as to location.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: If you wanted football Yellowfin Tuna, this was the week to be here. Fish in the 6-12 pound class were found almost everywhere on the Cortez side early in the week and they were not associated with any porpoise schools, instead they were associated with structure. If you concentrated on the 300-foot curve along the Cortez side you were guaranteed to get bit on theses fish. The vest results were to be had on feathers in dark colors and trolled in the 7-knot range. Some boats reported catches in the 20-30 fish numbers. An occasional fish went 15 pounds but these were the exception. As the week went on the bite moves across the Cape and at the end of the week most of the action occurred between the arch and the lighthouse.
DORADO: The Dorado action continued to improve as the water warmed and the fish have been a bit larger on average as well. We caught a couple of fish this week that were over #40 and it seemed that every other boat returning to the marina had at least one yellow flag flying.
WAHOO: Just rumors again, I think it is a moon phase thing.
INSHORE: Good to excellent Roosterfish were available on the Pacific side between the arch and the lighthouse on fish between 5 and 25 pounds. The baitfish moved in close to the beach and brought the Roosters with them. Other inshore action was spotty as most of the Pangas were concentration on the “close to shore” pelagic fish.
NOTES: For the third time in 8 years I got to see Orcas here in Cabo. On Wednesday morning we left the Marina and spotted a small pod of 8 Orcas just inside off of Lovers Beach. We followed them for 30 minutes as the crossed in front of the arch and continued to the west on the Pacific side. I managed to get one good picture of the big male in the group, there was also a female it a calf. Needless to say, that made out trip! On everything else related to fishing, the reports above tell the story. Go Seahawks!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 13-19, 2007

WEATHER: Our week started our as a normal summer week and weekend up with a taste of our Hurricane season weather, only without the wind. Monday and the rest of the weekdays were just great with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 90’s during the daytime and in the low 80’s at night. On Saturday and Sunday we had the edge of a storm system come across us as the system came across from the mainland and turned up the Sea of Cortez. This system brought us cloudy skies and a scattering of rain on Saturday with a fairly decent rain on Saturday night. The wind shifted around from the northeast and the daytime temperature dropped to the high 80;s and nighttime lows went to the mid 70;s.
WATER: On the Sea of Cortez we had water temperatures in the high 80’s over most of the area. From San Jose and to the south there was almost a wall where the temperature changed from 85 to 83 degrees. This warm water pushed across the Cape toward the Pacific side on a small plume that extended 5 miles offshore and 5 miles into the Pacific. On the Pacific side the water was 80-82 degrees. Both sides of the cape had excellent surface conditions early in the week but over the weekend the Cortez side saw considerable chop and building swells due to the northeastern winds.
BAIT: There was no problem getting bait this week with plenty of Mackerel, Caballito, Mullet and Sardinas. The bigger baits were the normal $2 per bait while the Sardinas were $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: We are still seeing large numbers of Striped Marlin out on the water, very strange for this time of year, but at least they are there and they are biting. The major mass of fish has moved to the Pacific side of the Cape, just off the beach between the Lighthouse and the Golden Gate Bank. The bite has been an even mix between lures and live bait with most of the bait caught fish coming into the lure pattern and eating drop-backs. An average catch has been two Striped Marlin per day with a few boats scoring five or six. Also, there are finally some nice sized Blue and Black Marlin showing up. Most of these fish have been in the area of the various Banks and fairly evenly scattered.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the Tuna bite dropped off, our great showing of football-sized fish came to a screeching halt with the change in the weather. There are still some fish out there, but not tin the numbers we were seeing last week. A few scattered schools of larger fish have been found on the Pacific side of the Cape outside the San Jaime Banks, but it has been a 40+ mile run with not a great chance of success in finding them. If you did find them, larger cedar plugs and Striped Marlin sized lures in dark colors worked best.
DORADO: As the water warms up the Dorado action is one thing you can count on, and the water is just about perfect right now. Every boat I have seen come into the Marina has had at least one yellow flag flying, and a few that were in the right spot at the right time had both outriggers loaded with them. Most of the action on Dorado has been on the Pacific side of the Cape and close to shore. Fish in the 20-40 pound class have been eating bright colored lures, and the occasional larger fish has bitten on live bait dropped back after seeing Frigate birds working an area.
WAHOO: There were a few nice fish caught this week and hopefully next month things will improve. The fish I saw were in the 40-60 pound class and were found at the edge of the Pacific side banks, caught by boats working the edges for Marlin.
INSHORE: Just like last week. Good to excellent Roosterfish were available on the Pacific side between the arch and the lighthouse on fish between 5 and 25 pounds. The baitfish moved in close to the beach and brought the Roosters with them. Other inshore action was spotty as most of the Pangas were concentration on the “close to shore” pelagic fish.
NOTES: Keep an eye on the weather; this is the time of year when things can turn quickly. I love fishing in August and September, there are some of the biggest fish of the year here now and there is not as much pressure on them as there is in October. Until next week, tight lines! P.S., if you get a chance to listen to music by Miguel de Hoyos, take advantage of the opportunity, you won’t regret it!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 20-26, 2007

WEATHER: Everyone was surprised this week as our weather was more reminiscent of May than of August. Our daytime highs were in the mid 80’s and our nighttime lows were in the low 70’s, really very nice. Part of that was due to the cloud cover we have had this week as we had a couple of small systems pass to the north bringing rain to the mountains and cloud cover to us. At the end of the week we had the experience repeated as the remnants of Hurricane Dean again passed to the north of us bringing two days of cloudy skies and cool breezes. We had a slight spattering of rain, more of a slight sprinkle than anything else, here in Cabo but it came down pretty heavily in the mountains and I was told that it rained hard in La Paz as well.
WATER: We had a couple of days with large swells from the southwest early in the week and then they shifted and came from the west. The winds remained out of the northwest for the most part and this put a chop on the water on the Pacific side of the Cape. On the Cortez side the surface conditions remained fairly nice with water close to home being smooth and calm. Surface temperatures remained warmer on the Cortez side of the Cape with water inside the 1,000-fathom line being between 79 and 82 degrees. On the Pacific side the water was cooler with closer to shore at 74-75 degrees and out around the Golden Gate Bank being right at 80 degrees.
BAIT: There was no problem getting bait this week with plenty of Mackerel, Caballito, Mullet and Sardinas. The bigger baits were the normal $2 per bait while the Sardinas were $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: I had an exciting day on the water this week when we went up the Pacific side to find the Striped Marlin that had been close to the coast. I went past the Golden Gate Bank on the inside, cruising along looking for signs of fish. I finally found a mass of bait on the surface being worked by birds but it was a giant school of Sardinas and the only fish feeding on them were small Skipjacks, not what we were looking for. We turned to the southwest and as we approached the Gate I could see plenty of boats there on Radar. We arrived at noon and there wee boats hooking up all over the place and there were solid bait marks at 200 feet, large schools of Mackerel on the scope. We had a couple of bites while slow trolling bait but I was waiting for the fleet boats to leave so we could work the feeders that were popping up now and then. At 2 pm there were only a couple of us left and then things got interesting. Without all the boats there to chase them down, the Marlin would come up in packs and feed. The birds would pile up and there was even a finback whale feeding there! We would pull up to the action and drop back a live bait and ten seconds later the line would come tight on a Marlin. We released two Stripers fairly quickly and then had a long fight with a small Blue Marlin of about 200 pounds. Our angler was tired after that and we headed in, but if we had stayed I have no doubt that it could have been a double digit day. There were scattered fish caught in other areas on both the Cortez side and the Pacific, but for several days the Gate was the place to be.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Still scattered, there were reports of some fish in the 25 pound class being found out toward the Cabrilla Seamount on the Cortez side and fish a slight bit smaller at the south end of the San Jaime Banks. A few boats did wide sweeps far offshore in both directions and found fish, but nothing to make a long trip worth it. The fish that were found were biting on cedar plugs and small hootchies, the smaller fish were eating the hootchies that were being jigged, and of course red was a favorite color for them (think squid).
DORADO: While not wide open, the Dorado action was consistent. Almost everyone was able to find a fish or two and most of the action was closer to the beach than you would think. As a matter of fact, there were probably more Dorado caught by the Pangas than by the cruisers, at least this week. The fish found offshore were larger on the average, but a bit scarcer.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo this week, but there were probably a few caught, the water and moon were right for them.
INSHORE: Just like last week and the week before. Good to excellent Roosterfish were available on the Pacific side between the arch and the lighthouse on fish between 5 and 25 pounds. The baitfish moved in close to the beach and brought the Roosters with them. Other inshore action was spotty as most of the Pangas were concentration on the “close to shore” pelagic fish.
NOTES: Great weather, good fishing, it’s been an allaround nice week to be here. I finally got a new roof on the house (2 layers of torch down) so I am ready for any rain that might come our way and not have to be putting pots and towels all over the house to catch the leaks. My Jeep is finally here and the new steering components should be in next week. Then it is time to get into the mountains and see all the flowers and green growth the rain brought us! As far as my music this week, I went back to the classics and my selection was the Fleetwood Mac album “Rumors”. Until next week, Tight Lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 27-Sept. 09, 2007
NOTES This report will start out with the note section as I need to apologize up front to all those of you who read my report on a weekly basis. With Hurricane Henrietta coming and the preparations needed last week as well as the beginning of football season I was in a bit of a time bind. Now that the squeeze is over I have the time to get a report out to you. What follows is mostly an update on present conditions, what was in the past remains in the past and unless you were here it will have no bearing on your fishing decisions in the future. By the way, this week’s music is an eclectic mix from a CD lent to me by my golf buddy Roy Johnson, we have had Patty Cline, Neil Diamond, Neil Young and Merle Haggard coming through the speakers this morning! Thanks Roy!

WEATHER: As I mentioned in the Note section above, we had to deal with Hurricane Henrietta this past week. She came through on Tuesday with winds gusting to 85 mph, not too bad, and she dropped about 5 inches of rain on us. Once again, not a bad amount and it was scattered over two days, that allowed a lot of it to soak into the ground and limited the damage to the roads from runoff. Prior to the Hurricane we had winds from the northwest at an average of 8 knots, not quite enough to put a chop on the water but after Henrietta the winds were light and variable. We had winds from the southeast on Sunday morning but earlier in the week they were mostly from the northwest. Our temperatures have been great with the daytime highs in the mid 90’s and nighttime lows in the low 80’s. The humidity was high after the hurricane and in the early mornings but for the rest of the time it was not bad at all.
WATER: We just had a hurricane so what can I say? Prior to the hurricane we had swells from the west at 2-4 feet, during the hurricane they were 10-12 feet from the south, after the hurricane they were 4-8 from the southeast and then they shifted back to normal at 2-4 from the northwest. The water temperatures were more affected by the storm that the surface conditions over the long run. Where before the hurricane we had surface temps in the low 80’s at the Golden Gate Banks on the Pacific side, after the storm went through the temps dropped to 76 degrees. This was pretty much the pattern across the board. Up at the Gorda Banks we had water temps in the mid 80’s prior to the storm and afterwards we were seeing 80 degrees. The water clarity changed just a bit and the biggest change was the amount of debris in the water. There was quite a large amount of small trash washed out to sea and it littered the water close to shore.
BAIT: Prior to the hurricane bait was no problem, immediately after the storm there was no bait available but things have improved over the last few days. There are Caballito and some Mackerel at the normal $2 per bait and there were some Sardinas as well in the last few days at the normal $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The two days before Hurricane Henrietta struck us the Striped Marlin bite was wide open. The last time I saw the bite this good was two years ago when the Finger Bank was going off. The day before the Hurricane we fished the area three miles off the beach just to the inside of Golden Gate Banks. Over the three days prior the bait had moved off the bank toward land and the Marlin followed them. With three anglers aboard we were able to release 10 Striped Marlin to 160 pounds and one Blue Marlin of #200 in just about four hours. There were bait balls everywhere and the birds were working them hard. While hooked up on a double with one angler at the bow and another in the cockpit I watched as a group of a dozen Stripers fed on a ball of bait within 50 feet of the boat and several of the group chased the baits under the boat as I watched from the tower. Great stuff! After the hurricane it appeared that things dropped off a bit as the conditions had changed but the fish were still in the area. A few boats were coming in flying 8 flags and a lot more were stringing up four flags from the outriggers. It appears that the fish are still in the same area but the increased swells from the hurricane broke up the bait concentrations a bit and it was a bit harder to find the concentrations of bait. A good depth sounder helped a lot. Another technique that had good results was trolling a slightly higher than normal speed with the lures, 9.5 knots instead of the usual 7.5-8 knots. For some reason that seemed to kick the Marlins appetite into gear and they would bite on the plastic at that speed instead of ignoring it.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were still football fish to be found before and after the storm and we did well on the fish from 8-12 pounds on the east side of the San Jaime and the south side of the Golden Gate prior to the weather hitting us. These fish were not associated with Porpoise; they were schooled in the open and were moving around fast. After the storm they were still in the same areas and dark colored feathers worked well on them but red was the color of choice as red was out-bit by a factor of 5-3 over other colors.
DORADO: Once again the Dorado bite was consistent and with the amount of debris in the water it will likely improve as far as finding concentrations of fish. Stray couples in the 40-50 pound class were found both before and after the storm, but there were concentrations of small fish in the 8-pound class found under the small debris after the storm. This means that we should be seeing quite a few fish in the perfect 12-20 pound class within the next 90 days and our fingers are crossed for that to happen.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo this week, but there were probably a few caught, the water and moon were right for them.
INSHORE: No inshore fishing due to rough and dirty water caused by the storm this week, but the Roosterfish should really be stirred up within the next week.
An email I received this week, another way to help let the government know.
Hello Cabo Anglers!



The Billfish Foundation is working to ensure the future of Cabo's amazing billfishing. Efforts have been made before in Mexico to pass laws that would hurt Los Cabos fantastic fishing. While these efforts have all failed, we want to prevent future threats. Local charter companies have identified you as a Cabo angler. Can you please help us by taking a few minutes to complete a survey? The results will be used to help pass stronger conservation laws intended to improve fishing success rates and the Cabo fishing experience. All responses will be completely confidential.



To take the survey, please click: http://www.southwickassociates.com/surveys/cabo_survey/Default.aspx?sicd=AJJMEI-73 . The Billfish Foundation has hired Southwick Associates to administer the surveys. We sincerely appreciate your help in protecting Cabos unique fishery, and hope to see you fishing again in Los Cabos.

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 10-16, 2007

WEATHER: We are back to summertime weather with our daytime highs in the mid to high 90’s. There was a report of low 100’s just to the north of us toward San Jose on Friday. Nights have been a bit cooler with the lows in the low 80’s, but with little wind toward the end of the week it seemed a lot warmer than that. We have had partially cloudy skies with no rain. Forecasts for the next week are a repeat of the same.
WATER: Surface conditions have been great, especially toward the end of the week with the winds light and variable. Swells have been from the west-southwest at 2-4 feet and the water has been a bit warmer than last week. We did have a plume of warm water run across the 95 spot at the end of the week with the temperature there at 85-86 degrees. On the Pacific side up past the Golden Gate Bank there was a defined temperature and color break. At 5 miles north of the bank the water became a deep blue and changed from 78 degrees to 82 degrees in the middle of the week. There was a lot of debris from the hurricane in the well-defined current line, but it was too new to hold and bait or fish. At the same time the water at the San Jaime Banks and toward the Cape was an off-color green but even at 76 degrees was holding fish on the contour lines. On the Cortez side of the Cape we had a warm, blue water plume that ran from the Cabrillo Seamount across the 1150 and onto the 95 spot. At the end of the week things had changed quite a bit and the warm water was closer to home with 83-84 degree water across all the banks both on the Pacific side and the Cortez side of the Cape. The water just off the arch to five miles to the east and 10 miles to the west was cooler at 80 degrees.
BAIT: Prevailing bait this week was Caballito at $2 per bait, Mullet at $2 per bait and Sardinas at $25 per scoop. A few boats were able to make their own Mackerel during their fishing trips and these seemed to be the bait preferred by the fish.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The week began with good fishing for Striped Marlin on the inside of the Golden Gate bank and then the bite slowly shifted to the south. At the end of the week there were still a few Stripers being found at the Gate but there were more fish to the south and east of the Cape, even though the water was more off-colored. A few boats released as many as 8 fish per trip working the area between the Cape and the 95 spot and there were scattered fish on the surface on the Pacific side around the Gate and within 4 miles of the beach. There were reports of some decent Blue Marlin being found as well. I heard a story of one Panga working off of the 95 spot that released two blues, one estimated at #250 and the other at #450 early in the week.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Football fish were still the order of the day for most of the boats, but finding them on a regular basis was a problem. To the north on the Cortez side of the Cape around the Punta Gorda area there were fish scattered around. Not associated with porpoise, they were found by trolling in the blind. Once one was hooked up the crew threw out live Sardinas to try and chum up the fish. The largest of these were reported at around 30 pounds. The good news is that on Friday there were some decent fish found on the west side of the San Jaime Banks at a distance of 30 miles from Cabo. The first boat to these fish caught 5 Yellowfin estimated between 45 and 60 pounds. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come!
DORADO: The Dorado bite was scattered again but the best results were had by boats working close to the beach on the Pacific side of the Cape. Most of the fish were in the 12-20 pound class with occasional fish to 40 pounds being reported. Hooking a fish on a trolled lure then drifting back live bait while keeping the hooked fish close to the boat resulted in some of the better catches. A good day this week was three or four Dorado while a great day was 6 fish. Most of the boats were happy to get two Dorado in the box. Things might improve over time as the debris to the north of the Golden Gate Ban works its way south.
WAHOO: I saw a few Wahoo in the 20-25 pound class come in this week and the new moon may have had a great deal to do with it. I also hear radio reports of larger fish being hooked up but biting through the mono leader being run on the Marlin lures. These Wahoo were reported from the various Banks, in the warm water areas.
INSHORE: The bite was still off after the dirty water from the hurricane. I was hoping that the Rooster fishing would pick back up but it remained slow this week. Most of the Pangas resorted to focusing on Dorado and Striped Marlin within 5 miles of shore.
Hello Cabo Anglers!



The Billfish Foundation is working to ensure the future of Cabo's amazing bill fishing. Efforts have been made before in Mexico to pass laws that would hurt Los Cabos fantastic fishing. While these efforts have all failed, we want to prevent future threats. Local charter companies have identified you as a Cabo angler. Can you please help us by taking a few minutes to complete a survey? The results will be used to help pass stronger conservation laws intended to improve fishing success rates and the Cabo fishing experience. All responses will be completely confidential.



To take the survey, please click: http://www.southwickassociates.com/surveys/cabo_survey/Default.aspx?sicd=AJJMEI-73 . The Billfish Foundation has hired Southwick Associates to administer the surveys. We sincerely appreciate your help in protecting Cabos unique fishery, and hope to see you fishing again in Los Cabos.

[puertovallartafish]

well it has been a great week of fishing here in
Puerto Vallarta the bank has been red hot with
monster yellow fin tuna jumping around averaging
150-300 + went out yesterday for a 12 hour day
with Larry Anderson on the 2006 lurhs with
captain Steve Torres and mate Freddy
Rodriguez right when we reached the bank we
saw them jumping all over the place so we
starting trolling and picked up a mahi mahi it was
a nice fish but not what we were looking for so we
starting kite fishing just chasing these monster's
around but did not get a bite so around 4 pm we
tried just drifting with live bait and 5 minutes later
a nice yellow fin was hooked up it was about an 1
hour fight in the hottest part of the day I think Larry
lost a few pounds reeling the tuna in but it was all
worth it. Right now the bank is wide open and is
only going to get better until December 300-1000
lb marlin, mahi mahi, red snapper, and of course
our favorite yellow fin tuna!http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/mahiyellowfin.jpg[/IMG] http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/2yellowfintuna.jpg[/IMG]

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 17-23, 2007

WEATHER: We once again were treated to normal summertime weather in Cabo, with our daytime highs in the mid to upper 90’s and nighttime low in the mid 80’s. Combine that with a fairly high humidity level and things were nice and sweaty most of the week. As the week drew to a close we were all watching the slowly approaching Hurricane Ivo, which then became Tropical Storm Ivo, den finally regressed into merely a Tropical Depression, much to our relief! Cloudy skies with a bit of rain are just what we need!
WATER: Surface conditions were great all week with the swells increasing just a bit to a possible six feet at the weekend due to the effects of Ivo. Water temperatures on the Cortez side of the Cape and around the Pacific side to the southern edge of Golden Gate Bank were a steady 84-85 degrees. At the end of the week there was a very defined temperature and color break on top of the Golden Gate. This temperature break started as an eddy of cold water off of the Cape mid-week and has been pushed to the north over the course of the past few days.
BAIT: Exactly the same as last week, the prevailing bait this week was Caballito at $2 per bait, Mullet at $2 per bait and Sardinas at $25 per scoop. A few boats were able to make their own Mackerel during their fishing trips and these seemed to be the bait preferred by the fish.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The story of the week, and possibly of the month, continues to be the unprecedented number of Striped Marlin being caught. While Cabo is known as the marlin capitol of the world for a good reason, having these numbers so close and at this time of year is simply amazing. Boats that wanted Striped Marlin only had to go to the Golden Gate Bank, and between the Bank and the shoreline this week to get into simply incredible action. Most of you who read my reports know that I am pretty even in reporting the action, right? Well, when I have clients that can go out and release 13 Stripes one day and 15 the next, and do it during a normal charter, then that’s something to shout about. These numbers were not abnormal either; a lot of boats were getting into that kind of action. Bait balls were everywhere and the Marlin were busting into them all over the place. Slow trolled live baits, drop-backs into the lure pattern when the lures were pulled at 9 knots and dropping live bait around the bait balls all worked extremely well on these concentrated fish. While the action on Striped Marlin was hot, the Blues have been slow to show, but we did have one boat that hooked up and landed one of about #250 and then hooked and fought for a few minutes another on of about #400. This action was at the 95 spot and was not typical. Most boats were not finding any Blues, and normally at this time of year we would be having reports of 60% of the fleet having a blue into the spread. A friend of mine caught a #565 pound Black on Friday while fishing around the Gorda Banks, the first large Black I have heard of so far this year.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: We are finally beginning to see some Yellowfin action, and it is about time! There are still football fish to 20 pounds but the buzz this week was about the fish in the #80-#150 class that were found as close as 5 miles from the arch. These fish were associated with porpoise and they moved back and forth between the lighthouse and the San Jaime Banks for about four day in the middle of the week. First boats into them were usually able to hang one or two fish, the largest I heard of was #180 but I was also told by a credible source that there was one fish in the #250+ caught. The fish moved on later in the week but it was a good introduction to what we can expect in the near future. Other fish were found on a consistent basis at the San Jaime Banks and they were in the 40-60 pound range and I did have one report of a boat going to the Cabrilla Seamount and finding some fish that size there was well. The best baits were live Mackerel but most of the boats had to resort to live Caballito. Mackerel seemed to out-fish the Caballito by about two to one.
DORADO: The Dorado action remained consistent this week and most of the action took place on the Pacific side. Just like last week the fish seemed to be concentrated close to the beach, within three miles out for the most part. Ranging in size from little slippers of 6 pounds to some very nice Bulls of #60, the average was #20. Bright lures and live bait were the best producers. The debris in the water that was north of the Golden Gate Bank last week and I found unproductive at the time has finally started to produce some nice fish as well. Boats venturing just to the north of the bank early in the week were getting some decent schooling fish under some of the larger debris, and what is nice is that the current line seems to be holding the stuff in the same area!
WAHOO: There were scattered Wahoo again this week and they were mostly caught by boats working close to shore for the Dorado. The largest fish I heard of was 40 pounds and most of them were half that. These speedsters were not common but a few boats were flying two flags at a time. I imagine that if you had targeted these fish this week there might have been some decent action.
INSHORE: Inshore fishing remained slow for the traditional species this week as the number of Roosterfish was down and the Pargo just were not on the bite. Most of the Pangas were focusing on Dorado and did have fine action with them. Bottom action was slow as well with mostly small snapper and an occasional Amberjack and Grouper in the mix.
Notes: I have a four-day trip starting Saturday and will have a bit of information next week about conditions and fishing up around the East Cape if you are interested in checking back then. I just hope the wind from the Tropical Depression stays away! Also, please take the time to check out the link below and fill out the survey, your help is needed.
Hello Cabo Anglers!



The Billfish Foundation is working to ensure the future of Cabo's amazing bill fishing. Efforts have been made before in Mexico to pass laws that would hurt Los Cabos fantastic fishing. While these efforts have all failed, we want to prevent future threats. Local charter companies have identified you as a Cabo angler. Can you please help us by taking a few minutes to complete a survey? The results will be used to help pass stronger conservation laws intended to improve fishing success rates and the Cabo fishing experience. All responses will be completely confidential.



To take the survey, please click: http://www.southwickassociates.com/surveys/cabo_survey/Default.aspx?sicd=AJJMEI-73 . The Billfish Foundation has hired Southwick Associates to administer the surveys. We sincerely appreciate your help in protecting Cabos unique fishery, and hope to see you fishing again in Los Cabos.

[puertovallartafish]

Puerto Vallarta fishing report September 27th 2007.

Well the Puerto Vallarta fishing season has officially stated. Another great week of fishing but
yesterday was definetly the highlight I told everyone we would dock the first 300 + cow again this season and yesterday September 26th was the
day! Captain Steve Torres and crew mate Freddy Rodriguez did it again docking a 340 lb yellow fin tuna with client Mark Shwab on the 2006 lurhs! they headed out to the bank at 7 am the day started a little slow but you could smell the tuna in the air well not really but you could see them jumping around. We reached the banks a little before 9 caught some live bait and starting trolling did not get a bite until about noon and hooked a nice 300 + marlin. Then about 3 pm still trolling with live bait hooked up with with a 340 lb yellow fin beast took about 3 hours to pull in but look at this cow what a beast! Now this Pig was still out in the sun and did not get weighed with an official scale until about 9pm so it easily lost a few pounds on the way in but never the less still hit an official 340. Well Mark is coming again with us this Friday he only needs 50 more lbs to beat the world record so he's going for it and why not someone is going to break the record this year why not him!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/340lbtuna.jpg

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 09/22/2007
REPORT #1081 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
You know its September because there was another tropical depression below Baja and threatening to head our way. That must be why all the hotels offer special deals in September to entice folks to play hurricane roulette. For all of you who played this week, you are big winners!

Once again, East Cape’s little secret that some of the best fishing of the season is in September has been exposed. By all accounts this week was one of the best this year!

Dorado and yellowfin were found close to shore along the current break, which was easily found with all the floating debris.

Billfish action, while a click slower, is still good enough that Mark Rayor, owner of Vista Seasports, is headed out this morning to try to get one on the fly.

Our Guide, Lance Peterson, reported good beach activity as well. “Schools of gaff top sail pompano continue to provide some challenging opportunities. I see them feeding actively but have to work to catch them. Sparse fry baitfish, in small sizes, has been effective. As always find the bait and you find the fish. Around the sardina schools I've been catching jacks and roosters (to 5lbs), ladyfish, as well as some pargo.”


Water temperature 78-87
Air temperature 76-96
Humidity 83%
Wind: SE 2 to 3 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:35 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:43 p.m. MDT


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Offshore action for dorado, small yellows and football sized tuna was great throughout the week. TD IVO produced some squirrelly weather late in the week and rain this morning.

Estero action included spotted bay bass, grouper, and on the surface, a few sierra and corvina down at Devil’s Curve.

The Entrada also produced small yellows and bonito under the bird schools as well as some small halibut in the shallows at Belchers.


Water temperature 64 - 76
Air temperature 71 -90
Humidity 82%
Wind: NNW 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Rain
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:15 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:25 p.m. MDT






Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
No report received this week, the following report is from the past week:
Not much is happening this week. There are so few clients fishing, there are not many boats on the water. Those boats which are getting out with a client, are only averaging about one sailfish per day and maybe one or two dorado.

The commercial pangeros are still working the areas out about 30 miles and getting four or five dorado apiece, averaging about 25 pounds.

No action has been reported on the inshore for the roosterfish.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 76-96
Humidity 83%
Wind: NNW at 3 mph
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:35 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:43 p.m. CDT

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 09/29/2007
REPORT #1082 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/bull9.29.07.gif
Fly Tamed Bull
East Cape’s September fishing was some of 2007’s best, and hopefully it was a prelude to a great October.

Offshore action began where inshore action left off, just a few miles offshore. John Lowther, of Phoenix, AZ, called in yesterday morning from his cellular to report he was in a wide open tuna bite only a few miles from the hotel. John is hosting a group of friends at the old Rancho Buena Vista Hotel.

At Punta Pescadero, the sailfish were lollygagging on the surface less than two miles from the point and only a few miles farther out, the blue marlin were in the teasers.

Finding the dorado was a ‘slam dunk’ with plenty of easy-to-spot debris providing cover for them.

Lance Peterson reported that on the beach around the bait there were many "schoolie" jack crevalle, roosterfish, and ladyfish that could be sucker punched with the right fly. The gaff top sail pompano schools were in evidence cruising up and down the beaches. A smaller fly and light tippet were needed to get the grabs from the pompano.

Water temperature 77-85
Air temperature 67-89
Humidity 90%
Wind: N 5 to 7 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:09 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Bob Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters, reported bay fishing is “as good as it gets” with limits of grouper, a handful of snook, as well as several large corvina

Outside, the dorado action picked up again with some larger bulls showing up. Still plenty of small yellowtail with a few sierra mixed in.

Water temps out at the Thetis have climbed to 78.5 degrees and the top of the bank is covered with small bonito. The clients had to get off the high spot to find the dorado.

One yacht making the trip south reported wahoo, marlin and dorado on the ridge.

Water temperature 64 - 76
Air temperature 71 -90
Humidity 83%
Wind: NW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:18 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:17 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The sailfish have been kind of slow, but with the full moon, this is not really a surprise. Plus, there are only 4 or 5 boats fishing per day, and half of them are fishing the inshore for the great roosterfish bite.

The 83° blue water is about 12 miles off the beach, but the boats are often short stopping at the 6 to 8 mile mark in order to fish the dorado in the weed lines. They are averaging about two or three of these tasty fish, which are averaging between 16 and 33 pounds.

The inshore water, averaging about 86°, has really been holding the bait and the roosterfish on the beaches, with quite a few jack crevalle in the mix. There is no defined area for the concentrations of roosters. They are all up and down the coast.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 76-92
Humidity 86%
Wind: NNW at 3 mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:36 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:37 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 24-30, 2007

WEATHER: It seems that every week this time of year offers something a little bit different. An example was that at the start of this week we were recovering from the anticipated effects of Hurricane (later Tropical Storm, and then Tropical Depression, Ivo) which ended up consisting of some good sized swells and cloud cover along with a light sprinkling of rain. The middle of the week was back to normal with sunshine and hot, high 90’s daytime temps and mid 80’s in the evenings. At the end of the week we were back to cloudy skies and sprinkling of rain, Sunday morning saw the rain starting at 2 am and there was a resulting drop in the temperature to a very comfortable mid 80 degrees.
WATER: The start of the week saw the remanents of Tropical Depression Ivo bring in the last of the large swells with 6 feet on the Pacific side and at all south-western exposures. The rest of the week had swells from the west and north-west at 3-5 feet with plenty of space between them. At the approach of the weekend the swells picked up once again as there was a area of convection move over us bring in the rain and a slight breeze, along with an increase in swells resulting from the formation of Tropical Storm Juliette well to the southwest of us. Water temperatures on the Sea of Cortez were 85-88 degrees and on the Pacific side of the Cape we had 81-85 degrees with no strong breaks. The water on the Pacific side, besides being just a little bit cooler, also had a slightly greener cast to them.
BAIT: This week we had plenty of Mackerel available as well as some Mullet at the normal $2 per bait and there were plenty of Sardinas available at the normal $20 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite continued this week but moved a bit farther to the north on the Pacific side, up pas the Golden Gate and toward the Finger Bank. Boats focusing on them were able to release as many as 6 fish per boat but it was a bit farther to run than last week. There were still fish found clioser to home though, and every boat out there had a chance to catch one. There were still Sailfish to be found and the bite improved on Blue and Black Marlin as well. I had a four day trip early in the week and we released a Striper on the first day, went one for three on Blue Marlin the second day (releasing one of about #200), one for two on Sailfish on day three and on the fourth and final day, two for two on Black Marlin, releasing one of about #180 at Estilladera and then tail-wrapping one and having it die, then boating it, weighing out at #265, at the Outer Gorda Banks.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Finally these fish are starting to show. There have been plenty of the football-sized fish out there and boats have had a lot of luck on the Pacific side around the San Jaime and inside the Golden Gate. These fish are associated with Porpoise, as is the norm. There have also been some nice school fish in the 40-100 pound range caught a little farther out in the same areas, but normally to the first few boat to get there. I also heard of some very nice fish in the #150-#200 class caught by Pangas working out of La Playita and fishing the Inman Banks area using live Skipjack as bait. Not red hot action, but consistent enough that there were boats fishing there every day, all day hoping to hook one of these nice fish up.
DORADO: Steady and consistent action was to be had on the Pacific side of the Cape this week on fish between 12 and 25 pounds with a few fish in the 50+ range. From just off the beach to out at the Banks and farther, the larger fish seemed to be a bit farther out, the smaller fish closer to shore. Finding debris in the water was a sure bet with the wash-out from the rain dropped by Ivo. If the debris was large enough you could be sure of at least a fish or two and a few boats were able to find small schools concentrated under the floatsam, boating limits of two Dorado per angler (of course no one exceeded the limit, sigh)
WAHOO: Just like last week, there were scattered Wahoo again this week and they were mostly caught by boats working close to shore for the Dorado. The largest fish I heard of was 40 pounds and most of them were half that. These speedsters were not common but a few boats were flying two flags at a time. I imagine that if you had targeted these fish this week there might have been some decent action.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week. Inshore fishing remained slow for the traditional species this week as the number of Roosterfish was down and the Pargo just were not on the bite. Most of the Pangas were focusing on Dorado and did have fine action with them. Bottom action was slow as well with mostly small snapper and an occasional Amberjack and Grouper in the mix.
Notes: This weeks report was written to the blues, swing, jinking and jiving music of “We are Mighty Lester” on their 2007 self produced album. Check them out at www.mightylesterband.com, it will be worth your while. Meanwhile, efforts have been made before in Mexico to pass laws that would hurt Los Cabos fantastic fishing. While these efforts have all failed, we want to prevent future threats.. Can you please help us by taking a few minutes to complete a survey? The results will be used to help pass stronger conservation laws intended to improve fishing success rates and the Cabo fishing experience. All responses will be completely confidential.



To take the survey, please click: http://www.southwickassociates.com/surveys/cabo_survey/Default.aspx?sicd=AJJMEI-73 . The Billfish Foundation has hired Southwick Associates to administer the surveys. We sincerely appreciate your help in protecting Cabos unique fishery, and hope to see you fishing again in Los Cabos.

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
October 1-7, 2007

WEATHER: Our temperatures continue to cool a bit as we start into October, normally we notice the first cool day on the 15th, but we don’t mind it starting a bit early. We have been very fortunate this year to experience a fairly cool summer. This week our daytime highs were in the high 80’s, occasionally touching the low 90’s and our nighttime lows were in the mid 70’s. A few cloudy days occurred during the middle of the week that threatened us with rain, but they dropped their water over the Sea of Cortez instead of on us.
WATER: As the weather has cooled off the water has warmed up. On the Cortez side of the Cape we have had temperatures as high as 90 degrees in some spots, but for the most part it has averaged 85-86 degrees and has been a deep blue color. On the Pacific side it has been cooler with most of the water in range of the fleets between 80-83 degrees with the cooler water farther north. Surface conditions at the end of the week were not great though as we had winds from the west-northwest develop Friday morning and it was like a sheep farm out there Friday and Saturday. The wind settled on Sunday but it was still choppy.
BAIT: There was some Mackerel available this week but they were not lasting long in the bait tanks. Most of the boats were getting Caballito and both baits were the normal $2 per bait. There were Sardinas available as well at the normal $20 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Late in the week there was a good bite on Blue and Striped Marlin at the Gorda Banks, there were tailing Stripers to be found on the 95 Spot and there were Sailfish 6 miles off of the Arch. Billfish were scattered all over the place but the bottom structure seemed to be the place to find them this week. While I did not go there myself, I heard reports of a very good Striped Marlin bite up at the Finger Bank early in the week with many boats getting double digit numbers of fish released. Our best lure color this week was Bleeding Mackerel for the Sailfish and Striped Marlin and Purple-Blue-Silver for the Blue and Black Marlin.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: At the end of the week there was a decent school of Yellowfin found at the Golden Gat Bank but you really took a pounding to get to them. Reports were the fish were averaging 20 pounds and most boats were able to get a dozen or more. Yellowfin were also found to the north side of the Cabrilla Seamount among porpoise and again, they averaged 20 pounds with a few larger fish to 50 pounds in the mix. For boats that were able to do multi-day trips up the Pacific side, the Ridge and Morgan Banks reportedly had fish in the 80 pound class holding deep, small Skipjack run on downriggers were the ticket for a few of the private boats that ventured that way and worked the fish.
DORADO: There were Dorado scattered just about everywhere but the best concentrations were on the Pacific side 3 miles off the beach inside the Golden Gate Bank and north of there. As was usual, bright colored lures trolled at 9 knots and better brought in the first fish and live bait dropped behind the first fish caught managed to get quite a few anglers hooked into doubles or triples. Also as normal, anything found floating on the surface was worth working and at the end of the week there were a couple of logs found just to the outside of the 95 Spot that supplied a lot of action on fish averaging 25 pounds. On Wednesday there was a school of fish found just one mile off of the Arch and that kept boats busy for the day working fish in the 15-pound class.
WAHOO: We did not have a full moon this week so the bite on Wahoo was a bit off compared to what it had been, but still, boats that worked the 100 fathom and shallower areas just off the beach on the Pacific side, and the Gorda Banks area on the Cortez side were able to report some action on these speedsters. The best lures were swimming plugs such as Marauders and big Rapalla countdowns run close to the boat, mostly within the first three wakes.
INSHORE: Inshore action remained slow for most of the week, at least for the traditional fish. There was a good bite for Dorado just off the beach, at least until Thursday morning, and then the wind really started to kick in. The remainder of the week the action shifted to the Cortez side and things became really slow with the exception of a good bite on Skipjack and a few Bonita.
Notes: I love baseball during the playoffs; it is fun watching the best of the best. My golf game is getting better but this is the time of year when I get busy on the water so I know that the golf is going to suffer. Oh well, the paycheck is worth it! I know that I have been running the following for the past three weeks, but if you have not yet had a chance, or have been reluctant to go to the attached web site, please take the time this week to fill in the survey, it’s important for our fisheries here. Thanks for your support, and until next week, tight lines!

To take the survey, please click: http://www.southwickassociates.com/surveys/cabo_survey/Default.aspx?sicd=AJJMEI-73. The Billfish Foundation has hired Southwick Associates to administer the surveys. We sincerely appreciate your help in protecting Cabos unique fishery, and hope to see you fishing again in Los Cabos.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 10/13/2007
REPORT #1084 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/LPGC---Mark-Rayor-Winner.gif
The Buck Stops Here
The first North Winds of the season kicked up a few days early in the week, causing wind waves and off-color water. Though the water temps remained good, it didn’t begin to clean up until late in the week.

The offshore action was scattered from a few miles offshore to forty miles out. A good striper bite, along with a few sails and two blues, was reported.

The tuna overshadowed the dorado this week with some fifty pound class tuna showing up under the porpoise.

Overshadowed maybe, but the dorado bite remained consistent again this week under debris found close to shore.

In spite of the North Winds making for tough fly fishing days, Lance reported the bait schools were still hanging out in the same spots and a diligent caster could expect to connect. Roosters, jacks to 5 lb's. and ladyfish were the most active feeders. Once again, his best results were had with small, sparse baitfish patterns and clousers. Chartreuse was an effective color in the off-color water.

Last weekend, October 4 through October 7, East Cape’s Mark Rayor and his team, Captain Jesus, ‘Chuy” Cota and Juan Diego Romero, fished the first annual La Paz Gold Cup Black and Blue Marlin Tournament on Mark’s boat, the Jen Wren. The tournament was held by local developers in the La Paz area: Costa Baja Resort and Marina, Playa de LaPaz, Snell Real Estate, Maravia Country Club Estates, La Concha Pearl, Bahia los Suenos, Mosquito Fleet, Scott O’Hara and Jim House. This group of developers put up the prize money and volunteered their time to organize and carry out this charity event. James Curtiss and Gabriel Ley were Tournament Chairs. The Rotary Club of La Paz was selected as the recipient of the charity money for their cause: to provide prosthetics for children in need

First prize was one million pesos, the equivalent to about $100,000 US dollars, plus a new Ford Lobo truck if the fish exceeded 400 pounds! But there was a twist in the rules that made things even more interesting; a $50 per pound penalty was imposed on any team weighing a fish under the 200 pound minimum. What a fantastic idea! We are lucky to have one of the best fisheries in the world and this certainly discourages the killing of short fish. It also raised extra money for a good cause. Full Report http://www.bajafly.com/report/mark.rayor.htm

Water temperature 77-85
Air temperature 73-95
Humidity 73 %
Wind: N 5 to 6 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:24 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:03 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Bob Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters, reported that the weather turned sideways early in the week and few boats ventured outside. He did hear of excellent marlin action on the high spot below Punta Tosca for the boats traveling down the line toward Cabo San Lucas.

The Esteros produced grouper, corvina plus the usual spotted bay bass with the best area being up toward Boca Santo Domingo.

Water temperature 72 - 82
Air temperature 61 -94
Humidity 93%
Wind: NW 14 to 19 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:24 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:05 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 81° blue water is about 15 miles out, with most of the fish being taken between the 18 and 20 mile mark. Sailfish are averaging about 1 to 2 fish a day per boat.

However, this last week has seen another surge of blue marlin coming into the area. On Thursday, Hans Clausen of Denmark fished with Santiago on the panga Gitana, catching two marlin, with the largest going 285 pounds.

The yellowfin tuna have not shown for a few days, and have either moved out of the area, or further out and past the 1,000 fathom line.

The dorado, while not as plentiful as in weeks past, are still averaging about 20 pounds.

The roosterfish and jack crevalle action is still excellent, with the action all up and down the coast

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77-96
Humidity 87%
Wind: WSW at 2mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:39 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:26 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
October 8-14, 2007

WEATHER: Nights have been a very comfortable mid 70’s for most of the week with a few evenings seeing a drop of a few degrees more. Our daytime highs have been in the mid to high 80’s. Winds have been out of the northwest for most of the week with a one day shift on Saturday when the came from the east. Wind speeds have been in the 10-knot range in the mid afternoon. No rain for the week, and if things hold as true as some folks say, tomorrow we should see the annual October 15 temperature drop. Long time residents say that every October 15 the average daytime temperature drops 5 degrees, almost like clockwork. Hmm…
WATER: Surface conditions on the Pacific side of the Cape were choppy early in the week and later on they quieted down a bit. Early in the mornings the water was rough up to the Cristobal area and then it smoothed out, later in the day the winds picked up a bit and it became choppy all the way up the line. As the week drew to a close things smoothed out and while there were still whitecaps, they were farther apart and pretty much confined to the current lines. Speaking of current lines, we had a fairly well defined break this week, all week long. It ran on both side of the Cape from five miles offshore from San Jose to Cabo on the Cortez side of the Cape and from just to the north of the Golden Gate to Cabo on the Pacific side. Inside the five-mile area and extending in a swath 10 miles wide from the tip of the Cape to at least 60 miles to the southwest the water was a very even 85 degrees. Outside this swath on the Pacific side the temperature dropped to 81-82 degrees and was quite a bit bluer and on the Cortez side it dropped to 83 degrees with about the same clarity.
BAIT: There was some Mackerel available this week but they were not lasting long in the bait tanks. Most of the boats were getting Caballito and both baits were the normal $2 per bait. There were Sardinas available as well at the normal $20 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: This week was a total repeat of last weeks report; things did not change at all on the billfish front. Late in the week there was a good bite on Blue and Striped Marlin at the Gorda Banks, there were tailing Stripers to be found on the 95 Spot and there were Sailfish 6 miles off of the Arch. Billfish were scattered all over the place but the bottom structure seemed to be the place to find them this week. While I did not go there myself, I heard reports of a very good Striped Marlin bite up at the Finger Bank early in the week with many boats getting double digit numbers of fish released. Our best lure color this week was Bleeding Mackerel for the Sailfish and Striped Marlin and Purple-Blue-Silver for the Blue and Black Marlin.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were no large Tuna reported this week but there were schools of footballs scattered from the Cabrilla Seamount on the Cortez side to the area just to the north of the Golden Gate Bank on the Pacific side. All these fish were associated with porpoise and were averaging 15 pounds. A few larger fish in the 50-pound class were caught but there were not many of them.
DORADO: Once again there were Dorado scattered just about everywhere but the best concentrations were on the Pacific side 3 miles off the beach inside the Golden Gate Bank and north of there. In the middle of the week there was a log and an uprooted tree found to the inside of the Bank, and they were about five miles from each other, right on the current-color-temp break. It was a bonanza on Dorado for the first few boats there every day and even with 15 boats working the debris fish were caught by everyone. Not until the area became a parking lot with over 30 boats in a half-mile area did the bite drop off, but it renewed every day. The fish ran in size from small 5 pounders (please let the babies go!) to nice fish in the 15-18 pound class. Almost everyone was able to get a few fish in the box but a few greedy boats reported keeping 30-40 fish each. With only four anglers on the boat and two crew, these guys were killing 5-6 times the legal limit. Live bait was the key to getting these fish to bite early ion the day and later on live bait fished off of downriggers or dropped on 6 ounces of lead hooked anglers up to the by then hook-shy fish.
WAHOO: We did not have a full moon this week so the bite on Wahoo was a bit off compared to what it had been, but still, boats that worked the 100 fathom and shallower areas just off the beach on the Pacific side, and the Gorda Banks area on the Cortez side were able to report some action on these speedsters. The best lures were swimming plugs such as Marauders and big Rapalla countdowns run close to the boat, mostly within the first three wakes. A few boats reported two fish out of three or four strikes and the fish averaged 25 pounds.
INSHORE: The inshore Roosterfish bite started up again with most of the fish in the small range at 5-10 pounds but almost everyone that targeted the Roosters were able to release at least one or two in the 30 pound class. Dorado were plentiful just a bit farther off the beach and an average catch consisted of four or five per Panga. Plenty of Bonita and Skipjack with a few football Yellowfin rounded out the inshore fishery.
Notes: I am getting older and the last few days have taken their toll on me. With tournament time coming up it’s not going to get any better. I have been watching the baseball playoffs every night and staying up until midnight really hurts, and I get up before 5 am every morning. Sigh, to be young again! For those who have not done so yet, please check out the web site linked below, it is for a good cause, our continued ability to call ourselves the “Marlin Capitol of the World”.

To take the survey, please click: http://www.southwickassociates.com/surveys/cabo_survey/Default.aspx?sicd=AJJMEI-73. The Billfish Foundation has hired Southwick Associates to administer the surveys. We sincerely appreciate your help in protecting Cabos unique fishery, and hope to see you fishing again in Los Cabos.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 10/20/2007
REPORT #1085 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/P1010004.jpg
YFT BENDO
The billfish and tuna action picked up this week which was fortunate as the dorado bite that had been the ‘crowd-pleaser’ for the past month backed way off this week.

Long time clients, Joe and Nick Turano, from Houston, Texas, had a great first day: they raised 11 billfish, hooked1 marlin and 3 sails. On the second day the north wind and conditions were against them, and they had only one shot at a sail and a few sierra inside. Undeterred they headed out again on the third day and had an excellent day, cashing in on a serious yellowfin tuna bite.

Beach action suffered from the windy conditions as the wind waves turned the water the color of Starbucks coffee. The good news is the sierra have returned and could be found feeding on sardina. Instead of using wire, try using flies tied on long shank hooks. You may lose a fly or two but you will definitely have more takes.


Water temperature 77-85
Air temperature 73-95
Humidity 73 %
Wind: N 2 to 3 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:24 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:03 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Windy and sloppy conditions this week kept most of the locals on the beach. More yachts arrive every day to find the billfish action out fifteen miles southwest of Pta. Tosca toward the pinnacles. Down farther toward the Finger Bank reports of 10-20 fish days are not uncommon.

Dorado action and football sized tuna can be found outside the bumps in front of Boca de Soledad.

Water temperature 72 - 82
Air temperature 70 -92
Humidity 82%
Wind: NW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:28 a.m. MDT
Sunset 6:56 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 82° blue water was only a 1.5 miles off the beach earlier in the week. The offshore action was a bit slow, with only a 1 or 2 sailfish per day / per boat average. There were also a few dorado scattered around in the catches.

The inshore action for roosters was just incredible until tropical storm Kiko settled in here late in the week and dumped 10 inches of rain on us for a 48 hour period. We even had a port closure on Friday.

On Wednesday, one day before Kiko hit, Cali and I went down to Puerto Vicente Guerrero with fly fishing client, Andre from British Columbia. Using a hookless popper, we raised 16 roosters and 4 jack crevalle. Andre was able to hook 4 roosters.

The inshore waters are now very dirty from the huge volume of water coming out of the numerous small rivers here. It will take at least a week to get settled down and the roosterfish action should be excellent again.

However, because of the debris floating out of the rivers, the dorado and tuna should be making another decent appearance this next week.
Ed Kunze

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 72-91
Humidity 83%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:41 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:21 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
October 15-21, 2007

WEATHER: Our weather this past week was just what we were expecting for this time of year. It seems that on the 15th of October every year (or really close to that date) Mother Nature throws the switch that cools up down. Our daytime highs averaged 86 degrees while the nighttime lows were in the low 70’s. I think that is about as good as you can get. We had sunny days with a light overcast in the middle of the week. Winds were from the north and the northwest at an average of 10 knots. Up the coast on the Cortez side past Punta Gorda it was a bit brisker at about 20 knots from the north. We are keeping our eye on Tropical Storm Kiko, hoping it is downgraded and turns to the west.
WATER: We were in great shape for most of the week on the Cortez side with small swells and light breezes until you got past Punta Gorda. Up there the wind kicked in and it got a little choppy. On the Pacific side the wind was not too bad early in the week, it was a bit bouncy up until Wednesday, and then everything mellowed out. There were still some good size chopped swells as a result of shore reflection along the points, but farther offshore and to the north things were very nice. On the Cortez side of the Cape the temperature was a very even 85 degrees on the surface. On the Pacific side at the end of the week that warm water had finally extended out to the San Jaime Bank. For 10 miles or so to the west of the San Jaime, extending up the coastline across the Golden Gate Bank and approximately 5 miles off the beach all the way up past Todo Santos there was a band of water in the 82-85 degree range.
BAIT: As far as buying from the bait boats the most common bait was Caballito. A few boats had Mackerel but they were easier to catch yourself than buy if you were in the right place. The big baits were averaging $2 per bait. There were also Sardinas around, both here in Cabo and up to the north outside San Joes. They were priced at $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: With the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament held this week it was easy to find what was happening on the billfish front, and on all the rest of the species as well. There was a #560 Blue Marlin and others of #400, #360 and #330 weighed in and a Striped Marlin of #202. The first day of the tournament had 36 released billfish, the second had 42 releases and I am not sure how many were released the third day, but it was more. The top three release boats were all in the double-digit range. Most of the Blue Marlin action was found around the 95 spot and farther up the Sea of Cortez but there were a few found on the Pacific side close to shore in that warm water band. The majority of the Striped Marlin reported were on the Pacific side with Golden Gate Bank being the hot spot.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again there was spotty action on Yellowfin Tuna of any size. Football fish were found close to shore by tournament boats making live bait just off of Gray Rock as well as up off of the Inman Bank. These fish were chummed up using Sardinas. A few slightly larger fish were found among Porpoise on the Pacific side of the Cape and the tournament had the two largest Tuna weighed in at just under #100 for the largest and #70 for second largest. I am not sure if these fish were found with Porpoise or were caught while soaking live bait.
DORADO: The best Dorado action was on the Pacific side along the current-temperature break. There were some pieces of wood found that held fish and a few boats really enjoyed great action off of them. I passed up one such spot because there were already 15 boats working it, but returning later in the day we were still able to get 6 nice fish there. Even without the wood, fishing for Dorado within 4 miles of the coast was good, at least up until the end of the week, then things dropped off a bit. Largest fish of the Tournament at the end of day two was just under #40.
WAHOO: Quite a few Wahoo were caught this week and the average size was about 25 pounds. Close to shore along the current line on the Pacific and on the flats edge up at Punta Gorda were the best spots. Dark lures and of course the usual Marauders and Rapallas worked great on these speedsters. Largest fish of the Tournament was just under #60.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week. The inshore Roosterfish bite started up again with most of the fish in the small range at 5-10 pounds but almost everyone that targeted the Roosters were able to release at least one or two in the 30 pound class. Dorado were plentiful just a bit farther off the beach and an average catch consisted of four or five per Panga. Plenty of Bonita and Skipjack with a few football Yellowfin rounded out the inshore fishery.
Notes: Tournament time again and I am busy. Bisbee’s Black and Blue is this coming week. I’ll let you know how much we won next week! Until then, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 10/27/2007
REPORT #1086 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/smlyftjw.jpg
YFT Rock
The time change tonight should indicate that it’s time for the East Cape season to wind down. Guess someone forgot to tell fish!

Yellowfin tuna are on the chew like it’s their last meal. Joe and Nick Turano, from Houston, Texas, must have left a few for the clients this week. YFT’s mixed with Baja Wasabi flies http://www.bajafly.com/bajawasabi.htm had everyone out of breath and sore by mid-morning and eager to head out and troll teasers for billfish.

No rest for the wicked! Billfish action was more like June than the last week of October, preventing anyone from any kind of a breather before the first sail appeared in the pattern.

North wind and beach fishing should never be in the same sentence so until yesterday when the wind died, the boat action was a much better choice.

Water temperature 77-85
Air temperature 69-92
Humidity 78 %
Wind: NNW 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:22 a.m. MDT
Sunset 6:44 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

As the Sea of Cortez begins to taper off, the action offshore kicks into full gear. Reports of WFO action are spread out from Thetis to the north all the way to below Pta. Tosca to the south.

Wahoo, dorado, yellowfin tuna (great for that midday sashimi) and double digit billfish combined with super weather has everyone predicting an action packed November.

As far as the Esteros go, no one seems to be paying much attention with all the action outside.

Water temperature 72 - 82
Air temperature 61 -90
Humidity 79%
Wind: WNW 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:31 a.m. MDT
Sunset 6:50 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 84 degree blue water is still only a couple of miles off the beach; however the full moon period slowed us down this week. We are only averaging about 1 sailfish per boat, per day.

The bright note is the late season rains have brought the dorado in numbers. Near shore, the smaller school dorado, averaging 8 to 12 pounds are biting very well. Off shore, the larger adults are readily taking the trolled sailfish baits.

About the best recorded catch of the week was when Keith Bell, of Pensacola FL, fished one day with Ruben on the Vamonos III, catching 1 sailfish and 5 dorado. The dorado averaged between 25 and 30 pounds.

The inshore waters have cleaned up since the rains, but the action on the roosters was also affected by the moon phase and has slowed down. Keith Bell wanted to try for the roosters on the fly rod, so he and I went down to Puerto Vicente Guerrero http://www.bajafly.com/ClientInformation/zihuat.vicente.guerrero.NEW.htm. We only raised 4 roosters, and they did not take the fly. However there were hundreds of jack crevalle, busting small sardines in the shallows. The jacks were averaging about 5 pounds, plus there were a few sierra.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 76-95
Humidity 78%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:43 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:17 p.m. CDT

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 11/3/2007
REPORT #1087 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
http://www.bajafly.com/report/wahoo.mag.jpg
Go Pink

East Cape

Thanks to all of you who emailed me last week to remind me that the time changes this week in the U.S. However, this is a “Below the Border” report and the time changed in Baja last Sunday morning.

Sam and Janet Farish, Atlanta, GA, enjoyed a week of great weather and fishing this week with double-digit roosters, sierra and ladyfish inshore. Offshore it was dorado and yellowfin tuna rounding off a great week of East Cape fishing.

Then they headed up to Lopez Mateos in Magdalena Bay to sample the even hotter offshore action.

Water temperature 77-85
Air temperature 66-90
Humidity 83 %
Wind: NNW 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 2 miles
Sunrise 7:26 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:39 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Early November and the fishing is easy…offshore. Sam and Janet Farish on their first day headed out on the “Mar Gato” with Captain Sergio and our guide Lance Peterson.

Their day started quick! In the first ten minutes they were both tight to fifty pound wahoo. Today they headed out for hopefully more of the same action on the Thetis before sliding down to the anchorage at Santa Maria Bay to spend the night.

Billfish action from the Entrada to below Pta. Tosca could only be classified as “wide-open”. Bird school after bird school in every direction you looked but even as you slid on the spot you could never be sure what might be there. Marlin, tuna, dorado or wahoo? As one angler put it, “They were biting everything; probably would have bitten an old tennis shoe!”

If you are heading this way, bring plenty of tackle. Double digit fishing goes through the tackle fast!!!

Water temperature 72 - 82
Air temperature 67 -88
Humidity 76%
Wind: W 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:36 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:45 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 82° blue water is only a very short ride out of Zihuatanejo Bay, and with the effects of the full moon period winding down, the fishing action has been steadily improving.

The boats are averaging between 1 and 2 sailfish a day, per boat. Plus, at 12 miles, there is still a long weed line which is holding large dorado.

Paul Zobeck, of Grand Slam Fishing Charters on the Kenai River, has fished with Adan on the panga Gitana II for 2 days. They have taken 7 dorado, averaging about 25 pounds.

Yesterday (Friday), Mike Griffin of Anchorage, fished with Captain Poli on the Don Gordo II, taking 4 dorado from 25 to 45 pounds.

This seems to be a week for Alaskan people fishing here, because Cali and I went down to Puerto Vicente Guerrero with Jim Albert to fly fish for roosters. Jim manages one of the Brooks River lodges of the grizzly bear watching fame. We arrived to find the inshore waters had dropped from an ideal 82° down to 76°. The roosters and large jack crevalle had left for other parts unknown. It was a very tough day of fishing, with only three roosters raised.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77-97
Humidity 65%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:46 a.m. CST
Sunset 7:14 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
October 29-Nov. 4, 2007

WEATHER: Our weather remained beautiful this past week as the daytime highs were in the low 90’s and high 80’s while the nighttime lows were in the low 70’s. At the end of the week we had some wind that made the weather perfect, but chopped up the Pacific side as the wind was from the northwest.
WATER: Water temperatures were from 80-83 degrees pretty much anywhere you went at the end of the week. On the Pacific side this meant out to the San Jaime and on the Cortez side it meant up to the Inman Bank area and out to the Seamount. On the Cortez side this warm water was slightly off-color but better color was found on the Pacific. As the week came to a close the wind picked up from the northwest and the Pacific side became pretty choppy with conditions that were uncomfortable for a lot of folks, seas at 4-6 feet with 15 knots of wind.
BAIT: Larger baits were a pretty even mix of Caballito and Mackerel at the normal $2 per bait and there were plenty of Sardinas available as well both in Cabo and up in San Jose at $20 a scoop. If you wanted to catch your own bait there were plenty of Mackerel to be found just in front of the lighthouse on the Pacific side in 100 feet of water.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were still Blue Marlin to be had this past week but the big news was the continued Striped Marlin bite. The Golden Gate bank turned back on as the Mackerel moved back on top and boats concentrating their efforts were rewarded with 5-8 releases a day. Drifting or slow trolling live Mackerel worked, as did soaking live bait deep with 8 ounce torpedo sinkers. With the bait pushed up to the surface, running in on the Frigate birds as the suddenly swooped down resulted in a large number of hook-ups as well, but brought some tempers flaring as the speeding boats cut through the crowds drifting. While the action was good there, the beginning of the week brought us reports of wide-open action from the Finger Banks. There were reports of 30-50 fish days but unfortunately (for the fishermen) the winds kicked in and few boats were making the trip due to rough conditions at the end of the week. I hope to get a chance to try it out this coming week as I will be fishing every day, and will head up there if the conditions permit.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were no reports of large Tuna that I heard of this week, but the action on football fish was wide open at the inner Gorda and the Inman Banks during the middle of the week. Chumming with Sardinas and then fly lining live Sardinas on light line had fish coolers being filled during the middle of the week. I was a day late getting in on the bite and when I did get there on Friday it was almost all Green Jacks and Skipjack. That was still fun on light tackle but not what we were looking for. On the way back home we came across a large pod of porpoise that held a lot of fish and ended up getting a dozen of the footballs for the anglers. There were reports of school-sized fish to 35 pounds along the western edge of the San Jaime banks, but the water conditions resulted in few boats trying for them.
DORADO: Early in the week the Dorado bite was wide open on the Pacific side, close to the beach in less than 200 feet on water, past the Golden Gate bank. A dozen or more fish per trip was easy and early in the week the water was great. As things became rough fewer boats were making it up there and closer to home the bite was not quite as good. Boats were still able to get Dorado but it was more on the 2-5 fish per boat level. There were some nice Dorado in the 40-pound class found on the Cortez side of the cape out 4-6 miles off the beach and they seemed to prefer bright colored lures in slightly larger sizes than normal.
WAHOO: My deckhand and I farmed a Wahoo this week, one about 25 pounds and we heard of quite a few other boats getting fish of the same size up in the area where the Dorado were found. Of course there were a lot of bite-offs as well but it did seem that about 10% of the boats managed to hang onto one. As usual, dark colored lures seemed to work better.
INSHORE: The football size Yellowfin Tuna were the target of most of the Pangas this week, but there were still plenty of Roosterfish to be found on both sides of the Cape. At the end of the week most of the Pangas were fishing on the Cortez side due to the wind.
Notes: I am going to be busy fishing this coming week so will have more first-hand experiences for next weeks report. Until then, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Nov. 5-11, 2007

WEATHER: Now I remember why we have all the tourists come and visit us this time of year, the weather is great! Our morning pre-sunrise temperature this morning was 70 degrees and at noon we had only 87 degrees, sunny skies and a very light wind here in town. It does not get much better than this. There was no rain this week but we did have the wind pick up a bit at the end of the week, mostly from the northwest.
WATER: The water remained in the 80-83 degree range for another week. The water on the Pacific side was in the 83-degree range across the San Jaime and Golden Gate band and up to the Finger Bank area. Inside close to shore it dropped a degree and farther out it dropped a degree. On the Cortez side the temperature was a pretty constant 82-83 degrees anywhere within range. Later in the week the surface conditions worsened on the Pacific side as the swells kicked up a bit and the wind started to blow, early in the week you could go anywhere at a good speed.
BAIT: Larger baits were a pretty even mix of Caballito and Mackerel at the normal $2 per bait and there were plenty of Sardinas available as well both in Cabo and up in San Jose at $20 a scoop. If you wanted to catch your own bait there were plenty of Mackerel to be found just in front of the lighthouse on the Pacific side in 100 feet of water.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: This weeks billfish report is almost an exact repeat of last weeks. I had a couple of days where I was able to get to the finger banks to check out the reported Striped Marlin action and found that the reports had not been exaggerated. There were balls of bait everywhere and as soon as you got onto the shallows there were feeding Marlin everywhere you looked. On both trips we ran out of bait quickly and due to time restraints returned to trolling lures. We did not go more than 10 minutes before hooking into singles and doubles. We may have been able to get triple hookups but did not want to put three lines out. There were still Striped Marlin on the Golden Gate bank and toward the shore from there for the boats that were not able to make the long run to the Finger Bank but the conditions were a bit more crowded and the fish a bit more scattered. A few Blue Marlin were reported form the Cortez side of the Cape and I did hear of one nice Black Marlin being caught and released by a boat drifting bait for Striped Marlin and the Golden Gate Bank.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin were the fish of the week as we had the Western Outdoors Tuna Tournament take place on Thursday and Friday. With 127 teams entered as last I heard and there being no mile boundaries, boats were able to range wherever they wanted in order to find Tuna. This worked for at least four boats as there were four Tuna weighed that were over 100 pounds. The largest was #189, the second was #172, the third in the #150 range and the fourth (out of the money) was #135. There were plenty of fish that were over the qualifying weight of 40 pounds but almost all of these school fish were found at least 30 miles out. Closer to home there were plenty of football sized fish to be had just outside Gray Rock and up on the Pacific side just off the beach are by boats chumming with Sardinas and fly-lining live ones on small diameter leader.
DORADO: The Dorado were scattered this week and the best bite remained on the Pacific side just off the beach 20 miles up. Boats that slow trolled live Mackerel did well, averaging 5 fish per boat with an occasional Striped Marlin in the mix. On the Cortez side there was no real concentration of fish except for the Inman Bank area, and even there, there were no large numbers. The fish averaged 12 pounds this week.
WAHOO: The Wahoo bite really dropped off this week but that may have been because most of the boats were concentrating offshore for the Yellowfin. There were still a few of them caught, but there were no concentrations of fish out there.
INSHORE: In a repeat of last week, the football size Yellowfin Tuna were the target of most of the Pangas this week, but there were still plenty of Roosterfish to be found on both sides of the Cape. At the end of the week most of the Pangas were fishing on the Cortez side due to the wind.
Notes: Striped Marlin fishing on the Pacific side ant the Finger Banks was wide open this week, double digit numbers for all boats that were able to make the trip. The wind picked up at the end of the week but is supposed to lay back down on Monday so our fingers are crossed that the fish will remain in the area, or come closer to us. I saw my first Gray Whales of the season on Tuesday, a pair of very large 50’ + animals just off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Nov. 12-18, 2007

WEATHER: Now I remember why we have all the tourists come and visit us this time of year, the weather is great! Our morning pre-sunrise temperature this morning was 70 degrees and at noon we had only 87 degrees, sunny skies and a very light wind here in town. It does not get much better than this. There was no rain this week but we did have the wind pick up a bit at the end of the week, mostly from the northwest.
WATER: The water remained in the 80-83 degree range for another week. The water on the Pacific side was in the 83-degree range across the San Jaime and Golden Gate band and up to the Finger Bank area. Inside close to shore it dropped a degree and farther out it dropped a degree. On the Cortez side the temperature was a pretty constant 82-83 degrees anywhere within range. Later in the week the surface conditions worsened on the Pacific side as the swells kicked up a bit and the wind started to blow, early in the week you could go anywhere at a good speed.
BAIT: Larger baits were a pretty even mix of Caballito and Mackerel at the normal $2 per bait and there were plenty of Sardinas available as well both in Cabo and up in San Jose at $20 a scoop. If you wanted to catch your own bait there were plenty of Mackerel to be found just in front of the lighthouse on the Pacific side in 100 feet of water.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The good news on the Marlin front is that the fish have definitely moved onto the Golden Gate Bank. There are giant bait balls deep over the top of the bank and small broken balls of bait on the surface. Most boats have been having good results by either deep drifting a live Mackerel caught on the spot or running to fish feeding on the surface and tossing bait to them. I think the average per boat was about 5 fish for the day. Boats willing to go the extra distance were still having great fishing up at the Finger Bank, but unless all you wanted was Marlin, the Gate offered a better variety.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were still plenty of football Tuna just at the outer edge of San Lucas bay in water that was 200 feet in depth, just on the edge of the drop. These fish were biting well on Sardines early in the morning and averaged 12 pounds. Later in the day they seemed to stray a bit to the north and small feathers worked better. There were reports of slightly larger fish farther offshore, but the reports of cow Tuna were limited to private boats working the banks far to the north, well outside charter range. Hopefully these fish will come down to our area as the water temperature drops.
DORADO: The Dorado were scattered this week and the best bite remained on the Pacific side just off the beach 20 miles up. Boats that slow trolled live Mackerel did well, averaging 5 fish per boat with an occasional Striped Marlin in the mix. On the Cortez side there was no real concentration of fish except for the Inman Bank area, and even there, there were no large numbers. The fish averaged 12 pounds this week.
WAHOO: There were a few more Wahoo caught this week than last week and most of them were in the 30-pound class. The depths of 100-150 feet just off the beach around rocky points seemed to be holding the most fish, but it was a matter of being there at the right time, and that was unpredictable.
INSHORE: In a repeat of last week, the football size Yellowfin Tuna were the target of most of the Pangas this week, but there were still plenty of Roosterfish to be found on both sides of the Cape. At the end of the week most of the Pangas were fishing on the Cortez side due to the wind.
Notes: This was pretty much a repeat of the last weeks report and action. My only question is, why aren’t you here yet? Until next week, tight lines! (p.s. shot a 99 this morning!)

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Nov. 19-25, 2007

WEATHER: Our mornings have been cool at an average of 60 degrees while the daytime highs have been in the high 70’s and low 80’s. We had scattered clouds this week with just a splatter of rain, enough to mark the windshields, on Thursday. The wind started to blow out of the north pretty strong early in the week and then at the weekend it dropped down in intensity and came from the southeast for a while.
WATER: The water temperature has started to drop and on the Cortez side of the Cape we are seeing water in the 77-78 degree range. Once you get up the coast toward the Punta Gorda area it warms up to 80 degrees. On the Pacific side the water out to a distance of 40 miles is in the 73-76 degree range, but nice and clean. The water temperature up at the finger bank has dropped to 71-72 degrees. The Pacific side was pretty choppy during the middle of the week due to the winds we experienced and as the wind shifted it became a bit choppy on the Cortez side over the weekend. None of it was really rough, but it was uncomfortable for many anglers.
BAIT: Most of the bait this week was Mackerel, the full moon made catching the Caballito a bit more difficult. The price was the normal $2 per bait. Very nice Sardinas were available up at the Palmilla point for $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Both the Finger Bank and the Golden Gate Bank continued to deliver massive amounts of Striped Marlin, but at the Golden Gate you had to deal with the crowds. There were as many as 60 boats at a time on top of the bank and a couple of dozen more just off the edges, all either running to the feeders as they popped up or drifting with live baits deep. The bite at the Gate did drop off just a tad at the end of the week but that may have had more to due with the wind than with the numbers of fish. A good day at the Gate resulted in at least two Marlin and some boats were getting seven or eight fish released. The Finger Bank was a double-digit fishery with everyone making the run and having enough bait being able to hook into as many fish as they could handle. Elsewhere the fish were scattered but still available, we had fish from the Punta Gorda area all the way around the Cape, and as the water continues to cool down I expect that the Striped Marlin bite will only get better.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The bite on football Yellowfin continued this week with heavy concentrations of them found off of the Palmilla Point in 300 feet of water. Sardines were the bait of choice and sometimes heavy chumming was needed to get them to bite. There were also plenty of Green Jacks and Skipjack along with some Bonito mixed in with the Yellowfin. There are continued reports of large Yellowfin well up the Pacific side and we are still waiting for them to come within charter range. An occasional 50-60 pound fish has been caught among Porpoise on the Pacific side so hopefully things will continue to improve.
DORADO: As the water continues to cool down the Dorado bite has dropped off a bit. There are still multiple fish days and most boats have been getting at least a couple of fish, but the large numbers every day seem to be a thing of the past. The fish that are being found are still in the same areas, close to the beach on the Pacific side and up around the Gorda Banks on the Cortez side. Bright colored lures and live Mackerel have been the preferred lures and baits, but there have been plenty of Dorado caught on Sardinas by anglers fishing for the football Yellowfin as well.
WAHOO: The full moon really helped the Wahoo bite this week and there were reports of pretty hot action on these tasty speedsters from boats that fished up at the Inman Banks and the Gorda Banks. Preferred baits were live Mackerel Scad (chiwillies) on light wire leaders but dark colored lures were also catching fish. Wahoo were also reported by boats working the points on both sides of the Cape, and the fish were nice ones, averaging 40 pounds.
INSHORE: Small Roosterfish and football Yellowfin continue to provide most of the action for Panga anglers, but as the water temperature continues to drop look for the Sierra and Yellowtail action to start.
Notes: Wintertime is coming to Cabo and we are starting to see the changes in the fishing patterns that come with the cooler weather. I am looking forward to fishing for tailing Striped Marlin again and getting into some decent sized Yellowfin. My golf game is improving as well, and it is nice to not be sweating by the time you reach the 10th hole! Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Nov. 26- Dec. 2, 2007

WEATHER: This was an interesting week as we actually had some nice rain! A weather system drifted over us from the mainland during the middle of the week and brought cloudy skies and two days of intermittent rain, more than just the usual spit that spots the windshields. This rain came down strong on Friday afternoon but was soft, very little run-off occurred, most of it soaked into the ground, washing everything and making it green again. You know that the plants will stay green for a while now! This system showed up on Wednesday and was preceded by some fairly strong winds but as it settled in over us it became nice again. Our daytime highs were in the mid 80’s and the nighttime lows were in the mid 70’s.
WATER: Water temperatures on both side of the cape out to a distance of about 20 miles remained about 77 degrees. The water up toward the Finger Bank on the Pacific side was cooler, down to about 72 degrees and 20 miles to the south it dropped a bit to around 75 degrees. The winds brought in by the weather system were from the northwest at 15-20 knots and that caused some choppy conditions on the Pacific side. A system far away from us also brought in some swells from the southwest.
BAIT: The large baits this week were a pretty even mix of Mackerel and Caballito. The price was the normal $2 per bait. Very nice Sardinas were available up at the Palmilla point for $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: This weeks Marlin report is a copy of last weeks report. The wind did have an effect on the number of boats that fished the Pacific side however. Both the Finger Bank and the Golden Gate Bank continued to deliver massive amounts of Striped Marlin. There were fewer boats on top of the bank than last week due to the slightly choppy conditions, probably a couple of dozen or so instead of 50 or 60, all either running to the feeders as they popped up or drifting with live baits deep. The bite at the Gate did drop off just a tad at the end of the week but that may have had more to due with the wind than with the numbers of fish. A good day at the Gate resulted in at least two Marlin and some boats were getting seven or eight fish released. The Finger Bank was a double-digit fishery with everyone making the run and having enough bait being able to hook into as many fish as they could handle. Elsewhere the fish were scattered but still available, we had fish from the Punta Gorda area all the way around the Cape, and as the water continues to cool down I expect that the Striped Marlin bite will only get better.
YELLOWFIN TUNA I had a blast with the football sized Yellowfin Tuna (8-15 pounds) that were packed up on the point at Palmilla this week. The action was consistent every day with the fish between 1 and two miles off the beach. Sardinas were the way to go for lots of fish and trolling feathers worked also. We had no problem catching as many as we wanted in a couple of hours and they were a blast on light tackle. As far as larger fish go, there was a report of one boat getting several fish in the 100 pound class, but no one was saying where they were found. Several boats worked the west side to 35 miles and south the same distance and reported that while the water was perfect, there were no signs of life out there. It seams that you had to go up the Pacific quite a way to get into the larger fish, or stay out until the fleet boats were gone for the home-guard fish to come to the surface at the San Jaime and the Golden Gate.
DORADO: The Dorado continue to thin out in numbers but a few boats are still getting into multiple fish days. The key this week was to look for Frigate birds working offshore if you wanted larger fish, and working close to the beach with small lures if you were interested in the smaller size Dorado. A good catch this week would have been three or four fish in the boat, but most boats were happy to get one.
WAHOO: There were fewer Wahoo reported this week, just a few were caught actually and the moon phase probably had everything to do with that. The few fish that were caught were in the 40-pound class and were caught up around the Punta Gorda area, at least the ones I heard of were.
INSHORE: We did have a day in the middle of the week where the Yellowtail showed up strong at the arch and boats were having great action on feathers and live bait, but those fish moved on quickly. There was also good Sierra action off of the lighthouse and the Pedregal beach. Some small Roosterfish were still being caught but I did not hear of any large ones this week. Most of the Pangas worked the football Yellowfin off of Palmilla and fished off the beach for Sierra.
Notes: This report was written to the new Eagles release “Long Road Out Of Eden”, a really great listen! Whales are starting to show up, I am seeing them every trip now. Football season is winding up soon and Christmas is just around the corner, my mom is coming to visit for Christmas so it is time to really clean the house up (boy I hate doing that!). My golf game yesterday was a train-wreck but I think I get a chance to redeem myself on Thursday. Until next week, have a great time and keep thinking of us down here with no snow!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Dec. 3-9, 2007

WEATHER: We had rain every week at the beginning of this year and it is starting to look like we will have it every week at the end of the year as well. Our week ended with cloudy skies and one of those beautiful light, soaking rains that are so good for the plants here in the desert. It was actually cloudy for most of the week and that kept the temperatures perfect, with our nighttime lows around 64 degrees and our daytime highs in the high 70’s. It appears that we are at the end of a band of clouds and rain moving up to the northeast and there is a small circulation coming down our direction from the north that will force the remainder of this band of weather to the southeast.
WATER: The cloudy skies this week did not allow very good satellite shots of the sea surface temperature, but what we did get showed what I expected to see, lower temperatures across the region. According to the shots, and from seeing the water first hand on both sides of the cape this week, our average temperature on the Pacific side has dropped to 76 degrees, down from the 77 degrees last week. At the end of the week it was lower due to the heavy cloud cover. On the Cortez side of the cape it seems to have averaged about the same but the warm water extend much farther off shore than the 25-30 miles we saw on the Pacific side. At the end of the week the surface conditions on both sides of the cape were excellent, swells at four to six feet on the Pacific side but spaced very far apart and no wind chop. On the Cortez side the swells were 1-3 feet and far apart with only a light breeze to ruffle the water. The water color almost everywhere you went was tinted green, with a very heavy green cast to it close to shore on the Pacific side.
BAIT: Once again there was a pretty good mix of bait with both Mackerel and Caballito available. The Mackerel were large ones and many boats opted to catch their own smaller ones if they were going to be fishing the banks on the Pacific side. The prices from the bait boats remained the same at $2 per bait.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: This weeks Marlin report is a copy of last weeks report, which was a copy of the week before. What this means is that the Striped Marlin fishery is just wide open right now. Both the Finger Bank and the Golden Gate Bank continued to deliver massive amounts of Striped Marlin. A good day at the Gate resulted in at least two Marlin and some boats were getting seven or eight fish released. I fished it on Thursday and released four fish out of 7 raised, and all of them were either on lures or on bait dropped back to fish raised on lures. We saw no tailing fish but most of the boats were either drifting bait or slow trolling it, and quite a few were in combat mode, running and gunning for feeding marlin when they forced the bait balls to the surface and the birds started diving. A lot of boats tried that, but without a Kevlar armored hull II was not interested. The Finger Bank was a double-digit fishery with everyone making the run and having enough bait being able to hook into as many fish as they could handle. Reports from the mini-WCBRT tournament of 5 boats on the 7th and 8th were a wide open bite with the top angler releasing 59 Striped Marlin in one day out of the reported 190 releases that day for the top boat and 330 releases for them in two days. There were a reported 1,157 Striped Marlin released among the five boats over two days. Now is that wide-open fishing or what? Elsewhere the fish were scattered but still available, we had fish from the Punta Gorda area all the way around the Cape.
YELLOWFIN TUNA The big school of football Yellowfin Tuna we had so much fun with last week moved on and boats returning to the area were lucky to get one fish on Monday. There were still a lot of Bonito and Skipjack to be caught but the good stuff disappeared overnight. They did show up to the inside of the Inner Gorda Bank at the end of the week but in much smaller numbers and you had to work hard and chum heavily to get a bite happening. Once again there were reports of larger fish to the north of us on the Pacific side. A minimum run of 60 miles was required and then you had to keep your fingers crossed, but there were reports of fish in the 150-pound class under porpoise.
DORADO: The cool green water has made catching a Dorado a scarce happening. A few boats are getting multiple fish but most boats are lucky to get one. There was no concentration as the reports were scattered, a few small fish close to shore on the Pacific side in the green water, a few larger fish from the Pacific side banks and a few scattered small fish among the football Tuna on the Cortez side. I think the Dorado bite is pretty much ended for the season, but there will still be a fish found once in a while until the end of the year, and by then the water will be too cold.
WAHOO: Not only did I hear of some decent Wahoo being caught this week, I actually got one of them for my anglers! It was a fish of 42 pounds and we caught it on a dark green/black straight runner off of the short outrigger position while fishing for the Striped Marlin on the Golden Gate Bank. I heard other boats talking over the radio this week and they were reporting an occasional fish as well. A few fish were also caught up around the Punta Gorda area.
INSHORE: With the cool water come the Sierra and Yellowtail and both of them were present this week. Pangas were working just off the beach from the Arch to the lighthouse on the Pacific side and having great luck with Sierra ranging in size from 2 to 6 pounds. Yellowtail were found off of the rocky points. Boats fishing with live bait off of the arch ended up feeding the sea lions more often than getting their fish in the boat as the creatures were voracious and would not go away. Hey, with all that food swimming around so close, who can blame them! The few fish from the arch that actually were brought into the boat were caught on heavier gear while fishing with Rapallas.
Notes: Things are really going to get green around here because of the rain we have been getting, so instead of a white Christmas we will have a green one! Of course one of the problems with getting this kind of rain is it brings on those big bumbling flies, the ones that are almost too big to fly. The Whales are still out there every trip and that is a great thing to see. The Seahawks won again and that was a great thing to see! I played the 2 CD’s from the “Alison Krauss + Union Station Live”, 2002 Rounder records release while writing this report and that was a great thing to hear! Until next week, I hope great things happen to you and your line stays tight!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Dec. 10-16, 2007

WEATHER: We are keeping true to having rain at least once a week again as the week started out with quite the lightning storm on Monday morning. I thought that we might just have a lot of noise and then the rain let loose on us. Not quite gully-washers but scattered times with real heavy downpours for about ten minutes at a time. It was heavy enough to wash a lot of dirt into the roads, later in the week it was dusty in town as things dried off. We had partly sunny skies for the rest of the week, enough cloud cover to keep the warm air trapped so out nighttime lows didn’t get lower than the low 60’s and the daytime highs were in the low 80’s.
WATER: Surface conditions were good except for the start of the week. The lightning and rain worked the sea on the Pacific side up pretty good, lots of wind to go with the rain. A few days later it was great everywhere. The water within 15 miles of the cape has been a steady 74 degrees. Farther offshore on the Pacific, past the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Banks, it dropped to 69 degrees. On the Cortez side offshore it was 72 degrees, but close in it was 74 degrees. Water color has remained a decent blue across the Banks on the Pacific side, the warm water closer to home has been a bit off-color, and up around the Punta Gorda area the water had a strong greenish tinge.
BAIT: Once again there was a pretty good mix of bait with both Mackerel and Caballito available. The Mackerel were large ones and many boats opted to catch their own smaller ones if they were going to be fishing the banks on the Pacific side. The prices from the bait boats remained the same at $2 per bait. Sardinas were available later in the week from bait boast up in the Palmilla area at the usual $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite has remained wide open on the Finger Bank on the Pacific side, but it is such a long run for the fleet boats that very few have been going. The average there has been in the double-digit area in numbers of releases. The bite that had been happening on the Golden Gate dropped off to practically a standstill as the bait moved off the bank and in toward shore. The fish moved with them and now the close to home bite is within three miles of the beach on the Pacific side and extending down to just outside the lighthouse. Slow trolled or drifted live baits have been the best producer but a lot of luck is being had by boats pulling lures as well, dropping back live bait to fish that appear in the spread. One of the problems we see occasionally is lots of fish on the surface that don’t want to eat, and one way to get them excited is to troll lures at a faster speed. A few boats had luck doing that during the middle of the week, finding that lures pulled at ten and eleven knots got those fish to bite.
YELLOWFIN TUNA A scattering of football fish showed up again just to the north of the Gorda Banks on the Cortez side of the cape but there were also scattered fish on the Pacific, just no big numbers or consistently large sizes yet. The football Yellowfin were 10-15 pounds with an occasional 20-pound fish and Sardinas were the way to go. Chumming heavily with both live and dead Sardinas would bring the fish up, then a live one pinned on a small #2 silver hook on 20-pound floura-carbon leader would get bit quickly, heavier leader did not produce as well.
DORADO: There were a few scattered fish, but the numbers were smaller than last week. As the water cools these will become an exception in the catch rather than a targeted fish. Most of the ones that were found were on the Sea of Cortez up around the Punta Gorda area, but a few fish shoed up in the warm water on the Pacific as well. The best lures were smaller ones in bright colors, bright feathers worked for many boats. Small Dorado were found mixed with the football Tuna as well and readily ate Sardinas presented for Tuna.
WAHOO: I saw no Wahoo flags this week that were for Wahoo, I did see quite a few that were flown for Sierra.
INSHORE: Sierra were the fish of the week for the inshore fishermen and they were consistently on the feed off of the Solmar-Finesterra beach early in the morning. They seemed to move up to the north later in the day. Yellowtail continued to produce scattered action off of the rocky points on the Cortez side with some decent fish being taken off of Gray Rock and the drop at Chileno.
NOTES: The air temperature continues to slowly drop and I have started to wear a jacket in the evenings and the mornings, now I am starting to think about long pants as well. Slippers in the house to keep my toes warm too! It is cool to me but then I have lived in the tropics for the past 22 years, most of you would consider it balmy here. This weeks report was written while listening to selections from several different albums by one of my favorite musicians, Marl Knopfler. Until next week, have a great Christmas and I hope Santa keeps your line tight!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 12/27/2007
REPORT #1094 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/ladyfishunder.jpg
With the North winds howling, it’s time to look for an alternative. The gray-light action before the wind got “wound up” provided sierra, jacks and ladyfish and was enough to satisfy the locals and the few guests in the hotels. To quote my good friend Martin James http://www.fishing.co.uk/author.php3?id=9,
from across the pond, it was enough to “bend your stick and pull your fluff”.

If you are willing to gamble with the ‘wind gods’, there are still a few small yellowfin and dorado offshore, as well as some marlin that have refused to leave and will probably remain until spring.

Ladyfish Tip: Often called ‘sabalo’ by the locals and “poor man’s tarpon” by some Baja visitors, this is a species usually found along almost any sandy beach in southern Baja. They can provide countless hours of entertainment for the saltwater flyrodder.

Begin with a small chartreuse Clouser and a 300-grain shooting head system. Work your way down the beach, looking for signs of surface feeding activity. A stripping basket is helpful to keep your line from becoming tangled as you walk along. Another method that works well if you don’t care for a stripping baskets is to walk just above the water line with your fly line dragging along the sand behind you. Let the shooting head portion extend outside the rod tip and drag along in the water. Then, when you see something that you want to cast to, you can “water load” and cast a good distance with one or two false casts.

After you have made your cast, keep the fly line tight and let the fly sink for a few seconds. Try a five count. If that doesn’t work, try a little longer. If you don’t get a take, make a few long strips and then let the Clouser sink again. If there are any’ ladies’ around, they can seldom resist this presentation.

The ladyfish is a fish that is usually airborne the instant it feels the hook, so be prepared. When you feel the take, strip strike, then let the line slip through your fingers and lower the rod toward the surface of the water and off to your side. The purpose of this is to have as much wetted surface on your line as possible so that when the lady goes ballistic, the friction of the water on the line will hold the fly firmly in the its mouth.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 51-77
Humidity 81 %
Wind: NNW 15 to 20 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:40 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Christmas and preparation for the impending arrival of the annual whale watching season took priority for the locals this week. Whales have already been reported, making their way down the West coast.
The Estero action remained consistent including corvina, grouper, small sierra and a few good sized pargo.

Offshore the seas were grumpy and most, if not all, of the yachts have returned to their home ports until next year.

Water temperature 66 - 73
Air temperature 50 -73
Humidity 82%
Wind: NNW 13 to 18 knots
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:45 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The full moon has hit us hard and really slowed down the great fishing we have had for the last three weeks. Once we are out of this moon phase, all conditions point to continuing to getting back to good fishing.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 68-96
Humidity 82%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:15 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:19 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

We received an abbreviated report on one of our client’s trip this week. Jon Lay, from Washington, D.C., and his family had a great time. They didn't stay long at Finger Bank; it was very windy with 20 ft. seas. However they caught twenty marlin before heading back downhill. When the Captain asked if everyone had enough, one of the ladies, said, “NO, I want two more”. She caught three more!!!!!

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 51-74
Humidity 76%
Wind: SW at 10mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:42 p.m. MST

Bahia Asunción

Conditions have been excellent, calm wind and seas. Earlier this week, Juan Marron took a Canadian couple fishing. They got 3 medium sized yellowtail, plus calicos and bonito. Water temps are still up between 68-70.

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 45-65
Humidity 76%
Wind: NW 5 - 10mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:27 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:49 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Dec. 17-31, 2007

WEATHER: Wintertime in Los Cabos still beats wintertime anywhere to the north of us! Sorry about the one-week no-report zone, I have only missed three reports in 6 years but I am in a transition time, job hunting, Christmas, mom visiting and football play-offs, just too much going on for the last couple of weeks. Anyway, no snow for us in Cabo, things did remain cool however and I felt like it was going to snow on a few mornings when the lows hit the mid 50’s. At least we warmed up to the high 70’s on those days. We did get a bit of cloud cover just at the beginning of this report but now at the end of the year the skies are clear and there is nothing appearing on the horizon.
WATER: On the Pacific side the water has been much warmer with 71-74 degree and fairly blue water. The warmer water at the end of this reporting time was closer to shore and between the San Jaime Bank and us and in a long plume running directly south of the bank. On the Cortez side the water was warm as far as east to the 1150 spot, but became much cooler, down to 67 degrees at the Cabrillo Seamount, cooler and much more green, almost a pea-soup green in places just to the east of the 1150 and along that small temperature break.
BAIT: Bait was mostly Mackerel these past couple of weeks but there were a few Caballito in the mix. These larger baits were the normal $2 per bait. Up in San Jose there were Sardinas available at $25 a scoop, but they were tiny ones with the biggest only 2 inches, better for chum that as bait.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: As we expected to happen, the Striped Marlin have started to move our way. The bait moved south and the Marlin followed. The bite is still very good at the Finger Bank but there was no need to go that far. At the end of this reporting period there was an excellent bite going on at the San Jaime Bank on fish in the 100-120 pound class with a lot of boats releasing up to 20 Marlin a day. There was great activity on the Golden Gate as well, but there were a few days right around Christmas when the fish moved off of the Bank and the boats really had to search hard to find them. As well as the Golden and the Jaime Banks, there are good concentrations of Striped Marlin appearing off of the points and ledges just off of the beach. With just a hint of wind there are good numbers of tailing fish to be found close to shore in the afternoon. Almost all these fish are feeding on small Mackerel and slow trolling or drifting with these live baits has resulted in the best catches. It is more exciting to run in to bait balls popping up to the surface, but it was not needed in order to catch fish. A few boats were not able or not interested in catching Marlin however and directed their attentions elsewhere, and reported a distinct lack of Marlin anywhere else. Boats going up toward the Vinorama and Punta Gorda area on the Cortez side reported very green water and only a couple of Marlin sighted.
YELLOWFIN TUNA Once again at the end of this reporting period the football size Yellowfin were reported appearing up outside of San Jose, but the bite was sporadic, the size of available Sardines apparently had a strong effect on the bite. There were fish in the 15-20 pound class reported from the south side of the San Jaime Banks mixed in with pods of Porpoise but the moved around fast. A few boats going north on the Pacific side toward the Finger Bank reported fish in the 80 pound class but they were scattered out and the boats had a difficult time getting bit on these fish.
DORADO: Once again there were a few Dorado found but for the most part these were small fish, less than 15 pounds. A few boats caught one or two fish, most boats had none. The fish that were caught were found in the warmer water on the Pacific side and were caught on live Mackerel with a couple coming on bright colored lures.
WAHOO: I saw no Wahoo flags this week that were for Wahoo, I did see quite a few that were flown for Sierra.
INSHORE: There was no change in the inshore report for this report period. Sierra were the fish of the week for the inshore fishermen and they were consistently on the feed off of the Solmar-Finesterra beach early in the morning. They seemed to move up to the north later in the day. Yellowtail continued to produce scattered action off of the rocky points on the Cortez side with some decent fish being taken off of Gray Rock and the drop at Chileno.
NOTES: There are whales out there so be careful early in the mornings. Quite a few Makos (small ones) have been seen and caught at the Golden Gate Bank, averaging 30 pounds. Santa was nice to me this year; I must have been a good boy. No complaints but I am looking for a new boat to captain. This report was written to a variety of music from my collection so I don’t get into a rut! Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Jan. 1-7, 2008

WEATHER: Here at the end of the week we are in a wintertime heat wave as our morning temperatures have been in the high 60’s for the past four days and the daytime highs have been in the mid 80’s. The skies have been clear and there has been no rain.
WATER: On the Sea of Cortez from a line due east of Cabo and north of that line the water was green and cold with the water at 71 degrees and dropping down to 69 degrees off of Punta Gorda. All the banks on the Pacific side, the Finger, Golden Gate and the San Jaime, had water at 73-75 degrees and the water was considerably cleaner. The 95 Spot, 1150 and the Cabrillo Seamount were on the line and for the most part saw the warmer, cleaner water. Surface conditions were good all week long close to home. There was an occasional day of breezy conditions on the Pacific but nothing too uncomfortable. Up on the Sea of Cortez, once you went north of the Punta Gorda area the northerly winds made fishing very uncomfortable.
BAIT: Just like last week, the bait was mostly Mackerel but there were a few Caballito in the mix. These larger baits were the normal $2 per bait. Up in San Jose there were Sardinas available at $25 a scoop, but they were tiny ones with the biggest only 2 inches, better for chum that as bait.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin were the fish of the week, no doubt about that. Almost every boat that went out caught at least one, and if they wanted to work at it a little bit there was no problem getting into double digit numbers. The great thing about it was you did not have to go far for them. If you wanted to burn the fuel the water allowed a trip to the Finger Bank, and there were still great concentrations of fish there, but closer to home you did almost as well and did not spend so much time in transit. Most boats did just fine drifting live bait but I always like it better when the fish appear in the lure pattern and you get to drop back a rigged bait and see them eat it. We had several clients this week that did just that, only they dropped back a streamer on a fly rod and hooked up!
YELLOWFIN TUNA We still have not seen any solid concentrations of Yellowfin this season. Once in a while a boat will find a school with porpoise but they have been few and far between, and the size of fish has been lacking, most of them have been football fish. They have mostly been found on the Pacific side outside the banks, but a few schools were reported within a mile or two of the coast on that side as well.
DORADO: I saw a few more Dorado flags this week than last week and we are hoping that the water stays clean and above 70 degrees for a while longer, maybe we will continue to find them. I had a friend get two fish in the 30-pound class early in the week up past the Golden Gate Bank, and there are still scattered fish in the 10-15 pound class being caught close to the beach on the Pacific.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any concentrations of Wahoo this reporting period but I did see one of about 70 pounds being wheeled along the Marina in a cooler, a really nice fish!
INSHORE: There was no change in the inshore report for this report period. Sierra were the fish of the week for the inshore fishermen and they were consistently on the feed off of the Solmar-Finesterra beach early in the morning. They seemed to move up to the north later in the day. Yellowtail continued to produce scattered action off of the rocky points on the Cortez side with some decent fish being taken off of Gray Rock and the drop at Chileno.
NOTES: We are seeing more whales every week. The weather has been great, my golf game is sadly lacking consistency and my ears had a treat as I wrote this report while listening to some cuts from the CD collection “Watching the Dark, the history of Richard Thompson”, a 1993 release by RYKODISC. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 01/09/2008
REPORT #1096 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/kawakawa.jpg
White Bonita
This has been another ‘cookie cutter’ week with that pesky north wind never too far away. Best bet continued to be the inshore or the beach early mornings until the wind shows up and then it is time to hot foot it back to the casa or hotel. Good sierra action with a few small jacks, roosters and ladyfish on south facing beaches. Also a few skipjack schools to bend the stick for giggles. Mark Rayor reported “I went out in a tin boat yesterday and murdered the sierra and white bonita.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 55-76
Humidity 81 %
Wind: NNW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:48 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The much anticipated whale migration has begun and a few are beginning to filter into the bay. A few more weeks and the bay should be filling up with the welcomed visitors. They always provide a fun time for the family.

Out at the Entrada, there has been plenty of action for sierra and a few firecracker yellowtail beneath the bird schools feeding on sardine and red crab. Inside the esteros, the corvina and grouper have been the best bet.
According to the few yachts traveling up and down the coast, the offshore water has cooled and continues to be slightly offcolor.

Water temperature 66 - 73
Air temperature 45 -75
Humidity 54%
Wind: NW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:13 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:53 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The week started out looking promising. It is January, and historically one of the best months of the year for sailfish. Plus, the new moon was yesterday, the 8th. We are (theoretically) going into the best two weeks of the year.

But a cold water current has moved in, moved the blue water to way offshore, and the game fish have either left the area, or are too sluggish to feed.

Yesterday, Adan, on the panga Gitana II, managed the best numbers for the fleet. His clients from Denmark released three sailfish and got two nice dorado. But the average per boat was way down. It is less than one fish per boat.

The inshore is the same story; with cold water and an absence of game fish.

Fortunately, the cold water current is a current, and conditions can change in 24 hours. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75-95
Humidity 83%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:19 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:27 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

Our guide, Lance Peterson, along with Baja on the Fly client, Kurt Jones, Houston, TX, and his 14 yr. old son, Conner, had an interesting day out of Cabo on the Baja Raider. The Golden Gate Bank was holding good numbers of marlin and it didn't take long for us to tease up some hot fish. On the first hookup, we had one of those "Murphy's Law" events when a loop of line got caught up on the rod leading to the abrupt loss of both the fly line, and the rod tip! The next available fly rod was my Cam Sigler 10wt. The bite was on so I rigged the 10wt. for marlin and we got back in the game. Before too long, Kurt was tight to his first ever fly rod marlin...on a 10wt! He landed it in 35 minutes. Not to be outdone, Conner stepped up to the rod. I wasn't done coaching him on what to do when we had a marlin teased up. He presented the fly and the fish ate. Fish on! With some help from Kurt, this stubborn fish also came to the boat. We finished the day with 10 fish raised, four hooked and two landed. Not bad for first time marlin fishermen with a 10wt!

WEATHER: Here at the end of the week, we are in a wintertime heat wave as our morning temperatures have been in the high 60’s for the past four days and the daytime highs have been in the mid 80’s. The skies have been clear and there has been no rain.
WATER: On the Sea of Cortez, from a line due east of Cabo and north of that line, the water was green and cold with the water at 71 degrees and dropping down to 69 degrees off of Punta Gorda. All the banks on the Pacific side, the Finger, Golden Gate and the San Jaime, had water at 73-75 degrees and the water was considerably cleaner. The 95 Spot, 1150 and the Cabrillo Seamount were on that line and for the most part saw the warmer, cleaner water. Surface conditions were good all week long close to home. There was an occasional day of breezy conditions on the Pacific but nothing too uncomfortable. Up on the Sea of Cortez, once you went north of the Punta Gorda area, the northerly winds made fishing very uncomfortable.
BAIT: Just like last week, the bait was mostly mackerel, but there were a few caballito in the mix. These larger baits were the normal $2 per bait. Up in San Jose there were sardinas available at $25 a scoop, but they were tiny ones with the biggest only 2 inches…better for chum than as bait.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin were the fish of the week, no doubt about that. Almost every boat that went out caught at least one, and if they wanted to work at it a little bit there was no problem getting into double digit numbers. The great thing about it was you did not have to go far for them. If you wanted to burn the fuel, the water allowed a trip to the Finger Bank, and there were still great concentrations of fish there, but closer to home you did almost as well and did not spend so much time in transit. Most boats did just fine drifting live bait but I always like it better when the fish appear in the lure pattern and you get to drop back a rigged bait and see them eat it. We had several clients this week that did just that, only they dropped back a streamer on a fly rod and hooked up!
YELLOWFIN TUNA We still have not seen any solid concentrations of Yellowfin this season. Once in a while a boat will find a school with porpoise but they have been few and far between, and the size of fish has been lacking, most of them have been football fish. They have mostly been found on the Pacific side outside the banks, but a few schools were reported within a mile or two of the coast on that side as well.
DORADO: I saw a few more Dorado flags this week than last week and we are hoping that the water stays clean and above 70 degrees for a while longer, maybe we will continue to find them. I had a friend get two fish in the 30-pound class early in the week up past the Golden Gate Bank, and there are still scattered fish in the 10-15 pound class being caught close to the beach on the Pacific.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any concentrations of Wahoo this reporting period but I did see one of about 70 pounds being wheeled along the Marina in a cooler, a really nice fish!
INSHORE: There was no change in the inshore report for this report period. Sierra were the fish of the week for the inshore fishermen and they were consistently on the feed off of the Solmar-Finesterra beach early in the morning. They seemed to move up to the north later in the day. Yellowtail continued to produce scattered action off of the rocky points on the Cortez side with some decent fish being taken off of Gray Rock and the drop at Chileno.
NOTES: We are seeing more whales every week. The weather has been great, my golf game is sadly lacking consistency and my ears had a treat as I wrote this report while listening to some cuts from the CD collection “Watching the Dark, the history of Richard Thompson”, a 1993 release by RYKODISC. Until next week, tight lines!

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 55-74
Humidity 83%
Wind: WNW 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:02 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:50 p.m. MST

Bahia Asunción
http://www.bajafly.com/report/manuel.01.09.gif
Local guide Manuel Arce Aguilar a nice yellow caught recently. kalicosloco@yahoo.com

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 52-70
Humidity 76%
Wind: NNW 12 to 17 kts
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:58 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Jan. 8-21, 2008

WEATHER: For the past two weeks our cool wintertime conditions have continued. Our nighttime lows have been down in the mid 50’s while the daytime highs have reached the high 70’s but have mostly been in the mid to low 70’s. As of the end of this week the skies have been only partly cloudy and we have had no rain. It has become windy in the afternoons but the mornings have been calm for the most part.
WATER: The water close to the beach on the Pacific side has remained warmer than most of the area with an average temperature of 71 degrees out to a distance of three-four miles from the beach at the inside of the Golden Gate Bank area. This warm water extends to the southwest across the San Jaime Bank and then in a thumb-shaped are with the tip 15 miles south of Cabo it warms to 73-74 degrees. The 71-degree water extends into the Sea of Cortez across the 95 Spot but stops short of the 1150. Water outside of this range on both sides of the Cape drops in temperature to the mid and high 60’s. At the end of this week, there was cold and dirty water across the Golden Gate Bank, the Finger Bank and the 1150 and Gorda Banks. The area inshore between Cabo and Punta Gorda was reported as being very dirty and green.
BAIT: Today is the full moon and as usual, as the full moon approaches the number of Caballito available for bait has fallen off. There are still plenty of Mackerel however and all these larger baits are at the normal $2 per bait. I have been told that there were no Sardinas available due to dirty water conditions up in the San Jose area.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite has dropped off quite a bit over the past week and instead of boats coming in with double digit numbers of flags, the high catch boats were getting four or five fish. Most boats were happy to get one or two releases and many were happy just to get a shot at a fish. One of the reasons may have to do with the temperature and clarity of the water in most areas, but the moon phase may have had an effect as well. Most of the Striped Marlin action was taking place between the San Jaime Bank and the 95 Spot and areas to the south of there, down in that warmer water area I mentioned earlier. I also heard form a Captain on a fleet boat that they hooked up a Blue Marlin earlier this week for a short while down in that warmer water, but the fish came off after the first run.
YELLOWFIN TUNA The Yellowfin Tuna that I have heard about have all been from the San Jaime area and for the most part have been football sized fish in the 10 pound range, found mixed in with porpoise. There have been a few fish to 40 pounds mixed in with them as well, but the numbers have been low. I have also hear unconfirmed reports of some nice sized fish being found occasionally 40-50 miles to the south of us. These fish have also been mixed in with porpoise and are reported to be in the 50-60 pound class. As far as I am aware no one has yet gotten into any concentrations of #100 + fish in the past two weeks, but we are hoping that it happens soon.
DORADO: The cool water of the past month has really slowed down the Dorado bite as they move south into warmer water. A few fish have been caught every day and for the most part they have been either just off the beach on the Pacific side or in the warmer water due south. The average size has been around 12 pounds with a few fish in the 25-pound class, but most of them are average size. The number of fish per boat is much lower as well, with an average catch of .3 fish per day, or 1 fish per three days of effort. I expect the Dorado to almost disappear as the water continues to cool.
WAHOO: As the full moon approached there were a few Wahoo caught, and there will probably be a few more on the waning side of the moon as well, but they have been incidental fish caught in the open water due south. Wahoo like warm water and just like the Dorado; there are fewer of them around right now than there were earlier in the season. The fish that were caught averaged 40 pounds and were caught on dark colored Marlin lures.
INSHORE: The Yellowtail bite dropped off as the water on the Cortez side of the Cape became dirty. A few have been caught on the Pacific side off of the rocky points on live bait dropped to about 250 feet, but there has been no consistent bite on them. The Sierra bite has slowed down as well with most boats getting only a half-dozen or so per trip. The Pargo are starting to show among the rocks on the Pacific side, and hopefully action on them will improve this coming week as the moon starts to wane.
NOTES: The fishing really slowed down the past two weeks as the water cooled off. Hopefully the Yellowfin will show in force and give us some alternative action, they are overdue based on the past six years catch records. On the positive side, the water conditions have been pretty good! This weeks report was written to the music of Mark Knopfler on his new solo release “Kill To Get Crimson”, a melancholy set of songs, sort of like the fishing the past two weeks! I just returned from visiting my father in Oklahoma City, his birthday was Saturday and it was nice seeing him for his 71st! Happy birthday dad! So, for those of you who were wondering why there was no report last week, now you know! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 01/24/2008
REPORT #1098 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
North winds along with cool temperatures are back and according to the predictions will be here until the weekend. But last week there was a brief respite for the nasty stuff.

Between the windy days, the beaches and inshore produced sierra, jacks, and ladyfish along with a few small roosters. Those were found on the beaches between Rancho Leonero and La Ribera with the best action being in the early morning before the wind cranked up..

A few tuna showed up toward Cerralvo Island. That sounded promising but north wind and Cerralvo should not be used in the same sentence!

Travel Tip: Benadryl in both gel and capsule form is a must for your tackle box! Handy in case of stings, bites of any kind of critter you might encounter, including jelly fish, scorpion or bees.

Boat owners take note: Effective January 2008, boat permits are no longer required for vessels practicing sportfishing in Mexican waters.
http://www.conapescasandiego.org/contenido.cfm?cont=MAIN&CFID=107623&CFTOKEN=88901936

AS OF JAN 23RD, 2007 EVERYONE MUST HAVE A PASSPORT TO TRAVEL TO AND FROM MEXICO!!!!!
Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 47-72
Humidity 88 %
Wind: NNW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:02 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:01 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Water temperature 66 - 73
Air temperature 47 -67
Humidity 79%
Wind: NNW 10 to 14 knots
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:05 p.m. MST
http://www.bajafly.com/report/whale.01.17.gif
Diana Hoyt reported good fishing in the Esteros for corvina as well as a few grouper and plenty of spotted bay bass.

More and more whales are arriving every day---just in time for the 15th annual Festival del Ballena to celebrate their arrival this Saturday the 26th.

Protected by the barrier island of Isla Magdalena, Lopez Mateos is one of Baja's best whale-watching sites. The bay is narrow here, so you don't have to travel far by boat to see the whales. In fact they can usually be seen from the pier. Boca de Soledad, only a short distance north of town, boasts the highest density of whales anywhere along the peninsula.

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Historically, January is considered to be the best month of the year for sailfish. This is the time when large migrations of the fish pass by us on their way to Guatemala. It is also a fact the full moon period usually affects the fishing here, except for those occasional really outstanding years. This January is one of the really outstanding years.

Plus, we are having the largest showing of dorado I have seen in years. The dorado are all mature fish, averaging between 12 and 18 pounds for the hens, and 25 to 40 pounds for the bulls.

Before the full moon, Mark Davis, of Malibu, CA, fished 4 days on the Gaby with Captain Margarito. They released 7 sailfish, and kept 12 large dorado. Also last week, clients from Denmark, fishing with Francisco on the panga, Huntress, released 15 sails and released 1 striped marlin. And they caught 11 dorado.

After the full moon, on Monday, Cali released 7 sailfish and kept 3 dorado.

While standing at the pier and watching the boats come in on Tuesday, Adolpho came first in his panga, Dos Hermanos, with 8 sailfish release flags flying and another 3 dorado flags. Then came the panga, Gitana, with Santiago with 9 sailfish and 2 dorado tags, followed by his brother Adan with 5 sailfish and 2 dorado flags.

Every afternoon at the pier, around 2:00, is like a colorful parade as the boats come in with their flags a flying. The fishing is just outstanding!
Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 73-96
Humidity 68%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:36 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

WEATHER: For the past two weeks our cool wintertime conditions have continued. Our nighttime lows have been down in the mid 50’s while the daytime highs have reached the high 70’s but have mostly been in the mid to low 70’s. As of the end of this week the skies have been only partly cloudy and we have had no rain. It has become windy in the afternoons but the mornings have been calm for the most part.

WATER: The water close to the beach on the Pacific side has remained warmer than most of the area with an average temperature of 71 degrees out to a distance of three-four miles from the beach at the inside of the Golden Gate Bank area. This warm water extends to the southwest across the San Jaime Bank and then in a thumb-shaped are with the tip 15 miles south of Cabo it warms to 73-74 degrees. The 71-degree water extends into the Sea of Cortez across the 95 Spot but stops short of the 1150. Water outside of this range on both sides of the Cape drops in temperature to the mid and high 60’s. At the end of this week, there was cold and dirty water across the Golden Gate Bank, the Finger Bank and the 1150 and Gorda Banks. The area inshore between Cabo and Punta Gorda was reported as being very dirty and green.
BAIT: Today is the full moon and as usual, as the full moon approaches the number of Caballito available for bait has fallen off. There are still plenty of Mackerel however and all these larger baits are at the normal $2 per bait. I have been told that there were no Sardinas available due to dirty water conditions up in the San Jose area.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite has dropped off quite a bit over the past week and instead of boats coming in with double digit numbers of flags, the high catch boats were getting four or five fish. Most boats were happy to get one or two releases and many were happy just to get a shot at a fish. One of the reasons may have to do with the temperature and clarity of the water in most areas, but the moon phase may have had an effect as well. Most of the Striped Marlin action was taking place between the San Jaime Bank and the 95 Spot and areas to the south of there, down in that warmer water area I mentioned earlier. I also heard form a Captain on a fleet boat that they hooked up a Blue Marlin earlier this week for a short while down in that warmer water, but the fish came off after the first run.

YELLOWFIN TUNA The Yellowfin Tuna that I have heard about have all been from the San Jaime area and for the most part have been football sized fish in the 10 pound range, found mixed in with porpoise. There have been a few fish to 40 pounds mixed in with them as well, but the numbers have been low. I have also hear unconfirmed reports of some nice sized fish being found occasionally 40-50 miles to the south of us. These fish have also been mixed in with porpoise and are reported to be in the 50-60 pound class. As far as I am aware no one has yet gotten into any concentrations of #100 + fish in the past two weeks, but we are hoping that it happens soon.

DORADO: The cool water of the past month has really slowed down the Dorado bite as they move south into warmer water. A few fish have been caught every day and for the most part they have been either just off the beach on the Pacific side or in the warmer water due south. The average size has been around 12 pounds with a few fish in the 25-pound class, but most of them are average size. The number of fish per boat is much lower as well, with an average catch of .3 fish per day, or 1 fish per three days of effort. I expect the Dorado to almost disappear as the water continues to cool.

WAHOO: As the full moon approached there were a few Wahoo caught, and there will probably be a few more on the waning side of the moon as well, but they have been incidental fish caught in the open water due south. Wahoo like warm water and just like the Dorado; there are fewer of them around right now than there were earlier in the season. The fish that were caught averaged 40 pounds and were caught on dark colored Marlin lures.
INSHORE: The Yellowtail bite dropped off as the water on the Cortez side of the Cape became dirty. A few have been caught on the Pacific side off of the rocky points on live bait dropped to about 250 feet, but there has been no consistent bite on them. The Sierra bite has slowed down as well with most boats getting only a half-dozen or so per trip. The Pargo are starting to show among the rocks on the Pacific side, and hopefully action on them will improve this coming week as the moon starts to wane.

NOTES: The fishing really slowed down the past two weeks as the water cooled off. Hopefully the Yellowfin will show in force and give us some alternative action, they are overdue based on the past six years catch records. On the positive side, the water conditions have been pretty good! This weeks report was written to the music of Mark Knopfler on his new solo release “Kill To Get Crimson”, a melancholy set of songs, sort of like the fishing the past two weeks! I just returned from visiting my father in Oklahoma City, his birthday was Saturday and it was nice seeing him for his 71st! Happy birthday dad! So, for those of you who were wondering why there was no report last week, now you know! Until next week, tight lines!

George & Mary Landrum
Water temperature 65 - 74
Air temperature 50-72
Humidity 95%
Wind: N 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 7:02 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:01 p.m. MST

Bahia Asunción
http://www.bajafly.com/report/pilotfish.JPG
Juan christened his new panga with Mexican champagne...Tecate! Four pilots who flew in had a fun day fishing on the maiden voyage. The water temp warmed up considerably and even though fishing on the full moon is usually poor, they found some yellowtail 2 miles off of San Pablo, a place called ‘yellowtail rock’, jigging with irons...the guys lost more than they landed but had a blast anyway. Visibility was excellent as well and they caught several nice calicos and bonita and enjoyed watching gray whales pass by as they fished.
Shari and Juan

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 52-68
Humidity 66%
Wind: WNW 3 to 4 knots
Conditions: rainy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:28 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:10 p.m. MST

[puertovallartafish]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/mahimahi.jpg
Vallarta fishing Report Hey back at you
with a brand new Puerto Vallarta fishing report well I
said in my last report that the weather was cooling
down but now the Puerto climate is seeing record lows
the fishing has really picked up at the bank this last
week showing life with 40-100 lb yellow fin tuna
100-200 lb striped marlins 100 lb + sailfish and 20-40
lb red snapper! If you want to catch anything over a
100 lbs right now you have to do at least a 10 hour
day. But there is still lots of action on a 6-8 hour day
to el morro or off of the point of punta de mita we have
been catching mahi mahi, red snapper, roosterfish,
mackeral, pompano, and smaller sailfish. the 2006
luhrs is now a proud member of the Billfish Foundation
and is tagging all billfish which will be recorded and
documented . Here at fish In PV Sportfishing we want
to see our kids and future grand kids enjoy the Puerto
Vallarta fishing as much as we do. We love catching
big Puerto Vallarta fish but if your not going to eat the
meat, then snap a photo take some measurements
and through her back!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Jan. 23-29, 2008

WEATHER: It has been cloudy most of the week so sun seekers were not very happy; I saw a lot of folks that were very burned, thinking that the clouds were stopping the tanning rays. Oh well, at least the clouds helped hold the warmth in and we didn’t see temperatures lower than the mid 60’s at night. At the end of the week early I the morning it was 69 at our house. Daytime highs were around the low to mid 80’s, warm enough that I had no need of a sweater most of the time. With all the clouds I thought that we were going to get some rain but all that happened was a bit of spit, you know, the kind that just dots the dusty windshield on the car? That was early in the week on Tuesday, and it was probably my fault as I had just washed the Jeep when it started.
WATER: There did not appear to be any real change in the water conditions from the week before. The cloud cover made it almost impossible to get an updated sea surface shot from space so reliance on the boats that were fishing was very strong. It appears that the water within 5 miles of the beach on the Pacific side up to just past the Golden Gate Bank remained warmer than that farther offshore and was a nice blue color as well. On the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Bank the water was off color green and quite a bit cooler at 70 degrees and lower. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was green and off-colored everywhere and the area off of Punta Gorda was reported as almost a brown color by some boats. To the immediate south on an east-west line across the arch the water warmed up and blued up. As you reached 8 miles to the south the temperature rose to 74 degrees. Surface conditions across the area were good since this cloud cover arrived without any wind. Some swells on the Pacific side with a light ripple on top most of the time, but on the Cortez side up past Punta Gorda the wind started howling.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardinas up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite remained off for another week for most of the boats. The fish were found on the Pacific side and to the south but while there were a lot of fish seen on the surface, not many of them were hungry. A few, very few, boats managed to come in with between three and five Marlin flags flying, but most boats were feeling lucky if they were able to get a couple of fish to eat and get one to the boat for a release. The big new for the week is the appearance of some Swordfish. This week several of these fish were spotted on the surface and at least two that I know of were hooked. One was hooked on a live Mackerel while fishing 23 miles to the south and was fought for six hours before the 100-pound leader parted. The Captain estimated to fish at over #300! It’s tough to get a fish like that on Striped Marlin gear!
YELLOWFIN TUNA I overheard a conversation about a private boat being hooked up on a very big Yellowfin just off the Golden Gate Bank on Saturday, and then nothing else. I know a few boats have been having a little luck on fish in the 30-pound class out past the San Jaime Bank, but it has been very inconsistent. The same has been the case on the football sized fish, they have been out there but the bite has been slow, a few fish have been the average with a few boats able to get into double digits.
DORADO: Once again there have been a few fish caught, one or two here and there, but no large numbers have been reported. The best area has been the warm water to the south.
WAHOO: Inconsistent, but there have been some quality fish out there. One boat caught two of them between 80-100 pounds in the warm water 20 miles south and a few other smaller ones were reported from the same area.
INSHORE: The Sierra action picked back up on the Pacific side as schools of fish to 10 pounds have moved in off of the beaches and rocky points to the north of the lighthouse. Double-digit catches were not a problem. Either whole Mackerel rigged with a stinger hook I the tail or large Sardines were needed for the larger fish, hootchies and plugs did not work on fish over six pounds. Off of the Rocky points Snapper have begun to show, it is time for the normal spring spawning groups to begin gathering. A few Yellowtail continue to be caught but the numbers have really dropped off over the past several weeks.
NOTES: There were acres of Humboldt Squid reported on the surface feeding on red crab this week, and this may have been a contributing factor in the Swordfish being seen. There are still whales out there and the numbers seem to be increasing. This weeks report was written to the guitar of Marshall Crenshaw on the 1989 Warner release “Good Evening”, great stuff! Until next week, Tight Lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 01/31/2008
REPORT #1099 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Plenty of action from the beach and inshore, sierra, small roosters and jacks …, actually more fish than visitors. Which was probably a good thing since the north wind seemed relentless this week. Supposedly there are some tuna and billfish outside but high seas caused by the wind prevented anyone from getting out to find them.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 49-76
Humidity 81 %
Wind: NNW 16 to 22 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:00 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:04 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Bob Hoyt, of Mag Bay Outfitters, reported that the whales are slowly filtering into the bay through Boca de Soledad but so far only 15- 20 that have made it inside.

Estero action this week included some good corvina bites as well as a few better quality grouper, along with a few pargo.

Water temperature 66 - 73
Air temperature 54 -75
Humidity 76%
Wind: WNW 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:10 p.m. MST


Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

For this last week the sailfish and dorado bite has still been holding up with fantastic action for all boats. The boats were averaging 3 to 4 sailfish a day, plus a couple of the 20 to 40 pound dorado.

Margarito on the Gaby has really had an excellent week, with the slowest day catching 6 sailfish and 1 dorado, and the best day with 10 sailfish and 2 dorado.

Unfortunately, I do not see this bite holding up for much longer. Yesterday the boats came in with fewer flags flying. Whether this is a trend developing, or the fleet just needs to locate new areas for the concentrations of fish will become evident over the next couple of days.

With the blue water only six miles off the beach, hopefully it may just be a lull until a new batch of fish move into the area.

The jack crevalle and black skipjack tuna are providing a lot of inshore action also.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 48-96
Humidity 78%
Wind: S 5 knt
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:19 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:40 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

WEATHER: It has been cloudy most of the week so sun seekers were not very happy; I saw a lot of folks that were very burned, thinking that the clouds were stopping the tanning rays. Oh well, at least the clouds helped hold the warmth in and we didn’t see temperatures lower than the mid 60’s at night. At the end of the week early I the morning it was 69 at our house. Daytime highs were around the low to mid 80’s, warm enough that I had no need of a sweater most of the time. With all the clouds I thought that we were going to get some rain but all that happened was a bit of spit, you know, the kind that just dots the dusty windshield on the car? That was early in the week on Tuesday, and it was probably my fault as I had just washed the Jeep when it started.
WATER: There did not appear to be any real change in the water conditions from the week before. The cloud cover made it almost impossible to get an updated sea surface shot from space so reliance on the boats that were fishing was very strong. It appears that the water within 5 miles of the beach on the Pacific side up to just past the Golden Gate Bank remained warmer than that farther offshore and was a nice blue color as well. On the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Bank the water was off color green and quite a bit cooler at 70 degrees and lower. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was green and off-colored everywhere and the area off of Punta Gorda was reported as almost a brown color by some boats. To the immediate south on an east-west line across the arch the water warmed up and blued up. As you reached 8 miles to the south the temperature rose to 74 degrees. Surface conditions across the area were good since this cloud cover arrived without any wind. Some swells on the Pacific side with a light ripple on top most of the time, but on the Cortez side up past Punta Gorda the wind started howling.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardinas up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite remained off for another week for most of the boats. The fish were found on the Pacific side and to the south but while there were a lot of fish seen on the surface, not many of them were hungry. A few, very few, boats managed to come in with between three and five Marlin flags flying, but most boats were feeling lucky if they were able to get a couple of fish to eat and get one to the boat for a release. The big new for the week is the appearance of some Swordfish. This week several of these fish were spotted on the surface and at least two that I know of were hooked. One was hooked on a live Mackerel while fishing 23 miles to the south and was fought for six hours before the 100-pound leader parted. The Captain estimated to fish at over #300! It’s tough to get a fish like that on Striped Marlin gear!
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I overheard a conversation about a private boat being hooked up on a very big Yellowfin just off the Golden Gate Bank on Saturday, and then nothing else. I know a few boats have been having a little luck on fish in the 30-pound class out past the San Jaime Bank, but it has been very inconsistent. The same has been the case on the football sized fish, they have been out there but the bite has been slow, a few fish have been the average with a few boats able to get into double digits.
DORADO: Once again there have been a few fish caught, one or two here and there, but no large numbers have been reported. The best area has been the warm water to the south.
WAHOO: Inconsistent, but there have been some quality fish out there. One boat caught two of them between 80-100 pounds in the warm water 20 miles south and a few other smaller ones were reported from the same area.
INSHORE: The Sierra action picked back up on the Pacific side as schools of fish to 10 pounds have moved in off of the beaches and rocky points to the north of the lighthouse. Double-digit catches were not a problem. Either whole Mackerel rigged with a stinger hook I the tail or large Sardines were needed for the larger fish, hootchies and plugs did not work on fish over six pounds. Off of the Rocky points Snapper have begun to show, it is time for the normal spring spawning groups to begin gathering. A few Yellowtail continue to be caught but the numbers have really dropped off over the past several weeks.
NOTES: There were acres of Humboldt Squid reported on the surface feeding on red crab this week, and this may have been a contributing factor in the Swordfish being seen. There are still whales out there and the numbers seem to be increasing. This weeks report was written to the guitar of Marshall Crenshaw on the 1989 Warner release “Good Evening”, great stuff! Until next week, Tight Lines!

George & Mary Landrum
Water temperature 65 - 74
Air temperature 54-74
Humidity 85%
Wind: NNE 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 2 miles
Sunrise 7:00 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:06 p.m. MST

Bahia Asunción
http://www.bajafly.com/report/calico.01.31.08.JPG
Winter Calico photo provided by Bahia Asunción local guide Manuel Arce Aguilar

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 49-68
Humidity 66%
Wind: NNW 5 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:25 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:16 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Jan. 29-Feb 4, 2008

WEATHER: We finally had a couple of days where the sun actually shined all day long. The middle of the week was special, no clouds and it warmed up a bit. Our morning lows have been around the low 60’s to high 50’s, colder when there were no clouds. The highs for the days have been between the low and high 70’s with one day where it reached 82 degrees here at the house. Cloudy early in the week and at the end of the week.
WATER: Surface conditions on both sides of the Cape were good this week with slight swells and only light winds. On the Pacific side the water temperatures were in the 70-71 degree range with a light tinge of green to them while on the Cortez side the water was about a degree or two warmer and clearer. Due south at a distance of 20 miles the water warmed up to 74 degrees and became blue.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardinas up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite remained slow, the concentrations of fish have moved and no one has been able to find them yet. Well, except for one day early in the week when only 10 boats were at the Golden Gate Bank and the Marlin re-appeared for the day. The action was pretty good on Monday and the top boats released double-digit numbers. That shut right back down though, as on Tuesday almost 40 boats worked the bank and there were only about ten fish released. Most boats have been happy to release one or two Marlin per trip and a few lucky (or good) ones have been in the 3 or 4 release range. The bite has been on a mix of live bait and lures with many of the live bait fish coming on deep dropped baits or slow trolled live baits on the Golden Gate Bank.
YELLOWFIN TUNA Well, for most of the boats out there a few football Tuna are all that they have been able to get onto, but every once in a while a larger fish in the 30 –pound range is hooked up. These fish are almost all with Porpoise and there are not many of them found right now. I sure hope things change soon as Tuna are one of our staples this time of year. The area due south to 35 miles has been the best producing, but the action has started to swing into the Sea of Cortez direction, perhaps following the warmer water movement.
DORADO: A few fish now and then, no steady action but the fish that have been taken have been from the warmer water areas.
WAHOO: I have heard of a few boats getting Wahoo in the warm water to the south, but there has been no numbers, just a fish now and then in the 40-pound class.
INSHORE: Sierra, small Roosterfish, Ladyfish, Snapper and some Bonita have been the inshore production this week. The Sierra bite has been on and off on the Pacific side but the best results have been while using Sardinas as bait. Snapper are being found in the rocks, I mean right up in there, and a lot of them are being lost due to that fact.
NOTES: There are more whales showing up, I had a good time watching them while sitting in the Cost-Co parking lot waiting for my wife yesterday! The Humboldt Squid are still around feeding on the red crabs and Swordfish are still being sighted, but I didn’t hear of anyone catching on this week. Until next week, Tight Lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 02/06/2008
REPORT #1100 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

Don’t miss Gary’s new “Road Trekker” column published in Western Outdoor News

http://roadtrekker.********.com/

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/puffshadow.jpg
Puffy’s shadow
Three nice days early in the week; February 2 came and Puffy’s shadow could be clearly seen. Locals claim that when the puffer fish’s shadow is visible, it is another excuse to have tequila shooters first thing in the morning before trying to beat the wind to the beach.

As if on cue, the wind came back resulting in a few lack luster days. Unfortunately the sierra and white bonito found the shadow disconcerting and had a serious case of lock jaw.

On the non-windy days some quality yellows were found up at Bahia de Los Muertos
Tip: When fishing from the beach barefooted, be careful to watch where you step…better yet, wear beach shoes or sandals. Stepping on a half buried Puffy can ruin a good day.
Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 46-77
Humidity 71 %
Wind: NNW 12 to 16 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:11 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Whale watching season is in full swing! Both San Carlos and Lopez Mateos are filling up with tourists who have traveled long distances to “ooh and aah” over the huge visitors and their offspring.

Water temperature 66 - 73
Air temperature 43 -80
Humidity 92%
Wind: NE 4 to 5 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:06 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:15 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/02.06.08zsail.jpg
Fly angler....Roger Harrington, British Columbia Canada. Boat....Isamar with Captain Martin
With a cold water current pushing the blue water out to the 18 mile mark, compared to the last couple of weeks, the fishing has slowed down quite a bit. However, most of this is due to the boats staying in the more traditional areas, from about 9 to 14 miles. They are averaging only about 1 or 2 sailfish a day.

Captain Margarito on the Gaby has been fishing an area between 22 and 25 miles out. He told me there are a lot of fish out there, with a 5 sailfish per day average proving his point. Plus, he is getting at least one shot at a blue marlin on the trolled lures each day.

With the cooler water the dorado numbers have dropped substantially, but the yellowfin tuna have moved in. The tuna, and the expected soon to follow blue marlin, should still give us some excellent action over the next couple of weeks.

There have been no reports of any action on the inshore small game.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 67-95
Humidity 77%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:17 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:43 p.m. CST


Bahia Asunción
http://www.bajafly.com/report/02.08.juancroaker.jpg
Finally the weather has cleared up after plenty of clouds and wind. This week’s catch consisted of whitefish, cabrilla and sheepshead. We did catch our lunch at Playa Tordillo on Sunday surf fishing. The surf has been great this week, giving our team Jurjos a chance to practice up for the summer tournament here in mid-August.
Shari and Juan

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 52-73
Humidity 66%
Wind: NW 5 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:21 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:21 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Feb 4-10, 2008

WEATHER: It felt like winter this week even though it never got below 56 degrees. Maybe it’s just that I am used to the warm weather now. Our lows, alt least the lowest I saw, was 58 degrees, but with a bit of wind on it, it felt colder. Our daytime highs were in the high 70’s and most of the week we had partly cloudy skies most of the week. On the 9th the skies actually cleared enough for the sea-surface temp charts to come through on the Terrafin web site.
WATER: I did not see anything warmer than 70 degrees this week, and most of that was a plume coming up from the south and running from 20 miles due south to the southern end of the San Jaime Bank. Inside that band it dropped to 67 and 67 degrees. On the Cortez side of the Cape it was a consistent 68 degrees until you got past the Punta Gorda area, and then it dropped to a very cool 63 and 64 degrees. The surface conditions were great with small swells from the Northwest on the Pacific side and almost pool-table smoothness on the Cortez at the end of the week.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardinas up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Boats looking for Marlin were really having to scratch for them this week, and I mean that they were difficult to get to bite, not that they were hard to find. Some boats working deep bait on the Golden Gate Bank had luck, but it was not steady by any means. There were also some hungry fish found close to shore, within two miles, along the points on the Pacific side. Boats venturing farther offshore were seeing quite a few fish in small groups of two or three at a time, but they had lockjaw and most refused to bite. As an example, a large private yacht that has placed in quite a few tournaments spent 12 hours late in the week fishing for marlin, from 6 am until 6 pm and were only able to find two hungry fish, and that was a double hook-up.
YELLOWFIN TUNA The porpoise are starting to show up in fair numbers but not all the pods have Yellowfin with them. Fishing south of the San Jaime and west of there boats are finding pods of between 20 and several thousand porpoise. There have been Tuna of between 15 and 30 pounds caught among the mammals, but I did not hear of any large ones yet, and a good day so far has been getting eight or ten of these fish to bite. Most boats are having a hard time getting hooked up to them though as they have been feeding fairly heavily on red crab, according to the guys who have opened up the ones they catch. As a result, the small hootchies in red colors have worked best on these smaller Tuna.
DORADO: A few fish now and then, no steady action but the fish that have been taken have been from the warmer water areas.
WAHOO: I didn’t hear of any Wahoo this week. The flags you see flying are for “Mexican wahoo”, or better known as sierra.
INSHORE: Mexican Wahoo, also known as Sierra, have been the mainstay of the Panga fleet this week with most boats able to get at least a half-dozen or more. Yellowtail action is picking up once again with several fish to 40 pounds being boats as well as a few nice grouper to 50 pounds. The usual smaller Roosterfish to 5 pounds, some small barracuda and Bonita have rounded out the catches inshore.
NOTES: Whales, whales, whales and porpoise, there have been plenty of these out there for anglers that get bored of not catching fish this week. Well, for some of them at least! I am taking off for L.A. to re-new my Captains License and will be coming back in the middle of the week, maybe fishing will have gotten better by then! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 02/13/2008
REPORT #1101 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/cersie%20copy.jpg
Sierra, ladyfish and small roosters still continue to lurk along the beaches providing some killer action in the early morning and extending on until the winds pick up. The tin boat fleet is enjoying a good sierra winter as they troll tight to the beach. A bit further out the bonito can be found feeding bait near the surface.

Up to the north just outside the mooring balls at Muertos Bay, a few moss back yellows have been tearing up tackle quicker than you can say “fish on”.
Tip: When the fish are crashing bait on the surface and every cast is a refusal, try slowing down the retrieve to a crawl. A very slow moving fly will often trigger a strike when nothing else will.
Water temperature 62-68
Air temperature 45-82
Humidity 75 %
Wind: NNW 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:53 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:13 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Whale Ho! Plenty of whales are now inside the bay frolicking in front of the pier.

Up in the Esteros the mixed-bag action, snook, corvina and some fat pargo, kept everyone smiling this week.

Water temperature 66 - 73
Air temperature 45 -83
Humidity 75%
Wind: WSW 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:19 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The fishing is continuing last week's trend. It has been slow. The fleet is only averaging 1 or 2 sailfish a day per boat. A few dorado are still being taken, but only about 1 for every 4 boats.

The blue water is still at 18 miles. Reports are the tuna are out beyond the 25 mile mark, and in decent numbers. We are waiting to see if anything will develop with them.

Cory Cole fished with Marcos on the panga, Oceana, and had a typical two days of fishing. They got 1 dorado the first day, and two sailfish the second day.

Inshore, there are reports of the jack crevalle action heating up, with a few sierras being taken also.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75-97
Humidity 77%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:43 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Feb 11-17, 2008

WEATHER: We had partly cloudy skies early in the week, then things cleared up at the weekend and it was bright and sunny. We also had quite a bit of wind from the northwest up until the weekend; it then died down here in town. There was no rain associated with the early week cloudy conditions.
WATER: Surface conditions on the Pacific side of the Cape were rougher than they had been last week due to the continuing wind. Choppy seas, running at 4-6 feet with 12-15 knots on top made for unstable footing and a lot of spray and pounding while running to and from the banks. On the Sea of Cortez the surface conditions were much better, but there were few boats fishing the area due to green, cold water. With the surface temperatures at 67-69 degrees all the way up to Punta Gorda, and down to 64 degrees north of there, the fishing was not very good. On the Pacific side things were warmer and the water a bit clearer, but the cool water seems to be working its way toward us there as well. There remains a plume of warm 71 degree water running from across the Golden Gate bank to three miles outside the lighthouse as well as an area on the western edge of the San Jaime bank that is as warm, but the warm water seems to be receding southward.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardinas up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin have continued to remain scarce with the only concentration found atop the Golden Gate Bank, and there were not many of them willing to eat. Most boats fished the bank with slow drifted live Mackerel caught on the site and felt they were doing well with a couple of Marlin bites and possibly one or two releases. Boats using smaller diameter floura-carbon leader with circle hooks were having better luck than others with most of them able to get up to a half-dozen bites a day for up to that many releases. Running to feeding Marlin, marked by the diving birds, was not as productive as the fish did not stay up long. On Saturday and Sunday there were up to 60 boats working the bank with most of them only getting one or two bites, and almost all of them having sick anglers on board due to the surface conditions.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There are still only football fish being found out there, and most of them have been between 18 to 30 miles to the south. Boats working westward past the banks were not doing well with only an occasional pod of porpoise showing, and few of them holding fish. Once again red hootchies were the best bet for these fish as most of the stomach contents were found to be red crab.
DORADO: I did not see any Dorado myself, but I did overhear one conversation concerning a decent catch made by a boat that found a piece of wood in the water 30 miles to the south, and they were apparently able to pick off 5 fish between 15-20 pounds.
WAHOO: Once again I didn’t hear of any Wahoo this week. The flags you see flying are for “Mexican Wahoo”, or better known as sierra.
INSHORE: Mexican Wahoo, also known as Sierra, have been the mainstay of the Panga fleet this week with most boats able to get at least a half-dozen or more. Yellowtail action dropped off again, it seems to be a “good one week, slow the next” type of fishery. Snapper fishing has again improved and there are a few more grouper being found by those targeting bottom fish. The usual smaller Roosterfish to 5 pounds, some small barracuda and Bonita have rounded out the catches inshore.
NOTES: Still lots of whales out there, everyone is seeing them during the fishing charters. There are also quite a few small Mako Sharks being caught at the Golden Gate Bank, but I have not heard of any large ones. This weeks report was written to the music of “Mighty Lester” on their 2006 release “We are Mighty Lester”, released by themselves, some really swinging blues! Until next week, keep your fingers crossed that the fishing picks up and the nice weather continues! Tight Lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Feb 11-17, 2008

WEATHER: We had partly cloudy skies early in the week, then things cleared up at the weekend and it was bright and sunny. We also had quite a bit of wind from the northwest up until the weekend; it then died down here in town. There was no rain associated with the early week cloudy conditions.
WATER: Surface conditions on the Pacific side of the Cape were rougher than they had been last week due to the continuing wind. Choppy seas, running at 4-6 feet with 12-15 knots on top made for unstable footing and a lot of spray and pounding while running to and from the banks. On the Sea of Cortez the surface conditions were much better, but there were few boats fishing the area due to green, cold water. With the surface temperatures at 67-69 degrees all the way up to Punta Gorda, and down to 64 degrees north of there, the fishing was not very good. On the Pacific side things were warmer and the water a bit clearer, but the cool water seems to be working its way toward us there as well. There remains a plume of warm 71 degree water running from across the Golden Gate bank to three miles outside the lighthouse as well as an area on the western edge of the San Jaime bank that is as warm, but the warm water seems to be receding southward.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardinas up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin have continued to remain scarce with the only concentration found atop the Golden Gate Bank, and there were not many of them willing to eat. Most boats fished the bank with slow drifted live Mackerel caught on the site and felt they were doing well with a couple of Marlin bites and possibly one or two releases. Boats using smaller diameter floura-carbon leader with circle hooks were having better luck than others with most of them able to get up to a half-dozen bites a day for up to that many releases. Running to feeding Marlin, marked by the diving birds, was not as productive as the fish did not stay up long. On Saturday and Sunday there were up to 60 boats working the bank with most of them only getting one or two bites, and almost all of them having sick anglers on board due to the surface conditions.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There are still only football fish being found out there, and most of them have been between 18 to 30 miles to the south. Boats working westward past the banks were not doing well with only an occasional pod of porpoise showing, and few of them holding fish. Once again red hootchies were the best bet for these fish as most of the stomach contents were found to be red crab.
DORADO: I did not see any Dorado myself, but I did overhear one conversation concerning a decent catch made by a boat that found a piece of wood in the water 30 miles to the south, and they were apparently able to pick off 5 fish between 15-20 pounds.
WAHOO: Once again I didn’t hear of any Wahoo this week. The flags you see flying are for “Mexican Wahoo”, or better known as sierra.
INSHORE: Mexican Wahoo, also known as Sierra, have been the mainstay of the Panga fleet this week with most boats able to get at least a half-dozen or more. Yellowtail action dropped off again, it seems to be a “good one week, slow the next” type of fishery. Snapper fishing has again improved and there are a few more grouper being found by those targeting bottom fish. The usual smaller Roosterfish to 5 pounds, some small barracuda and Bonita have rounded out the catches inshore.
NOTES: Still lots of whales out there, everyone is seeing them during the fishing charters. There are also quite a few small Mako Sharks being caught at the Golden Gate Bank, but I have not heard of any large ones. This weeks report was written to the music of “Mighty Lester” on their 2006 release “We are Mighty Lester”, released by themselves, some really swinging blues! Until next week, keep your fingers crossed that the fishing picks up and the nice weather continues! Tight Lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 02/20/2008
REPORT #1102 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/Untitled-1.jpg
Sierra provided the most consistent action this week. For the persistent angler willing to be out early, the ladyfish and small roosters put on a show on a few of the protected beaches.

The yellowtail whack up to the north produced some ‘trophy sized’ yellows (30+ pounds) but seemed to slow down somewhat this week.
Tip: It is a good idea to have everything rigged when you board the boat. Can’t tell you how many times I have watched the ‘cluster’ that goes on when you find fish five minutes from the shore. Trying to rig while you watch fish crashing all around you can be frustrating.
Water temperature 62-68
Air temperature 56-77
Humidity 67 %
Wind: NNW 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 6:48 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:17 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/whale.02.20.08.jpg
Whale watching continued to dominate the activity for both Lopez Mateos and San Carlos. Windy conditions kept anyone from getting outside the Boca’s. Enrique Soto reported fair action for small yellowtail with sierra mixed in at the Entrada.

Water temperature 66 - 73
Air temperature 50 -74
Humidity 91%
Wind: NNW 14 to 19 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 2 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:24 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
A cold water current has moved in, pushing the blue water out past the 26 mile mark. Fishing for all blue water species is slow.

About the only notable catch was made by Jeff Taylor of Houston, fishing with Martin on the panga, Isamar. On Monday they caught a nice 250 pound blue marlin at 36 miles. But, the next day Martin went out 40 miles, and got skunked.
There are reports the jack crevalle are on the beaches, and in good numbers. Find he birds crashing the bait, and you will find the jacks.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 71-98
Humidity 66%
Wind: SE at 2mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:49 p.m. CST


Bahia Asunción

The weather is fabulous here! The swell has gone down; lovely sunny, warm days calm mornings for fishing and with about 15-29 in the afternoons. Yesterday they caught lots of bonita and abarileta which is a kind of amber jack?? It was delicious in sashimi.

Ira Martin from Oregon hooked into a big yellowtail but fought so long he had to hand the rod over to Juan to finish bringing it is and immediately Juan said...”hmmm feels like a sea lion is also fighting this fish.” They ended up only bringing aboard the massive head! They fished about five miles south of Asunción but there were too many sea lions.

They were heading up to San Pablo today to try their luck.

We really enjoyed the beautiful eclipse last evening, very clear skies.

Surf has been excellent the last few days and more whales are passing by northbound every day. We were treated to a huge breach right in front of our window yesterday afternoon.

Lobster season is winding down and we are looking forward to the
end of season lobster feast. It's possible that the co-ops get a 2 week extension on the season which usually ends the end of February...
Construction is underway on a 42 room resort on the waterfront at the entrance to Asunción and there is a flurry of building projects all over the village.
Shari and Juan

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 53-68
Humidity 51%
Wind: W 7 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:31 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Feb 18-24, 2008

WEATHER: We had a few clouds in the sky this week, but not enough to call it cloudy, just enough to make things cool. Our daytime highs were in the low 80’s and the nighttime lows were in the high 50’s. Light winds on shore kept things nice and comfortable while at sea on the Pacific side things were a little bumpy as the winds were from the northwest and kicked up a light chop.
WATER: The wind died down this week so surface conditions were much better on both the Pacific and the Cortez sides of the Cape. On the Pacific swells were 3-5 feet with a light chop while the Cortez had swells at 1-3 feet with almost no chop in the morning and offshore chop in the afternoons. Water temperatures on the Pacific side were warmer, almost averaging 68 degrees up to 10 miles offshore and out a bit farther it dropped to 67 degrees. The water close to shore, in the warmer area, was very green, almost brown in some areas. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was 64-65 degrees out to 4 miles from the shore and farther than that, across the Gorda Bank and the 1150 spot the water warmed up to 69 degrees. There is a plume of cool, off-colored water running south from the Cape, but the water out 5 miles to the south side of the 1,000-fathom line warmed to 71 degrees. While the warm water was on both sides of the Cape, the only really blue water was on the Pacific side out past the San Jaime Bank.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardinas up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: About the only thing I have to say for the past weeks bill fishing is that it was almost non-existent. Not that there weren’t people out trying, it’s just that the few fish that were found were not interested in eating. The full moon may have had something to do with it perhaps, it’s been know to have an effect, but it’s not really an explanation of why the fish have mostly disappeared. Perhaps the much cooler than normal water has something to do with it as well? One bright spot is that the green, cool water has brought about more sightings of Swordfish, but I have not heard of anyone actually hooking one up in a legal sort of way, but a few guys did hook fish by snagging them, then proceeded to loose them after several hours of fighting time. These Swordfish have been seen in the cool water plume running directly south from the Cape.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: No change this week from last week on the Tuna situation. There are still only football fish being found out there, and most of them have been between 18 to 30 miles to the south. Boats working westward past the banks were not doing well with only an occasional pod of porpoise showing, and few of them holding fish. Once again red hootchies were the best bet for these fish as most of the stomach contents were found to be red crab.
DORADO: I did not hear of any Dorado being caught this week, and saw no new yellow flags flying. I am sure there were a few, but no reports were heard by me.
WAHOO: Once again I didn’t hear of any Wahoo this week. The flags you see flying are for “Mexican Wahoo”, or better known as sierra.
INSHORE: Just like last week, with the exception of more small Yellowtail being caught by guys pulling small swimming plugs for Sierra. Mexican Wahoo, also known as Sierra, have been the mainstay of the Panga fleet this week with most boats able to get at least a half-dozen or more. Yellowtail action dropped off again, it seems to be a “good one week, slow the next” type of fishery. Snapper fishing has again improved and there are a few more grouper being found by those targeting bottom fish. The usual smaller Roosterfish to 5 pounds, some small barracuda and Bonita have rounded out the catches inshore.
NOTES: Well, the nice weather continued for this past week as we had hoped, but the fishing has been very “off”, compared to the usual activity we get this time of year. The best bet has been fishing inshore; a lot of trips have been saved by targeting Sierra after six hours of looking for Marlin and Tuna. Fishing inshore also gets you up close to the whales, and that is always a lot of fun. This weeks report was written to the music of Boz Scaggs on his 1994 Virgin Records release, “Some Changes”. Until next week, Tight Lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 02/27/2008
REPORT #1103 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/sardina.jpg
Sardina begins to gather beneath hotel piers and beach
As the seasonal transition from winter to spring slowly takes place, small sardina are beginning to show in small numbers along the beaches. It’s still way early to call, but the appearance of bait schools is a good sign of better things coming.

Sierra, small roosters, jacks and ladyfish action will definitely increase with the bait spreading up and down the beaches.

Most of the boat action is up north from Punta Pescadero to Muertos Bay, with some quality yellows still dominating the catch. Another promising sign was the few dorados found at the shark buoys a few miles off Punta Pescadero.
Tip: When you purchase your bait in the morning, ask where they are catching it. Then you have a good spot to start on the non-boat days if you fish the beach.
Water temperature 62-68
Air temperature 54-84
Humidity 46 %
Wind: SSE 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:37 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Entrada action included sierra and small yellows chasing bait on the surface. Down further in the water column, there were a few grouper up to ten pounds. Estero action produced a corvina, small snook and grouper. Whale watching continues to be the main attraction and will through March.

Water temperature 66 - 73
Air temperature 49 -81
Humidity 97%
Wind: WSW 4 to 6 knots
Conditions: Foggy in the morning
Visibility 2 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:28 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Even though the seas are calm and the sun is shining every day, the fishing remains on the slow side. I guess you just have to take the attitude that 86º weather and fishing beats shoveling snow.
Steven Ryan, fishing on the Gaby with Captain Margarito, produced a blue marlin of about 240 pounds, and 4 dorado to 20 pounds. Steven fished another day with Efrain on the panga, Tequila, and had some great light tackle action on large black skipjack tuna.
Fishing with Santiago on the panga, Gitana, John Torre of Phoenix, released an estimated 120 pound striped marlin, and caught dinner in the form of two nice dorado. The next day with Santiago, Will and Karen Fischer of Kelowana, BC, released a sail and caught a dorado.
Inshore action is still a ‘hit or miss situation’. Find the birds and the bait, and you get some very exciting jack crevalle action.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 63-93
Humidity 66%
Wind: SE at 7mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:06 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:52 p.m. CST

Bahia Asunción

Juan went fishing the day before the eclipse. It was a lovely morning, so they decided to try their luck going south of Asunción as the fishing up by San Pablo has been very poor. They caught lots of bonito and a nice barletta and finally hooked into a big fish. Ira Martin from Oregon was tuckered out from catching so many bonito and so passed the rod over to Juan to finish bringing it in. Juan knew right away it was a sea lion having his lunch, and by the time they got the fish up to the boat, only the head was left! It WAS a nice big yellowtail though. That night we enjoyed the eclipse at the taco stand with clients. The next day they went north to San Pablo and only caught yellowtail and some calico and whitefish. We heard the yellowtail were further north up by Pto.Nuevo about 20 miles up. Lovely fishing weather though.

Shari and Juan

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 54-84
Humidity 51%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:37 p.m. MST

[puertovallartafish]

Puerto Vallarta fishing Report March 2nd
2008. Hey whats up everyone. We had a little
change of Weather these last couple days the
mornings are heating up again the water is
getting clearer and south of the bay is full of
action jack's, sierra's and red snapper, the
striped marlin and sailfish have headed north of
sellulyta which is great because last week we
had to go 7 miles west of the bank to find some
bill fish thats about 60 miles offshore. The
average size right now is 130 lbs still a hell of a
fight! We caught and tagged 11 striped marlins
last week we had to keep 3 because there
stomach's got tangled but these last couple days
have been great we saw about 60 of them
jumping around casted out and had a double
hook up with 2 120 pounder's beautiful fish! the
fishing is still good north of the bank a little bigger
in size averaging 130-180 lb striped marlins
sailfish, and also smaller 10-40 lb yellow fin tuna
and mahi mahi averaging 3-5 ft. all around the
fishing is great you can do a short day and get
lots of action a half a day and still get a billfish or
full day to the bank and catch bill fish and
something for dinner. here is a e-mail and photo
from Mickey Foreman who went out with captain
Steve on the 2006 luhrs last week
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/stripedmarlin2008.jpg

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Feb 25-March 2, 2008

WEATHER: It warmed up a bit this past week with several days where our highs were in the mid to high 80’s. On the cooler days we were in the high 70’s, still just about right. In the evening it cooled off quite a bit and on the cold nights we were seeing temperatures in the mid 60’s with a bit of an evening breeze working that made it feel even cooler. There were partly cloudy skies for the first part of the week but it cleared later on. There was no rain, of course.
WATER: I fished both sides of the cape this week, on the Cortez side on Wednesday and the Pacific on Friday and they were surprisingly similar as far as surface conditions went. On the Cortez side the water was cool and green out as far as the 95 spot and the 1150, past that point and out to the Cabrilla Seamount things warmed up to 73.4 degrees and were nice and blue. The only problem we had was the fact that we could not find any fish! The surface was almost glassy with current rips easily seen and the swells slight at 1-2 feet but all we ended up with was seeing some common Pacific Dolphin, a few Humpback Whales and two Striped Marlin on the surface. Oh, we did release on 3-pound Dorado. On the Pacific side on Friday the water within three miles of the coast was a bit bumpy and there was a strong cloud line out 15 miles. We went 31 miles out looking for Tuna and other than the first three miles, the swells were slight at 2-4 feet and the water was glassy, almost summer time like. The water was a slight bit cooler at 71 degrees but we did find football-size Tuna to 25 pounds.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardinas up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There was a bit of Striped Marlin action almost every morning for boats the fished the area off of Los Arcos on the Pacific side, but it revolved around the tide change and did not last long on any one day. The lucky boats were getting two releases a day while most others were lucky to get a strike. The nice part of the billfish situation is that the Swordfish are starting to be seen on the surface on a fairly regular basis, and by that I mean regular when compared to normal! Probably one in 15 boats have sighted a Swordfish this week and one boat I know saw three different fish on Tuesday and managed to find one of them hungry, proceeding to catch a Swordfish in the 150-pound class after a fight of 90 minutes.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There are finally Tuna showing up on a regular basis even if they are football size fish. From a distance of 30 to 45 miles at between 150 and 240 degrees from the Arch there have been fish found every day. A few small groups have been found closer but they have not been biting well. On my Friday trip we went 31 miles at 230 degrees to find two separate pods of Dolphin. Both of them held fish with the first pod having fish averaging 20 pounds and the second pod averaging 10 pounds. A triple strike, then the fish in the first pod went down. At the second pod we were covered up with all five lines going off, then a double, then singles for a total of 16 Tuna at the end of the trip with the larges at 25 pounds. A friend of mine found fish at 170 degrees and 45 miles on Wednesday that averaged 25 pounds and picked 16 of them in about an hour before having to return to port
DORADO: The warm water on the Cortez side produced a few Dorado this week but other than one day, Tuesday when a pair of boats found a dead seal and loaded up on 15-pound fish, they have been scarce with just a few fish showing up.
WAHOO: I did hear of one nice Wahoo being caught this week about 35 miles to the south by a boat looking for Tuna. The fish was reported to weigh around 90 pounds. I am sure there were a few others caught, and on Wednesday we had one make a pass at one of our lures, but I had no other confirmed reports of them.
INSHORE: The inshore fishing has remained good for Sierra and Yellowtail. Most of the Yellowtail have been caught by boats fishing swimming plugs for Sierra and these fish have been small, but boats willing to do the work and drift live baits deep off of the rocky points or use iron jigs to “yo-yo” have been getting a few nice fish of up to 30 pounds. The Grouper have started to bite a little better and there are still a few snapper being found in the rocks.
NOTES: Things are starting to look up on the fishing front here in Cabo as we are starting to see some Tuna showing up and the inshore fishing remains good. Our fingers are crossed that things continue to remain on a positive track. My golf game is improving as well; I am now consistently getting under 100 strokes! This weeks report has been written to the music of the Gypsy Kings on the 1995 Nonsuch Records release “The Best Of The Gypsy Kings”.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 03/05/2008
REPORT #1104 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/03.05.08.rooster.jpg
Did I mention the roosters are small?
March and wind go together like pizza and anchovies at East Cape! That said, get out before the sun comes up and chances are you will catch a few sierra. Who knows you might also find a few small roosters and jacks willing to take your fly.

The best bet boat-wise is to head up to the North to Muertos (“Sueno” to newcomers) where there is a mixed bag, including mossback-class yellows along with some pargo that will kick your tail if you don’t stay focused. Talk about getting rocked! Both of these critters will do so without hesitation.
Tip: Don’t forget to check your line and backing for nicks or signs of deterioration. If it is over a year old…change it!
Water temperature 62-68
Air temperature 47-78
Humidity 69 %
Wind: SE 3 to 4 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:24 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Few fishing clients this week. Locals found fair snook, grouper and corvina action at Devil’s curve. Out at the Entrada, the sierra and small yellows continued to hammer the surface bait…easy to spot under the bird schools.

Whale watching continues but at a slower pace as more and more leave for their northward journey.

Water temperature 66 - 73
Air temperature 48 -77
Humidity 55%
Wind: WNW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:45 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:31 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The clean water has moved to back within the 10 mile mark, but with the favorable moon phase conditions arriving, this is expected.
The counts for sailfish are still low, with the boats only averaging about 1 sail per day / boat. However the dorado, averaging between 20 and 35 pounds, have been taking up the slack. The boats are getting two to four dorado each per day.
The high surf has really shut down the inshore bite. Most of the Mexicans are blaming the high surf, and the poor fishing, on the full eclipse of the full moon we had this last week. But, I believe the full moon "phase" was more of the culprit, and things will really start picking up again this next week.
A few big blue marlin were also taken this week, with the top marlin hitting the scales at almost 400 pounds.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 63-93
Humidity 66%
Wind: SE at 7mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:06 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:52 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

WEATHER: It warmed up a bit this past week with several days where our highs were in the mid to high 80’s. On the cooler days we were in the high 70’s, still just about right. In the evening it cooled off quite a bit and on the cold nights we were seeing temperatures in the mid 60’s with a bit of an evening breeze working that made it feel even cooler. There were partly cloudy skies for the first part of the week but it cleared later on. There was no rain, of course.
WATER: I fished both sides of the cape this week, on the Cortez side on Wednesday and the Pacific on Friday and they were surprisingly similar as far as surface conditions went. On the Cortez side the water was cool and green out as far as the 95 spot and the 1150, past that point and out to the Cabrilla Seamount things warmed up to 73.4 degrees and were nice and blue. The only problem we had was the fact that we could not find any fish! The surface was almost glassy with current rips easily seen and the swells slight at 1-2 feet but all we ended up with was seeing some common Pacific Dolphin, a few Humpback Whales and two Striped Marlin on the surface. Oh, we did release on 3-pound Dorado. On the Pacific side on Friday the water within three miles of the coast was a bit bumpy and there was a strong cloud line out 15 miles. We went 31 miles out looking for Tuna and other than the first three miles, the swells were slight at 2-4 feet and the water was glassy, almost summer time like. The water was a slight bit cooler at 71 degrees but we did find football-size Tuna to 25 pounds.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardina up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.

FISHING:
BILLFISH: There was a bit of Striped Marlin action almost every morning for boats the fished the area off of Los Arcos on the Pacific side, but it revolved around the tide change and did not last long on any one day. The lucky boats were getting two releases a day while most others were lucky to get a strike. The nice part of the billfish situation is that the Swordfish are starting to be seen on the surface on a fairly regular basis, and by that I mean regular when compared to normal! Probably one in 15 boats have sighted a Swordfish this week and one boat I know saw three different fish on Tuesday and managed to find one of them hungry, proceeding to catch a Swordfish in the 150-pound class after a fight of 90 minutes.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There are finally Tuna showing up on a regular basis even if they are football size fish. From a distance of 30 to 45 miles at between 150 and 240 degrees from the Arch there have been fish found every day. A few small groups have been found closer but they have not been biting well. On my Friday trip we went 31 miles at 230 degrees to find two separate pods of Dolphin. Both of them held fish with the first pod having fish averaging 20 pounds and the second pod averaging 10 pounds. A triple strike, then the fish in the first pod went down. At the second pod we were covered up with all five lines going off, then a double, then singles for a total of 16 Tuna at the end of the trip with the larges at 25 pounds. A friend of mine found fish at 170 degrees and 45 miles on Wednesday that averaged 25 pounds and picked 16 of them in about an hour before having to return to port
DORADO: The warm water on the Cortez side produced a few Dorado this week but other than one day, Tuesday when a pair of boats found a dead seal and loaded up on 15-pound fish, they have been scarce with just a few fish showing up.
WAHOO: I did hear of one nice Wahoo being caught this week about 35 miles to the south by a boat looking for Tuna. The fish was reported to weigh around 90 pounds. I am sure there were a few others caught, and on Wednesday we had one make a pass at one of our lures, but I had no other confirmed reports of them.
INSHORE: The inshore fishing has remained good for Sierra and Yellowtail. Most of the Yellowtail have been caught by boats fishing swimming plugs for Sierra and these fish have been small, but boats willing to do the work and drift live baits deep off of the rocky points or use iron jigs to “yo-yo” have been getting a few nice fish of up to 30 pounds. The Grouper have started to bite a little better and there are still a few snapper being found in the rocks.
NOTES: Things are starting to look up on the fishing front here in Cabo as we are starting to see some Tuna showing up and the inshore fishing remains good. Our fingers are crossed that things continue to remain on a positive track. My golf game is improving as well; I am now consistently getting under 100 strokes! This week’s report has been written to the music of the Gypsy Kings on the 1995 Nonsuch Records release “The Best Of The Gypsy Kings”.

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 42 - 76
Air temperature 54-80
Humidity 69%
Wind: WNW 10-14 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:25p.m. MST

Bahia Asunción
http://www.bajafly.com/report/bleachers.jpg
Bleachers in our new Sports Complex
It's been a busy little village this week in Asuncion as the governor was here on Tuesday to inaugurate our new sports complex and the paving crews are busy getting ready to pave the next 10 km of highway into here. It was a big celebration with the usual speeches, folkloric dancing and we were happy to hear the news that the next 30 km of dirt road will be paved this year!! There was a big party for the closing of lobster season in San Roque with music and lobster of course, and now the abalone fishermen are readying their equipment to begin the abalone season. There is a flurry of building activity and we are all watching with amazement as work has begun on a 42 room hotel/shopping plaza at the entrance to town. Many have mixed emotions on this development but I for one will enjoy having a good meal in a new restaurant and finally having a bar in town. And the kids got a new park to play in, too! It was very windy for a few days...strong Santa Ana winds so we haven't been out on the water but plan to head out this weekend

Shari and Juan

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 58-76
Humidity 34%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:40 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 3-9, 2008

WEATHER: It was just another great week here in Cabo! I love living here when the weather is like this, the daytime highs in the mid 80’s and the nighttime lows in the high 50’s, it makes me feel good to get up in the morning to a slight chill, and cooking on the grill in the evening is so nice! We had mostly sunny skies this week with no rain seen or felt.
WATER: The water on the Pacific side of the Cape has cooled considerably with the near-shore water 64-65 degrees while farther offshore it warms to a toasty 69 degrees. The near shore cooler water is slightly green while offshore there is a nice blue color. On the Cortez side the water across the 95 spot, the 1150 and Gorda Bank has remained at 66 degrees and green. Off shore at a distance of 30-50 miles the water warms up to 72 degrees and is just slightly tinged with green. Our good deep blue water is to the southwest. Everything appears to be moving slowly to the east with a clockwise rotation. The water has remained nice on the surface on both sides of the Cape with swells of 2-3 feet and light winds.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price. There were Sardinas up around Chileno Bay at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin catch remained slow this week for most of the boats but there were fish found. Most of these were tailing or sleeping fish, and only a few were hungry and bit. These fish were in the cooler water close to shore, most of them found off of the points and drops along the Pacific side of the Cape, but there were also a few fish found just outside the Gorda Bank area. There were a few more Swordfish sighted this week but I did not hear of any boated.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: This past week was almost a repeat of last week as there were plenty of the football size fish to be found offshore. On the Cortez side, out toward and on the edge of the warm water at 30-50 miles the fish were slightly larger at 15-30 pounds with a few fish pushing 40 pounds. To the south of the Cape and to the south of the San Jaime Bank the fish were footballs for the most part with an occasional fish pushing the 25-pound mark. The best action was had with smaller feathers with squid colors as these fish are just stuffed with 4-5 inch squid. Having all the rods go off at the same time was not unusual, but it did take time to get out there and back.
DORADO: There have been a few fish found this week, but no large numbers like a few boats had the week prior. Most of these fish have been found in the warm water to the south and west and have averaged 15 pounds.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo this week but I did see several flags flying along with Tuna and Dorado flags so I assume there were some of them caught offshore.
INSHORE: The inshore fishing remained hot this week with large numbers of Sierra and smaller Yellowtail providing plenty of action on both sides of the Cape. Smaller swimming plugs pulled just outside the breaking waves provided lots of action on Sierra to 8 pounds and Yellowtail to 10 pounds. Fishing slow trolled live Mackerel down close to the bottom in 50 feet of water caught fewer, but much larger fish, up to 10 pounds on the Sierra and 35 pounds on the Yellowtail. A few very nice Grouper and Snapper fell to these same methods. Just off the rocky points there was great action on the Bonita to 20 pounds and they bit well on blue-silver irons fished yo-yo style. An occasional big Yellowtail was an added bonus for many anglers.
NOTES: Things continue to improve and I am optimistic it will continue. Now, if only my golf game would hit the next level! This weeks report was written to the music of Alison Krauss + Union Station on the 2002 Rounder records release “Live”.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 03/12/2008
REPORT #1105 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/03.12.08sierra..jpg
Not all sierra are caught early
This week the locals stood on the beach in shirt sleeves and smugly proclaimed that spring has arrived! The weather has definitely turned a corner, but past experience suggests that there may be a few more windy days left in winter’s bag of tricks.

Still, there were not many boats out fishing, but the few that were out found the sierra and white bonito continues to be the best bet along the shore. From the beach, the sierra were around early in the day, and later, a smattering of jacks, small roosters and even a few ladyfish.
Offshore, a few dorado and tuna here and there but certainly not a bonanza.

Yellowtail action is still going on up north, as well as a good showing of pargo at Punta Perico. They seem to have a serious case of lockjaw, but maybe all the warm weather will entice them into a biting mood.

While daylight savings time changed in the U.S. this past weekend, time remains the same in Mexico until April.
Tip: Don’t ignore your peripheral vision. Often that movement or commotion seen out of corner of your eye can be a piece of the puzzle in locating fish.

Water temperature 66-70
Air temperature 63-86
Humidity 80 %
Wind: NNW 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:27 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Whales continue to be the ‘crowd pleaser’ much to the delight of both the visitors and locals.

A few miles off of San Lazzaro, large spots of breezing yellows and small tuna could be found beneath the bird schools.

Fishing in the Esteros yielded good catches of pargo, grouper and cabrilla.

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 57 -83
Humidity 77%
Wind: W 11 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:39 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:34 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The blue water is somewhere way off, with no real definition of how far, but clean water is encountered at 12 miles, and is producing a few fish.
The boats are averaging less than a sailfish per day each, and making up for the inactivity by getting some action on large dorado. Almost every boat is getting at least one dorado averaging between 25 and 40 pounds.
Plus, three separate schools of yellowfin tuna have moved into the area. Fishing the 18 to 22 mile mark, Santiago on the panga, Gitana, managed 5 tuna between 20 and 25 pounds. The panga, La Mirada, got one tuna at 90 pounds. And, a nice blue marlin was weighed in at a little over 400 pounds.
No action was reported this week for the inshore areas.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 71-96
Humidity 60%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 7:06 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:52 p.m. CST

Bahia Asunción
http://www.bajafly.com/report/briseydapilotsm.jpg
It was an experience of a lifetime for these kids and he even let them fly the plane!
It's been a busy week here in Bahia Asunción (with parties anyway). Both Juan & Shari celebrated birthdays and our brand new sports complex cultural centre had its grand opening.

The governor and his wife cut the ribbon and pleased the crowd by announcing that another 30 km of road will be paved. It was a festive event with the usual government speeches and folkloric dancing.

We finally got out on the big pond this week with Phil & Gretchen Olsen from Oregon who flew in on their sweet super cub Piper to attend Juan's birthday bash. Phil caught a big bonita, about 15 pounds which tired him out --- so while he took a little siesta on the bow, Juan took them over to "bajo seiz" about 6 miles from the island to teach Gretchen how to jig. Well, she was a natural and lady luck was with them and she hauled in fish after fish...rock cod, whitefish and sheepshead. She LOVED it and is definitely hooked on fishing now. We celebrated again in the afternoon with a big fish fry with family and friends.

The next day, Phil took niece and several of our nephews flying for their first time. It was an experience of a lifetime for these kids and he even let them fly the plane! Afterwards he gave them an inspiring pep talk about fulfilling their dreams and reaching for the skies with their aspirations…who would have thought that today they would fly a plane!

This is a great example of how villages can benefit by opening their hearts to visitors and I am proud to have shared our paradise with them.

Lobster season ended with a big beach party lobster feast in San Roque and now the abalone fishermen are readying their equipment to start the season after Easter week.

The water has been cold, around 62, with good visibility and today there is a nice swell to make the surfers happy...hopefully it will be big for when the kids are off school next week.

Shari and Juan

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 64-85
Humidity 27%
Wind: WNW at 7mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 7:49 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:44 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 10-16, 2008

WEATHER: While the week started off great, with the daytime highs to the low 90’s and nighttime lows in the mid 60’s, at the end of the week the clouds moved in and the wind picked up. As of the weekend we were having winds from the northwest to 18-20 mph with partly cloudy skies and the average temperatures had dropped by 8-10 degrees. No rain came with the front system, but it definitely cooled things off.
WATER: As a result of the winds later in the week, what had been smooth 2-4 foot swells with light breezes on the Pacific side turned into sheep farming by Friday. Everywhere you looked there were whitecaps and swells that had kicked up to 4-6 feet with a few larger ones. Boats that fished south of the Cape early in the week started reporting the wind and swell increase on Tuesday and by Thursday the effects were right off the Cape. On the Cortez side, things were a bit nicer, especially in the morning before the wind really got to cranking it up. Outside of 10 miles though the effects came into play and you had to deal with the choppy conditions. As a result of the wind and the strong California current there was a band of very cool water, down as low as 59 degrees right at the lighthouse. Almost made me expect Albacore Tuna! On the Pacific side the water remained cool, between 59 and 65 degrees outside the 1,000-fathom line. This cool water extended south a distance of 30 miles while on the eastern side of the Cape it only went north as far as a line east of Cabo out to the 1150 area. Farther north it warmed a bit to the 68-degree range and out to the south of the Seamount there was a warm spot that had been drifting around all week that had water as warm as 71 degrees.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin this week were found either close to shore, within 10 miles on the Pacific side or far out, past 30 miles to the south. While there were fish spotted, there were not many of them that were hungry. Looking at the flags flying as boats returned for the day and talking to the guys who were out there this week, the fish were either going to eat right away or disappear before you could get a bait to them. My guess is that only 10% of the boats had a decent shot at a Striped Marlin this week and about half of them hooked up, with some of these fish lost. From that I guess you can tell that the percentages were pretty low. I did hear rumors of a large Marlin, either Blue or Black, being landed early in the week. This fish was reported to be in the #400 range but I never heard anything more on it. With water this cold it would be surprising to me to have one out there, but you never know. There were a few more Swordfish hooked this past week in the cool, green water to the southwest with the largest reported at #250. These fish were reported to have eaten live Mackerel.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again it was mostly football Yellowfin this week. The majority of the fish were found south at 30+ miles early in the week before the wind picked up. Later in the week the fish may have been there still, but it was too rough for most of the boats to get there. As a result of the wind more boats fished on the Cortez side of the Cape and around the warm water sot south of the Seamount there were reports of fish averaging 25 pounds with a few to 50 pounds mixed in with the white bellied dolphin. There were massive pods of these dolphin reported off of the Pacific side in the area of the San Jaime Banks, but with the pods reported to be 3 or 4 miles wide and long, it was difficult to find any fish with them.
DORADO: I did see several Dorado flags early in the week but nothing over this weekend.
WAHOO: Wahoo are in the same category this week as Dorado, with the red flags seen flying but I believe they were all for Sierra!
INSHORE: There was a giant school of small Yellowtail found on the Pacific side up at Los Arcos early in the week. Thank goodness the wind kicked up, as there may be some of them that escaped to reproduce. A lot of the Pangas were going out and loading up on them, and these were small fish in the 5-pound range. I hated to see this as for many of the guys there was no reasoning with them, it was a “load up while you can, the hell with the stock’ mentality. There were a lot of the Captains however that limited their clients to only a couple of these for dinner, then took off to look for larger fish. My hat is off to these guys; they care about the future of the fishery here. Also inshore there were scattered Pargo up in the rocks as well as a few larger Yellowtail to 40 pounds just off the bottom in 120 feet of water.
NOTES: I hope the winds die down, but it looks as if it may continue to blow for the next four of five days. Normally this type of wind only lasts three days then we get three days of good weather. It remains to be seen if we will have the same pattern this season. There are still whales around but they are getting ready to return to the north. No music this week, I wrote this report to the sounds of the wind blowing, my dog snoring and one of the cats crying for treats. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Warmer Water and Less Wind…..
Endless Season Update 03/19/2008
REPORT #1106 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/03.19.sierra.jpg
Cerviche time
Warmer water and less wind again brought this week brought some early rooster and jack action up toward Punta Pescadero and beyond to El Cardonal. Some better quality fish to 20 lbs. were found crashing on sardina close to shore. The bait also attracted a mixture of sierra, pargo and pompano,

Inshore the sierra and white bonito were concentrated in front of La Ribera and down to Punta Colorada.

Offshore there were rumors of a few marlin out beyond thirty miles and a few small dorado spread throughout Palmas bay.

Up at Muertos, the grande yellowtail were still continuing their early season snap. Also some pargo and jacks were around to tear up tackle.
Tip: When you get that yellow or pargo bite, set the hook and reel those first few seconds. It is critical to keep the fish from darting back into the rocks.
Water temperature 66-73
Air temperature 63-88
Humidity 75 %
Wind: NNE 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:23 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:30 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Windy conditions prevailed most of the week, not allowing boats to go outside. The few that did venture outside the Boca found some breezing schools of small yellowtail just a few miles beyond the entrance.

Estero action was limited to a few halibut and the obligatory bay bass.

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 64 -88
Humidity 75%
Wind: WNW 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:38 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The cool water is still with us, but the Terrafin Satellite Surface Temperature images show a finger of 80º water has moved up from the South. The warm water starts from about 10 miles from the beach, and extends to about 30 miles out.
A few sailfish, dorado and blue marlin are being taken, with the yellowfin tuna really getting active.
The clear water is about 10 miles, and the most action, especially with the yellowfin tuna, being at the 16 mile mark. The yellowfin are averaging about 30 pounds each.
This morning (Thursday), Cali called in to me to give me his weekly report on the Aloha. By 8:00 a.m., he already had a 25 pound dorado on the boat. He had also fished the last two days with fly fishing client, Robert Hoy, raising 5 sailfish and 1 blue marlin.
Margarito, on the Gaby, told me he had gotten into schools of large jack crevalle 5 miles off the beach. They boated several of the 20 pound jacks before continuing on to find a couple of sailfish.
Almost every boat in the fleet is getting the added spectacle of hump back whales, as they have moved into the area. Plus, lots of sea turtles are also being sighted each day by each boat.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 73-96
Humidity 60%
Wind: NNE 3mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:50 a.m. CST
Sunset 7:57 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 17-23, 2008

WEATHER: The weather has been going back and forth from cool to warm and it seems to change about every 5 days or so. This past week it was cool at the beginning and warm toward the end. At the end of the week our nighttime lows were in the mid 60’s and our daytime highs reached 91. Earlier in the week everything was 10 degrees cooler and there was wind and partly cloudy skies. Thankfully, the wind died down to nothing on Thursday and there were just light breezes over the Easter weekend.
WATER: Water conditions remained less than perfect on the Pacific side at the beginning of the week with strong winds from the northwest pushing up swells to 6 feet with lots of whitecaps on top. Also during that time frame the Cortez side was rougher than is normal with winds from the North not really pushing up swells but bringing on a lot of chop. At the end of the week things had really settled down, the wind quit blowing on Thursday and the swells relented on the Pacific side, becoming 2-3 feet with no chop, and conditions almost glassy on the Cortez side. On Sunday afternoon the wind again started to pick up from the Northwest and the Pacific side started to kick up a bit. Water temperatures were much warmer due south of the Cape much of the week with a band of warm water out past the 25 mile line, wandering between there and 30 miles out. This water was in the 70-70.5 degree range and was pretty clean and blue. I made a run out to the southern side of San Jaime on Friday and while I read mostly 68 degrees to the south, as soon as I approached within 5 miles the water dropped to 64 degrees and turned very green. I overheard other Captains mention that the water out past the 95 spot was also cool, but a bit cleaner, but with no fish to be found.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were very few Marlin caught this week and the ones that were caught were found due south, in the warmer water among the Dolphin, I think the hook-up ratio was probably in the 10% range once again. Just as happened the week before, there were a few Swordfish sighted and fished for, but I did not hear of any coming in to the dock.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the football size fish were found anywhere from 170 degrees to 220 degrees off of the cape. The distance varied from 32 miles to 38 miles, but very few fish were found any closer than that. All of the fish were associated with the white-bellied Dolphin; if you found a pod of them the chances were good that there were fish with them. The average size was 12 pounds with a few fish going to 20 pounds and a few in the 8-pound range. Best lures were cedar plugs and dark colored feathers. Multiple hook-ups were not uncommon and most boats later in the week were able to catch as many as they wanted. I heard of one boat that got into fish just a little bit bigger at a reported 25-pound average while fishing a bit farther east, just to the south of the Cabrilla Seamount, but there was no confirmation on that. The full moon we are going through right now may be helping our tuna catch.
DORADO: Once again there were a few Dorado caught, but most of them were very small. A few boats reported finding patches of kelp while looking for Tuna, and some to these patches held Dorado and small Yellowfin as well as a few Yellowtail.
WAHOO: Wahoo are in the same category this week as Dorado, with the red flags seen flying but I believe they were all for Sierra!
INSHORE: The bite on small Yellowtail continued this week with many more of them being taken off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. A surprise for most anglers was the chance to get bit by large Humboldt squid. The squid were concentrated off of the arch, right in front of town, and on Friday they had moved even closer, with boats fishing for them within 200 yards of the Marina entrance. Sierra continue to provide action for those fishing just outside the breakers on both sides of the Cape, but the action seemed better on the Pacific side.
NOTES: It’s a long run out to the Tuna, and they are not big fish, but at least there is action in that area, plus the chance to come across a Marlin or Swordfish as well as a patch of kelp. The Tuna have been keeping anglers happy and with the Humboldt squid right in front there is no reason for anyone to have gone home empty handed later in the week. The Whales are slowly moving back to the north, we saw only three of them on Friday. If the water warms up a bit things should start to take off, our fingers are crossed for better action in the future. My golf game is better; I am consistently scoring below 100 now with no mulligans. Maybe by the time I’m 90 I will break 90! Until next week, Tight Lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 03/26/2008
REPORT #1107 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/03.26.08yellow.jpg
After running to Muertos for some phenomenal yellowtail action the past six weeks, anglers have discovered a body of quality yellows a few miles out in front of Rancho Leonero. Not exactly a secret spot, it has been ‘wall to wall’ boats cashing in. Most anglers were getting a couple of smaller yellows with some fatties to thirty five lbs. The bite only lasts until too many boats show up and drive the fish down. Still it’s fun fishing while it lasts!

Finding a bait guy to sell us some chum was tougher this week as more boats begin fishing.

Inshore action dominated the East Cape scene. When the yellows quit biting each day, most of the fleet remained close to shore finding a few sierra, jacks, pargo, and cabrilla, Several boats located some larger pompano off the lighthouse.

Tip: When fishing in a fleet that is tossing out a lot of chum, try to get your fly as deep as possible by casting as far as you can and allowing the fly to sink for a 10 count before retrieving with long sweeping pulls.
Water temperature 66-73
Air temperature 60-89
Humidity 62 %
Wind: ENE 2 to 3 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:16 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:33 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Still windy outside. However, Enrique Soto reported ‘fair to good’ action at the Entrada for sierra and firecracker yellows on the surface under the bird schools, as well as a few grouper near the shore on the south side of the Entrada. The shallows on the south side of Punta Belcher was loaded with small halibut.

Beneath the Bridge at the entrance to San Carlos, there were a few smaller sierra and corvina willing to take a chartreuse Clouser.

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 57 -86
Humidity 87%
Wind: WNW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:23 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:41 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The full moon phase is hurting the sailfish action this week, with an average of about 1 sailfish per boat per day. Close in, the yellowfin tuna are elusive, but decent action has been fairly consistent on the 30 pound average fish out around the 1,000 fathom line (30 miles).
The blue marlin bite is definitely picking up, with lots of strikes reported every day, but hookups have been few. The general consensus is, like the sailfish, the fish are here, but just not hungry enough to be aggressive once they are in the spread.
Yesterday (Wed.), I fished with fly fishing client, Roy O'Shaughnessy of Vancouver, B.C., down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero. We saw 5 sailfish, with none being more than two miles off the beach, but we could not entice them close enough to get a shot.
Inshore, the large 18 to 25 pound jack crevalle action is still holding up well for those who are trolling small Rapalas.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 65-98
Humidity 87%
Wind: NNE 3mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:44 a.m. CST
Sunset 7:59 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

WEATHER: The weather has been going back and forth from cool to warm and it seems to change about every 5 days or so. This past week it was cool at the beginning and warm toward the end. At the end of the week our nighttime lows were in the mid 60’s and our daytime highs reached 91. Earlier in the week everything was 10 degrees cooler and there was wind and partly cloudy skies. Thankfully, the wind died down to nothing on Thursday and there were just light breezes over the Easter weekend.
WATER: Water conditions remained less than perfect on the Pacific side at the beginning of the week with strong winds from the northwest pushing up swells to 6 feet with lots of whitecaps on top. Also during that time frame the Cortez side was rougher than is normal with winds from the North not really pushing up swells but bringing on a lot of chop. At the end of the week things had really settled down, the wind quit blowing on Thursday and the swells relented on the Pacific side, becoming 2-3 feet with no chop, and conditions almost glassy on the Cortez side. On Sunday afternoon the wind again started to pick up from the Northwest and the Pacific side started to kick up a bit. Water temperatures were much warmer due south of the Cape much of the week with a band of warm water out past the 25 mile line, wandering between there and 30 miles out. This water was in the 70-70.5 degree range and was pretty clean and blue. I made a run out to the southern side of San Jaime on Friday and while I read mostly 68 degrees to the south, as soon as I approached within 5 miles the water dropped to 64 degrees and turned very green. I overheard other Captains mention that the water out past the 95 spot was also cool, but a bit cleaner, but with no fish to be found.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were very few Marlin caught this week and the ones that were caught were found due south, in the warmer water among the Dolphin, I think the hook-up ratio was probably in the 10% range once again. Just as happened the week before, there were a few Swordfish sighted and fished for, but I did not hear of any coming in to the dock.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the football size fish were found anywhere from 170 degrees to 220 degrees off of the cape. The distance varied from 32 miles to 38 miles, but very few fish were found any closer than that. All of the fish were associated with the white-bellied Dolphin; if you found a pod of them the chances were good that there were fish with them. The average size was 12 pounds with a few fish going to 20 pounds and a few in the 8-pound range. Best lures were cedar plugs and dark colored feathers. Multiple hook-ups were not uncommon and most boats later in the week were able to catch as many as they wanted. I heard of one boat that got into fish just a little bit bigger at a reported 25-pound average while fishing a bit farther east, just to the south of the Cabrilla Seamount, but there was no confirmation on that. The full moon we are going through right now may be helping our tuna catch.
DORADO: Once again there were a few Dorado caught, but most of them were very small. A few boats reported finding patches of kelp while looking for Tuna, and some to these patches held Dorado and small Yellowfin as well as a few Yellowtail.
WAHOO: Wahoo are in the same category this week as Dorado, with the red flags seen flying but I believe they were all for Sierra!
INSHORE: The bite on small Yellowtail continued this week with many more of them being taken off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. A surprise for most anglers was the chance to get bit by large Humboldt squid. The squid were concentrated off of the arch, right in front of town, and on Friday they had moved even closer, with boats fishing for them within 200 yards of the Marina entrance. Sierra continues to provide action for those fishing just outside the breakers on both sides of the Cape, but the action seemed better on the Pacific side.
NOTES: It’s a long run out to the Tuna, and they are not big fish, but at least there is action in that area, plus the chance to come across a Marlin or Swordfish as well as a patch of kelp. The Tuna have been keeping anglers happy and with the Humboldt squid right in front there is no reason for anyone to have gone home empty handed later in the week. The Whales are slowly moving back to the north, we saw only three of them on Friday. If the water warms up a bit things should start to take off, our fingers are crossed for better action in the future.
Tight Lines!

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 64 - 71
Air temperature 58-84
Humidity 22%
Wind: NNE at 4mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 7:23 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:31 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 24-30, 2008

WEATHER: Wow, did we ever have great weather this week! I was telling my wife yesterday as we were driving out of town that I wish it was like this every day, then she reminded me that if it was, there would be too many people living here! Guess that’s right, I mean it was 11 am and it was a beautiful 77 degrees out there, and only 67 when we got up in the morning. We had lightly scattered clouds all week and this wonderful weather. Sure am glad I was here this week!
WATER: The winds from the northwest were on again, off again this week as they kicked up for three days during the middle of the week. This resulted in rough conditions on the Pacific side of the Cape and in the Sea of Cortez offshore. Along with the wind came a strong push from the California current, bringing water along the Pacific coast as cold as 61 degrees. On the charts it looks like a finger cupped around the Cape, pointing toward the east. The warmer water, in the 71-degree range at the end of the week, was outside the 1,000-fathom line again. Earlier in the week it warmed up to 75 degrees in a warm eddy that spun across from the west to the east, then went beyond our immediate area. The water between Cabo and the 1150 and north of that line has been a consistent 71-72 degrees while the water on the Pacific side offshore has been a much cooler 67 degrees.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite picked up this week, not red hot by any means but much better than it has been. Most of the fish were found outside the 1,000-fathom line and in the warmer water on the Cortez side. Most of these fish were on the surface and caught on live bait, but a few were attracted by lures and bit on drop-back live bait or were hungry enough to eat the lures. My guess is that the average was a fish for every other boat, with a few boats managing to hook up and release two or three per day. One nice thing I heard early in the week was of a Black Marlin reported to be in the 400 –pound range being caught by one of the fleet boats while they were fishing for football Tuna outside the 1,000-fathom line. That was reported as happening on Tuesday. A few more Swordfish were sighted as well, but there were none reported hooked up that I heard about.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Football Yellowfin in the 6-15 pound class continued to be the fish of the week as almost everyone willing to get out 30 miles was able to get limits, some more than limits. It usually did not take long as the fish were very hungry and multiple hook-ups were the norm, as three or four lines would get hit at the same time. Boats with just one client aboard went to pulling only one or two lines. The fish slowly moved to the east over the course of the week and the best bite was between 180 and 210 degrees during the start of the week and between 170 and 140 degrees at the end of the week. A few boats were able to get into slightly larger fish averaging 30 pounds at the end of the week, but rough offshore conditions made keeping sight of the Dolphin pods hard to do.
DORADO: There were a few more Dorado caught this week than last week, probably due to the eddy of warm water that passed our way. Most of the Dorado were caught in the warm water as boats fished for Tuna. Average size was around 15 pounds but a few boats caught doubles on fish in the 30-pound class.
WAHOO: What Hoo?
INSHORE: The rough water on the Pacific side combined with cold green conditions that started early in the week meant the inshore fishing was not very good this past week. That is not to say there were not fish caught, but the numbers were down from what we had been experiencing. The Sierra bite was spotty; a good trip resulted in a half-dozen or so to 10 pounds with the average size around 6 pounds. There were Pargo found in the rocks at the points and still a few decent Yellowtail were found.
NOTES: I don’t know if the warming of the water is a trend that is going to continue, but I sure hope it does. It seems that the water getting warmer means better fishing for us. I am going to get out this week and give a few things I have been working on a try; I’ll let you know next week if they work out. Until then, try and keep a smile on your face, things could always be worse. This weeks report was written to the music of my dog snoring in the background after a long morning at the beach! Tight Lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/02/2008
REPORT #1108 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/beachbreak.jpg
As the transition continues, the action, while sporadic, can be outrageous if you are in the right place at the right time.

This week a handful of boats located a dead floating seal that had a wad of dorado beneath it. It was WFO before it got crowded.

There have been several reports of yellowfin--- nothing huge but enough to provide sashimi at cocktail hour. There’s still a decent bite for the white bonito that is being hammered by the tin boat guys.

Beach action included small rooster and jack chasing sardina so close to the shore it was tough to keep from stepping on them.

While the yellowtail action close to the hotels has slowed to a trickle, it seems that some of the fish have been seen meandering very close to the shore, close enough to get the ‘fly flinger‘ hot and bothered as they chase them down the beach trying to get them to take their fly.

Tip: When fishing the beach and the fish are crashing close to shore, cast diagonally to the shore - not straight out- keeping your fly in the shallow zone where the fish are the most active. Water temperature 66-73
Air temperature 62-91
Humidity 55 %
Wind: NNW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:09 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:36 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Halibut action could be found on almost any of the sandy beaches with Punta Belcher the best of all. Breezing yellowtail and sierra at the Entrada as well as near Punta Hughes.

Estero action was limited to corvina, small grouper, pargo and cabrilla at both Devil’s Curve and above Lopez Mateos.

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 53 -88
Humidity 89%
Wind: NNW 17 to 23 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:16 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:44 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The warm water has finally pushed up from the South, moving the cooler water out to beyond the 50 mile mark. The game fish came with the water, and the fishing has been outstanding.
What is amazing is this annual current is a full month early, with April usually being our slowest month of the year. However, 4 to 5 sailfish a boat per day average is not considered to be slow fishing, and that is how we have started this month off.
Ludo Coen, from Belgium, fishes here for several days each year with Martin on the panga Isamar. He usually comes in November or December. When Ludo contacted me he was coming in April of this year, I had reported the bad news about our annual cool water current to him; honestly. Martin and Ludo responded by releasing 18 sailfish in 3 days.
Plus, the fish are only between 12 and 15 miles out.
What would really make this a fantastic situation is hopefully the rooster fish will soon follow.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 69-101
Humidity 79%
Wind: NNE 3mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:39 a.m. CST
Sunset 8:00 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

WEATHER: Wow, did we ever have great weather this week! I was telling my wife yesterday as we were driving out of town that I wish it was like this every day, then she reminded me that if it was, there would be too many people living here! Guess that’s right, I mean it was 11 am and it was a beautiful 77 degrees out there, and only 67 when we got up in the morning. We had lightly scattered clouds all week and this wonderful weather. Sure am glad I was here this week!
WATER: The winds from the northwest were on again, off again this week as they kicked up for three days during the middle of the week. This resulted in rough conditions on the Pacific side of the Cape and in the Sea of Cortez offshore. Along with the wind came a strong push from the California current, bringing water along the Pacific coast as cold as 61 degrees. On the charts it looks like a finger cupped around the Cape, pointing toward the east. The warmer water, in the 71-degree range at the end of the week, was outside the 1,000-fathom line again. Earlier in the week it warmed up to 75 degrees in a warm eddy that spun across from the west to the east, then went beyond our immediate area. The water between Cabo and the 1150 and north of that line has been a consistent 71-72 degrees while the water on the Pacific side offshore has been a much cooler 67 degrees.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite picked up this week, not red hot by any means but much better than it has been. Most of the fish were found outside the 1,000-fathom line and in the warmer water on the Cortez side. Most of these fish were on the surface and caught on live bait, but a few were attracted by lures and bit on drop-back live bait or were hungry enough to eat the lures. My guess is that the average was a fish for every other boat, with a few boats managing to hook up and release two or three per day. One nice thing I heard early in the week was of a Black Marlin reported to be in the 400 –pound range being caught by one of the fleet boats while they were fishing for football Tuna outside the 1,000-fathom line. That was reported as happening on Tuesday. A few more Swordfish were sighted as well, but there were none reported hooked up that I heard about.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Football Yellowfin in the 6-15 pound class continued to be the fish of the week as almost everyone willing to get out 30 miles was able to get limits, some more than limits. It usually did not take long as the fish were very hungry and multiple hook-ups were the norm, as three or four lines would get hit at the same time. Boats with just one client aboard went to pulling only one or two lines. The fish slowly moved to the east over the course of the week and the best bite was between 180 and 210 degrees during the start of the week and between 170 and 140 degrees at the end of the week. A few boats were able to get into slightly larger fish averaging 30 pounds at the end of the week, but rough offshore conditions made keeping sight of the Dolphin pods hard to do.
DORADO: There were a few more Dorado caught this week than last week, probably due to the eddy of warm water that passed our way. Most of the Dorado were caught in the warm water as boats fished for Tuna. Average size was around 15 pounds but a few boats caught doubles on fish in the 30-pound class.
WAHOO: What Hoo?
INSHORE: The rough water on the Pacific side combined with cold green conditions that started early in the week meant the inshore fishing was not very good this past week. That is not to say there were not fish caught, but the numbers were down from what we had been experiencing. The Sierra bite was spotty; a good trip resulted in a half-dozen or so to 10 pounds with the average size around 6 pounds. There were Pargo found in the rocks at the points and still a few decent Yellowtail were found.
NOTES: I don’t know if the warming of the water is a trend that is going to continue, but I sure hope it does. It seems that the water getting warmer means better fishing for us. I am going to get out this week and give a few things I have been working on a try; I’ll let you know next week if they work out. Until then, try and keep a smile on your face, things could always be worse. This weeks report was written to the music of my dog snoring in the background after a long morning at the beach!

Tight Lines!

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 64 - 71
Air temperature 53-88
Humidity 79%
Wind: NNE at 4mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:36 p.m. MST

Bahia Asunción

Mexican workers get very few holidays so each Semana Santa (Easter week), everyone tries to go somewhere, usually to the gulf side to enjoy warmer weather as Easter week is notorious for high winds and cold water on the Pacific side. So Juan & I went to Agua Verde for a camping trip which we enjoyed very much even though it was very windy and even rained one afternoon! This past week was variable, the first few days was gorgeous, calm, hot weather but the end of the week has been extremely windy on the west coast with a large swell which has delighted our local surf club…the kids have been able to surf every day this week getting ready for the summer tournaments.

Juan was able to get out one day to Area 6, a reef six miles off Asuncion Island with a family from California. They were happy to catch dinner for all of us…a lovely sheepshead which we made a great chowder out of, some cabrilla and a pretty big blanco..white fish for tacos. Eight year old Jacob was excited about seeing the sea lions and some gray whales and of course catching fish. The last few days have been very poor as strong currents, big swell and high winds with poor visibility have resulted in everybody getting skunked.

The local fishermen were very busy getting their equipment ready for abalone season which opened on Tuesday April 1st. We can hardly wait to sample this year's harvest. The fishermen get 4 abalone a week to eat.

We will move out to San Roque fish camp while they fish from there for a couple weeks. Caracol (giant sea snail/conch) season also begins next week so we will all enjoy the delicious bounty of the sea over the next month.

Shari and Juan

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 58-83
Humidity 56%
Wind: NE at 10 mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:25 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:55 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 31-April 6, 2008

WEATHER: The weather has continued to make a believer of me in Cabo being the perfect place to live this time of year. Our daytime highs have been in the low 90’s and our nighttime lows in the mid to low 60’s. We had mostly sunny skies this week and for the most part, light winds. There were a couple of days in the middle of the week where the wind blew strongly from the west, but it was for only a day or two.
WATER: Water temperatures on the Cortez side of the Cape have continued to rise slowly; we had as warm as 75 degrees at the end of the week across the 95 spot. There is still a plume of cool 67-degree water coming across the tip of the Cape from the Pacific side. Both sides of the Cape experienced bouncy conditions on Friday and Saturday when the wind shifted and came from the west, but it settled right down. Water clarity had been an issue on the Pacific side close to shore but that has cleared up a bit, however the farther to the north you went the greener the water became. The blue water has remained south of us at a distance of at least 25 miles. Even the warm water across the 95 spot has been slightly green in color.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The good news is that the Striped Marlin bite has continued to improve; it was better this week than last week. That may be due to the warmer water we are experiencing, but for whatever the reason, we are happy. Along with the improved bite is the fact that the fish have moved closer to us, in the warmer water across the 95 spot, which translates into shorter runs to the Marlin. They seem to be a bit larger on average than we have seen lately as well. I did not hear of any other species of billfish this week, but I am sure there were some strikes on larger ones.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The football size Yellowfin continue to provide action but they have been a little harder to find for many of the boats. 25 to 30 miles to the south has continued to be the most prolific area for these fish and the first boats to the schools are doing well with an average catch rate of 10-12 fish per boat. Anglers arriving a little late have not been shut out, but it has been a slow pick for them with an average of four or five fish per boat. There were rumors floating around in the middle of the week of a private boat finding a school of fish averaging 80 pounds, but I was not able to confirm any information on that.
DORADO: The warm water continued to produce fish that averaged 12 pounds with a few in the 20-30 pound class, but there were no large numbers from that area. Almost everyone got a fish or two though. There was one day when a couple of boats found a patch of kelp to the inside of the San Jaime bank and loaded up on Dorado that averaged 15 pounds, they worked it hard with cut bait and kept radio silence until they were done. They looked for it again the next day but it had drifted off and could not be found again.
WAHOO: What Hoo?
INSHORE: Firecracker Yellowtail continued to provide plenty of action for inshore anglers this week with the fish averaging 5 pounds. Sierra were in the same areas and while the fishing was not red-hot for them, the bite was still decent with anglers catching as many as they wanted. Roosterfish were also mixed in with the Yellowtail and Sierra. They were small ones at an average of 5 pounds, but provided good action on light tackle, and a variety in the catch. White Bonita rounded out the inshore action with fish from 5 to 12 pounds. All of these fish were found in water less than 100 feet deep, close to the shoreline on the Pacific side.
NOTES: I did not manage to get out and try the thing I mentioned last week, perhaps I will get a chance this week. If I do, I’ll fill you in on the results. The bite continues to improve in our area and our hope is that the trend continues. Whale sightings are down as the migration is almost over. On Saturday we saw only two, a mother and baby Humpback headed north on the Pacific side. Let me take a second here for some blatant advertising. The Shrimp House is back!! Shrimp and bulldogs! On Hidalgo Street. Right now the sign says El Patio, but Maro is getting that changed This weeks report was written to the sounds of U2 on their 1987 Island Records release “The Joshua Tree”. Until next week, Tight Lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/09/2008
REPORT #1109 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/04.10.08MJ.jpg
M.J. boats another one!!
After a two day ‘blow’ late last week, the weather and the time changed and the fish bit like gang busters! On the outside, skipjack, marlin, and dorado were feeding on bite sized squid or anything else that came their way---even flies. Plenty of marlin, dorado and skipjack multiples.

Inshore, ‘same story-different chapter’ as one of our boats had a nice mix of jacks, roosters, bonito and sierra. Two anglers racked up an impressive total of 31 fish for the day.

Tip: Don’t forget the wire! There are still a good number of sierra close to shore.


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Windy conditions kept most of the boats close to home this week so there was nothing to report

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
April 7-13, 2008

WEATHER: The weather continues to slowly warm up as our nighttime lows have been in the high 60’s and our daytime highs have been in the high 80’s. There have been very few clouds in the skies this past week, just scattered around here and there for the most part. No rain has been seen to fall anywhere near us. Sun block of at least SPF-35 has been a necessity.
WATER: It appears that the California current has become weaker as the warm water on the Cortez side of the Cape has started to come across into the Pacific side over the week. The cooler water in the current has been forced offshore, outside the San Jaime Bank it is a cool 68-69 degrees while on the bank and up to the shoreline it is a warmer 73-74 degrees. On the Cortez side of the Cape we have mostly warm water in the 74-75 degree range. Surface conditions have been great this past week with small swells and very little wind.
BAIT: Mackerel was easily available at the usual $2 per bait and there were also Caballito at the same price.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin are re-appearing in large numbers now as the water has warmed up to their preferred 74 degree range, but they are not biting all that well. That is not to say there are no fish being caught; it just means that as far as the percentage of fish caught to fish seen, well, that is a low number. The positive side of this is that there are large numbers of fish being seen on the surface, small groups of three or four and larger groups that number up to fifteen fish. Most boats have been releasing two or three Marlin per trip, but throwing bait to forty or so fish in order to get those numbers. The area around the 95 spot has been holding large numbers of Striped Marlin, as has the area around the 1150.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: We had a wide-open bite on the football size fish this week as a large school moved to within 4 miles of the bay early in the week. Boats were getting 20-30 fish each before tiring and going on to fish for Marlin. These fish were averaging 8-10 pounds each with a few in the 20-pound class. They were biting anything you put in the water, but the larger fish were eating live bait dropped in front of the moving schools. Any boats that went out at 150 degrees ran into these fish on Monday and Tuesday, as the week went on the fish moved to the west. There were other scattered schools found, but with the bite so good close to home not many boats went much farther to look for larger ones.
DORADO: There continued to be a few fish caught this week and as the water warms up more we should expect to be seeing more Dorado. I had a report of a boat up at Los Barillas catching 27 Dorado after finding a dead seal and that is the type of thing that may begin to happen here. Not that we kill seals, but this time of year we begin to find kelp fronds and trash in the water that hold large numbers of Dorado.
WAHOO: What Hoo once again.
INSHORE: The numbers of small Yellowtail being caught has lowered this week, weather because they have moved on to water more in keeping with their preferred temperature or because they became fished out, I don’t know. But instead of filling coolers with these small 5-8 pound fish, boats are getting just three or four per trip. What has a lot of anglers excited is the number of Roosterfish that have been showing up just outside of the arch. There have been mornings when 20 fish have been caught and released by one boat, but the fish have been small with an average size of 5 pounds. Little guys, but when you use light tackle they are a blast to catch! The Sierra bite has fallen off a bit as well and with the smooth water conditions and the Yellowfin Tuna being close, a lot of the Panga fishermen have been going out for the Tuna.
NOTES: Maybe I’ll try this thing I’ve been trying to get to use next year, it does not look like I will get to use this technique anytime soon, sigh. Anyway, we had great fishing this week and I hope it continues, with the numbers of Striped Marlin we are seeing if they start biting it will be awesome. This weeks report was written to the music of John Lee Hooker on the 2006 Virgin Records release “Best Of Friends”. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/16/2008
REPORT #1110 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/04.16.08.Allison.jpg
Allison connects with Skipjack
http://www.bajafly.com/report/04.16.08.sandy.gif
Sandy lands another Dorado
The week began with 12” squid floating about eighteen miles offshore. That was enough to get some fatty skipjack all worked up. There were multiple spots making it tough to choose which one to run for. Pick the right one and some ‘sluggo’ dorado were the prize. Another one might be mixed dorado and toad skipjack and farther outside, there were a few marlin to spice things up.

Meanwhile back at the beach: The small roosters and jacks put on a show snapping at “this and that” fly.

Just when we thought we were on a roll, a humbling bout of north wind rolled everything over- slowing the action down to a much slower pace.

Monday, eighty-six year old R.E. (Togo) Hazard, well known San Diego businessman, hopped on Dottie B with some friends from La Jolla to give them a lesson in marlin fishing. When the bell rang, Lamar Major, Kevin Kelly, Don McReynolds and Togo had racked up the highest single day’s count in this early season. ..an impressive eleven fish!

In the meantime part of the fleet found some tuna schools up toward Cerralvo that has yielded good catches for the past two days.

Warmer weather, hotter bite! Maybe spring is coming early.
Tip: Change flies often until you find the right combination of color and size for the day.
Water temperature 66-73
Air temperature 66-93
Humidity 45 %
Wind: ENE 5 knts
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:02 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

With a break from the wind, the yellowtail action for small to medium fish returned both at the Entrada and a few miles above Cabo San Lazzero.

In the Esteros, sierra and corvina provided the best surface action and down deeper there were a few grouper (to ten pounds) with an occasional snapper.

Along the sandy beaches the small halibut snapped up any chartreuse Clouser that came near them.

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 63 -93
Humidity 37%
Wind: NNW 17 to 23 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:50 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/04.16.zrooster%20sml.jpg
4/12/08, Fly angler.....Maureen Bates, Toronto Canada, Calvario Beach, Puerto Vicente Guerrero. Panga...........Angela with Captain Julio, Guide and photo....Ed Kunze
The action has been holding at about 1 or 2 sailfish per boat per day average, however there are lots of fish seen every day. They just do not seem to be hungry. The tuna are still off the charts and out of range. A few blue marlin are also still showing up in the weekly counts.
This last Sunday, while talking with Captain Mecate of the cruiser Aqua Azul, we felt the slow fishing must be attributed to squid having moved in. The game fish are gorging on them down deep, which will definitely hurt the surface action.
The very next day I fished down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero with fly fishing clients Warren and Maureen Bates of Toronto Canada, and confirmed it. Warren caught a black skipjack tuna, which disgorged squid when I held the fish to remove the fly. What was incredible is the fish was caught only a couple of hundred yards off the beach and in water less than 200 feet deep. There must be tonnage of squid out there if they are that close to the beach.
Warren and Maureen had a great day on the water. They got a total of 6 species, and hooked three roosters. The roosters sure were a pleasant surprise. They must be making their annual migration back, and the fishing will only improve in the following weeks.
Maureen's rooster would have been the women's world record for the line class (16 pound) for a fly caught rooster, but the engine was in gear and the rooster hit before the cast was made. This is essentially trolling, so we just took photos and made the release.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 69-101
Humidity 79%
Wind: NNE 3mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:39 a.m. CST
Sunset 8:00 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
April 14-20, 2008

WEATHER: Once again we have had a week of sun and fun here in Cabo. This time of year the spring break crowd is gone, the number of cruise ships calling at our port is down and the temperature has started to climb. Not too high, just into the low 90’s during the day and the low 70’s at night, but that’s just perfect for me! With this kind of weather a lot of our friends have returned from the cold north while many of the winter residents have gone home to prepare for spring back there. Just a very nice time of the year!
WATER: We have had light afternoon breezes for the first part of the week changing into light morning breezes later in the week, but nothing heavy enough to cause problems out on the water. A prevailing northwesterly direction has meant that the water on the Sea of Cortez has been very nice with only slight swells and wind chop while the Pacific side of the Cape has had slight swells and mostly slightly choppy conditions. Water temperature on the Pacific side has remained cooler than on the Cortez side with that wrap around the Cape from the east I mentioned last week still happening. Offshore on the Pacific side it has been 67-69 degrees while closer to the beach, say 4-5 miles off the beach and 10 miles to the north the warmer 74-degree water has prevailed. Of course the cooler water has meant green conditions and on the Golden Gate Bank reports were of very green conditions. On the Sea of Cortez we have had consistent 74-75 degree water across all the areas with just a slight tinge to it.
BAIT: There were many more Caballito available this past week than there were Mackerel, and they were both the normal $2 per bait. I did not hear anything about Sardinas.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: You didn’t have to go far this week to find Striped Marlin, but you had to have the right bait and a good amount of luck to catch one! Early in the week the bite was good up at the Punta Gorda area later in the afternoon and there were not many fish in our area, but on Wednesday the suddenly showed up in large numbers. It was not uncommon to spot pods of three to fifteen fish less than four miles form the arch, and often within a mile or less. The problem was that the fish were not very interested in Caballito, and that was the bait most common from the bait boats. Mackerel was preferred by the Marlin that were hungry. Being off the feed was probably due to them feeding all night during the full moon phase (tonight is the full moon). What they have been feeding on also had an effect! There were balls of 12-inch squid everywhere, and almost every species of fish caught this week was stuffed with them. Captains and anglers who were on top of their game and lucky enough to get a fish to the boat were ready with a bait net to catch any fresh squid spilled from the Marlins mouth, and some of them were lucky enough to be on top of one of the squid balls when the marlin forced them to the surface, managing to net a few live ones to toss out. Guaranteed catch if that happened! But, alas, for the most part boats were lucky to catch one marlin after throwing bait to dozens of lazing fish.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The tuna bite in our area dropped off again although a few boats were able to get into small pods of porpoise that were holding then. The tuna that were caught were not large ones; most of them were in the 10-15 pound range. A good catch this past week would have been four or five tuna. Most of them were found to the south at a distance of 10 miles and more, a few more were found around the 1150 area. Red and orange colored lures in the smaller sizes sort of imitated the squid they were feeding on.
DORADO: Once again the numbers of Dorado slowly increased over the numbers caught last week. It seemed that about 20% of the boats were flying a yellow flag or two when they returned this week. Most of the fish were found in the same areas as the Striped Marlin and they were also stuffed on squid. One nice thing is that the average size has been fair, not a lot of the little slipper size (5-8 pounds) were caught, most of the fish were around 12-15 pounds.
WAHOO: What Hoo once again, and I was surprised since we are in a full moon phase. Maybe the water just has to warm up a bit more?
INSHORE: There were reports from the anglers and Captains of large numbers of small Roosterfish once again just off the beach on the Pacific side between the arch and the lighthouse. These fish have been pounding small Caballito and the boats often had to return for more bait. The size was small with an average of 5 pounds, but a few larger ones, to about 15 pounds, were caught in the same area every day. I had an angler tie into a very large Sierra on Tuesday in this area. He fought the fish on line around 15 pounds in strength and said the Sierra would have weighed about 20 pounds (this is an experienced angler and Captain saying this). Of course when I told them that it might have been a possible line class world record they were mad they had filleted the fish! There have been some nice Pargo in the 20-30 pound class start to show off of the rocky points and live bait slow trolled deep has been the key for the larger ones. Adding to the excitement of fishing this way is the possibility of hooking up to some of the 30-40 pound Yellowtail that are still around. There are still many of the smaller ones, but as I said last week, not in the numbers we had been seeing. Even with the inshore action being good, many of the Pangas are targeting Marlin since they are so close right now.
NOTES: My golf game continues to improve; I am now consistently breaking 100. Don’t laugh, that is quite an improvement for me! I am looking forward to fishing this coming week; I just hope things keep popping out there! This weeks report was written to the sound of my dog snoring in the background, she had a hard day at the beach this morning! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/23/2008
REPORT #1111 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/04.23.08.glenn.jack.jpg
Glen Tremble, from San Diego, releases his first small jack on the fly.
Beach action near Bartle Beach was as good as it gets earlier in the week. I was scouting for a weekend trip, so I hit the beach at gray light. In the first hour I had four roosters and a pompano. Nothing large-but still a fun hour! The next hour the wind waves started up and the wind line from the north soon brought white caps with enough wind to convince me the day was done. Before it went to ‘hell in a hand basket’, Glen Tremble, from San Diego, landed his first small jack on the fly, as well as a small rooster. Obviously he is a quick study--- it takes some several trips before they connect.

It took until Sunday for the wind to subside and the water to clean up enough to be worthwhile ***lord Kellogg and friends from Seattle, WA. There was a fair concentration of mullet and sardina, attracting both jacks and roosters…mostly smaller fish with an occasional ‘Bubba’ breezing by… but most of the larger ones were just out of casting range. The Seattle group only had a few shots, but it was enough for one member of the group to land a fifteen pound jack before they packed up and headed for the airport.

They had checked out the beach on Saturday on their own and had a painful encounter with a grumpy stingray!

Tip: This time of year it is a good idea to pay attention to where you step in the water. Drag or shuffle your feet when you walk! The sting can be very painful! Soak the puncture in the hottest water you can tolerate for at least an hour and if you have a pain pill take one! Apply a topical antibiotic to reduce the chance of infection and seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Water temperature 66-76
Air temperature 65-94
Humidity 93 %
Wind: NNW 6 to 7 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:50 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:44 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Enrique Soto, Puerto San Carlos, reported plenty of small yellowtail out at the Entrada. There were also a few grouper close to the rocky points. Punta Belcher is still holding plenty of small halibut as well, as is most shallow water near sandy beaches.

Under the Bridge at the entrance to Puerto San Carlos was pretty good for small corvina, bay bass and a few leopard grouper on an incoming tide.

Estero action failed to ring any bells this week. There were a few pompano, corvina and pargo at Devil’s Curve …hardly enough to merit the thirty minute ride to get there.

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 53 -91
Humidity 100%
Wind: WNW 17 to 22 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:56 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:53 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue water is about 15 miles out, with most of the sailfish action between 18 and 22 miles.
Talking with Santiago on the panga, Gitana: He picked up 4 sailfish early in the week, and then 2 yesterday. He said the boats are averaging between 2 and 3 fish a day each.
The tuna are still beyond the 45 mile mark, and very few dorado have been showing in the counts.
Inshore action is excellent on large sierras (Spanish Mackerel). Any trolled feather or small Rapala style lure, with a wire leader, is providing a lot of good ceviche.
Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75-101
Humidity 78%
Wind: NNW 3mph
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:23 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:05 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
April 21-27, 2008

WEATHER: I guess that I probably don’t say this enough, but I have to let you know that this is just about my favorite time of the year for the weather. We have had morning lows in the mid to high 60’s and our daytime highs have just reached the low 90’s. The week began with mostly cloudy skies on Monday and on Tuesday afternoon they started to break up. The wind was kicking in a bit early in the week as well. The clouds brought no rain and after they were gone the winds were very light, just enough to put a light chop on the water in the afternoon. The week ended on a very nice note with clear and sunny skies and light winds.
WATER: The Pacific side of the Cape had swells at 3-5 feet but spaced well apart. On the Cortez side south of the Punta Gorda area things were nice with swells at 1-3 feet. On the Pacific early in the week and up past Punta Gorda the winds kicked it up a notch and the water was choppy. On the Pacific side the water temperatures were lower than on the Cortez side with 69-71 degree water almost everywhere. The temperature break was a straight line north to south off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. East of the break the water warmed to 75 degrees and out at the Cabrillo Seamount late in the week we had some water as warm as 82 degrees for a day or so.
BAIT: This was a tough week to get bait; the bait boats were working hard at snagging Caballito right at the mouth of the marina and were not having a lot of luck. I heard of quite a few instances of bait boats charging as much as $5 per bait. That is high, but not bad if it is the right bait, but the fish definitely preferred Mackerel, and the Caballito are not in very good shape after being snagged. In other words, bait was scarce this week, and expensive.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Once again there were plenty of Marlin out there but the bite was still off. There were plenty of squid in the area and the Marlin were stuffed. A few boats were doing all right on Mackerel (a scarce bait this week) and a few fish were caught on Caballito, but the majority of fish were hooked on artificial lures. The Striped Marlin were all over the place from a mile off the arch to 5 miles off of Gray Rock, you had no problem finding fish, but they were not very hungry. On the Billfish side of things, I heard that several weeks ago there were three or four large Blue Marlin, one in the #800 and a couple on the 500-600 pound class caught right out front when these small football Yellowfin first showed up. I didn’t hear of them at the time, but was told of them yesterday by a very reputable Captain.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin Tuna were the fish of the week, at least at the beginning of the week, and are also the “rant” fish of the week. At the start of the week, under the cloudy skies, hordes of football size fish, from 8 to 20 pounds showed up jut off the beach from 2-5 miles from the arch. All the tuna you wanted were available and everyone limited out on fish. On Wednesday the Purse Seiners started to show up. On Wednesday there were 6 boats out there, on Thursday there were 9 boats, on Friday and Saturday there were 13 boats, at least 8 of which were super Seiners over 200 feet long and with spotting helicopters n the decks. They were fishing these tuna just 2 miles off the beach. The marines went out and stopped two of the boats and chased them away, but said that the others all had permits to fish there. These fish have hold that can carry 1,500 TONS of fish. Needless to say, at the end of the week a good day on the water resulted in a dozen or fewer tuna for the sport fleet. There were the occasional nice fish; the largest I heard of was a double on fish in the #70 class.
DORADO: The warm water has resulted in an increase in the numbers of Dorado being caught. Most boats are getting a fish or two a day; on Saturday we caught four Dorado between 12-18 pounds. They are in the same area as the tuna and marlin, right in among the Seiners. A live Caballito dropped back after a hook-up resulted in at least one of our fish, the others bit on bright colored lures.
WAHOO: There were a few Wahoo caught, again in the warm water out front, but not many of them. Average size was reported at 25 pounds.
INSHORE: The warmer water resulted in fewer Yellowtail being caught this week, but an increase in the numbers of Roosterfish. The Roosterfish are still on the small side with an average weight of around 5 pounds. Live bait was tough to come by so while the Caballito were large, there were not many of them and the ones anglers used were getting pounded hard by the Roosters. Most of the hook-ups were a result of luck, as the baits were much too large for the fish. The Sierra bite has dropped off as a result of the warmer water but the Pargo and grouper bite has become better. With the Tuna so close to shore, many of the Pangas were targeting them, and they had good luck.
NOTES: The Tuna Seiners had everyone up in arms, especially late in the afternoons when they started to set nets around the few sports fishermen that stayed out. I had thought that they were not allowed by law to fish any closer than 20 miles form the beach, and not at all within the Sea of Cortez, but I must have misunderstood the rules. Anyway, I overheard more than one local crew complain and talk about doing something, but since the Marines are letting them fish, it must be legal (right?). If we saw these numbers between one and 6 miles off of the beach, imagine how many more are just beyond the horizon. If these boats continue to fish right in front of Cabo, look for the numbers of all species caught by the local sport fishing fleet to drop off quickly. I remember what just 2 of these boats did to the fishery on top of the Gorda Banks six years ago; it took four years for the fishery there to recover. The Pangas and fishermen out of San Jose ended up ganging together and throwing rebar anchors into the middle of the Seiners nets while they were fishing and powering out, ripping their nets up. Until next week, keep your fingers crossed!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/30/2008
REPORT #1112 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/04.30.08.seiner.gif
As in Cabo, the tuna seiners seem to have scooped up the current crop of football sized tuna leaving only a few scales here and there!

Billfish took center stage this week with the best April showing of sailfish in recent memory! While it wasn’t WFO as far as bites, there were enough shots to cause some to complain about a malady…something akin to tennis elbow.

Dorado action seems to have slowed with mostly singles showing up in the teasers and then disappearing quickly.

Inshore and beach action consisted of more jacks than roosters though there were a few small roosters to ten pounds caught on rooster alley and between La Ribera and the lighthouse.

The following falls into the “I don’t make this stuff up” department:

“Highlight of my beach fishing this week was finding a freshly beached amberjack of about 10lb's. Must have beached itself chasing bait. We took him home and filleted him--still twitching as I cut it. Very tasty stuff!”

Tip: When trolling teasers for billfish, the best way to control your line is by keeping it in a bucket or container of some kind so that it doesn’t get blown about the deck, being stepped on or tangled. When a fish comes up behind the teaser, immediately drop your fly into the water a short distance so that you can use the water to load the rod. As the person teasing calls for the cast and the boat comes out of gear, with a single false cast, cast your fly across the wake. Don't use the rod tip to set the hook. Instead, strip strike and let the fish run. Water temperature 66-78
Air temperature 65-95
Humidity 29 %
Wind: SSE 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:45 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:47 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Still the small yellowtail action at the Entrada along with a few sierra on the surface. Still a pretty good lump outside, preventing much fishing activity for the local fleet.

Water temps in the esteros remain low and there was little activity this week. Halibut in the shallows off of the sand beaches continued to bite pretty well. A few grouper and pargo up above Lopez Mateos on an incoming tide and some corvina feeding on the surface near Boca Santo Domingo.

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 62 -91
Humidity 35 %
Wind: WNW 12 to 16 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:56 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
There has been little change this week, with basically the same results of last week. The boats are averaging 1 to 2 sailfish a day each, the tuna are still too far out, and out of reach, and few dorado are showing in the counts.
This weekend starts our annual three-day sailfish tournament, with an expected 140 boats pounding the water from Friday until Sunday.
With the new moon on Monday, and after a few days to let the water calm down from the tournament, I really expect the fishing to take off. It is now May, and May is one of our best months of the year for the large tuna and blue marlin.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 71-99
Humidity 65%
Wind: W 21mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:19 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:07 p.m. CDT

Cabo San Lucas

WEATHER: I guess that I probably don’t say this enough, but I have to let you know that this is just about my favorite time of the year for the weather. We have had morning lows in the mid to high 60’s and our daytime highs have just reached the low 90’s. The week began with mostly cloudy skies on Monday and on Tuesday afternoon they started to break up. The wind was kicking in a bit early in the week as well. The clouds brought no rain and after they were gone the winds were very light, just enough to put a light chop on the water in the afternoon. The week ended on a very nice note with clear and sunny skies and light winds.
WATER: The Pacific side of the Cape had swells at 3-5 feet but spaced well apart. On the Cortez side south of the Punta Gorda area things were nice with swells at 1-3 feet. On the Pacific early in the week and up past Punta Gorda the winds kicked it up a notch and the water was choppy. On the Pacific side the water temperatures were lower than on the Cortez side with 69-71 degree water almost everywhere. The temperature break was a straight line north to south off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. East of the break the water warmed to 75 degrees and out at the Cabrillo Seamount late in the week we had some water as warm as 82 degrees for a day or so.
BAIT: This was a tough week to get bait; the bait boats were working hard at snagging Cabillitos right at the mouth of the marina and were not having a lot of luck. I heard of quite a few instances of bait boats charging as much as $5 per bait. That is high, but not bad if it is the right bait, but the fish definitely preferred Mackerel, and the Caballito are not in very good shape after being snagged. In other words, bait was scarce this week, and expensive.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Once again there were plenty of Marlin out there but the bite was still off. There were plenty of squid in the area and the Marlin were stuffed. A few boats were doing all right on Mackerel (a scarce bait this week) and a few fish were caught on Caballito, but the majority of fish were hooked on artificial lures. The Striped Marlin were all over the place from a mile off the arch to 5 miles off of Gray Rock, you had no problem finding fish, but they were not very hungry. On the Billfish side of things, I heard that several weeks ago there were three or four large Blue Marlin, one in the #800 and a couple on the 500-600 pound class caught right out front when these small football Yellowfin first showed up. I didn’t hear of them at the time, but was told of them yesterday by a very reputable Captain.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin Tuna were the fish of the week, at least at the beginning of the week, and are also the “rant” fish of the week. At the start of the week, under the cloudy skies, hordes of football size fish, from 8 to 20 pounds showed up jut off the beach from 2-5 miles from the arch. All the tuna you wanted were available and everyone limited out on fish. On Wednesday the Purse Seiners started to show up. On Wednesday there were 6 boats out there, on Thursday there were 9 boats, on Friday and Saturday there were 13 boats, at least 8 of which were super Seiners over 200 feet long and with spotting helicopters n the decks. They were fishing these tuna just 2 miles off the beach. The marines went out and stopped two of the boats and chased them away, but said that the others all had permits to fish there. These fish have hold that can carry 1,500 TONS of fish. Needless to say, at the end of the week a good day on the water resulted in a dozen or fewer tuna for the sport fleet. There were the occasional nice fish; the largest I heard of was a double on fish in the #70 class.
DORADO: The warm water has resulted in an increase in the numbers of Dorado being caught. Most boats are getting a fish or two a day; on Saturday we caught four Dorado between 12-18 pounds. They are in the same area as the tuna and marlin, right in among the Seiners. A live Caballito dropped back after a hook-up resulted in at least one of our fish, the others bit on bright colored lures.
WAHOO: There were a few Wahoo caught, again in the warm water out front, but not many of them. Average size was reported at 25 pounds.
INSHORE: The warmer water resulted in fewer Yellowtail being caught this week, but an increase in the numbers of Roosterfish. The Roosterfish are still on the small side with an average weight of around 5 pounds. Live bait was tough to come by so while the Caballito were large, there were not many of them and the ones anglers used were getting pounded hard by the Roosters. Most of the hook-ups were a result of luck, as the baits were much too large for the fish. The Sierra bite has dropped off as a result of the warmer water but the Pargo and grouper bite has become better. With the Tuna so close to shore, many of the Pangas were targeting them, and they had good luck.
NOTES: The Tuna Seiners had everyone up in arms, especially late in the afternoons when they started to set nets around the few sports fishermen that stayed out. I had thought that they were not allowed by law to fish any closer than 20 miles form the beach, and not at all within the Sea of Cortez, but I must have misunderstood the rules. Anyway, I overheard more than one local crew complain and talk about doing something, but since the Marines are letting them fish, it must be legal (right?). If we saw these numbers between one and 6 miles off of the beach, imagine how many more are just beyond the horizon. If these boats continue to fish right in front of Cabo, look for the numbers of all species caught by the local sport fishing fleet to drop off quickly. I remember what just 2 of these boats did to the fishery on top of the Gorda Banks six years ago; it took four years for the fishery there to recover. The Pangas and fishermen out of San Jose ended up ganging together and throwing rebar anchors into the middle of the Seiners nets while they were fishing and powering out, ripping their nets up. Until next week, keep your fingers crossed!

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 61 - 91
Humidity 32%
Wind: SSE at 22mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:47 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:47 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
April 28-May 4, 2008

WEATHER: We had just another week in paradise with our daytime highs varying between 90-95 early in the week and 85-90 later in the week. Our nighttime lows varied as well with 75 early in the week and 65 later in the week. That nighttime low of 75 on Monday and Tuesday night forced us to turn on the air conditioner! We had partly cloudy skies all week long with winds at 10-15 knots from the northwest with occasional higher gusts.
WATER: There was little change in the surface conditions from last week. The Pacific side of the Cape had swells at 3-5 feet and the Cortez side had 1-3 foot swells. The water temperature on the Cortez side was a pretty even 74-76 degrees from the shore out to around 12 miles, then it became 67-69 degrees for another 12-20miles, then there was a pretty strong break where it warmed right back up. On the Pacific side the temperature remained around 66-69 degrees. On the Pacific side from the Golden Gate and across the San Jaime Bank and toward the beach the water was a fairly dirty green, the closer to shore you got the dirtier it got. This plume of cool, green water extended to the south of the Cape keeping the water outside the 1,000-fathom line that dirty green.
BAIT: There was plenty of bait this week as the larger boat brought in plenty of Mackerel to sell to the Panga bait boats. With the small moon the bait boats were able to catch plenty of Caballito as well. This week the bait was the usual $2 per bait. When we purchased bait on Saturday, our supplier informed us that as of this coming Wednesday all the boats were raising their prices to $3 per bait. Keep in mind there has not been a raise in the bait price for almost 8 years, so this is not unexpected.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Once again the billfish were very easy to find this week, all you had to do was get out on the water. From just off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side around the Cape to the Punta Gorda area they were everywhere. Early in the week they were on the surface sleeping and tailing. Unfortunately, they were also full! They may have been stuffing themselves on squid once again, but for whatever the reason, you could throw baits to 25-30 fish and be lucky to find one or two that were hungry. A few boats resorted to drifting live baits deep, and this technique did work a little better than trolling lures while casting bait to fish on the surface. As the week went on the fish seemed to move up the Cortez coast just a bit and then back to in front of the arch. At the end of the week the ratio of fish baited and fish hooked improved a bit and most boats that tried to work Marlin were able to catch between two and four per trip, definitely an improvement over earlier in the week. Mackerel was the bait of choice; Caballito just didn’t seem to get the fish interested. The Striped Marlin averaged around 120 pounds.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: At the beginning of this week all the purse seiners we had out front last week had gone north, leaving us with just “scales drifting down” where before we had great fishing. Of course the fish were not around, they had all moved out or had been scooped up in the nets! Well, on the positive side, on Saturday this week the fish re-appeared just two miles out off the arch and lighthouse. These fish were also a bit larger with most of them between 20-30 pounds with a few pushing 40 pounds. One hour in the fish resulted in 16 Yellowfin for one of our groups of anglers. Almost anything worked, as these fish were very hungry. I went up on the Cortez side on Saturday and we got into a very larges group of dolphin with birds everywhere and large schools of bait showing up on the depth sounder. No Yellowfin though, and I could see two super seiners just on the horizon to the north, off of Los Frailles. I wonder if they had already gotten all the fish?
DORADO: The warmer water out front brought more dorado into our area and most boats were able to get at least one or two fish per trip. One of my friends was fishing up off the Punta Gorda area earlier in the week and found a dead whale that had been around long enough to attract quite a collection of life under it and was able to limit out on fish averaging 15 pounds. There were a few fish in the 30- pound range there as well. Everywhere else the bite was just all right with bright colored lures and live bait fished for Marlin getting the most fish.
WAHOO: The moon phase might be wrong for Wahoo this last week as I did not hear of any of them being caught.
INSHORE: Our anglers tat fished off of Pangas this week continued to do well with a varied catch including Roosterfish to 15 pounds, Sierra to 8 pounds, Yellowtail to 15 pounds and an assortment of bottom fish such as snapper and grouper to 10 pounds. The majority of the fish were found just off the beach on the Pacific side but when the late afternoon winds kicked in the afternoon trips worked off of Gray Rock and Cabo del Sol for the same type of fish. On Saturday, when the Yellowfin showed up so close to the arch, almost every Panga out there was in the mix, and they all did well. Quite a few of the Pangas were working just off the beach for Marlin as well throughout the week, and were averaging just about the same as the cruisers.
NOTES: The Seiners left, that’s good news, there are Tuna out front again, that’s good news! Live bait is going up in price on Wednesday, that’s bad news! I’m done with this week’s report, that’s good news! Until next week, tight lines! Give a listen to the music of an old Fender Stratocaster player, Dick Dale on his album “Spatial Disorientation”, that’s weird news!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 05/07/2008
REPORT #1113 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/05.07.08.rayor.gif
Mexican Seiner in Vista Sea Sports front yard this week...photo Mark Rayor
Weather still a little squirrely with wind one day, then, none the next. The week could be summed up…right place-right time equals some good action


There are plenty of billfish and dorado being seen on the outside though out Palmas Bay. The fish lethargic most of the time and seem to be filled up on the preponderance of squid that is here right now. One boat slid up on a shark buoy threw out an handful of sardina to see if there were any dorado hanging out only to have the Sea erupt as a school of sailfish ran down every last one as they hit the water. The dorado that were caught this week seemed to be good quality 35 – 40 lbs. None the less it was another more shots than snaps for most. Another of the spring turnaround is a number of blue marlin were spotted this week and one hotel reported two landed.
Closer to shore the skipjack and white bonito were feeding on the surface making them easy targets for anyone that was interested. I guess the large schools of small yellowfin have left the building compliments of the Mexican Seiner fleet. Hopefully, at least some of the fish split before the nets hit the water and will return after the seiners leave.

Beach action included ladyfish, pompano and a few small roosters and jacks. The trick was to find the bait (sardina and mullet) and stay with until the bigger fish showed up.

Tip: When fishing the beach keep moving until you find the bait. When you are casting “fan cast” left-center-right and then move on if nothing happens. Don’t keep casting over the same water unless you are seeing some kind of indicative signs that there are fish there.
Water temperature 66-78
Air temperature 60-89
Humidity 47 %
Wind: ENE 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:41 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:50 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Still cooler water temps outside so most of the action has been confined to small yellowtail and an occasional skipjack or bonito. Just inside the Entrada there is still a good showing of sierra. The tricky part is getting to them before they sink out. Still good halibut action in the shallows near the sandy beaches like Belchers.

Not many takers either anglers or fish this week. Even rumors of pargo, corvina and a few snook biting up above Lopez Mateos was enough to lure anyone out. Maybe it was too much partying on Cinco de Mayo?

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 62 -88
Humidity 39 %
Wind: NW 6 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:46 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:00 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Very little change for the inshore fly rod situation. I fished with "Doc" Coalthurst from Portland OR. down South at Puerto Vicente Guerrero and did not do well on roosters or jack crevalle.
Adolpho. on the panga Dos Hermanos, told me he his getting good jack crevalle action up around Saliditas, which is about a 1 hour boat ride to the North.
Cali, fishing with Martin, took 2nd place in this last week end's 120 boat tournament. The sailfish for the 1st place was only 38 kilos (about 86 pounds). This is a record low for weights in the 32 year annual tournament. Cali told me there were a lot of fish, but almost all of them were below the 30 kilo mark.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77-99
Humidity 60%
Wind: SW 3 mph
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:17 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:09 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 5-11, 2008

WEATHER: It looks like things are changing a bit down here. This week we had mostly cloudy skies, a bit of wind at the middle of the week and no rain, but it felt like it should have rained. Our nighttime lows varied between 68 and 75 degrees while the daytime highs were in the high 80’s to low 90’s. With the cloud cover the humidity kicked up a notch.
WATER: The Pacific side of the Cape was cooler than the Cortez side at 68-70 degrees and was off color as well. The greenish water wrapped around the Cape through the middle of the week and crossed into the area of the 95 spot. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was much warmer, and the farther up to the north you went, the warmer it got. In the area of Punta Gorda and the Gorda Banks we were marking water as warm as 81 degrees, and it was blue water. Elsewhere on the Cortez side (offshore) the water was in the high 70’s and pretty clear.
BAIT: Mackerel and Caballito were available at the new price of $3 per bait, and there were Sardinas at the Palmilla are at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were a lot of Marlin to be seen on the surface up in the Palmilla area close to shore but they were stuffed with squid and did not want to eat. Lucky boats were catching one or two per trip. There were a few decent Sailfish coming from the same area as well. There was not a lot of action on the billfish front but I am awaiting reports from a few friends that went up to fish the warm water on the Cortez side, they should be back early this coming week. My fingers are crossed.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: A few boats caught a few small football sized fish after the seiners left the area. Overheard on the radio were reports of them talking to each other and bragging about stuffed holds, guess they took all the fish.
DORADO: A few small fish were caught close to home, but the concentrations we had earlier were with the Tuna, guess the seiners got most of them too. I am hoping the warmer water to the north on the Cortez side holds more and they will work their way down to us.
WAHOO: What Hoo? New moon phase.
INSHORE: Green water on the Pacific side had most of the Pangas fishing the Cortez up around Palmilla point. These boats were getting some decent Sierra and Amberjack as well as some Snapper and Grouper. Bait of choice was Sardinas.
NOTES: Bad news was the seiners showed up again and wrapped all of the fish, the government allows it and now we don’t have anything to fish for. The good news is that the water is warming up and we should have a new mass of fish moving into our area soon. I really don’t know how else to put it other than the fishing this past week was extremely poor. My fingers are crossed that the government does something to regulate the encroachment of Seiners into the sport fishing areas. Tuna from the seiners goes for $480 a ton to the packing plants; wonder how much that same fish is worth in income from sport fishing? Enough said, I don’t want to get into trouble. Until next week, keep your fingers crossed for tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 05/14/2008
REPORT #1114 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/05.14.08.eel.gif
Many believe that this is a sea snake but it is a Tiger Snake Eel and not poisonous!
A few cloudy days brought a tad more humidity. First we had five flat calm days allowing us to travel in any direction without spilling our drinks, and then the past two were windy and grumpy.

Noah Rowles, along with two buddies from Southern California, chose to spend his bachelor party getting ‘hooked up’ before getting hitched in June. Since there was no bait available at East Cape, we had them out as early as possible so we could run up to Punta Perico for sardina. Then for the first two days, we fished tight to the beach near El Cardonal, They had plenty of action, doubles and triples on roosterfish, skipjack, bonito, white bonito and some huge schools of large jacks that kicked their collective butts.

Every afternoon, the group hopped on ATV’s and sped down the dirt road behind the beach to drink Pacificos and catch more fish. The most unusual catch of the trip was a snakelike eel which managed to get a hook in it and then proceeded to wrap itself up in the line.

Offshore sailfish, striped marlin and quality dorado were strung out from Punta Pescadero to the 88. Tales of lots of fish and double digit spottings exchanged during Happy Hour got the guys all fired up and convinced them to break the cardinal rule, “Don’t Leave Fish to Find Fish.” Sooo… their last day out we followed the fleet. It all started off well with an early thirty-five pound dorado. Then it was one jumper and tailer after another! But they were so plugged with squid that that their reaction to our offerings was a burp and a flick of the tail.

Scott Mattei, Lodi, CA, fished the beach on Tuesday and in spite of a pesky south wind, he managed to fine-tune his hook-set techniques on a variety of fish at “Bartle Beach”. He is heading out for more practice this morning hoping for some larger quarry to grab his fluff and bend his stick.

Tip: At the end of your retrieve, sweep your rod to the right or left to accelerate the fly. If a fish is following the fly, the additional speed will often trigger a take or at the very least the fish will follow the fly to the surface alerting you to its presence.
Water temperature 66-78
Air temperature 63-97
Humidity 77 %
Wind: SSE 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:54 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

No Report

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 61 -90
Humidity 89 %
Wind: W 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:42 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:04 p.m. MDT


Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80º blue water has finally moved in to where the game fish are reachable. It is just a short 6 mile boat ride to the blue water. The 15 boat fleet had been averaging about 1 or 2 sails a day each, but with the blue water coming in this close, the action should improve considerably.
Tomorrow, Clint Hugh, of Dallas, TX, has charted Santiago on the panga, Gitana, for two long days to find the yellowfin tuna. Santiago is an excellent tuna fisherman, so I will keep you posted.
Fishing with fly fishing client, "Doc" Coulthurst of Portland, OR, we found small jack crevalle and small roosters up above Saladita. We were fishing on the panga, Pepino.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 79-99
Humidity 57%
Wind: SW 3 mph
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:13 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:11 p.m. CDT

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 05/21/2008
REPORT #1115 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/05.21.08.rowlandj.gif
Jim Rowland with a Muertos Bay jack
This was a week of more refusals than a California homeowner selling a house!

We threw sardina and/or large baits at free swimming billfish and big dorado all week and never even saw so much as a swirl for our efforts. By Monday night the chatter at all the bars at East Cape buzzed blaming the damn full moon as being the cause of the lethargic behavior of the fish offshore! My client told me that he and his buddies agreed that the full moon must be the cause, and he asked what I thought. I answered that fishermen want something to blame conditions on and the full moon is as good as any.

However, on Wednesday morning the full moon went down, the fish came up and the bite was on. Mark Rayor emailed the following: “The fish came up and started feeding in the afternoon at Pulmo. They were not plugged with squid and were eating sardines. The bite was good for everybody in the area.”

Inshore was a different story: Big jack crevalle, small roosters, and white bonito were ‘on the chew’ most of the week from Muertos Bay to El Cardonal…close to shore.
Tip: It is important to keep your rod pointed at the line when stripping. If you don’t, the hook set will be cushioned by the rod tip preventing a solid hookup.

Water temperature 66-78
Air temperature 60-91
Humidity 70%
Wind: S 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:34 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:57 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

According to Diana Hoyt of Mag Bay Outfitters, the sierra and firecracker yellowtail bite has been good in spite of windy conditions. She also reports that the grouper has began to bite along with the corvina.

Water temperature 62 - 70
Air temperature 55 -85
Humidity 76 %
Wind: W 10 to 14 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:39 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:07 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
It is the month of May, and the annual return of the fantastic blue marlin bite has arrived. With the blue water only 6 miles off the beach and lots of bait fish in the area, we are averaging at least 1 shot at a blue for each boat. The hookup ratio is quite a bit less, but there are at least 4 or 5 blues being caught each day..which is not bad considering there are only about 15 boats on the water.

Besides the occasional large dorado being taken, the yellowfin tuna have finally arrived. They are only in the 30 to 40 pound class right now, but this should be a prelude to the larger fish moving into the area.
Sailfish action is a bit spotty, but the boats are averaging 1 or 2 a day each.

Inshore has the roosters are showing up again, and in fairly decent numbers. Good action is still going on up at Saladita, with a few reported at Buena Vista.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75-95
Humidity 91%
Wind: SE 2 mph
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:14 p.m. CDT


Cabo San Lucas

WEATHER: Our daytime highs have been in the mid to low 90’s while the nighttime lows have been around 72 degrees. We also had mostly sunny clouds this week, a nice change from the past month. Light winds have been from the northwest, just enough to cause an afternoon chop on the water, but nothing big.

WATER: There was an enormous difference in the water temperature between the Pacific side and the Cortez side of the Cape this week, and it was strongest just off the beach. In the area just off the beach at the Golden Gate Bank we saw water as cold as 55 degrees while the water on the Cortez side was pretty evenly at 77 degrees. Offshore there was a difference as well, but not as large. On the Pacific side, north of a line between the Cape and just to the south of the San Jaime Banks we had water temperatures in the low 60’s and just to the south it warmed up to the low 70’s. On the Cortez side from the arch to the 95 spot and then south and west, we had pretty much 80-82 degrees everywhere you went. The area between these two extremes was a mixed bag of 68-72 degree water. As is normal, the cooler water had much more of a green tinge while the warmer water remained blue.

BAIT: Mackerel and Caballito were available at the new price of $3 per bait, and there were Sardinas at the Palmilla area at $25 a scoop.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: We just finished the 2008 ROLEX/IGFA Offshore Championship Fishing Tournament this week. There were 63 teams fishing for 4 days, a total of 232 fishing days, and the result was approximately 350 Striped Marlin released. At an average of 1 ¼ fish per day this was just about the same as in the 2003 tournament when they averaged 1 ½ fish per day per boat. The top team in this year’s tournament released a total of 13 Marlin and 1 sailfish over the four days. We had the World Billfish Catch and Release Championship Tournament start this weekend and we will see how they do as well, I’ll report the results next week. Meanwhile, the fish this week were found from just off of Gray Rock to outside between Gorda Bank and the 1150 Spot. They were not feeding well, as a matter of fact we had clients on Friday who said they saw over 100 fish but could not get one of them to eat. Maybe it was a sign, but the last day of the tournament was on Friday as well, and that was reported as being the slowest for them.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the bite on Yellowfin was slow; I saw very few white flags flying from the outriggers this week.

DORADO: As the water continues to warm the Dorado continue to show up in larger numbers. Almost every boat that went out this week was flying at least one Dorado flag on its return, and most of the fish were decent size. We had clients catch one of about 60 pounds on Wednesday, and another group on Thursday caught two fish averaging 40 pounds each. The warm water on the Cortez side was the location and both slow trolled live bait and fast moving bright colored lures in smaller sizes worked well.

WAHOO: There were some decent Wahoo caught this week and most of them came from either the Gorda Banks of the Punta Gorda area. Darker colored lures and slow trolled live bait worked on fish ranging from 25 to 50 pounds. There were not a lot of them, but enough to make a little more effort worth it. Maybe 25% of the boats fishing for them lucked into fish.

INSHORE: Yellowtail in the 8-10 pound class were to be found from the arch in front and up to the lighthouse on the Pacific side. There may be more fish farther north, but there was no reason to travel that far. Live bait, small Caballito and Mackerel, were the best baits if you did not have large Sardinas, but small Rapallas worked as well. Just off the arch there was a decent concentration of small Roosterfish in the 10 pound class and they were biting on the live baits as well as a few that were caught on fly gear. Up on the Cortez side, in the warmer water, there were a few larger Roosterfish caught and released, fish that ran from 30 to 50 pounds. The best bite on these larger fish was in the afternoon. Anglers working for Snapper and Grouper just off the bottom had decent luck using chunks of bait and yo-yoing jigs in 110 to 200 feet of water along any of the points in that direction. These fish were between 5 and 15 pounds in size. A few surprise Amberjack moved in as well, generating some scorching runs and burned thumbs!

NOTES: Good news this week was no Seiners in the area; the bad news is that the reason they were not here is that there are no Tuna! Maybe they got all of them last week? Sometime soon we should have new schools move into the area, it can’t be too soon for me! Sorry to the few of you who will get this late, but we had the computer crash yesterday and my wife spent all day getting it back in shape. Thanks dear! Until next week, tight lines!

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 62 - 88
Humidity 67%
Wind: SSE at 17 mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:56 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 19-25, 2008

WEATHER: This week brought us cooler weather than we have had for a while. Our nights were down in the low 60’s; I saw our thermometer read 61 degrees here at the house one morning. Our daytime highs were in the high 80’s. On Wednesday the wind started to blow, and blow hard, from the northwest, occasionally shifting more from the west. That lasted until Friday morning, and then it became nice again.
WATER: Ugly is the term I have to use for our water conditions this past week, I sure hope things improve quickly. On the Pacific side of the Cape we have had the warmest water at 72 degrees, and that has been in a big circulation just to the south of the San Jaime Bank. It got as cold as 58 degrees right next to the beach just above the lighthouse mid-week. With the cold water comes color, and for the most part the water was very green. The current from the Pacific side must have been extra strong this week; the full moon may have had a lot to do with that. Anyway, the cold water from the Pacific started to push up into the Sea of Cortez, causing green/blue banding out as far as 50 miles and up the coast until the Vinorama area off of Punta Gorda. The warm water up there was 72 to 74 degrees. The farther up the coastline you went, the better things became. The wind that kicked in on Wednesday made offshore conditions miserable as well. On Wednesday you could not fish on the Pacific side if you wanted to, and things were not much better on Thursday, to the point that the Port Captain closed the Port until 11 am Thursday.
BAIT: Mackerel and Caballito were available at the new price of $3 per bait, and there were Sardinas at the Palmilla area at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Before the winds and currents moved the fish, the WCBRT, held on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, had the top team release 57 Striped Marlin over the three days. The second place team released 34 and the third place team released 27 fish. These were professional teams fishing on the same boat every day. In comparison, last year the top two boats tied at 33 releases each. During the tournament the fish seemed to be holding just to the east and north of the 1150 spot. When the wind and currents started, the fish moved way up to the north. There were almost no Marlin caught after Tuesday, and at the end of the week boats had to travel 2 ½ hours up the coast to find any fish. The bright spot is that it seems the warm water is moving back in our direction and the fish that are being found are starting to feed again. Hopefully next week things will be better.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the bite on Yellowfin was slow; I saw very few white flags flying from the outriggers this week. The few Tuna flags I did see were for Bonita. I discovered this while looking at the fish carts coming off the docks with fish from the boats flying these flags. I heard of no Yellowfin being found in our area this week.
DORADO: The cold green water moved the Dorado out as well; this week was a bust for them. A couple of fish were caught, but they were found a long distance away, up in the warmer water off of Punta Gorda.
WAHOO: The cold water moved the Wahoo out as well, even up at Punta Gorda the bite was not happening, and normally the full moon and structure there provide decent action.
INSHORE: This was the only bright spot at the end of the week for us. On the Pacific side, if you went past the lighthouse you were out of luck, but off of the Pedregal and the arch there were schools (small) of Pargo and groups of Yellowtail For any other inshore action you needed to make the trip up the coast of the Sea of Cortez, and even then, during the middle of the week, it was a long trip home against the swell sand the wind. If you did get up there, the fishing for Roosterfish to 30 pounds, Sierra to 8 pounds, the occasional Amberjack, lots of Jack Crevalle and a few Pacific Barracuda made the trip worthwhile.
NOTES: This was one of the worst fishing weeks I can remember having had in quite a while. Maybe that is the reason for listening to Stevie Ray Vaughn while writing this report; a little blues goes a long way! The bright spot is that it appears that the warm water is moving back our way! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 05/28/2008
REPORT #1116 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/05.27.08.barkers.gif
Scott Barker with a late afternoon rooster
Offshore the action has been sporadic. There seems to be plenty of billfish around, with many spotted on the surface feeding, but they are so quick that it is all most impossible to be there fast enough…by the time you arrive, all that is left are a few scales!

On the dorado front, everybody enters the “dorado lottery” but only a few have a winning ticket.

Mike Little, our client from Calgary, Canada, spent the day searching for a cooperative billfish. He finally raised one that tried to eat everything but his fly. In the end Mike went home with no hook-ups but he was stoked on seeing those marlin and left with the bug to return for more billfish! We’ll see him again in November.

Inshore the white bonito were still in front of El Cardonal and were an easy mark for a little mid-day sushi. Note to self: Remember to put some more soy and wasabi in the gear bag before the next trip.

There is an abundance of small roosters and ladyfish slicing and dicing the excess bait tossed by the returning boats at Palmas de Cortez in the afternoon
.
The beach is also producing some roosters. Most of the fish being landed are the ‘schoolies’--- to 5lb's or so. But there are ‘grandes’ on the prowl as well. As always it's a matter of fishing hard and being a bit lucky enough to be there when the big ones cruise within range.

Last week I stopped by Mike O’Dell’s La Trinidad R.V. Ranch in La Ribera. They are only open on Friday and Saturday nights but if you are in the neighborhood and looking for a good meal you might give them a try.

Bar open daily
Happy Hour at the bar @ 3:00 - 5:00 PM
CLOSED on Sunday
Reservations please, @ 130-02-06 with Reina Cota RVranchtrinidad@yahoo.com
Driving Directions:
Turn off from the Highway 1 at Las Cuevas Bridge to La Ribera and Cabo Pulmo.
Travel approximately 7 miles through the town of La Ribera, turn right and follow the beach road south to the Pemex station on the far side of town. Just before the Pemex station, turn left and follow the signs into La Trinidad R.V. Ranch


Tip: It is always a good idea to have at least one outfit rigged when you board the boat. It is not unusual to encounter some action close to the shore.
Water temperature 73-80
Air temperature 67-96
Humidity 48%
Wind: NNW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:00 p.m. MDT


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Bob Hoyt reported that there was still quite a bit of wind but the larger yellowtail had moved in just off of Lazero.

The esteros are producing good catches of sierra and corvina on the surface. Down deeper the grouper and pargo have become more active as the water begins to warm up.
Water temperature 60 - 66
Air temperature 67 -96
Humidity 55 %
Wind: WNW 14 to 18 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:11 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue marlin action is still very strong. At least 5 to 7 blues a day are being hooked by the 20 boat fleet. When I had called Adolfo on the panga Dos Hermanos by cellular, he told me they were still fighting a huge blue, and had been on it for over 6 hours. He also told me he has been having good success this week on sailfish and roosters on the beach.
David Cooper, fishing with Margarito on the Gaby took 10 yellowfin tuna and a sailfish in one day. The tuna were averaging between 35 and 45 pounds. With huge schools scattered throughout the area, they are being taken from 12 miles to 20 miles off the beach.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 76-98
Humidity 45%
Wind: W at 9mph
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:17 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 26 – June 1, 2008

WEATHER: Things have warmed back up and now we are feeling once again as if we have summer on the way. Our nighttime lows have been in the low 70’s and our daytime highs have been in the mid 90’s, once reaching 99 degrees here at my house. We had scattered clouds in the mornings most days, but things cleared up rapidly.
WATER: We experienced a rapid improvement in water conditions this week as a major push of warm water from the north took place. This warm water displaced much of the cold green water that we had wrapping around the Cape from the Pacific side last week, and has come on strong enough that the entire area to the south of the Cape is now around 76-78 degrees and blue. This warm water has traveled up the Pacific coast past Todo Santos and extends from the beach to about two miles offshore. Farther out it is 72 degrees and still green, in places like pea soup. On the Cortez side of the Cape things have definitely improved with water temperatures within our reach being as high as 84 degrees, and up in the East Cape reaching 86 degrees. This warm water is also clear water and brings with it fish of all kinds. Surface conditions on the Pacific consisted of swells to 6 feet with afternoon winds from the northwest to 14 knots. On the Cortez side the swells were in the 1-3 foot range with slight afternoon winds from the west causing occasional choppy conditions.
BAIT: Mackerel and a few Caballito were available at the new price of $3 per bait, and there were nice sized Sardinas at the Palmilla area at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin have shown back up and the fishing has improved for them as well. The only problem is that the fish are still a considerable distance from us on the Cortez side of the Cape, up around the Punta Gorda area and farther north, in the Vinorama area. This is an easy 30-mile trek, and takes time, but when the tide change happens things have been going off like gangbusters, especially the last half of this week. There is plenty of bait in the area and the preferred method has been to slow troll live mackerel at 2 ½ knots in the area of heaviest concentration. The fish have been feeding on the surface, but the action is so quick that running and throwing bait has not been effective. The slow troll seems to do better. Those boats that have been using just lures have been getting fish as well, but not as many. With the push of warm water into our area it should not be long before the big girls start to show up! I am really looking forward to some Blue and Black Marlin action this summer!
YELLOWFIN TUNA: We are still not seeing any numbers of Yellowfin Tuna, the actions of the Purse Seiners from several week ago seem to have had a very strong effect on this fish’s availability. We can only hope that a new batch of Yellowfin appear soon. Quite a few boats have been looking specifically for them, but the results have been very poor.
DORADO: There has been very good Dorado action in the same area as the Striped Marlin, but closer in toward the beach. Within the 300-foot depths around the Vinorama area the bite has been good on fish to 45 pounds, with most of the fish in the 20-25 pound class. Fast moving lures in bright colors have done well when fished back in the pattern, and as happens most of the time, a live bait dropped back once the lure-caught fish is close to the boat has often resulted in multiple fish hooked up.
WAHOO: Wahoo were the big surprise this week as they have followed the warm water and are now to be found off the Vinorama area, just like the Dorado and Striped Marlin. The best results have been had by the Pangas out of La Playita in San Jose as they have been leaving the marina early and have been catching Chilwilie at the inner Gorda Bank at first light, then running to the Iman Bank area and slow trolling these mackerel scad. Many of the Pangas were catching multiple fish in the 30-40 pound class every morning. For the boats coming into the area from Cabo Sa Lucas, the best results were to be had by trolling Magnum Rapallas and Marauders close to the boat at higher than normal trolling speeds, around 9-10 knots, and having a small, heavy lure off of the outriggers. The best catch I heard of by a cruiser from our area was 6 fish in the 30-50 pound class in one trip. I did see a larger fish come in, one that was reasonably in the 80-pound class.
INSHORE: The inshore action continued to be good on the Cortez side of the Cape for white Bonita and Roosterfish, with some boats doing well on some leftover Sierra as well. These are surprising, as the water has warmed up well past the normal temperature for them. Fishing bait off the bottom has had good results for anglers targeting Grouper and Amberjack, with many of the Grouper being in the 30-pound class. The best areas for the bottom fishing has been off the rock piles at the points, one of the most fished has been right off of Palmilla. Roosterfish action has been going off very well on the sandy beaches at La Playita and to the north of there in the La Laguna area. Best results for them has been by using live mullet slow trolled behind the boat, or some of the large Sardinas that can be bought up there.
NOTES: We are experiencing a definite improvement in our fishing, and things are looking good. On a slightly different note, rumor has it that the marines have stopped several charter boats from fishing closer than three miles from the beach on the Pacific side this week, forcing them to return to the Marina, or moving farther out. I am going to do a little checking this week and find out what is going on. I also heard that they stopped a 28 foot cruiser that was fishing 25 miles offshore while looking for tuna and told him to move in closer as he was not allowed to be that far out. Hmm, guess that is another thing to check on, but at least that one makes sense to me. No music for me this week as I am writing this very early in the morning prior to a fishing trip and my wife is still sleeping in the next room! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 06/04/2008
REPORT #1117 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/06.04.08.dorado.gif
Nice dorado snaked out beneath the Sargasso
The offshore action seemed to centered from Pescadero north to the 88 this past week. Plenty of marlin are around but bites are tough to come by. Oddly enough, there were many patches of sargasso with some holding some good sized dorado. The trick was to be at the right patch at the right time. Another bonus this week was that a few tuna from 10 to 40 pounds were scratched out from under the white belly porpoise before the Mexican seiners came steaming over the horizon.

Inshore the white bonito remained in front of El Cardonal until the wind blew out of the south Wednesday shutting off that bite.

Yesterday Jamie and Barbara Pierre, Seattle, WA, fished with Mark Rayor and encountered the winds mentioned before. They started at Las Arenas and hop-scotched south. Finally, in the afternoon, they found some schooling roosters in the 15 to 20 pound class at El Cardonal.. Barbara landed her first, second and third rooster ever, qualifying her as a veteran.
.
The beach also got thrashed pretty good on Wednesday and it may take several days before the water clears up from the wind waves. Before the wind there were schools of roosters, mostly in the five pound class, pounding the bait schools along the beach from Rancho Leonero to Punta Colorada with some jacks and ladyfish mixed in.
Tip: It is important to remember to not use the rod tip when setting the hook, strip strike is the better method.
Water temperature 70-82
Air temperature 69-99
Humidity 66%
Wind: ESE 5 to 7 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:31 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:003p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Bob Hoyt reported that the water temps were beginning to climb both in the Esteros as well as outside. Enrique Soto found good action for small yellows at the entrada along with some sierra feeding on the surface. Up the line toward the entrance to Santa Maria bay there were some larger yellow tail under the birds schools chasing the sardines driven to the surface.

Estero action was limited to corvina on the surface and a few grouper and pargo down deeper.

Water temperature 60 - 66
Air temperature 66 -93
Humidity 28 %
Wind: NW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:14 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Over all the fishing has been fairly good this last week. The blue water is about 6 miles off the beach, and the fleet is averaging about 1 to 3 sailfish a day per boat. Due to a warmer water current moving in, the blue marlin and tuna action has slowed down a bit, but this is triggering the sailfish and dorado to become more active.
The roosterfish action down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero is outstanding. Jose Pino, on the panga Angelica, reported 15 roosters in one day. Up north, around the Saladita and Ranch areas, Adolfo on the panga Dos Hermanos is getting very good jack crevalle action.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77-97
Humidity 71%
Wind: W at 9mph
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:19 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
June 2-8, 2008

WEATHER: Everything is in flux this time of year. Just as we thought that summer had arrived, it cooled off and now feels once again like winter. The wind picked up at the beginning of the week, a lot of the larger yachts that move north this time of year sat in the harbor waiting for good weather for the ride north. At the end of the week a few of them left, but a few waited it out, and it may have been a good thing. The wind really picked up and the water got pretty miserable on the Pacific side of the coast as the winds blew at 20-25 knots from the west-northwest, bringing the swells up and the chop into play. Our nights have been as cool as 63 degrees while the daytime highs have been in the low 80’s. With the winds came partly cloudy skies as the remnants of a tropical depression from the Yucatan came over us.
WATER: The Pacific side of the Cape was fishable early in the week but when the winds picked up it became miserable. Swells were at 4-6 feet with an occasional 8-foot in the mix and the winds were blowing hard from the west-northwest. The current along the Pacific side was helped by the wind and the cool water from the Pacific punched its way into the Sea of Cortez. Like I said above, things are in flux. This cool water is at around 71 degrees and has extended itself from the beach at the arch out across the 1150 and almost to the outer Gorda Bank. Inside this band, along the shore, the water remained around 79 degrees, and up past the Gorda Banks it stayed warm as well. Along with the cooler water brought in, the clarity dropped as well, with green becoming the prevailing color.
BAIT: Mackerel and a few Caballito were available at the new price of $3 per bait, and there were nice sized Sardinas at the Palmilla area at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Very little changed this week on the Marlin front with most of the fish being found along the shore off of Palmilla and San Jose. They had moved toward us early in the week but the influx of cooler water from the Pacific side pushed them back toward the north. They are still not biting very well and it seems as if lures are working better than live bait for the most part. Pulling lures at slightly higher than normal speeds seems to get the fish active, they may be striking out of aggression rather than hunger as the moon gets larger. A decent trip is one or two releases per boat, a good trip this week would have been three or more releases, but we saw very few boats with more than three.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I sure saw a lot of tuna flags on some of the boats, but upon checking with the anglers found that the flags were being flown for Bonita that averaged 12 pounds in size, with a few reaching 18 pounds. A decent fight to be sure, but not Yellowfin by any stretch of the imagination.
DORADO: The Dorado bite dropped off as the cool water moved back in, but there were reports heard of some kelp patties being found offshore up in the East Cape area that were holding Dorado. In our area there were about 10 % of the boats coming in with Dorado flags at the end of the week, and they were found along with the Striped Marlin.
WAHOO: The Wahoo went somewhere else this past week.
INSHORE: Action inshore consisted of small Roosterfish to 10 pounds with an occasional fish to 30 pounds, a few holdover Sierra to 8 pounds, a decent spot of Grouper and Snapper averaging 8 pounds along the rocky points and those nice 12-18 pound Bonita just a few miles off the beach. All the action took place on the Cortez side of the Cape.
NOTES: Word is out that the Marines have been stopping boats from fishing within three miles of the beach from Gray Rock and to the north on the Sea of Cortez. Any boats found fishing within this area have been escorted outside the three-mile limit. We have been told that this is because about 30 years ago this area of the Sea of Cortez was designated some kind of reserve, and this is the only way of keeping the commercial boats like the purse Seiners we had such a problem with last month, out of our area. If they have to stay out, then we have to stay out as well. I guess I understand that a little bit, but we are not commercial fishermen, so there has to be reconciliation here somewhere. Anyway, until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 06/11/2008
REPORT #1118 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/06.11.08.ginnings.jack.gif
Chris Ginnings, El Paso TX, with an Inshore Jack
Taking the lead from the odd weather in the U.S., the East Cape area had south winds this past week strong enough to force many boats back in early, making it tough to fish. However, if you are coming this week, the fact that it quit blowing this morning should be encouraging.

Before the wind cranked up, the offshore had plenty of billfish (including several blues) but it was still tough to get a bite. There were a few dorado to be found under some Sargasso or shark buoys if you were one of the lucky ones.

The buzz this morning was some rumored tuna farther offshore.

Inshore action consisted of a few skipjack, roosterfish, pargo , pompano, cabrilla and even some larger sierra close to shore early morning before the wind began blowing.

Beach action was limited but there were a few quality roosters spotted and at least one in the 40+ range caught.
Tip: Blind casting is not the most productive way to fish the beach. Try to find an area where you are seeing schools of mullet and then sit on the berm ready to cast when Bubba chases mullet to the shore.
Water temperature 73-87
Air temperature 61-90
Humidity 81%
Wind: SSE 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:31 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:06 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Diana Hoyt reports calm seas offshore, but still cold sea temperatures. Cold water notwithstanding, there are some quality yellows around the shark buoys.

In the Esteros most of the action revolved around leopard grouper, cabrilla and some nice-sized corvina.

The government has temporally banned all nets in the bay as part of an ongoing experiment!

I’m not sure what that means so I will be going to Magdalena early next month to sort it out.

Water temperature 60 - 66
Air temperature 60 -88
Humidity 70 %
Wind: WNW 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:16 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
There has not been much change in the fishing patterns since last week. The blue water is still about 6 miles off the beach, and the fleet is averaging 1 to 3 sailfish a day/per boat. A few blue marlin are still around, as proven by Cindy Belmonte of Simi Valley, with her 300 pound blue. She was fishing with Captain Margarito on the Gaby.
A few large dorado are still being taken on a daily basis, with the yellowfin tuna mostly playing hide and seek.
On Monday, we had a drizzle of rain all day long, with hard rains and wind late Monday night. This was enough for the Port Captain to close the port for Tuesday, but by 10:00 AM we once again had clear skies and calm seas. However, we did record 4 inches of rain during the 30 hour period of inclement weather.
The roosterfish are definitely making a better showing up North in the Pantla and Saladita regions, and still holding strong down South at the antennas and Puerto Vicente Guerrero.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 76-97
Humidity 69%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:21 p.m. CDT

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: Very little changed this week on the marlin front with most of the fish being found along the shore off of Palmilla and San Jose. They had moved toward us early in the week but the influx of cooler water from the Pacific side pushed them back toward the north. They are still not biting very well and it seems lures are working better than live bait for the most part. Pulling lures at slightly higher than normal speeds seems to get the fish active, though they may be striking out of aggression rather than hunger as the moon gets larger. A decent trip is one or two releases per boat, a good trip this week would have been three or more releases, but we saw very few boats with more than three.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I sure saw a lot of tuna flags on some of the boats, but upon checking with the anglers found that the flags were being flown for bonita that averaged 12 pounds in size, with a few reaching 18 pounds…a decent fight to be sure, but not yellowfin by any stretch of the imagination.
DORADO: The dorado bite dropped off as the cool water moved back in, but there were reports heard of some kelp patties being found offshore up in the East Cape area that were holding dorado. In our area there were about 10 % of the boats coming in with dorado flags at the end of the week, and they were found along with the Striped Marlin.
INSHORE: Action inshore consisted of small roosterfish to 10 pounds with an occasional fish to 30 pounds, a few holdover sierra to 8 pounds, a decent spot of grouper and snapper averaging 8 pounds along the rocky points and those nice 12-18 pound Bonita just a few miles off the beach. All the action took place on the Cortez side of the Cape.

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 59 - 90
Humidity 82%
Wind: WSW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:34 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:05 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
June 9-15, 2008

WEATHER Our nighttime lows have been in the mid to high 60’s while the daytime highs have been in the mid 80’s, really nice weather all around except that the darn wind has been blowing almost non-stop all week. We have had mostly sunny skies, or partly cloudy if you are a pessimist, all week long.
WATER: We had the cold water off of the Pacific Ocean make a strong intrusion into the Sea of Cortez this week. What had been very nice warm water all along the Cortez side turned into cold green water this week as our temperatures dropped from the high 70’s into the low to mid 60’s. Out in front of town we had the water temperature drop to 61 degrees on Saturday, and the cold water, most of it in the 64-degree range, extended up to the Punta Gorda area. As of the end of the week it had warmed a bit to the low 70’s, but was still green. On the Pacific side the water was rough due to the consistent northwesterly winds, with seas at 4-6 feet and plenty of chop on top of that in the first 10 miles from the beach. Outside the ten miles the swells were still there but the chop disappeared as the wind appeared to be land related.
BAIT: Mackerel and a few Caballito were available at the new price of $3 per bait, and there were nice sized Sardinas at the Palmilla area at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Marlin bite at the beginning of the week was not bad but as soon as the cold water started to wrap around the Cape the fish moved up the sea of Cortez and the ones that stayed around here stopped biting. At the end of the week you were lucky to get a chance to throw bait at a fish.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were no fish at the beginning of the week but at the end of the week there were some football fish found on the Pacific side around the San Jaime Banks. Boats that were brave enough to challenge the 10 mile weather were able to get a decent catch of Yellowfin in the 10-15 pound class just to the south of the San Jaime. Best lures were cedar plugs and small dark colored feathers. The fish were associated with spotted porpoise.
DORADO There were some Dorado found at the end of the week in the warmer water south of the San Jaime Bank in the same area the Yellowfin were found. They were decent fish in the 20-35 pound class and most bit on the same lures as the Yellowfin.
WAHOO: The Wahoo went somewhere else this past week.
INSHORE: This was the type of fishing to do this week as the Sierra bite turned on and the inshore bite on them and on small Yellowtail was almost wide open. Almost all of this bite took place on the Cortez side of the Cape, but for those boats willing to challenge the currents and waves on the Pacific side, there was a decent bite on Snapper up at the el Arco area as well.
NOTES: Inshore was the place to be this week. All our inshore anglers did well if they were willing to catch what was available. The few Roosterfish that were caught were small, probably due to the cooler water, but also due to the cold water all the offshore species made themselves scarce. We just have to keep our fingers crossed that things improve and the water warms back up. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 06/18/2008
REPORT #1119 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/06.18.08.jp.rooster.gif
Jamie Pierre, Seattle, Wa with his career best caught near Punta Colorada
Windy conditions subsided by the weekend and the inshore fishing was as good as it gets for small roosters, jacks, pargo and a few cabrilla. Offshore action continued to be somewhat spotty until Wednesday when schools of tuna were found outside the lighthouse. Wednesday was the first time this year that I saw dorado only a few hundred yards off the rocks at Punta Colorada. One did bite a marabou deceiver but fell off. In the meantime, Jamie Pierre, Seattle, WA landed the largest rooster of his long fishing career.

Beach action consisted of a mixed bag with mostly small roosters, jacks, pompano and a few ladyfish.

I was on the beach early Thursday morning in the gray light at Rincon and hung a nice jack in the high teens on my third cast of the morning. The roosters continued to feed while I landed him!

All in all, one of the best weeks of fishing this year.

Tip: When fishing close to shore in the rocks, try a small pink and white Clouser slow retrieved for good pargo action.
Water temperature 73-87
Air temperature 74-95
Humidity 28%
Wind: SW 11 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:08 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Bob Hoyt reported a good tuna bite outside the Boca along with some yellowtail out toward San Lazzero. Several boats also spotted a couple of marlin---cold water notwithstanding.

The esteros continued to produce good catches of grouper and cabrilla. The locals are limiting out on corvina from the recently completed dock.

Water temperature 60 - 66
Air temperature 72 -90
Humidity 70 %
Wind: S 12 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:19 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue water is only about a mile off the beach, the seas are calm, and conditions are overall perfect. But, fishing has been only average. This could be attributed to the full moon cycle, with the action expected to heat up in the next couple of weeks.
The average is still about 1 - 3 sailfish a day per boat, and the 15 boat fleet is getting about 3 blue marlin a day. The water is warming up however, and the blues are moving out to about the 30 mile mark.
Cindy Belmonte of Simi Valley, CA fished with Captain Margarito releasing 3 sailfish and taking a small dorado.
The inshore action for roosters is excellent all up and down the coast.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 79-100
Humidity 55%
Wind: WSW 9 mi
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:23 p.m. CDT

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: The marlin bite at the beginning of the week was not bad but as soon as the cold water started to wrap around the Cape the fish moved up into the sea of Cortez. The ones that stayed around here stopped biting. At the end of the week you were lucky to get a chance to throw bait at a fish.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were no fish at the beginning of the week but at the end of the week there were some football fish found on the Pacific side around the San Jaime Banks. Boats that were brave enough to challenge the 10 mile weather were able to get a decent catch of Yellowfin in the 10-15 pound class just to the south of the San Jaime. Best lures were cedar plugs and small dark colored feathers. The fish were associated with spotted porpoise.
DORADO There were some dorado found at the end of the week in the warmer water south of the San Jaime Bank in the same area where the yellowfin were found. They were decent fish in the 20-35 pound class and most bit on the same lures as the yellowfin.
INSHORE: This was the type of fishing to do this week as the sierra bite turned on. The inshore bite on the sierra and on small yellowtail was almost wide open. Almost all of this bite took place on the Cortez side of the Cape, but for those boats willing to challenge the currents and waves on the Pacific side, there was a decent bite on Snapper up at the El Arco area as well.
George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 71 - 99
Humidity 31%
Wind: SW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 6:35 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:07 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
June 16-22, 2008

WEATHER Things have changed just a bit on the weather front, as of the middle of the week the wind quit blowing 24 hours a day and has just started blowing around 1 pm every day. That has made the afternoon temps comfortable and the early morning very nice, at least on shore. Our daytime highs have been in the mid 80’s and the nighttime lows in the high 60’s. No rain this week and we had mostly sunny skied.
WATER: Back and forth, back and forth, that is what the water temperatures have been doing to us as the California current brings cold water our way and then weakens and the Cortez warm water pushes our way. As of the end of the week instead of the 61 degree water we were having right here in the bay of Cabo at the beginning of the week, the water warmed up to 69 degrees out front, 62 degrees on the Pacific side of the Cape and 77 degrees from Gray Rock and north to the Punta Gorda area. Off shore, to the south and the Pacific side the water is green, it does not really clear up until you get to the north of the Gorda Banks. Surface conditions on the Pacific side have been pretty rough this week with the strong winds, later in the week the mornings have been all right until the wind starts to kick in, then it becomes choppy. The swells on the Pacific side are 4-6 feet with an occasional swell at 8+ feet, mostly due to the constant wind. On the Cortez side of the Cape the mornings have been great, and the water up past the Santa Maria area has been good most of the day. Coming home from that area has been rough in the afternoon as the wind starts to come more from the west later in the day.
BAIT: Mackerel and a few Caballito were available at the new price of $3 per bait, and there were nice sized Sardinas at the Palmilla area at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There was no change from last week for the Marlin report. The Marlin bite at the beginning of the week was not bad but as soon as the cold water started to wrap around the Cape the fish moved up the sea of Cortez and the ones that stayed around here stopped biting. At the end of the week you were lucky to get a chance to throw bait at a fish.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The white flags I saw this week were for Bonita that were caught close to the beach, I did not hear of anyone getting into any numbers of Yellowfin, but there were a few scattered football size fish caught.
DORADO There were a few scattered Dorado found up around the Punta Gorda area, but that was about it. They were caught by boats drifting with live bait for the most part, but a few were caught on trolled lures.
WAHOO: The full moon should have resulted in some Wahoo, but the water was too cold.
INSHORE: If you wanted to catch fish this week, a Panga fishing inshore was the way to go. The anglers were doing well on Sierra to 8 pounds, lots of Yellowtail to 10 pounds as well as a scattering of Bonito and Amberjack as well as Jack Crevalle. The Roosterfish that we had seen several weeks ago have been absent, probably due to the cooler waters. Most of the action on these fish took place between the arch and the lighthouse on the Pacific side and outside the Cabo del Sol-Palmilla area on the Cortez side.
NOTES: Checking on my reports form this time last year, it looks like a repeat so far. In 2006 we were catching Blue and Black Marlin already and the water was nice and warm. Hopefully we will see the warm water soon and the fishing will turn around. Until then, keep your fingers crossed! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 06/25/2008
REPORT #1120 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/06.025.08.yft.gif
Brad with first yellowfin tuna on the fly
Jamie Pierre and Jack Davis, Seattle, WA, finished up their trip late last week with non-stop inshore action all day. They caught so many fish they were just flat worn out! Over the weekend it was tough fishing for most - going from double digit catches to onesy, twosy counts. Then a school of YFT’s showed up, pushing the counts up higher. Billfish action was pretty scratchy except for a few boats that posted a few multiples.

Beach fishing yielded a few small roosters, pompano and the usual needlefish, etc. The long hot walk along the beaches held little return.

By late this week, the north wind that blew on Tuesday had blown itself out and the small roosters were back in full force. Bryan Bero, Palisades, CA and Kirk Kuzmanic, Temecula, CA, had an humbling day as the roosters zipped and zapped between their flies. Before the day was over they had settled into the routine and had connected with their first Baja roosters.

Tip: When fishing the inshore watch for fish boiling on the surface and then cast. Usually that will be much more productive than just blind casting.
Water temperature 73-87
Air temperature 74-101
Humidity 31%
Wind: SW 11 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:34 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:09 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/06.25.08.grouper2.gif
Tom Anderson, with grouper caught on trip
Tom Anderson, Escondido, CA, and his group held their annual tournament at the newly-opened cabins and restaurant, Whales Tale Inn, on the thirty-mile long Magdalena Island this past week. They caught limits of yellowfin tuna, some grouper, one dorado, as well as halibut inside the bay. Their annual tournament was quite a success!
Water temperature 60 - 66
Air temperature 72 -101
Humidity 50 %
Wind: WNW 5 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:39 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:20 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Offshore, the blue water is less than a mile off the beach, however because of the full moon phase, the fishing has been slow. The fleet is averaging about 1 sailfish per day, per boat. This will definitely pick up this coming week.

The tuna have pulled a disappearing act again, and the blue marlin bite has slowed way down. A few nice dorado are being caught each day.

Inshore, the roosterfish action is red hot. Six to eight roosters a day is not uncommon. There are also a few jack crevalle, sierra, and a lot of black skipjack tuna.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 78-100
Humidity 55%
Wind: S 9 mi
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:25 p.m. CDT

Cabo San Lucas


BILLFISH: There was no change from last week for the Marlin report. The Marlin bite at the beginning of the week was not bad but as soon as the cold water started to wrap around the Cape the fish moved up the sea of Cortez and the ones that stayed around here stopped biting. At the end of the week you were lucky to get a chance to throw bait at a fish.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The white flags I saw this week were for Bonita that were caught close to the beach, I did not hear of anyone getting into any numbers of Yellowfin, but there were a few scattered football size fish caught.
DORADO There were a few scattered Dorado found up around the Punta Gorda area, but that was about it. They were caught by boats drifting with live bait for the most part, but a few were caught on trolled lures.
INSHORE: If you wanted to catch fish this week, a Panga fishing inshore was the way to go. The anglers were doing well on Sierra to 8 pounds, lots of Yellowtail to 10 pounds as well as a scattering of Bonito and Amberjack as well as Jack Crevalle. The Roosterfish that we had seen several weeks ago have been absent, probably due to the cooler waters. Most of the action on these fish took place between the arch and the lighthouse on the Pacific side and outside the Cabo del Sol-Palmilla area on the Cortez side.

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 72 - 100
Humidity 34%
Wind: SW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:08 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
June 23-29, 2008

WEATHER We are now back into summer mode. Our daytime highs have been in the mid to high 90’s and the nighttime lows have been a warm 80 degrees. Thank goodness the humidity has not gotten high yet, wait another two week for that. We had clear skies this week, for the most part, and the winds we were dealing with all day long every day last week were only blowing later in the afternoon this week.
WATER: The ebb and flow has this week gone in the direction of the Pacific. The warm water from the Sea of Cortez has pushed back the cooler Pacific water and we have now had almost a full week of water in the 78-80 degree range o the Cortez side of the Cape. This warm water has worked its way down so that the edge is almost due south of us and extends that direction for 30 miles. On the Pacific side the water remains in the 70-76 degree range with the cooler water being between the arch and the south side of the Golden Gate Bank, extending across the San Jaime Bank as well. This cooler water is green and at times there are streaks of almost brown in it.
BAIT: Just about the only thing I was able to find this week was Caballito for bait, but a few of the boats reported getting some Mackerel, but not many. The new price of $3 per bait is still holding, and for a few of the boats the price was even higher as they were only able to get 7 or 8 baits instead of the normal 10 baits, but were still getting charged the $30 price. I did not hear if there were Sardinas available or not.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Once again the week started slow for Billfish, as well as everything else. At the beginning of the week boats were lucky to see a few Marlin, let alone catch one or two. That all changed on Friday as a concentration of fish showed up, and showed up hungry, at the temperature break on the 95 spot. The fish were in small groups of twos and threes on the surface, and live bait was the best producer. Most boats were able to get at least one release and a few scored as many as five or six fish released. Farther to the north in the Cortez the Striped Marlin were spotty as the water was a bit warmer than the normally like, but there were a few Blue Marlin bites reported. It is still a bit cool for them, but look for more action from the girls in the blue suites as the water warms to a steady 82 degrees and the skipjack tuna start to show up in numbers.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again Friday seemed to be the day the fish shoed up as there were confirmed reports of fish in the 30-40 pound class found under porpoise between the 1150 and the Cabrilla Seamount. On Friday there were just a few boats in the fish but on Saturday the numbers increased. The fish were in the smaller Black Porpoise pods, which confused a lot of people, as that is not a normal occurrence. There were several fish reported in the #200 class as well. On Saturday this scene was repeated with one boat reported catching the largest Yellowfin of its history, and several other boats leaving the fish because they had enough. Who knows if these fish will stay in the area for any amount of time, but it is nice to see that there are still some out there. Live bait dropped down in among the porpoise worked best.
DORADO Once again there were just a few scattered Dorado reported, but look for the numbers and size of fish to increase as the water continues to warm.
WAHOO: There were a few Wahoo in the 40-50 pound class reported being caught, but I had no luck with them myself. The warm water offshore on the Cortez side of the Cape delivered a few scattered incidental fish for lucky anglers.
INSHORE: There were still plenty of Sierra available for anglers looking for consistent action on Pangas, as well as a fair number of small Roosterfish. Most of the action took place between Chileno and San Jose. On the Pacific side of the Cape the beach area was rough and green with only scattered schools of Sierra and small Yellowtails being found between the Arch and the lighthouse.
NOTES: Thank goodness the water is warming up! I have my fingers crossed that the Yellowfin will remain in our area and the Dorado will show up and start to bite! I know that it is a bit early in the season for there to be any large numbers of Dorado, but I can hope, right? Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 07/02/2008
REPORT #1121 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/07.02.08.kirk.gif
Kirk lands his Roosterfish
Bryan Bero, Palisades, CA and Kirk Kuzmanic, Poway, CA, fell into a successful routine on the second half of their trip. Their roosterfish encounters included many more hook ups and fewer refusals. They managed to sight cast and strip strike themselves right into the double digit column on both of their final days.

Other inshore action during the week included, pompano, jacks, pargo,and plenty of ladyfish in front of the hotels.

Offshore the tuna bite was by far the best bet if you managed to be there early. If not, it was trolling, trolling, trolling until the next school was found. While you were trolling, there were enough dandy dorado to make it interesting…some of them exceeded fifty pounds. Another bonus in trolling was a few striped marlin and an occasional blue dog that set the reels to howling.

Beaching it was another long, hot, dusty trail with only a handful of shots to show for it. The few roosters caught from the beach this week were hard earned.
Tip: Slow trolling a hookless sardina is a productive way to attract roosterfish within casting range. When they appear, cast directly at them and begin to retrieve the fly the second it hits the water.
Water temperature 73-87
Air temperature 66-96
Humidity 38%
Wind: ESE 10 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 6:38 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:09 p.m. MDT


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The esteros provided good catches of corvina on the surface, as well as leopard grouper and snapper plus the usual cabrilla bite. Outside six miles offshore the small yellows were thick in the 69 degree water.
Water temperature 60 - 66
Air temperature 70 -99
Humidity 45 %
Wind: NNW 2 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:41 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:20 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
There has been very few changes in the conditions or fishing for the last few weeks. The blue water is still very close to the beach, and we are averaging 1 or 2 sailfish a day per boat. The tuna and blue marlin have gone back to areas beyond the 1,000 fathom curve (32+ miles), but a few nice sized dorado are showing up.
The roosterfish action is still excellent, however when I guided fly fisherman Jay Brady of San Antonio Texas, we only managed one small rooster on the fly. We fished down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero, but the previous night's rainstorm had dumped a lot of dirty water from the rivers. It had us looking for clean water, plus we had a low pressure ridge over us bringing the wind in from the South, and not the normal West wind.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 76-93
Humidity 62%
Wind: SW 12 mi
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 17 miles
Sunrise 7:15 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:25 p.m. CDT

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: Once again the week started slow for billfish, as well as everything else. At the beginning of the week boats were lucky to see a few marlin, let alone catch one or two. That all changed on Friday as a concentration of fish showed up, and showed up hungry, at the temperature break on the 95 spot. The fish were in small groups of twos and threes on the surface, and live bait was the best producer. Most boats were able to get at least one release and a few scored as many as five or six fish released. Farther to the north in the Cortez the striped marlin were spotty as the water was a bit warmer than they normally like, but there were a few blue marlin bites reported. It is still a bit cool for them, but look for more action from the girls in the blue suits as the water warms to a steady 82 degrees and the skipjack tuna start to show up in numbers.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again Friday seemed to be the day the fish showed up as there were confirmed reports of fish in the 30-40 pound class found under porpoise between the 1150 and the Cabrilla Seamount. On Friday there were just a few boats in the fish but on Saturday the numbers increased. The fish were in the smaller black porpoise pods, which confused a lot of people, as that is not a normal occurrence. There were several fish reported in the #200 class as well. On Saturday this scene was repeated with one boat reported catching the largest yellowfin of its history, and several other boats leaving the fish because they had enough. Who knows if these fish will stay in the area for any amount of time, but it is nice to see that there are still some out there. Live bait dropped down in among the porpoise worked best.
DORADO Once again there were just a few scattered dorado reported, but look for the numbers and size of fish to increase as the water continues to warm.
WAHOO: There were a few wahoo in the 40-50 pound class reported being caught, but I had no luck with them myself. The warm water offshore on the Cortez side of the Cape delivered a few scattered incidental fish for lucky anglers.
INSHORE: There were still plenty of sierra available for anglers looking for consistent action on Pangas, as well as a fair number of small roosterfish. Most of the action took place between Chileno and San Jose. On the Pacific side of the Cape the beach area was rough and green with only scattered schools of sierra and small Yellowtails being found between the Arch and the lighthouse.
George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 66 - 96
Humidity 34%
Wind: ESE 10 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 6:38 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:09 p.m. MST

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: Once again the week started slow for billfish, as well as everything else. At the beginning of the week boats were lucky to see a few marlin, let alone catch one or two. That all changed on Friday as a concentration of fish showed up, and showed up hungry, at the temperature break on the 95 spot. The fish were in small groups of twos and threes on the surface, and live bait was the best producer. Most boats were able to get at least one release and a few scored as many as five or six fish released. Farther to the north in the Cortez the striped marlin were spotty as the water was a bit warmer than they normally like, but there were a few blue marlin bites reported. It is still a bit cool for them, but look for more action from the girls in the blue suits as the water warms to a steady 82 degrees and the skipjack tuna start to show up in numbers.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again Friday seemed to be the day the fish showed up as there were confirmed reports of fish in the 30-40 pound class found under porpoise between the 1150 and the Cabrilla Seamount. On Friday there were just a few boats in the fish but on Saturday the numbers increased. The fish were in the smaller black porpoise pods, which confused a lot of people, as that is not a normal occurrence. There were several fish reported in the #200 class as well. On Saturday this scene was repeated with one boat reported catching the largest yellowfin of its history, and several other boats leaving the fish because they had enough. Who knows if these fish will stay in the area for any amount of time, but it is nice to see that there are still some out there. Live bait dropped down in among the porpoise worked best.
DORADO Once again there were just a few scattered dorado reported, but look for the numbers and size of fish to increase as the water continues to warm.
WAHOO: There were a few wahoo in the 40-50 pound class reported being caught, but I had no luck with them myself. The warm water offshore on the Cortez side of the Cape delivered a few scattered incidental fish for lucky anglers.
INSHORE: There were still plenty of sierra available for anglers looking for consistent action on Pangas, as well as a fair number of small roosterfish. Most of the action took place between Chileno and San Jose. On the Pacific side of the Cape the beach area was rough and green with only scattered schools of sierra and small Yellowtails being found between the Arch and the lighthouse.
George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 66 - 96
Humidity 34%
Wind: ESE 10 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 6:38 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:09 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
June 30-July 6, 2008

WEATHER Definitely in summer mode here as we have had our first touch of storm season. We had the cloud cover and some scattered rain from the passing of several systems well to the south of us late in the week, and it was enough for the Port Captain to close the port on Friday. He opened us up later on in the morning after it became apparent that there were no dangerous swells with the wind and rain, but it was enough to really mess up the fishing operations for the day. Our highs during the days have been in the mid to high 90’s with fairly heavy humidity, the evenings have been a bit cooler with a bit of a light breeze, bringing the temperatures down to the low 80’s.
WATER: The passing of storms to the south, along with the southeasterly winds that came with them resulted in confused seas offshore to the south. Our normal southern current flow met with the wind swells from the storm systems and the result was pretty choppy, but not dangerous, surface conditions. Water on the Sea of Cortez side of the Cape was between 79-82 degrees while on the Pacific side it dropped to 75-79 degrees. The water at the San Jaime Banks and to the north of there was off color and green, there was a plume of green tinged water flowing along the shore and to the south of the Cape, extending out about 30 miles. Due south of the San Jaime the water was a good blue color and on the Cortez side the triangle formed between the 1150, 95 Spot and the Cabrilla Seamount was blue as well. The water up to 5 miles offshore on the Cortez side was green tinged.
BAIT: Caballito were readily available early in the week at the new price of $3 per bait, later in the week they were difficult to get due to the weather conditions. I did not hear of any Mackerel or Sardinas being sold.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: It was a spotty week for Striped Marlin, a few boats were able to get releases on one or two fish each, but many boats had trouble finding fish that were willing to eat. The best results were had along the color change to the south of us, and artificial lures seemed to do a bit better than the live Caballito did. There were reports of a few Blue Marlin being seen in the patterns up toward the Punta Gorda area, but I did not hear of any being caught by our boats in Cabo.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were Yellowfin found this week but I am not telling anyone where. A few fish were up to 150 pounds and most of them were in the 30-40 pound class and they were not too far away, but last time I wrote about where they were we had a visit from tuna seiners. Maybe its just bad luck, but it is enough that there are some being caught again. Not all boats were able to get into the fish, but those that were in the right place at the right time did pretty well.
DORADO The warm water on the Cortez side and south of the San Jaime Banks has brought the Dorado bite back on. I think that the storms to the south of us may have pushed up some of these fish along with the warmer water. My fingers are crossed that these nice Dorado continue our way, it is a nice change of pace!
WAHOO: There were a few Wahoo in the 40-50 pound class reported being caught, but I had no luck with them myself. The warm water offshore on the Cortez side of the Cape delivered a few scattered incidental fish for lucky anglers.
INSHORE: The Sierra and Yellowtail bite fell off the charts with the influx of warmer water, but there were still a few being found. The good news is that the Grouper are starting to bite and decent fish in the 10-20 pound class are being found over rock piles in 200-250 feet of water. Cut bait and live Caballito have been working well, and a few hardy souls willing to do the work of yo-yoing at that depth have done well also.
NOTES: Best fishing this week was from Pangas for the Grouper, but there were good Tuna caught by those anglers lucky to be in the right place at the right time. I hope that this week sees a continuation of the good fishing inshore and an increase in the offshore Dorado catch as well as the appearance of more Blue Marlin in our area. Until next week, keep your lines tight and check out “Cowboy Boots and Bathing Suits” by Jerry Jeff Walker!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 07/16/2008
REPORT #1123 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
On again, off again winds continued to be a factor this week. It was windy for a day or two and then flat calm for a few.

Offshore action included striped marlin, a few blues and even a sailfish or two. Dorado action continued to be slow, with an

occasional big one showing up in the spread…some were over fifty pounds! There were plenty of football tuna with a 30 – 40

pounder just often enough to keep it interesting.

Inshore action provided the most consistent action of the week. Our clients, Tony Scoville and Steve Wherry, from Nashville,

TN, sent us the following report on his trip:

“You may have heard that the wind was a serious factor in the late morning and afternoon of our first two days; nevertheless, I

caught 4 roosterfish and a jack crevalle and my partners caught a roosterfish, a couple of pompano, a triggerfish and a ladyfish

in those conditions.

Our last day was Baja perfect -- calm seas, no chop, and the lightest of breeze. I caught a ladyfish, 6 or 7 roosterfish -- several

being real quality fish and in a heartstopping moment, barely missed a grande estimated at 40-50 lbs. During one release, my

Sage rod and reel went overboard, but Lance, without hesitation, dove over the side and retrieved it before it sank too far.”

Our trip to the East Cape, it was SENSATIONAL. Accommodations at Ranch Leonero were very nice and Lance Peterson

is in every respect a class act --- so professional, knowledgeable and a great person to spend time with.”
Tip: At the end of the retrieve, sweep your rod off to the side to accelerate the fly. If you have a follow, roll cast the

fly right back into the water and strip abruptly.
Water temperature 73-87
Air temperature 76-99
Humidity 40%
Wind: N 11 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:42 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:08 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/07.16.08.govenor.gif
Narciso Agúndez, Governor of Baja Sur, along with other dignitaries participated in the shotgun start for the 2008 International

Governor’s Cup Tournament, which was held last Saturday in Lopez Mateos. There were thirteen boats with thirty-five adults

and thirty children participating.

Diana Hoyt reported that Roddy Garcia, son of Captain Sergio Garcia, was the first place winner. Details to follow soon.

Offshore fishing heated up just in time for the tournament. Tuna, wahoo and dorado all came into the area with the warmer

water. Closer to shore the small yellowtail were thick.
The esteros produced plenty of small corvina from the recently completed pier for the kids with their parents helping them.

There were a few grouper but far from a bonanza.

Water temperature 60 - 76
Air temperature 79 -104
Humidity 48 %
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:44 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:20 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue water is a short boat ride of 4 miles, and the game fish are only at 6 miles. However, the 12 boat fleet is only

averaging an average of 1 to 2 sailfish per boat. The yellowfin tuna did make a showing at 10 miles for a couple of days, and

fly fishing client David Schack of Harbor City, CA, got to experience a bit of the action from these hard fighting fish.
David was fishing with Martin on his new boat, the 35 foot Nautilus. Martin has traded in his panga, the Isamar, and has now

moved up the ladder. When the Nautilus got into position on a school of breaking tuna, David made a perfect cast, and the fly

was inhaled immediately. The "fight" elapsed a full 15 seconds. Just enough time to not only spool the 10wt outfit, but also

snap the rod in half. He was a bit under gunned.
Fishing a couple of days later, David got into decent action on smaller sized jack crevalle with Martin, and then they went out

for sailfish. The blue water raised 3 sails, but nothing ate the offering.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 76-91
Humidity 55%
Wind: SSW 12 knots
Conditions: Thunderstorms
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:25 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
July 14-20, 2008

WEATHER Summer time is back with temperatures in the mid to high 90’s most of the week. On Wednesday it was reported by a friend that at his house in town his weather machines reported 100 degrees and 100% humidity! Thank goodness that most of the week has been cooler than that! In the evenings it has cooled off to the mid 80’s with a slight breeze. On Thursday we had a band of clouds move through the area and they brought some rain with them, accompanied by lightning and thunder early in the day. The rain was not heavy, here at my house it was enough to spot the car windows, but out to the north it rained pretty well, there were reports of an inch in Todo Santos and La Paz.
WATER: Most of the week the water on both sides of the Cape was beautiful, blue and almost glassy. At the start of the week the swells on the Pacific side were in the 3-5 foot range and on the Cortez side they were about the same. At the end of the week the government had issued a surf warning for the Cabo area due to the large swells kicked up by Hurricane Fausto to the south. The only day of bad surface conditions was Thursday when the storms blew through, that really brought the chop up and a few people returned early or cancelled their trips entirely. On the Pacific side of the Cape the water has been 80-82 degrees and just a bit green, on the Cortez side of the Cape it has been several degrees warmer at 82-84 degrees and very clear. The area immediately south of the Cape has been a little cooler at 76-80 degrees and with a green tinge to it. It is only a 30-minute or less run to the blue, warm water.
BAIT: Caballito were the bait of the week with a few Mullet in the mix. The price on these larger baits was $3 per bait. For inshore fishing Sardinas were available at $25 a scoop from the bait boats around the Palmilla area.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The water warms up and the big girls start to show up! There were lots of reports of Blue Marlin showing up in the lure patterns this week and a few nice ones were caught and released. Unfortunately a few were brought in as well, mostly by the smaller boats whose crews wanted the fish. The largest Blue I heard of here in Cabo this week was a fish of approximately #400, released after a 90-minute fight. This fish was caught outside of the Gorda Banks early in the week. Most of the fish were in the #150-#200 range and the catch was scattered, mostly off on the 1,000 fathom curve, but a few were caught inside. I did not hear of any Black Marlin yet, but I am sure that with the water as it is, there must have been at least a few. The Striped Marlin bite is still fairly steady with about 50% of the boats getting bit by the little guys, and a few of them are catching two or more per day. Most of the action on these fish has been in front of the Cape in the cooler water.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were days when the fish bit and days they could not be found this week. When they were found most of them were footballs in the 10-20 pound class and the bite was good. If you were in the fish you were getting 12-20 fish per trip. Keeping the suspense up were fish occasionally reaching #50 in the same schools. The larger fish were caught on live bait dropped down in front of the moving schools with the boat pulling away at least 100 feet from where the bait was dropped. Just sitting there after dropping the bait did not work; you had to pull away. The fish were scattered across our area with some schools on the Pacific side and some on the Cortez side, but almost all of them were between 12 and 26 miles out.
DORADO If there was any floating debris found this week the boat that was on the find first did well on Dorado to #30. There were only two instances of this that I heard of, but both times the first boat limited out. Later boats were able to pick up a fish or two, but most of the Dorado found were scattered fish. With the warmer water on the Cortez side of the Cape that is where the majority of the Dorado were found as well.
WAHOO: There were some decent Wahoo caught this week up off of Punta Gorda as well as offshore in the current lines. The full moon we had mid-week seems to have gotten them hungry! Dark colored lures run close to the transom did well as did rigged dead bait run as far as 300 feet behind the boat. Naturally, if you were targeting these fish you had a small wire bite leader in front of the bait or lure, but most of these fish were caught as incidental fish, there fore many more were lost than ended up in fish boxes.
INSHORE: Roosterfish, Amberjack, the occasional pile of Grouper as well as some very nice Pargo made up the majority of the inshore catch this week. With the water being as nice as it was, many of the Pangas were fishing offshore, looking for Tuna, Dorado and Marlin. Quite a few of them got into these fish as well. Having the water like it was made for a decent mix of fish for the Pangas, and these fishermen were probably the most successful this week.
NOTES: Things are looking up with the arrival of the warm water and the bigger fish. We have our fingers crossed that the storms stay to the south and just bring us some clouds and a bit of rain. This weeks report was written to the music of carpenters finishing up my kitchen!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 07/23/2008
REPORT #1124 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/07.24.08.shoot.gif
Yellowfin tuna action dominated the offshore scene this week with the best action being outside of

the Cabo Pulmo Marine Park. Unfortunately the temptation was too great and some of the boats

strayed into the park, much to the concern of the Park Inspector.

The number of blues increased again from last week along with a few sailfish and stripers.

The Dorado Shootout attracted nearly 400 anglers, but they had a tough time coming up with

qualifying fish. The winning fish weighed in at an impressive 64 lbs. netting a brand new panga

AND $43,000 for the father and son team. The names of the winners will be announced soon.

Inshore the roosters continue to be the crowd pleaser. While many were on the small side there

were enough weighing in the double digit range to make things interesting.

Heavy rain early in the week left the beach all stirred up, making it tough to find the fish in the

dirty water. As the week progressed, the water cleared up and small roosters, along with an

occasional ‘bubba class’ fish, showed up. Ladyfish and pompano were also among the players.
Tip: Always use fluorocarbon leader material (16 lb. test) for more takes, unless you are

in large fish, then go to 20 lb.
Water temperature 73-87
Air temperature 73-97
Humidity 81%
Wind: SSW 5 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 6:47 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:05 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Unsettled conditions offshore kept most of the boats inside the bay this week. Estero action

included leopard grouper, pargo, cabrilla and a few halibut.

On the surface it was sierra and corvina slashing on the sardina.

Water temperature 60 - 76
Air temperature 75 -98
Humidity 78 %
Wind: N 6 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:16 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
There has been a decent change in the action this last few days. Coming out of the full moon

phase has seen the average per boat for sailfish jump up to 2 or 3 fish per day, with a few dorado

still hitting the decks.
The blue water is at 2 miles off the beach, and most of the boats are working the 6 to 7 mile

areas. There are few people here sport fishing, and we are only putting an average of about 15

total boats a day on the water.
Action for roosterfish has been slow down South, but tomorrow (Friday), I am making the run to

the North. There are reports of decent roosterfish action and excellent jack crevalle action.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75-97
Humidity 87%
Wind: WSW 1 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:23 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:23 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
July 21-27, 2008

WEATHER Hot and humid, that pretty much describes this last week’s weather. We had nighttime lows in the low 80’s and daytime highs reaching 100 degrees The humidity has been up there as well, sort of feels like I am living in southern Oklahoma lately. We had some cloud cover for the weekend as a little front blew over the top of us from the mainland. That dropped some rain up in the mountains but few of us on the coast got any rain, at least not enough to talk about.
WATER: This past week was almost a repeat of last week’s water conditions with the exception that everything warmed up several degrees. Most of the week the water on both sides of the Cape was beautiful, blue and almost glassy. At the start of the week the swells on the Pacific side were in the 3-5 foot range and on the Cortez side they were about the same On the Pacific side of the Cape the water has warmed up to 83-84 degrees, on the Cortez side of the Cape it has been several degrees warmer at 85-87 degrees and very clear. The area immediately south of the Cape has been 82-83 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito were the bait of the week with a few Mullet in the mix. The price on these larger baits was $3 per bait. For inshore fishing Sardinas were available at $25 a scoop from the bait boats around the Palmilla area.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Well, for those of you who are interested in Blue Marlin, the water has reached the perfect temperature and the girls have shown up to party! Almost every day one of the boats has gotten into some decent blues and the favorite area has been between 150 and 210 degrees off of the arch out along the 1,000-fathom line. The best results so far have been on darker colored larger lures, greens and blacks along with a lot of purple have been working well. Just think of Bonita and Skipjack, that gives you the idea! There have been a few large fish reported but most of the blues so far have been between 150 and 300 pounds, only a few fish over that mark have been reported so far.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were a few scattered schools found this past week, but they were the exception. Unfortunately there have been few tuna underneath the porpoise that have been through our area, and the porpoise that have been through here have been very boats shy. Hmm, wonder if that has anything to do with Purse Seiners? Seems to me that since the U.S. decided to eliminate the “Dolphin Safe” label and requirements the porpoise have been worked hard and all the fish have been scooped up. Sigh. Of course, there is probably no correlation between the two facts.
DORADO The Dorado I heard of and saw this week were not large ones, but there were more of them showing up than last week. Not to say that you can go out and fill a cooler with fillets, but at least you can take some out for dinner! Most of these fish have been hooked on smaller lures and a few have been fooled by dropped back baits. An average per boat this week was probably in the one fish per boat rate, a few boats caught more than one, but many of them caught none.
WAHOO: The full moon is past and the Wahoo count is down to where I can count the ones reported to me on one hand. Most of those fish were incidental fish caught while fishing for Blue Marlin and they hit large dork colored lures pulled close to the boat.
INSHORE: With the calm water this week most of the Pangas were working just off the beach for Sailfish and Striped Marlin as well as Dorado. Those boats working the beach did fair on Roosterfish on the Cortez side, the swells were still a bit large for close to the beach fishing on the Pacific past the lighthouse.
NOTES: I was hoping the music for this week was going to be the stone guys installing the granite countertop in the kitchen, but I guess we are on Mexican time here, I heard no noise down there today, sigh. Anyway, the warming water has brought the big fish in our area and we are just eager as all get out to hook up something over 500 pounds. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Wanted: Blues!
Endless Season Update 07/31/2008
REPORT #1125 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/07.31.08.pompano.jpg
Bisbee's East Cape Offshore Tournament kicked off yesterday with 56 boats seeking the $310,000 prize. John Martin, fishing

aboard the Wildcatte,r qualified with a 360.0 lb. blue marlin. Jeff Marek fishing aboard the New Venture, weighed in a 47.2

lb.dorado, the heaviest dorado so far.
This reflects the way the week has been; a few larger dorado and a few billfish…all relatively tight to the beach.
Football sized tuna can be found up north at Cerralvo or down south at Cabo Pulmo, but better quality tuna are being found

farther offshore under the porpoise.
Roosterfish continue to provide the best action inshore with a few jack crevalle mixed in. Also a few pompano can be found at

the lighthouse at the color line.
Beach action included smaller roosters with ladyfish and small schools of pompano seen swimming tight to the beach. If you

are lucky enough to see the schools, break out the smallest beige, “Crazy Charlie” you have. Try to cast in front and beyond the

school, let the fly sink before retrieving slowly.

Tip: When teasing roosters, use the smallest hook you can find to troll the live sardina. ‘Gamakatsu live bait light with

ring #1’ works well to prevent hooking the rooster.

Water temperature 76-86
Air temperature 77-98
Humidity 81%
Wind: NNE 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 6:48 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:02 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Last week’s “Governors Tournament” was held in Puerto San Carlos and the winners were;
1st Robert Hoyt 30.2 lb Dorado

2nd Marcos Simental 28.2 lb. Dorado

3rd Jose Mendivil 27.8 lb. Dorado

4th Sergio Garcia 26.0 lb. Dorado

5th Ruben Ruiz Ortiz 25.8 lb. Yellowtail

Obviously the offshore action continued to be great with large dorado and at least one quality yellowtail. Also reports of marlin

but only one caught along with a 40lb wahoo Inside the Esteros, action was a bit slower with only a few grouper, pargo and

corvina being reported.

Water temperature 60 - 76
Air temperature 70 -95
Humidity 50 %
Wind: WNW 16 to 22 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:54 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:12 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The sailfish action has really been on the upswing. Talking to Martin on the Nautilus (Martin no longer owns the Isamar, and

has bought a 35 foot twin diesel cruiser), he told me "mucho pesca"…which translates to "a lot of fish". I feel this is just a part

of our annual July mini-migration, coming a couple of weeks later than usual.
The 82º blue water is a short boat ride to the 5 mile mark, with each boat raising between 7 to 12 sailfish a day, and catching

between 3 and 4 fish a day (average).
On the down side, the 5 inches of rain we got in the last 24 hour period has blown out the inshore fishery for the roosters. The

24 hour period is also a bit misleading, because almost all of the rain came in three different 1 hour bursts. Intense rain like

this really gets the rivers flowing, distributing discolored water all up and down the coast. Our monthly total now stands at

15.5 inches, so it has been tough finding decent rooster action all month.
Just before the rains hit, we were getting some action on small roosters in the Saladita area, and lots of large jack crevalle in

the Troncones area.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 85-110
Humidity 85%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 7:25 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:21 p.m. CDT

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: Well, for those of you who are interested in Blue Marlin, the water has reached the perfect temperature and

the girls have shown up to party! Almost every day one of the boats has gotten into some decent blues and the favorite area

has been between 150 and 210 degrees off of the arch out along the 1,000-fathom line. The best results so far have been on

darker colored larger lures, greens and blacks along with a lot of purple have been working well. Just think of Bonita and

Skipjack, that gives you the idea! There have been a few large fish reported but most of the blues so far have been between

150 and 300 pounds, only a few fish over that mark have been reported so far.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were a few scattered schools found this past week, but they were the exception.

Unfortunately there have been few tuna underneath the porpoise that have been through our area, and the porpoise that have

been through here have been very boats shy. Hmm, wonder if that has anything to do with Purse Seiners? Seems to me that

since the U.S. decided to eliminate the “Dolphin Safe” label and requirements the porpoise have been worked hard and all the

fish have been scooped up. Sigh. Of course, there is probably no correlation between the two facts.
DORADO The Dorado I heard of and saw this week were not large ones, but there were more of them showing up

than last week. Not to say that you can go out and fill a cooler with fillets, but at least you can take some out for dinner! Most

of these fish have been hooked on smaller lures and a few have been fooled by dropped back baits. An average per boat this

week was probably in the one fish per boat rate, a few boats caught more than one, but many of them caught none.
WAHOO: The full moon is past and the Wahoo count is down to where I can count the ones reported to me on one

hand. Most of those fish were incidental fish caught while fishing for Blue Marlin and they hit large dork colored lures pulled

close to the boat.
INSHORE: With the calm water this week most of the Pangas were working just off the beach for Sailfish and Striped

Marlin as well as Dorado. Those boats working the beach did fair on Roosterfish on the Cortez side, the swells were still a bit

large for close to the beach fishing on the Pacific past the lighthouse.
George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 77 - 99
Humidity 83%
Wind: WNW at 8mph
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 6:50 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:02 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
July 28-August 3, 2008

WEATHER There was no change in our weather this week, still 90 degrees or more in the daytime and in the mid 80’s at night. We had some rain on Saturday night-Sunday morning as a nice section of clouds moved over us coming in from the south. We had around ½ inch of rain with thunder and lightning around 2 am. The rest of the week was partly cloudy to sunny with no real weather in the area. We just went through the new moon phase.
WATER: Surface conditions this week were great on both sides of the Cape. On the Pacific side the swells were at 2-5 feet with light winds in the morning at 5 knots and picking up later in the afternoon to 10 knots most days. Surface temperature began the week on the Pacific side at a warm 83-85 degrees but at the end of the week it had cooled to 82-80 degrees, probably due to the cloud cover later in the week. On the Cortez side the swells were at 1-3 feet with almost no wind effect early in the morning early in the week. Later in the week the wind did pick up a bit from the north and there were a couple of choppy afternoons, but nothing uncomfortable. The surface temperature early in the week was a warm 86-88 degrees but at the end of the week had cooled to 84-82 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito were the bait of the week with a few Mullet in the mix. The price on these larger baits was $3 per bait. For inshore fishing Sardinas were available at $25 a scoop from the bait boats around the Palmilla area.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Blue Marlin, Striped Marlin and Sailfish have all been giving our anglers a good time this week, and the boats did not have to go very far to get into some action. The bite as been within a 100 degree arc from the arch, from off of Gray Rock to the lighthouse on the Pacific side at a distance of between 3 and 15 miles. Most of the Blue Marlin have been picked up farther out while the Striped Marlin have been closer to shore. The Sailfish have been closer in on average as well. There have been a lot more fish seen than have been hooked up however, as most of the Striped Marlin showed a definite “not interested attitude. While slow trolling live bait was a great way to get hooked up to the Sailfish and Striped Marlin, most of the Blues seemed to be more interested in lures, perhaps the higher speed got them excited. For the Striped Marlin and Sailfish, Caballito worked fairly well, but it seemed that better results were had by slow trolling small 15” Bonita. There were plenty of these baits to be had close to the beach and you could fill your tubes pretty quickly using small feathers and hootchies.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: This was another week where I did not hear of or see any boats bring in any decent sized Tuna. A few small football fish were caught and I did hear of a couple of fish in the 30-40 pound class but there was no consistent action on Tuna this week.
DORADO The warm water has started to set off the Dorado bite and almost every boat was able to get at least one of these great fish, and a few boats were able to get four of five. Most of the fish averaged 15 pounds with a few in the 10-pound range and a few in the 30-pound range. Slow trolled live bait worked well on the larger fish and the smaller ones fell for fast moving lures. Most of the action took place within 5 miles of the beach on the Pacific side of the Cape.
WAHOO: I heard of a few Wahoo bites this week but did not hear of any being brought in. The new moon may have had a strong effect on the Wahoo bite.
INSHORE: There was almost no change in the inshore action this week compared to last week. With the calm water this week most of the Pangas were working just off the beach for Sailfish and Striped Marlin as well as Dorado. Those boats working the beach did fair on Roosterfish on the Cortez side.
NOTES: I shot my best golf game ever this week, a 92! . My granite guy promised our new counters will be here this coming Tuesday, yay!! My buddy Tony Nungary has his boat “Tony’s Machine” up and running and is now booking charters. If you want to fish with a two-time Bisbee winner, who is really on top of his game, give us a call and we will see if we can set you up! He did very well this past week, fishing four days and releasing several Blues, Stripes and Sailfish as well as getting some nice Dorado for the table. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 08/06/2008
REPORT #1126 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/08.06.08.lance.jpg
Lance scores on his day off!
Fifty-six boats and 255 anglers competed in the Bisbee’s 9th Annual East Cape Offshore Tournament last week. All that effort

for the three days resulted in 114 billfish…one black, 20 striped, 67 blue marlin and 18 sailfish. There were two qualifying

blues in the Billfish Category, one weighing 306 pounds and one weighing 360 pounds. No qualifying tuna were caught, and in

the Dorado Category three dorado over forty-five pounds were weighed in.
While the big boys searched for the big blues, the big roosters were putting on a show inshore! Closer to the beach, the smaller

roosters whipped the water to a froth, reminding one of a poorly poured Pacifico. Over the rocks the pargo snapped and the

ladyfish took flight to throw the hook.
Small football tuna were scattered. Just the right size for light tackle or a fly rod.

Tip: When sight casting for roosters and a fish follows don’t accelerate the fly. Try to let the fish have look by

maintaining or slightly slowing the retrieve.

Water temperature 76-86
Air temperature 79-91
Humidity 82%
Wind: SE 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:59 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Wind caused unsettled weather making things ‘grumpy’ on the outside but the few anglers that made the trip were not

disappointed. There were plenty of tuna and dorado and for the fortunate, a few wahoo and marlin.

The firecracker yellows are at the Entrada and also are found within six miles of the Boca de Soledad.

There’s still a fair pargo bite up above Lopez Mateos, mixed in with a few groupers to twenty pounds. There are some smaller

sierra at the Bocas.

Water temperature 60 - 76
Air temperature 77 -90
Humidity 85 %
Wind: WNW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:08 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

With the 80º blue water just a mile off the beach, the fleet is not going much more than 6 or 8 miles for a 2 to 3 sailfish per

day average, per boat. The occasional floating log is still producing large dorado, but to find the log is mostly a matter of being

in the right place at the right time.
Martin, on the Nautilius, did very well early in the week with 6 large roosters (35 to 45 pounds), 8 jack crevalle, and 4 very

large sierra (about 4 feet long each). He took them off trolled live bait and casting surface poppers up at Buena Vista Beach.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75-88
Humidity 65%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 7:27 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:18 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 4-10, 2008

WEATHER Can you say hot? That is what we have been saying all this week as we are having our nights down in the low 80’s but our daytimes reaching 100 degrees. And of course the humidity is up there as well. This means that sweat is the word of the day. This happens every year and will continue for the next several months, but in reality it is good for you. It opens up your pores and cleanses your skin. If you live with it long enough you have to believe it! We did have a couple of days with some clouds and a sprinkle or two, but overall, it was hot and humid.
WATER: The water was almost like glass this week and the boats could go anywhere they had the fuel to get to. The calm surface meant cruising for long distances was possible and quite a few boats went out searching for something different. On the Pacific side the water temperatures were in the mid to high 80’s inside the 1,000 fathom line while outside the line they dropped to the low 80’s. On the Cortez side the water was in the mid 80’s almost everywhere you went.
BAIT: Caballito were the bait of the week with a few Mullet in the mix. The price on these larger baits was $3 per bait. For inshore fishing Sardinas were available at $25 a scoop from the bait boats around the Palmilla area.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There was very little change in the billfish action this week with the action being pretty evenly spread between the Blue Marlin, Striped Marlin and Sailfish. The Striped Marlin are a bit of a surprise since the water is this warm, but they are nice to see. Most of the Blue Marlin have been smaller fish in the 120 to 200 pound class, but they will still kick the butt of any Striped Marlin. A few nicer fish in the 300+ pound class were caught this week as well. The bite on all the billfish was pretty evenly mixed between lures and live bait. There were plenty of small Bonita just off the beach to fill the tuna tubes with if you were targeting the Blue Marlin and the Caballito worked on the Striped Marlin. Most of the Sailfish were taken with small lures, but the occasional fish fell for strip bait dropped back or smaller live bait.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: We finally had some Tuna show up but they have been quite a distance away. The calm water allowed boats to go out roaming and searching and a few of them did manage to find some decent fish between 32 and 40 miles off the Cape. The area outside the San Jaime had fish ranging in the 150-200 pound class early in the week for boats that had the time to find the Porpoise, but the fish were moving fast. Smaller fish were found a bit closer to home but still at least 30 miles out, and they ranged in size from 35 to 80 pounds. It seemed that the fish were slowly working their way south as the bite continued over several days. By the end of the week the fish had worked themselves out of our range. The larger fish in every instance were taken on live bait, and deep dropped bait caught the larger of those.
DORADO I have been surprised that the Dorado catch has been as slow as it has been. I guess that we need at least a month of the warm water to really bring them into our area, and it would help if we had floating debris for them to hide under. The fish that have been caught have averaged 12 pounds with an occasional fish to 35 pounds. Most boats have been lucky to get one or two fish; a few have caught three or more. Most of the action on Dorado has been on the Pacific side of the cape.
WAHOO: I did hear of a few nice Wahoo being caught, but they were incidental catches, not a targeted catch. The points and ledges have been the best producers historically and that seems to be where the fish that have been caught have been found.
INSHORE: There was almost no change in the inshore action this week compared to last week. With the calm water this week most of the Pangas were working just off the beach for Sailfish and Striped Marlin as well as Dorado. Those boats working the beach did fair on Roosterfish on the Cortez side.
NOTES: I think I am going to quit golfing, just when I think I have it figured out it falls apart. Since shooting the 92 last week I have not broken 100! I should just get out on the ocean more often. Our kitchen is finally finished and it looks great. We are taking off this afternoon for a jeep trip up into the mountains, the rain this last week should have made it very nice up there! The fishing continues to pick up and my fingers are crossed that it will continue to do so. Until next week, listen to some Jerry Jeff Walker and keep your lines tight!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 08/13/2008
REPORT #1127 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/08.13.08.margarita.gif
However, the margaritas were frothy
Some things are predicable about August at East Cape: blazing Baja sun and flat, calm seas which provide perfect conditions

for spotting fish on the surface. You might see a tail jutting toward the sky…a tell-tale “V”…as a big fish swims just below the

surface or you might see the froth and scales left by a frightened school of baitfish being chased by predators.
This week offered these perfect conditions for finding fish. Unfortunately, the action was scarce. A few billfish were sighted

here and there but there was little, if any, concentration. Easy to spot but tough to find, the porpoise were not much help

either. The tuna that were caught were barely bite sized.

This seems to be a case of “you should be careful what you wish for!” All spring and summer the BIG dorado have been caught

one or two at a time, and many anglers whined about there not being any school fish. Well, the dorado caught lately qualify as

‘schoolies’, but some of them would barely qualify as bite sized for the few smaller blues being caught.
Even the larger roosters seemed to take the week off; inshore most of the roosters caught were under ten pounds with an

occasional ‘Bubba class’ sighted but seldom hooked.

However, the margaritas were frothy, the cerveza icy enough to take the edge off of the hot…hot...hot weather.

Tip: When the dorado charge the boat shorten your cast and aim directly at the feeding fish, strip a couple of times

and if you don’t get a take, pick up the fly and recast back to the same zone.
Water temperature 76-86
Air temperature 76-95
Humidity 83%
Wind: SSE 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:54 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:53 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

While it’s too early to declare that the offshore fall season has begun, the action has been great for dorado, tuna, yellowtail and

wahoo. The commercial fishermen continue to report marlin sightings, but few have taken the time to focus on them.

Enrique Soto, Puerto San Carlos, reported that yellowtail action at the Entrada has been productive chasing the bird schools. In

the esteros, there were a few small snook caught near Devil’s Curve.

Up above Lopez Mateos, the grouper and pargo provided the best action near Boca Santo Domingo.

Water temperature 60 - 76
Air temperature 74 -97
Humidity 93 %
Wind: WNW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:00 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:02 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 82º blue water is just a couple of miles off the beach. Fishing has been very good for sailfish, but poor for marlin, tuna,

and dorado. Most boats are averaging 2 to 3 sailfish a day each. Early in the week, Martin, on the Nautilus released 4 sails.
The roosterfish action is holding up well, as there have been no hard rains this week, and none in the forecast. Heavy rain

creates a lot of runoff out of the silt laden rivers, discoloring the inshore waters. Jack crevalle action has also been good.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 76-90
Humidity 89%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:29 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:13 p.m. CDT

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: There was very little change in the billfish action this week with the action being pretty evenly spread

between the Blue Marlin, Striped Marlin and Sailfish. The Striped Marlin are a bit of a surprise since the water is this warm, but

they are nice to see. Most of the Blue Marlin have been smaller fish in the 120 to 200 pound class, but they will still kick the

butt of any Striped Marlin. A few nicer fish in the 300+ pound class were caught this week as well. The bite on all the billfish

was pretty evenly mixed between lures and live bait. There were plenty of small Bonita just off the beach to fill the tuna tubes

with if you were targeting the Blue Marlin and the Caballito worked on the Striped Marlin. Most of the Sailfish were taken with

small lures, but the occasional fish fell for strip bait dropped back or smaller live bait.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: We finally had some Tuna show up but they have been quite a distance away. The calm water

allowed boats to go out roaming and searching and a few of them did manage to find some decent fish between 32 and 40

miles off the Cape. The area outside the San Jaime had fish ranging in the 150-200 pound class early in the week for boats

that had the time to find the Porpoise, but the fish were moving fast. Smaller fish were found a bit closer to home but still at

least 30 miles out, and they ranged in size from 35 to 80 pounds. It seemed that the fish were slowly working their way south

as the bite continued over several days. By the end of the week the fish had worked themselves out of our range. The larger

fish in every instance were taken on live bait, and deep dropped bait caught the larger of those.
DORADO: I have been surprised that the Dorado catch has been as slow as it has been. I guess that we need at least a

month of the warm water to really bring them into our area, and it would help if we had floating debris for them to hide under.

The fish that have been caught have averaged 12 pounds with an occasional fish to 35 pounds. Most boats have been lucky to

get one or two fish; a few have caught three or more. Most of the action on Dorado has been on the Pacific side of the cape.
INSHORE: There was almost no change in the inshore action this week compared to last week. With the calm water

this week most of the Pangas were working just off the beach for Sailfish and Striped Marlin as well as Dorado. Those boats

working the beach did fair on Roosterfish on the Cortez side.

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 78 - 98
Humidity 84%
Wind: WNW at 8mph
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:56 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:53 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 11-17, 2008

WEATHER We continue our warm weather pattern this week and it will probably be this way for the next 6-7 weeks as well. By warm weather pattern I mean our daytime highs in the mid to high 90’s and our nighttime lows in the mid 80’s with the humidity in the 70% range. It does feel cooler when we get a breeze and that has happened after 10 AM this week, the wind picks up just a bit from the southwest and seems to cool things down a bit. We had partly cloudy skies this week with mostly sunny by the end of the week.
WATER: The surface conditions remained almost the same as last week since there were no storms that came near us. Almost flat seas on the Cortez side of the Cape with water temps in the 80-84 degree range. On the Pacific there were some small swells at 3-5 feet but with no chop on them and surface temps at 81-85 degrees. There were no temperature breaks this week, everything flowed smoothly with only slow, even changes. The water was blue everywhere you went!
BAIT: Caballito were the bait of the week with a few Mullet in the mix. The price on these larger baits was $3 per bait. For inshore fishing Sardinas were available at $25 a scoop from the bait boats around the Palmilla area.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The full moon this week slowed the Marlin bite on the bigger fish like the Blues and the Blacks, but there was still fair action on the Striped Marlin. For boats fishing outside the 1,000-fathom curve a few Blue Marlin were found, most of them at the southern edge around the knuckle and the doughnut. Striped Marlin were found closer to shore on the Cortez side off of Punta Colorado to Gray Rock from 1 to 5 miles out as well as off the rocky points on the Pacific side of the Cape. Lures were the name of the game as few of the larger fish fell for slow trolled Bonita or Skipjack, and the Striped Marlin did not seem to have much desire for Caballito. Lures trolled just a bit on the speedy side of normal worked better, Striped Marlin bit at 8-9 knots while the Blues bit at 10 to 12 knots. I did not hear of any Black Marlin this week but that does not mean none were caught.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Boats we had booked this week brought in Yellowfin Tuna to 130 pounds and I heard of larger fish caught as well. Multiple hookups were not uncommon for boats that were on the fish first thing in the morning and the larger fish, in almost every instance were caught on live bait. The first fish were caught on lures but once the first hookup occurred, a live bait pitched back into the pattern and free-spooled for about 30 seconds got hit fairly quickly. For boats coming up on a school that had already been worked by a couple of other boats, finding the direction the fish were traveling and dropping down a live bait to 100 feet and waiting for the fish worked fairly well. Based on reports for both Captains and anglers this technique worked about 50% of the time. The fish were pretty evenly scattered between due south at the 1,000-fathom line to west of the Golden Gate Banks. The key was to find the right pod of Porpoise. There were decent fish caught and the average was around 30 pounds.
DORADO The Dorado catch still has not really gotten into high gear, and it may end up being on of our off years based on past history. Normally this time of year we have boats coming in flying full outriggers of yellow flags, but for some reason it seem slower this year than last. My fingers are crossed that it is just a late season for these great fish and they will show in numbers sometime in the next two weeks.
WAHOO: We just had the full moon and that normally means a good Wahoo bite. Well, it has not happened offshore yet but the boats working the rocky points up on the Sea of Cortez have been getting some daily shots at fish to 40 pounds and there has been a few incidental fish offshore to 60 pounds, but with no concentration in numbers or in one particular area.
INSHORE: While there have been Grouper and Snapper available to the inshore Panga fishermen, with the calm seas most of the Pangas have been heading offshore for Tuna and Dorado.
NOTES: My golf game has not gotten any better but the kitchen is just about finished. I need to get out on the water more since that looks like the only way to stay cool without having the A.C. running 24/7 at the house. With the fishing on the up-swing and some decent Tuna out there as well as the chance at a nice size Blue Marlin, about a week straight should get my mind in the right frame of reference. I can’t eat golf balls! Until next week, listen to a little Roy Orbison and relax!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 08/20/2008
REPORT #1128 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/08.20.08.gif
The large number of small football sized tuna up and down the coastline from Las Arenas to Cabo Pulmo has caused a

shortage of wasabi to go with the sashimi being served in the hotel bars at happy hour.
Dorado action is either big or little, depending on who’s talking. Basically for the ones catching plenty, the size is small. If you

find the bigger ones, you are lucky to catch one or two.
Few bills collected this week with the exception of sails which have moved in with warmer (hot) water.
Unfortunately the hot water has caused a needlefish bloom, They are as thick as pelicans on a baitball, and they are a

downright nuisance snatching anything that hits the water.
Still lots of smaller roosters and jacks up and down the beach but as hot as the weather is, early morning and late afternoon

beach fishing makes the most sense. If you insist on going out in the midday sun, use plenty of sun block and take lots of

water. Designate one your group as the ‘cooler carrier’ and wear a hat! There are a few sight casting opportunities to be had if

you are patient. Don’t overlook the schools of pompano slowly swimming up and down the beach.
Tip: Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the difference between a school of baitfish and the pompano…the ones

you are looking for, look like submerged dinner plates flashing in the sun.

Water temperature 76-87
Air temperature 70-89
Humidity 91%
Wind: SE 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:47 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The volume of dorado, yellowtail and striped marlin continues to increase. Not seeing many birds or bait but more fish every

day. Ken Kramer landed striped marlin, dorado and yellowtail while fishing from Cabo Lazero up toward Thetis Bank.

Roman Shidel, and his son Roman, Jr. visiting from France, fished with Sergio on the Mar Gato. The bottom fishing was pretty

good, producing assorted rockfish along with 4 grouper up to sixty lbs.

With offshore temps climbing up into the eighties and calm blue water offshore, the Esteros took a back seat.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 60 - 76
Air temperature 74 -98
Humidity 88 %
Wind: WNW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:57 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
With the full moon late this last week, we are experiencing the normal slow down in the action. The blue water is still close to

the beach, with all conditions leading to excellent fishing, if the moon phase would just cooperate.
However, the 1 to 2 sailfish per boat per day average is still not all that bad. The dorado and tuna are still a no show.
Inshore, the rains have been holding off and the water is clear. It is an ideal situation for roosters, and they are responding.

There is excellent action on the roosterfish, and very good action on large jack crevalle to about 20 pounds.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75-94
Humidity 87%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:09 p.m. CDT

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: The full moon this week slowed the Marlin bite on the bigger fish like the Blues and the Blacks, but there was

still fair action on the Striped Marlin. For boats fishing outside the 1,000-fathom curve, a few Blue Marlin were found…most of

them at the southern edge around the knuckle and the doughnut. Striped Marlin were found closer to shore on the Cortez side

off of Punta Colorado to Gray Rock from 1 to 5 miles out, as well as off the rocky points on the Pacific side of the Cape. Lures

were the ‘name of the game’ as few of the larger fish fell for slow trolled Bonita or Skipjack, and the Striped Marlin did not

seem to have much desire for Caballito. Lures trolled just a bit on the speedy side of normal worked better; Striped Marlin bit

at 8-9 knots while the Blues bit at 10 to 12 knots. I did not hear of any Black Marlin this week but that does not mean none

were caught.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: This week, boats we had booked brought in Yellowfin Tuna to 130 pounds and I heard of larger

fish caught as well. Multiple hookups were not uncommon for boats that were on the fish first thing in the morning and the

larger fish, in almost every instance were caught on live bait. The first fish were caught on lures but once the first hookup

occurred, a live bait pitched back into the pattern and free-spooled for about 30 seconds got hit fairly quickly. For boats

coming up on a school that had already been worked by a couple of other boats, finding the direction the fish were traveling

and dropping down a live bait to 100 feet and waiting for the fish worked fairly well. Based on reports for both Captains and

anglers this technique worked about 50% of the time. The fish were pretty evenly scattered between due south at the 1,000-

fathom line to west of the Golden Gate Banks. The key was to find the right pod of Porpoise. There were decent fish caught

and the average was around 30 pounds.
DORADO: The Dorado catch still has not really gotten into high gear, and it may end up being on of our off years

based on past history. Normally this time of year we have boats coming in flying full outriggers of yellow flags, but for some

reason it seem slower this year than last. My fingers are crossed that the reason is that it’s just a late season for these great fish

and they will show in numbers sometime in the next two weeks.
WAHOO: We just had the full moon and that normally means a good Wahoo bite. Well, it has not happened offshore

yet but the boats working the rocky points up on the Sea of Cortez have been getting some daily shots at fish to 40 pounds and

there have been a few incidental fish offshore to 60 pounds, but with no concentration in numbers or in one particular area.
INSHORE: While there have been Grouper and Snapper available to the inshore Panga fishermen, with the calm seas

most of the Pangas have been heading offshore for Tuna and Dorado.
George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 71 - 91
Humidity 91%
Wind: WNW 7 to 9 k

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 08/27/2008
REPORT #1129 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

Tropical depression Julio tip-toed by bringing with it a little wind and leaving 3 inches of rain, with even more wind coming

from the collective sighs of relief from the locals than the storm.
In the wake of Julio’s departure, we’ve had storybook weather with water temps hitting the high eighties, but the fishing has

been described as ‘double tough.’ Offshore it has been a scratch bite for sails and blues, though there were a few small tuna in

front of La Ribera on the high spot.
Inshore the water was off color and there was a bit of leftover swell that has kept it stirred up. You had to earn the few small

roosters and jacks that were still to be had.
I suspect that part of the problem was the fewer number of boats that went out this week; many cancelled their trip at the last

minute because of Julio.

Tip: Following a storm is a good time to find the color breaks; cruise along the clean side and look for debris that

may have washed out of the arroyos. In the hot weather, the dorado like to gather underneath in the shade of the debris.

Water temperature 76-87
Air temperature 77-100
Humidity 62%
Wind: WSW 5 to 7 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:41 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/08.27.-08.fldcomp.gif
Farther up the peninsula, Julio dumped enough rain to flooding parts of Ciudad Insurgentes and parts of Constitución.

According to local newspapers, Julio caused heavy rains in the mountainous area of Comondú, bringing severe floods of water

into several towns. The inhabitants of Ciudad Insurgentes found it necessary to place sand bags at some building entrances,

several families still suffered heavy material losses.

According to information provided by the commanders of the delegations of Puerto Adolfo López Mateos and San Juanico,

access to both communities is impossible by road becasuse of damage from Julio. While there has been flood damage no

casualties or injuries have been reported....El Sudcaliforniano August 28th

The day of Julio local boater Bill Earhart caught 2 wahoo in 84 degree water in front
of Punta San Lazaro. Grouper fishing remained excellent up until the day of the storm.
Capt Sergio has been averaging 4 grouper per day in the 50 lb range. Because of the storm damage cleanup fishing was put on

the back burner.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 60 - 76
Air temperature 74 -96
Humidity 77 %
Wind: WNW 8 to 10 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:06 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:50 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The fishing has been a bit slow this week. With the blue water only 6 miles off the beach, the conditions would seem to be very

good, but we have had wind at least 4 days so far this week. The wind has kept the sailfish average down to only about 1 or 2

fish per day per boat, and nobody has been going out farther than about 15 miles to look for tuna.
There are a few dorado showing in the counts, but it is only about 1 boat out of 3 scoring on the 20 pound plus fish.
Santiago, on the panga Gitana, fished inshore one day and had an unusual catch of triple tails. They scored on an even dozen

of the 6 to 8 pound tasty fish. He found them off the outlets of the river mouths and hiding under the debris that had washed

out from the river.
Roosterfish and jack crevalle action is still holding up with very good action.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 74-92
Humidity 73%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 7:31 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:03 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 25-31, 2008

WEATHER We ended last week with high winds and the port closed on Sunday but at 10 AM Monday the port Captain decided conditions were safe enough to allow the fleet to go out. Of course that was too late for many of the boats as clients were not willing to wait at the dock for four hours on the “possibility” that he would open it up. Anyway, the weather cleared and for the remainder of the week we had partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies with winds from the northwest at 10-15 knots. We had some rain on Saturday, just a light sprinkle here in town but out on the Pacific side about the San Jaime area it dumped for an hour then rained very heavily for another hour. At the end of the week, Sunday, we had mostly sunny skies with light winds. Our average daytime high was 94 degrees and our average nighttime low was 81 degrees.
WATER: As I mentioned in the weather section, the Port Captain closed the port until 10 AM Monday and upon going to sea it was found that on the Pacific side the seas were at 3-5 feet with winds between 10 and 15 knots while on the Cortez side the seas were 1-3 feet with winds at 5-10 knots. This remained the same almost all week; finally on Friday the Pacific side became even calmer with swells at 2-3 feet and the wind dropping to 5-10 knots. The rain at the end of last week resulted in off-color water conditions just off the beach on the Sea of Cortez but did not seem to affect inshore water on the Pacific side. Water temperatures on the surface dropped a bit due to the cloudy conditions and we had much more fishable temps on the Cortez side with an average of 84 degrees with the water blue. On the Pacific side the water inside of the San Jaime and Golden Gate Banks was 80-82 degrees and blue.
BAIT: Bait this week was Caballito with a few Mullet for those that wanted them. The big bait price was $3 per bait. Some Sardinas were available up toward San Jose later in the week at $25 per scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite continued this week with most of the action taking place within 5 miles of the beach on the Pacific side between the lighthouse and the inside of the Golden Gate Bank. Live bait tossed at tailing fish worked on about 40% of the fish seen and a few others were caught on trolled lures. There were plenty of Sailfish to be found as well, we had one client who was covered up with all five lines going off at once on Tuesday, resulting in the release of three fish and the loss of two. The Sailfish were also just off the beach, there seemed to be a good concentration of bait in the area. There were reports of a few nice Blue Marlin this week but they were not biting hot and heavy. I heard of several fish in the 250 pound class being released from the area of the 95 Spot and the 1150 and I am sure there were a few from the Gorda Banks as well.
YELLOWFIN TUNA The Tuna stayed around after the passing of the storm and most boats were able to do well if they stayed on the fish. On a few days it was scratch as scratch can to get bites, but on Saturday when the rain came on hard the fish came to the surface and bit hard for two hours. Most of the fish were in the 25-40 pound class with a few fish reaching 60 pounds. Earlier in the week the bite occurred closer to shore among the porpoise and those fish were both smaller, with quite a few footballs, and larger, with a few fish in the 80-pound class. Lures, especially small feather in dark colors worked on the football fish, and live bait worked on the larger fish.
DORADO Last week I was hoping that the storm would was debris into the water and improve the Dorado catch, but the debris did not happen. The Dorado catch, howev3er, turned on by itself and this week Dorado were fish of the week. Almost any boat that wanted to was able to get limits for their clients (federal limit of two per angler per day) and most of the fish were in the 10-20 pound class. There were some nicer fish caught as well as we had client who caught several nice bull Dorado in the 50-pound class. As with the billfish, most of the Dorado action took place on the Pacific side within 5 miles of the beach, but there were several days during the week when the action was hot and heavy just off the beach on the Cortez side up around the Palmilla area and other rocky points.
WAHOO Our just passed new moon may have had something to do with the lack of Wahoo this week, perhaps next week they will make a showing!
INSHORE: The inshore fishing on the Cortez side was very poor this week due to the discolored water, but slowly improved toward the end of the week. On the Pacific side most of the Pangas were fishing for Dorado and Tuna since it was a fishery very close to shore.
NOTES: Well, I was going to go to the hills this weekend but have come down with some sort of cold/sinus infection and did not do it. No golf either. Oh well, there’s always another day, knock on wood. I have gotten a lot of reading done and managed to get several articles written before deadline. I guess that’s one nice thing about being at home a lot. This week’s music was a mix of acoustic guitar from my computer library, just the right stuff for my mood today! Until next week, watch some football and keep a line tight!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 09/03/2008
REPORT #1130 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/09.03.09.look.gif
Slow retrieve tricked this Lookdown
You don’t have to go far to find the small tuna…just a few miles off of La Ribera. There have also been some larger ones found

deeper in the water column and ‘schoolie’ dorado are scattered all the way from there to the lighthouse.
Farther out off of Punta Pescadero there have been some schools of larger tuna under the porpoise schools.
Billfish action has been limited to a few blues and stripers, but with plenty of sailfish throughout Palmas Bay. Don’t be surprised

if a bull dorado to show up in the teasers.
There are schools of sardina on many of the beaches attracting small jacks and roosters along with the pesky needles.
Beach action was hampered by hordes of needlefish along with off-color water caused by leftover swells from Tropical Storm,

Karina.

Tip: When the conditions include off-color water, try slowing down the retrieve speed.

Water temperature 76-87
Air temperature 74-94
Humidity 87%
Wind: NE 5 to 7 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:02 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:34 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

More fish than visitors this week. Outside the dorado, small YFT and wahoo were there for the taking according to the few

locals who ventured out. The sprinkling of billfish continues to increase week by week as the season begins to build. Still a

good grouper bite, but unfortunately most that are caught go in the back of the fish truck.

Estero action was pretty much the same story…good fishing for corvina, grouper and a few snapper with little or no pressure.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 60 - 76
Air temperature 79 -98
Humidity 87 %
Wind: WNW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:09 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:43 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

After a very below normal rainfall for August, we had a bit of rain this last week, which caused a lot of debris to come out of

the rivers. Late Monday night we got a huge thunderstorm with 2 1/4" of rain in one hour.
This wiped out the inshore waters with stained water.
However, the blue water was only moved out to the 10 mile mark. The sailfish action is decent. Martin on the Nautilus had

days of 2, 4, 1, and 3 sailfish starting on Sunday. He also reported lots of black skipjack tuna just off the dirty inshore water.
No dorado or tuna have been reported, but with the debris in the water, the dorado cannot be too far behind.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77-93
Humidity 88%
Wind: E @9 knots
Conditions: Cloudy Rain
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:32 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:58 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
September 1-7, 2008

WEATHER Talk about warm, this week we had the early morning temperatures in the low to mid 80’s, on Sunday morning I saw 86 degrees on the thermometer. Our daytime highs have been up there as well, mostly in the high 90’s and we have had very little wind. Partly cloudy skies have kept it from getting unbearable and it looks as though the clouds may continue as we get some remote banding from a storm expected to pass well to the south of us this week.
WATER: The air is hot and so is the water. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water has been a pretty even 86-88 degrees. On the Pacific side from the shore to around 10 miles out it has been from 82-84 degrees and farther out it has been between 85-88 degrees. We had some big swells mid-week but they had died out at the end of the week, however, we might se a few more big ones due to the storm to the south. With the wind very light most of the time there has been just a bit of a chop on the water. Mid-week we had a couple of breezy days on the Pacific side close to shore, but once you got away from the shoreline by three or four miles it calmed down.
BAIT: Almost all the bigger baits this week were Caballito and Mullet at the normal $3 per bait. There were Sardinas available from a couple of boats locally but everyone had them up toward Palmilla. The price here was a bit higher than to the north as the boats here were charging $30 a bucket while it was only $25 a bucket up north.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin continued to bite this week, surprising everyone since the water is so warm. The Sailfish showed up as well, not in the numbers as on the mainland but everyone had shots at multiple fish this week. I did not hear of anyone getting hooked up to big Blue or Black Marlin this week. Most of the Marlin action took place in the band of cooler water along the shoreline on the Pacific side while the Sailfish were in the warmer water just outside. Live bait got the most attention form the striped Marlin this week, but you had to be quick or the Dorado would take the bait before the Stripers got a chance to chew.
YELLOWFIN TUNA We had good Tuna action this week on fish that ranged between 15 and 150 pounds. Most of the fish were between 30 and 50 pounds but the same schools were delivering #150 fish on drop-back baits or deep drifted live baits. The school fish were hitting almost everything, feathers to Blue Marlin lures worked but the best action was on the smaller lures in the 4-6 inch size. A few boats loaded their clients with Tuna in the smaller size range by chumming heavily with sardines while in the Porpoise, then drifting with sardines on small hooks with a small piece of lead several feet above the hook. The Majority of Tuna action took place along the warm-cold water boundary on the Pacific side, around 12-18 miles offshore. I don’t know how much longer it will last because a couple of Tuna Seiners showed up on Saturday.
DORADO Definitely the fish of the week, Dorado made a strong showing in our area. From the Punta Gorda area all the way around the Cape to the Todo Santos area on the Pacific the fish were chewing on anything put in the water. Like I said above about the Marlin, there were Dorado taking live bait away from the stripers. Covering the water while trolling at 9 knots located the fish, then dropping back live bait or casting flies to fish following the one hooked on the troll resulted in steady, exciting action. Most of the fish were in the 12-15 pound class but occasional fish ran to 50 pounds.
WAHOO Wahoo made a showing this week offshore around the San Jaime and Golden Gate banks as well as in the open water. They were not large fish on average, just around 30 pounds, but at least they were there!
INSHORE: Large swells made inshore fishing a bit uncomfortable during the middle of the week, but boats that targeted them did well on Roosterfish averaging 15-25 pounds. Slow trolled Mullet and Sardines worked for the Roosters. Most of the Pangas were doing well on Dorado and we had one friend get a 150 pound Tuna while fishing on a Panga, as well as others to #50 and plenty of Dorado.
NOTES: I still didn’t get into the hills, maybe next week! Instead, I golfed four days straight. It looks as if I need lessons if I am going to improve. I should have been out on the water more, it is a lot cooler out there and the fishing is red-hot right now. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 09/10/2008
REPORT #1131 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Update Sept. 14… Friday skies were blue and it was business (fishing) as usual. Marlin action still was dismal.

Dorado action picked right back up and while few boats have been going out the ones that did had good scores. Yellowfin tuna

were there but mostly small fish. It is probably going to take a few days for the beaches to clear up and be worth checking

out.
http://www.bajafly.com/report/09.14.08dorado.gif
As predicted, the dorado action heated up in the wake of Karina. While most were schoolie-sized there were a few larger fish

mixed in. By the weekend another tropical depression “Lowell’ entered the picture. After heading out to the west, Lowell made

a hard right turn back toward Southern Baja. During the storm, few boats that have gone out today delayed until 9:30 when

the rain quit. As soon as the storm passes we would expect the dorado action to resume.
The tuna action had slowed somewhat before the weekend as well.
Inshore the water is off color from the wind waves caused by TD Lowell.

Water temperature 76-87
Air temperature 74-91
Humidity 90%
Wind: S 14 to 20 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:04 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:27 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Another week of rain kept most of the boats close to home this week. According to some of the commercial pangas the

yellowtail, dorado and small tuna were still in the same area near Cabo Lazaro but no one was out to fish them.

In the Esteros, the combination of stormy weather and big tides prevented any fishing at all this week.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 60 - 77
Air temperature 73 -90
Humidity 100 %
Wind: NW 18 to 24 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:36 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

With the recent rains, the blue water has moved out to the 15 mile mark, with a distinctive weed line defining the separation of

off colored water and the blue water. The demarcation line is also holding game fish.
Martin, on the 35 foot cruiser Nautilus, fished the weed line for this last 5 days straight, averaging at least one 20 pound plus

dorado and 2 sails a day. His 5 day total was 11 sailfish and 6 dorado.
September is usually the wettest month of the year for us, but most of the rain comes at night, with the fleet being able to fish

every day so far. The only problem we had with the weather this week was, due to the heavy outflow from the rivers, the

inshore water was murky. Plus, the waves along the shoreline this week were very high. These two conditions combined for

very tough roosterfish fishing.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 73-93
Humidity 83%
Wind: calm
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:33 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:52 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
September 8-14, 2008

WEATHER The weather was the big item of the week. Starting the week off was a movement of storm cells over the top of us from the mainland. These cells had plenty of thunder and lightning with them, to the point that the Port Captain closed the marina on Monday and Tuesday. The positive aspect of this was the fact that the rain was light and fairly steady, the type of rain that will soak into the desert instead of running off into the arroyos. Just as these storm cells moved out the feeder band of Tropical Storm (late Tropical Depression) Lowell moved in with winds steady at 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph and more light rains. This kept the port closed through Wednesday, and it did not open again until mid morning Thursday, too late for most of the charters as they had already cancelled trips for the day. With the movement of weather through the area the daytime temperatures dropped as well as the nighttime temps. Our nights ended up being a beautiful 72-75 degrees at the end of the week while the daytime highs did not get much more than 87 degrees, and with low humidity at that. Everyone has been saying how it feels like the middle of October this week!
WATER: Naturally the water was too rough for fishing until Thursday but the weather we experienced cooled off the surface temperatures a bit, as well as what we had on land. On the Pacific side the water was almost a steady 84 degrees with a little cooler areas near shore. On the Cortez side of the Cape it was averaging 86 degrees, overall down about 2 degrees from before the beginning of the week. The swells remained from the southwest until Friday when they began returning to their normal northwest direction. On the Pacific they were 6-8 feet when the port opened on Thursday but had dropped to 3-5 feet over the weekend. On the Cortez side they were averaging 2 feet less. With the light and steady rains we did not have much in the way of debris wash out of the arroyos but the water was a bit discolored close to the arroyos on both the Pacific and Cortez side on Thursday, clearing up by the weekend.
BAIT: Almost all the bigger baits this week were Caballito and Mullet at the normal $3 per bait. There were Sardinas available from a couple of boats locally but everyone had them up toward Palmilla. The price here was a bit higher than to the north as the boats here were charging $30 a bucket while it was only $25 a bucket up north.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin continued to bite even though the water remained in the 84-degree range. It did not take much of a search on Friday to find the fish, they were still holding in the same area as last week, mostly on the Pacific side closer to shore, most within 7 miles of the beach. There was a concentration of fish on the Golden Gate Bank; that bodes well for next week as well. There was a scattering of Sailfish in the catches as well, and they were from the same areas. The Blue Marlin did not appear at the end of the week, hopefully they will start to show in numbers soon.
YELLOWFIN TUNA On Thursday and Friday there were reports of Yellowfin to 60 pounds being caught to the west side of the San Jaime Banks, but few fish reported from other areas.
DORADO Still mostly being caught on the Pacific side, the Dorado have been striking well on medium sized lures in brighter colors. Live bait dropped back behind a troll hooked fish resulted in many doubles on fish that averages 15 pounds with a few in the 40-pound class. Spotting the Frigate birds swooping on flying fish was the key to steady action on Dorado after the storms.
WAHOO I did not hear of any reports of Wahoo after the storms this week.
INSHORE: The swells kicked up by the storms made inshore fishing very iffy, most of the Pangas preferred to go out 5 miles or so for Dorado. A few of the Pangas that worked inside on the Cortez side reported decent action on Roosterfish to 35 pounds, nothing hot and heavy but steady fishing with live Mullet and Caballito.
NOTES: The desert is going to be beautiful after the nice rain we just had and hopefully I will get a chance to check it out this week. Until next week, tight lines!

[administrator]

For immediate release

Economic impact of sport fishing in Los Cabos is huge
The Billfish Foundation study shows anglers generate billion dollar industry in Baja Sur

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico --- It was once a small, quiet fishing destination at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula, but a recently released socio-economic study that reports the enormous effect sport fishing tourism brings to the area -- over a billion dollars a year – is reverberating through the country and beyond.
The comprehensive research study commissioned by The Billfish Foundation (TBF) focused on Baja Sur’s “sport fishing triangle” which includes the Los Cabos communities of East Cape, San Jose del Cabo, and Cabo San Lucas.
The area in recent years has become a major North American tourist destination driven heavily by its world-class striped marlin fishery and a major provider of jobs and new dollars to Mexico’s economy.
The 126 page study was conducted in 2007 and 2008 to estimate the dollars, jobs and tax revenues created by anglers in the region. It was produced by Southwick Associates, Inc. of Fernandina Beach, Fla., Nelson Resources Consulting, Inc. of Oakland Park, Fla. and Firmus Consulting of Mexico City, Mexico.
TBF, which works with governments worldwide advancing the conservation of billfish and associated species to improve the health of oceans and regional economies, has been assisting in the Baja Sur region since 2002. Dr. Russell Nelson, TBF’s chief scientist along with Guillermo Alvarez, TBF’s Mexican conservation director said information was needed to communicate the importance of Los Cabos fisheries to its local, state and national leaders.
Nelson said a series of surveys were conducted of visitors, both anglers and non-anglers, to gain an understanding of the number of people who fish in Los Cabos and the dollars spent. Additional surveys were conducted of various business sectors to develop the information needed to construct a model of the region’s sport fishing economy. Dozens of interviews followed with business, sport fishing, political and tourism leaders to learn about the nuances of the regional economy and how it provides for visitors.

Over 24,000 jobs created, over one billion in economic activity
The study showed in 2007, 354,013 people, most all of them international visitors, fished in Los Cabos. While there they spent an estimated $633.6 million dollars for lodging, charter boats, food, transportation, tackle, fuel, and more. These expenditures started a series of cascading economic effects in the local economy, creating:
• 24,426 jobs,
• $ 245.5 U.S. million in local and federal tax revenues, and
• $ 1.125 U.S. billion in total economic activity.
“A good way to view these impacts is to consider that, if everybody who fished in Los Cabos had not visited in 2007, the regional economy would have been $1.125 billion smaller,” said Rob Southwick, lead economist in the research effort. “That means there would have been 24,426 fewer jobs, and government coffers would have been poorer by $245.5 million.
“Visitors who fish there provide an estimated 24.1 percent of the total Los Cabos economy. A job is supported for every $18,156 in retail sales. Every dollar spent by anglers generated $1.78 in economic activity in the region and every visiting angler generated $721.99 in local and federal tax revenues.”
Additional benefits accrued were Los Cabos angler expenditures generating an added $145 U.S. million to Mexico’s Gross Domestic Product; 10,469 additional jobs created elsewhere in Mexico and $75 U.S. million in taxes added to the federal coffers.

Dorado, marlin are desired species by anglers --- and commercial pirates as well
The report revealed the most targeted species of interest for sport fishermen were dorado (also known as dolphinfish and mahi-mahi) registering nearly 95% with a success catch rate of over 81%. Marlin were second at nearly 90% with a success rate of over 82% and tuna were the third most popular at over 86% with a 75% success rate among the 10 species listed.
Ironically the dorado, a species that under Mexican fisheries law is supposed to be strictly relegated for sport fishing, has for years attracted the interests of illegal commercial long-lining and netting in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) waters. A controversial new regulation NOM-029 allows for the “incidental” harvest of billfish, dorado and other species within Mexico’s 24 year-old conservation zones. Recent seizures of illegal dorado catches in the tons has also produced headlines in Mexican newspapers and attention to the commercial “fishing mafia.”
“This destructively affects fishing resources and the millions in tourist dollars that also support sport fishing such as catch-and-release for striped marlin in the region,” said Nelson.
Over 2,000 people were surveyed including anglers who fished Los Cabos, U.S. anglers who had never fished the area and Los Cabos businesses, providing a first-time look at the ideas and attitudes of those visiting the area and its potential untapped market.
Nelson said 88 percent of international anglers who have fished in Cabo said they would be less likely to return if they knew the commercial harvest of billfish increased.
”Nearly 80% said they would be more likely to return to fish if catch-and-release fishing was required for billfish, while nearly 83% of the anglers who targeted marlin on their trip to Los Cabos were successful in catching at least one of the marlin species available. Only 63% of these angling visitors said that they would choose to return to Los Cabos for another fishing trip. “We believe this reflects the high demand placed on quality of the fishing experiences and the highly competitive nature of the international sport fishing tourism market.”
Currently, anglers are reporting a slightly lower rate of satisfaction with their visits to Los Cabos compared to general hotel and timeshare guests.
“If Mexico desires to maintain or maximize the wealth provided by sport fishing tourism, intelligent decisions regarding conservation-based fisheries management will be necessary,” said Alvarez. “Communicating these policies and the quality of the region’s fisheries to U.S. anglers is critical to continued or increased sport fishing tourism activity. This report provides some of the information needed to make such informed decisions in developing fisheries policy for Mexico’s future.”
TBF President Ellen Peel said the report has been distributed to industry, state and federal government and academic interests in Mexico. Presentations on the results before the national Chamber of Commerce in Mexico City are anticipated in October.
“This is the information we have been asked for by the government over and over,” said Minera Saenz owner of Minerva’a Baja Tackle, and a sport fishing conservation activist. “Now TBF has given us the answers we need to increase support for conservation and sport fishing tourism.”
The complete report in English and Spanish with all survey results is available online at the TBF web site: www.billfish.org.
To contact Dr. Nelson please e-mail him at DrRSNNC@aol.com or by phone at 561-449-9637. Ms. Peel can be reached at 800-438-8247 ex.108 or via e-mail at ellen_peel@billfish.org
Established in 1986 The Billfish Foundation is the only non-profit organization dedicated solely to conserving and enhancing billfish populations around the world. With headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., USA, TBF has a comprehensive network of members and supporters which includes anglers, captains, mates, tournament directors, clubs, sport fishing and tourism businesses. By coordinating efforts and speaking with one voice, the organization works for solutions that are good for billfish, not punitive to recreational anglers and good for the local economy.
###
9/22/2008
TBF PR Counsel/contact: Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications, Inc.
Scottsdale, Ariz., USA
480-951-3654 (ph) 480-951-0040 (fax)
JohnsonCom@aol.com (e-mail)

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 09/24/2008
REPORT #1133 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Action is spread out from La Ribera all the way below Las Frailes. Small dorado close to shore but only a few of the larger fish that had been so common a few weeks ago. Best quality tuna and dorado is down below Las Frailes south of the Distiladera half way to Punta Gorda with some football sized a few miles outside of Cabo Pulmo.
Billfish action seemed to be mostly sailfish with a few striped marlin mixed in but spread all over the bay
The big squid are still thick just a short distance off the beach. Most of the fleet is loading up on them before heading out.
Water temperature 76-87
Air temperature 74-93
Humidity 86%
Wind: WNW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Mostly clear
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:10 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Very few boats out this week, but reports indicate it was great for billfish, dorado and small tuna. Still the early morning wahoo bite at the Thetis but you needed to be on the spot at gray light.

Inside, leopard grouper, a snook or two and mangrove snapper dominated the catch. Still some halibut were found on the shallows off the sandy beaches.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 60 - 77
Air temperature 75 -96
Humidity 87 %
Wind: WNW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:18 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:17 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
We have almost an exact repeat of this last week. Few anglers, a one sailfish average per boat per day, and ditto for the dorado. But, we did have some inclement weather in the first three days of the week, with light rain, cloudy skies, and enough wind to make the fishing conditions a bit on the miserable side.
The blue water is still very close and only about 3 to 4 miles off the beach. The inshore water is still stained, due to heavy rains in the mountains swelling the rivers with a large volume of silt laden water.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 73-92
Humidity 83%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:36 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:38 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
September 22-28, 2008

WEATHER Hot and humid were the words to describe this week. Our daytime temperatures were in the high 90’s with 80% humidity and nighttime lows in the mid 80’s and no change in humidity. Mostly sunny skies this week, even on Saturday when we had a short downpour of rain the sun was shining!
WATER: The water everywhere was almost glassy on a few days with the Pacific side having small swells at 1-3 feet with gentle winds from the northwest. On the Cortez side it was just flat with a bit of wind ripple. Water temperatures on the Cortez side up around Punta Gorda were in the 88-degree range while just off the arch and on the Pacific side of the cape the water was a little cooler at 84-85 degrees. It was blue water everywhere you went.
BAIT: Caballito and Mullet were available at the normal $3 each but on a few days they were a bit harder to get. Boats going up the Pacific side were stopping at the Golden Gate Bank to make bait as there were some small, scattered schools of Mackerel down deep.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite has turned on, at least if you are willing to travel 50 miles to get to the fish. Realize that if you do this, the boat will likely charge a fuel premium for the trip. The Finger Bank turned on this weekend with several boats reporting multiple numbers of fish there. Captain Tony Nungary on “Tony’s Machine” had 17 releases in 2 hours while fishing a private tournament and Captain Jay Bush reported 22 releases but spending a bit more time in the area. Reportedly the fish were not feeding on bait balls but were being hooked on trolled lures and on dropped back baits. If this action continues we may have a repeat of the awesome action of last year. The Golden Gate Bank also had good action on Striped Marlin, but not quite the numbers of the Finger Bank as most boats working the southern edge were getting bit on deep dropped live baits, not covering much of the water but working around the deep bait balls, dropping, drifting across for 15 minutes then pulling the baits up, running back up-current and dropping again.
YELLOWFIN TUNA The Tuna action this week was considerably slower than last week. According to Mike Tumbrillo, the owner of the 31’ Bertram “Renegade Mike”, his crew searched several days but were not able to find the big fish that had made an appearance last week. There were schools of fish in the 30-40 pound class to the west of the San Jaime Bank as well as 30 miles to the southwest, but the big boys were absent. Boats willing to go the distance did fairly well, averaging 2 to 10 fish per trip. Cedar plugs and green or dark colored lures run close to the boat worked well, with a few of the larger fish biting on live bait dropped back after a trolled lure hook-up.
DORADO Once again, just like last week, Dorado were the fish of the week. While not everyone caught their limit this week and there were a couple of slow days, the numbers were still good and the average size of the fish was decent. Most of the fish were found on the Pacific side of the cape but the reason was most of the boats headed that way looking for Tuna and Marlin, the Dorado were not the target for most of the boats this week. Reports from the few boats that went north on the Sea of Cortez were that the Dorado were there as well but you had to find the concentrations. A few boats did this by fast trolling lures until getting a strike, then chumming in the school with chopped up skipjack.
WAHOO I did not hear of any Wahoo this week, but I am sure there were a few caught.
INSHORE: Captain Victor on the Panga “Santi” reported that there were still Roosterfish to be found on the stretch of beach between the arch and the Pedregal. His clients released two fish of about 25-pounds each along with several smaller one during the middle of the week. Most of the Pangas were fishing just off the beach for some of the large numbers of Dorado, and they were doing very well. Bottom fishing was reported as being a bit off with the majority of fish caught being triggerfish.
NOTES: If you are interested in fishing with any of the Captains or boats mentioned above, feel free to drop us a line, we will be happy to set you up for a trip. Meanwhile, if you like good guitar playing, see if you can find the song “Not One Bad Thought” by Tony Joe White with Mark Knopfler. I bought a disc with the radio version and the extended version and was blown away by the playing. Well, until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 10/02/2008
REPORT #1134 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/10.02.08.tuna.gif
Chunks of squid, once again did the trick
A few quality tuna to sixty pounds were down Las Frailes way and chunks of squid once again did the trick. Not wide open, but enough to provide sashimi for everyone. School was in session beneath all the debris for the small dorado. Billfish action has slowed with only a few sailfish bites here and there. There are still a few blue bites to be found for the dedicated angler but there is a lot of boat riding in between.
Inshore action seems to be spread all along the coast. Roosters, jacks and ladyfish are providing the best action, Find the bait and it’s great; miss it and you will have to wait. Look for the sardina or mullet schools.
Beach action included small roosters and an occasional shot at a ‘bubba’ class fish. Take heed! It has been one hot mother on the beach, which means you need to drink lots of liquids and use plenty of sun protection.
Tropical storm “Marie” seems to be tiptoeing out to the west.

Water temperature 76-87
Air temperature 73-94
Humidity 92%
Wind: WSW 3 to 5 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:05 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Billfish action seems to be spread all the way from Thetis to the Finger bank below Punta Tosca. (see Cabo report). Wide open wahoo action can still be found from the Thetis and back toward the flats of Cabo Lazzaro. Still plenty of small yellows, football sized tuna and skipjack from eight miles outside of Boca de Soledad.

In the Esteros the grouper, mangrove snapper were the best bet with an occasional corvina on the surface.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 78 - 84
Air temperature 76 -97
Humidity 98 %
Wind: WNW 10 to 14 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:13 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Things have turned around a bit this week. There are still very few people fishing, with only about six boats a day making up the total fleet, but all the boats are scoring on fish.
Talking to Adolfo on the panga Dos Hermanos, with the inshore waters clearing up, he is back to doing well on the roosters again.
Martin, on the cruiser Nautilus, said every boat fishing the blue water is getting between 2 to 3 sailfish a day average, with two blue marlin also being taken today (Wednesday). At a bit less than 200 pounds, the blues were on the small side, but marlin are not a normal catch for this time of the year.
Plus, there are more dorado showing up, and we hope to get more action from them in the upcoming weeks. The majority of the dorado are only about 12 to 13 pound school sized fish, but they can be a lot of fun on the fly rod or light line.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 74-90
Humidity 85%
Wind: SSW 5 knots
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:37 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:34 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
September 29-October 5, 2008

WEATHER: It seems to be cooling a little bit every day, maybe a degree less in the morning every other day. As of this morning our low was 80 degrees, down from 84 last week. This week was mostly sunny with lows of 80 degrees and daytime highs of right around 96-97 degrees.
WATER: Surface conditions on both sides of the Cape remained the same as last week. The water everywhere was almost glassy on a few days with the Pacific side having small swells at 1-3 feet with gentle winds from the northwest. On the Cortez side it was just flat with a bit of wind ripple. Water temperatures on the Cortez side up around Punta Gorda were in the 87-88-degree range while just off the arch and on the Pacific side of the cape the water was a little cooler at 85-86 degrees. Outside of the San Jaime Bank the water dropped to 83-84 degrees. It was blue water everywhere you went.
BAIT: Caballito and Mullet were available at the normal $3 each but on a few days they were a bit harder to get. Boats going up the Pacific side were stopping at the Golden Gate Bank to make bait as there were some small, scattered schools of Mackerel down deep.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: One of our clients this week ended up fighting a Blue Marlin for 4 ½ hours before getting the tail-wrapped fish to the boat. It came in on a short rigger lure and the guys dropped a live bait back to it, thinking it was a Striped Marlin. The battle took place on a fairly light bait rod and since the fish died, they took it to the weigh station. It was a nice Blue of 376 pounds! There were a few others caught this week as well, but the big noise around the docks has been the influx of Striped Marlin. Last week it was looking real good but you had to go 50 miles for double digits, this week the Golden Gate Bank started to turn on and the run was much shorter. Boats working the Pacific side between the lighthouse and the inside of the Golden Gate were hooking two or three fish per trip while trolling and casting to tailing fish or fish raised on the lures. Boats working the Golden Gate were dropping bait deep and drifting across the high spot or running to birds dropping down on fish. The problem with running to the birds was the large numbers of whales and dolphin. The Gate was producing double digit catches with one boat getting a three-day total of 33 Striped Marlin as well as several sailfish. The Finger Bank really started popping this week as well, but the fish were not right at the finger, instead the concentration seemed to be five or six miles to the north, just around the flats at the wrist. Talk about double digit fishing, one of the fleet boats reported releasing 45 Striped Marlin in one day! I hope it keeps up for a while.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were some Tuna out there but they were scattered. Most of the action on larger fish switched directions with the area around the Cabrillo Seamount on the Cortez side producing fish in the 50-60 pound class for a few boats that checked the area out. The Pacific side outside of the San Jaime Bank still produced fish in the 15-40 pound class under pods of dolphin. In both areas live bait produced the larger fish with small dark colored lures working on the smaller fish. When the fish became shy and the bite slowed, switching out to small pink hootchies tied directly to the line, let out 150-200 feet and jigged with sharp pulses while slow trolling worked.
DORADO: There are still decent numbers of Dorado out there but it was not the fish of the week this week, instead the title went to Striped Marlin. The bite slowed on Dorado and the size seems to have dropped a bit as well with the average fish coming in at 12 pounds. There are still fish of 30 and 40 pounds being caught, but not in the numbers of the last few weeks. Another possible reason for the lower catches might be the Marlin action, with most boats concentrating on these fish. There was decent action on the Cortez side for Dorado as well with good reports coming from boats working the Punta Gorda area, fish averaging 15 pounds with four or five fish per trip.
WAHOO: I heard of one or two incidental fish being caught this week, but with the full moon coming on the 14th the bite right around then should be better.
INSHORE: Roosterfish action was still to be had if you were in the right place, at the right time, with the right bait. This week that meant the beach off of La Laguna on the Cortez side, right at the start of the drop off of high tide, and using live mullet. A few boats reported fish to 60 pounds with a lot of medium 20-35 pound fish as well. The best report I heard from one boat was 11 releases in a trip. Other inshore action was sparse as most of the Pangas worked off the beach for Dorado and Striped Marlin.
NOTES: I found a new best place to go for shrimp tacos, only 15 pesos each, but if I tell everybody it will get ruined, but if you ask me politely I’ll tell you. I am going on a two night trip up the Cortez at the start of the week, snorkeling and diving, but I will be listening on the radio to boats fishing in the area and will let you know what I hear next week. Until then, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 10/10/2008
REPORT #1135 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
http://www.bajafly.com/report/5731abdc-1465-4518-a5ce-730e91c5e83d.jpg

Puerto San Carlos and Ciudad Constitucion were both hard hit by Norbert

East Cape
Sunday AM update The center of the storm has moved into the Sea of Cortez and left Los Barriles with little to show for it; no rain, no wind to speak off, and a power outage that lasted several hours depending on what part of town you are in

The 14th storm of the season, Norbert, is weakening a little but is still considered a major hurricane. It is predicted to make landfall somewhere in the vicinity of Magdalena Bay midday on Saturday. The storm is expected to pass by out to the west of East Cape, but most of the boats at the hotels have been pulled.

Apparently, Odile, another tropical storm is making its way up the Mexican coast as well. Billfishing was an “iffy” proposition again this week with only a few sails and even fewer stripers. There were a couple of blues reported. Last weekend’s La Paz Gold Cup attracted 71 boats for the two day event with only two fish being caught; only one fish qualified at 214 pounds winning all the marbles.

The dorado and tuna action from the preceding week evaporated this week. A few lucky anglers landed a few here and there. The best action for the week was inshore from La Ribera to Punta Colorada for rooster fish, pompano, bonito and lady fish.

The roosters were still small, but ladyfish and a few small jacks could also be found with the sardina and mullet. We found our best action near the rocks on both sides of Punta Colorada Hotel.

Water temperature 76-87
Air temperature 75-91
Humidity 73%
Wind: S 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. MDT
Sunset 6:59 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Sunday AM Update: PUERTO SAN CARLOS, MEXICO -- Hurricane Norbert swept across Mexico's southern Baja California peninsula on Saturday, tearing off roofs and forcing hundreds of people to flee flooded homes. It hit land near Puerto Chale on Baja's southwest coast as a Category 2 hurricane, but weakened to Category 1 after emerging over the Gulf of California, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Norbert was expected to reach mainland Mexico before dawn today.

Everyone is preparing for the storm, Norbert, which is expected to come ashore somewhere near here.

Offshore fishing remained good preceding the storm with wahoo, yellowfin tuna and still a few small yellowtail. More yachts are arriving each day and they reported marlin from the ridge on down to the Entrada.

With little pressure on the Estero action, the catch has included corvine and small sierra in the open water.

Near the mangroves there were leopard grouper and a few small snook along with some mangrove snapper.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 78 - 84
Air temperature 75 -95
Humidity 73 %
Wind: WNW 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 7:23 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:06 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

With the blue water only 8 miles off the beach, the fishing is continuing its trend from last week, and actually improving on it. Martin on the Nautilus told me "mucha pesca" Which translates to good fishing.
The yellowfin tuna are still too far out for the sport fishing fleet, but the commercial pangeros are getting them around the 45 mile mark. Plus, a few blue marlin are showing again in the counts this week. Dorado are being taken, but not as many as we thought would develop after the rains from a couple of weeks ago.

Yesterday (Wednesday) Jason Baig, of Wichita KS, fished with Captain Margarito on the Gaby. They were back at the dock by noon with 8 sailfish raised and 4 released. Margarito fished the area between 10 to 12 miles out.

There is also excellent action on the roosterfish all up and down the coast

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 74-90
Humidity 93%
Wind: SSW 5 knots
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:36 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:29 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
October 6-12, 2008

WEATHER: This was an interesting week on the weather front as we had a scare from Hurricane Norbert and were keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Odile. Norbert ended up passing well to the north, bringing only several days of cloudy skies, gusty winds and a little bit of rain. Oh, and some big swells! Odile looks as if she is going to dissipate well to the south and west of us and should not effect us in any way. As expected, although several days early, the temperature dropped and the humidity dropped as well. This morning on the way to the golf course we had a reading of 74 degrees, at least 10 degrees less than anytime in the past four months! The skies were sunny and the weather perfect.
WATER: The end of the week saw the Port Captain close the port for Friday and Saturday due to the effects of Hurricane Norbert. Prior to that the Pacific side was seeing small swells at 3-5 feet with winds from the northwest at 5-10 knots, the Cortez side had swells at 1-3 feet with slight winds, variable in direction and speed. Hurricane Norbert pushed the swells to 10-12 feet for Friday, and winds gusted to 30 knots on Friday and Saturday. The Port Captain opened the port at 7:00 am Sunday. Water temperatures on the Cortez side of the Cape were in the 86 degree range on average, and on the Pacific side out to the San Jaime and the Golden Gate Banks it averaged 85 degrees with a 2 degree drop outside, to the west and to the north, of those banks.
BAIT: Caballito and Mullet were available at the normal $3 each but on a few days they were a bit harder to get. Boats going up the Pacific side were stopping at the Golden Gate Bank to make bait as there were some small, scattered schools of Mackerel down deep.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The beginning of the week saw a continuation of the hot Striped Marlin bite we had been having at the Golden Gate and the Finger Banks. As I write this we are waiting to see if the storm conditions caused the fish to move off as we have several boats out fishing today. Our fingers are crossed that the port being closed for several days, and the lack of rain in our immediate area will have given the fish a break and they will be ready to eat when our clients get to the grounds. There were a few more Blue Marlin caught early in the week before the weather moved in, but none of them were large ones according to what I heard, most of them were in the 200-250 pound class. Almost all the action on billfish this week occurred on the Pacific side with the exception of a few Blue Marlin up around the Punta Gorda area.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Early in the week reports were coming in about a few nice schools of Yellowfin Tuna to 50 pounds outside of the San Jaime Banks, and to the south of the Banks. There were a few fish caught by the first boats on the scene at the Golden Gate Bank as well. We will have to wait and see if these fish remain in the area after having the fishing shut down for several days.
DORADO: Once again there were still some decent Dorado to be found with the average size a bit smaller than expected at 12 pounds, but the number of fish was down as well. Most boats were happy to get three to five fish per trip; the exceptional catch may have been 10 fish if the anglers were lucky enough to get into a school of fish. There is a decent chance that the rains from Hurricane Norbert, as it passed across land to the north, may have washed out a lot of debris from the arroyos and we may have some decent concentrations of Dorado under this floating debris in the coming week. The California current should bring this debris into our area in three or four days.
WAHOO: My fingers are crossed that the full moon will bring on the Wahoo bite, but for right now it is wait and see. Hurricane Norbert may have had an effect on these sensitive fish.
INSHORE: Early in the week the inshore action was decent with small Roosterfish to 15 pounds and an occasional 40-50 pound fish being caught on the Cortez side of the Cape. Bottom fishing was poor so most of the Pangas were working several miles off of the beach for Dorado and Marlin.
NOTES: It looks like the beginning of a decent fall fishery here in Cabo, as long as the rough weather stays away! The water temperatures are perfect, the water is blue and the fish are out there. With the drop in our air temperatures and the humidity things are downright decent in town and on the water! Until next week, Tight Lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 10/15/2008
REPORT #1136 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/10.15.08.octwind.gif
Whew….according to this morning’s weather the coast is clear for the first time in several months.
Several folks arriving in the past few days provided the following road report:
“The road just north of Loreto is fine. There were crews cleaning much of the mud that was on the road. We left Loreto at 5:40AM Tuesday and made it to Los

Barriles around 11:30AM. The road was passable all the way down. There was some water on the roadway in a couple of spots but no problems. According to

the government the road from La Paz to Ciudad Constitución has 11 damaged areas, from Ciudad Insurgentes to Loreto.”
Before Norbert, Jim Sammons owner of La Jolla Kayaks, arrived with his kayak armada and a camera crew to record their exploits on the kayaks. Jim, reported

Jeff Schweitzer hooked an estimated 250lb. blue marlin and fought it for over five hours before he released it.
And then the wind blew keeping them off the water for four days. They finally did get back out and managed to score with a few nice catches including a dog

toothed snapper, amberjack and a 25+lb. roosterfish.
Hmmm…maybe anothercase of “The Curse of the Camera!”

Water temperature 76-87
Air temperature 72-91
Humidity 93%
Wind: NNW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:17 a.m. MDT
Sunset 6:52 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

We had some roof damage on the cabins at Whales Tale that have already been repaired and we are good to go.
Offshore fishing has picked up where it left off with wahoo pouncing of the jigs up above Cabo Lazzaro toward the Thetis Bank. The commercial shark fishermen

are reporting plenty of marlin sightings in the same area. Tuna in the thirty-five pound class are being found under numerous bird schools.

Our anglers ignored the Esteros this week opting to take advantage of the offshore action.
Be sure to read Pat McDonell's Blog (http://www.wonews.com/Blog.aspx?id=345&AuthorID=59047&t=RUNNING%20FROM%20NORBERT:) about his recent trip to Magdalena Bay

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 78 - 84
Air temperature 73 -94
Humidity 95 %
Wind: WNW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:26 a.m. MDT
Sunset 6:59 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

On Saturday of this last week we had 6 inches of rain in a 24 hour period. The wake of a storm generally helps the blue water fishing, but we are also up

against a full moon this week. This last couple of weeks had been very good in the blue water.
Today's results were a bit of a mixed bag. Some boats got fish, and others did not. The pattern seems to be those boats that went looking for the blue water

found game fish, and those boats that stayed with last week's pattern did not. The storm, and the huge influx of fresh water coming out of the rivers, pushed

the blue water out to the 24 mile mark.
And there is a definite line of demarcation between the clear water and the deep cobalt blue water. Mike Buckley on the panga, Huntress ,was telling me today

they got 3 sails and a nice 20 pound dorado. Their sails came at 17, 20 and 22 miles. The dorado hit right after they crossed into the blue water.
The inshore is now starting to clear up again, but I expect it to be another few days before the roosters turn on.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77-87
Humidity 83%
Wind: SSW 5 knots
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:40 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:24 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
October 13-19, 2008

WEATHER: The week started with morning temperatures in the mid 70’s and ended with the temps in the high 70’s, a slight warming over the course of the week. Daytimes saw a slightly larger change with daytime temps up to the high 90’s, but with low humidity compared to last month. We had mostly sunny skies this week with no rain at all.
WATER: The water on both sides of the cape was a little bumpy at the start of the week but by this weekend things had gotten really nice. On the Pacific side we had a slight swell at 2-4 feet and a slight chop early in the mornings and late in the afternoons while on the Cortez side the water remained almost flat with swells at 1-3 feet and spaced far apart. Once you got north past the Punta Gorda, Los Frailles area the wind kicked in a bit and there was some chop on the water, but close to home it was like a lake. Water temperatures on the Cortez side were in the 86-87 degree range almost everywhere and on the Pacific side the water was a fairly even 85 degrees except for just below and to the west of the San Jaime Bank where it dropped to 82 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito and Mullet were available at the normal $3 each but on a few days they were a bit harder to get. Boats going up the Pacific side were stopping at the Golden Gate Bank to make bait as there were some small, scattered schools of Mackerel down deep.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were still plenty of Striped Marlin at the Golden Gate Bank but as the days went along the bite dropped off. Early in the week boats were releasing five or six fish on a geed day but by the end of the week a two fish day was a good one. The fish were still there, you could see them on the depth sounder and on the surface, but they were not biting as well. Farther to the north at the Finger Bank, the same situation was occurring, but there the difference was in the baits available. At the Finger Bank the Marlin were feeding on Sardinas, and would often just ignore a Mackerel or Caballito because they were so focused on the small fish. On the big fish front, there were quite a few medium sized Blue and Black marlin released, with the majority of them being Blue Marlin in the 200-250 pound class. The Los Cabos Billfish Tournament, held over three days, had only one qualifying marlin caught, a #415 Black that ended up taking all the jackpots for the three days as well as the big fish prize, a nice total of over $500,000 u.s. Saturday was the first day of the two-day little Bisbee tournament, with only 20 something boats entered? With the #415 Black being caught on the Outer Gorda Bank on live bait, every boat in this tournament was there fishing the same way. There were two fish weighed in on Saturday, the largest was a #385 Black. The other fish did not quite make the grade, weighing in at a short #295, five pounds shy. The winning fish on Sunday was a #514 Black ,same area, same method.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: This was almost a repeat of last weeks results with most of the fish caught being found to the south of the San Jaime Banks among Porpoise pods. The first boats on the fish did well with catches ranging from 6 to 10 fish with an average weight of 20 pounds, the larger fish going 30 pounds. If you were the third or fourth boat on the scene you might get one or two fish, if you were later than that you were out of luck. There was one very nice fish caught this week during the Los Cabos Tournament, a Yellowfin weighing in at 181 pounds, but I could not get the information on where or how it was caught.
DORADO: The number of Dorado being caught this week fluctuated day to day, but overall the numbers are down a little bit unless you went far up the Pacific side. The passing of Hurricane Norbert did was quite a bit of debris into the water, but the inshore current changed and at a movement of 2 knots, pushed the debris to the north and out to the west. Locally the best bite has been on the Pacific side from 2 to 4 miles off the beach. Finding feeding Frigate birds in that area was a sure indicator of Dorado and slow trolling live baits under the birds, or pulling lures in the area usually resulted in hooking up, with the fish averaging 12 pounds. I did hookup one nice Dorado this week, in the 50-pound class, but it got away after charging the boat like a Marlin. The largest Dorado caught during the Los Cabos Tournament was 57 pounds.
WAHOO: I heard good things this week about Wahoo up around the Punta Gorda and Inman Banks, with quite a few of the local Pangas getting one or two fish in the 40 pound class each day. They were getting good results on swimming plugs like Rapallas and Marauders, and there were a few large fish hooked up as well. The largest Wahoo brought in during the Los Cabos Tournament weighed in at 44 pounds.
INSHORE: Almost every Panga captain I talked to this week was working off the beach for Dorado and Striped Marlin. Only one went and fished the beach and he told me that the Roosterfish bite was off, releasing only three small fish outside of the Westin Hotel on the Cortez side.
NOTES: This is the Bisbee Black and Blue Tournament week so there will be a lot of pressure on the fish, and if this last weeks results are any indicator, you will probably be able to walk from boat to boat on the Outer Gorda Bank. My golf game is not improving, so after having been semi-retired for the past year and driving my wife nuts, I am ready to get back to full time work. If anyone out there has a full time Captain position that needs filled (preferably here in Cabo or San Jose) drop me an e-mail with a phone number and I’ll give you a call. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 10/22/2008
REPORT #1137 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

http://www.bajafly.com/report/sansqd.jpg
Still unsettled, conditions have been frustrating. One day the dorado turn on, then the next day it’s the tuna. In both cases it is mostly small fish with an

occasional larger one showing up, (dorado to 50 and rumors of tuna to 150). The most consistent bite has been the Humbolt squid.
Meanwhile the billfish action is scattered with some boats running as far as 40 miles to find them.

Along the shore, it’s jacks, roosterfish and some early sierra as the North winds begin to cool the water.
There was a report of a 650 pound black marlin caught 3 miles off the beach near Rancho Leonero.

Water temperature 76-82
Air temperature 74-92
Humidity 81%
Wind: NNW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. MDT
Sunset 6:46 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The wahoo, dorado and tuna action was WFO! Quality sized fish and only a few miles above Cabo San Lazaro. But the marlin seemed to have been scattered by

Norbert’s wind. Finally, a few were found late this week.

With light pressure, the Esteros produced a few mangrove snapper, grouper and cabrilla. There were also a few sierra on the surface along with a few smaller

corvina.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 78 - 85
Air temperature 73 -94
Humidity 95 %
Wind: WNW 10 to 14 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:26 a.m. MDT
Sunset 6:59 p.m. MDT

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The full moon, and last week's hard rain, slowed the fishing down this week. The blue water had moved out to the 20 mile mark, and the inshore water was

discolored by the heavy runoff out of the rivers.

This next week looks very promising. The rain season is all but over, and we are getting out of the moon phase. There was not much action this week, with the

boats averaging less than a sailfish a day each. A few dorado showed in the counts, and this could develop into a decent bite as the current lines become more

defined.

A few small roosters were reported, but finding a decent stretch of clean water made for a lot of fishing, and very little catching.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77-87
Humidity 83%
Wind: SSW 5 knots
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:40 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:24 p.m. CDT

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
October 20-26, 2008

WEATHER: Once again we had great weather here in Cabo. Our morning lows were in the high 70’s and the daytime highs in the low 90’s, just a bit warmer than last week but very nice overall. We had mostly sunny skies this week with no rain and light winds.
WATER: Both the Pacific side and the Cortez side of the Cape had slight swells at 1-3 feet on the average for most days, with the winds light and variable at 5-10 knots. There were a few times during the later part of the week on the Cortez side when the winds picked u from the north strong enough to kick the swells up to 4-6 feet with a very short distance between them, making it very uncomfortable for the boats fishing live bait on the outer Gorda Banks and northward, but these winds were short lived and within three hours the seas had calmed down.
BAIT: Due to the Bisbee Black and Blue Tournament there was a light demand for the normal Caballito and Mackerel, but they were available at the usual $3 per bait. Sardinas were in great demand in order to catch the small Yellowfin Tuna and Bonita used for live bait on the big fish, and the price went up accordingly. We spent $100 per day for three scoops or Sardinas each day, and on the first two days almost ½ of them were dead when delivered, sigh. Anyway, you could get bait here at the marina but it was pricey, a lot of the charter boats picked up 10 baits before leaving and caught anything else they needed while out on the charter.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin were there in abundance if you were fishing either on the Golden Gate Bank or just to the inside of there. We had groups this week that were doing double-digit fish every day, between 12 and 15 Striped Marlin releases per day, and a few that were in the two or three per day range. If you were in the right place at the right time with the right equipment the fishing was outstanding. Live bait was the key for the large numbers, and finding the bait balls was the most important thing of all. As far as the Blue Marlin and Black Marlin were concerned, the catch numbers from the Bisbee tournament speak for them selves. 141 boats, fishing three days makes for 423 fishing days. Catching two fish over 300 pounds means one decent fish per 212 days effort. This year you may as well have gone to Florida looking for big blue and Black Marlin, the results were dismal, unless of course you were the boat that was across the board in the jackpots and caught a 313 pound Marlin on the last day. In that case you were not complaining about taking home a check for over 2 million dollars. Sigh.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were more Yellowfin caught for bait for the Bisbee tournament than between all the charter boats combined. Having 60 boats all tossing out cut Sardinas and live chum in a very small area tended to concentrate the bait and the Tuna. Yellowfin to 15 pounds were caught in decent numbers every morning right in the middle of the bait along the drop-off. Farther offshore there were fish showing amongst the Dolphin, and they were ranging in size from 20 to 120 pounds. Smaller lures than most of the boats were pulling, I mean lures from 6 to 10 inches in length and in darker colors resulted in decent numbers, but live bait dropped in front of the moving schools resulted in the larger fish.
DORADO: There were plenty of Dorado out there this week and most of them were pretty close to home. The area between the Cape and Los Arcos on the Pacific side put out the largest numbers of fish, but the average size was down a bit from last week, with 10 pounds being the average size. There were still many fish in the 25-35 pound class, but there were very large numbers of smaller fish as well. That bodes well for the next month as these fish can gain as much as 5 pounds per month in weight.
WAHOO: The waning moon resulted in fewer Wahoo bites than last week, but there were still a few decent fish caught as incidentals during the tournament. I saw several fish in the 60-pound class being brought in from tournament boats. Most of these fish were caught while fishing offshore and were not in any concentrations.
INSHORE: There were some small Roosterfish to 15 pounds with the average around 8 pounds caught this week. Live Mackerel were the main bait used and most of the fish came from fairly close to home, between the Hacienda Hotel and the Chileno Bay. Most of the Pangas were concentrated on the Dorado bite instead of the traditional inshore species.
NOTES: The Black and Blue Tournament this week was a big disappointment with only two qualifying fish weighed. I heard a lot of comments that the lack of success combined with the tight economy might mean a definite drop in the number of participants next year. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with the economy.

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
October 27-November 2, 2008

WEATHER: Just when we thought the cool days were here, it warmed up again! I am not sure what happened, but our daytime highs have been in the high 90’s while the lows in the evenings have only been in the low 80’s. We expected the temps to be at least 10 degrees cooler by now, but nope, no luck, just sweat and sunburn. We had two days with cloud cover but no rain during the middle of the week.
WATER: Swells were slight to moderate on both side of the Cape this week, and the water temperatures on the surface did not vary very much at all, everywhere you went it was between 83 and 86 degrees. The cooler 83-degree water was outside the 1,000-fathom line to the south and southwest. The water on the Pacific side was nice and blue, on the Cortez side it was a bit on the dirty, green side, but not so much that it was un-fishable, just off-colored.
BAIT: The normal Caballito and Mackerel were available at the usual $3 per bait. There were Sardinas as well and since there was a tournament going on the price remained a bit on the high side at $30 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were plenty of Striped Marlin to be found on the Pacific side of the Cape between the Golden Gate Banks and the shoreline, along with a good number of decent sized Sailfish. The Stripers were averaging 120 pounds and were biting well on artificial lures later in the week, early in the week the bite was a pretty even mix of lure fish and live bait fish. The Sailfish averaged 70 pounds and the catch ratio between the two was around three Striped Marlin for one Sailfish. There were still Black and Blue Marlin out there, I talked to quite a few anglers who hooked up to fish around 250-300 pounds, but I am not sure if there were any bigger fish in the catch. I did not get to the weigh station for the tournament and the web site had not been updated as of my writing this report.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were scattered Yellowfin caught this week, but no real big ones that I heard of. Football fish to 20 pounds in front of town to school sized fish to 50 pounds 30 miles offshore were caught by a few boats, but the schools moved around quickly and often could not be found the next day. I heard of two boats getting into fish averaging 80+ pounds 40 miles to the west, but the numbers could not be confirmed, nor could the location. Most of the school and football fish were caught on live Sardinas after chumming in front of the moving pods of Dolphin. The bait went quickly doing this, but the hookup ratio was good.
DORADO: The Dorado bite continued this week, but not in quite the numbers we were seeing last week. Anyone that wanted could limit out on these great eating fish (limit is two per angler per day) but instead of catching 8 or 10 each (releasing the small ones) most boats were putting their fishermen on three or four fish each. The fish were still concentrated on the Pacific side in the cleaner water, and most of them were caught within three miles of the beach. Trolled plastic lures in bright colors, and between 6 and 8 inches in length resulted in steady hook-ups on fish averaging 10 pounds. Slow trolled live bait resulted in fewer fish due to covering a smaller area of water, but the fish averaged 15-18 pounds.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo being caught this week, but I am sure there were a few.
INSHORE: Once again there were small Roosterfish to 15 pounds to be found, and most of them were on the Pacific side of the Cape between the arch and the lighthouse. Most of the Pangas were fishing just a bit farther offshore looking for Dorado, and doing quite well on them.
NOTES: I wish I had information to give you on the Governors Tournament held this week, but like I said above, I was not at the weigh station in the afternoons and the website has not been updated. The next tournament on the list is the W.O.N. Tuna Tournament this week with fishing being on Thursday and Friday. This is one of the favorite tournaments of the year with plenty of give-aways and parties, plus it does not cost an arm and a leg to enter. I will let you know the results on this one for sure, check in next week for an update! Until then, bend you ear to the music of Mark Knopfler and keep those lines tight!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 11/12/2008
REPORT #1140 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
Consistent northerly winds equaled slower fishing this week. Some of the boats have relocated to San Jose or Cabo to escape the winds. Those that remain, are

finding tuna beneath the porpoise on the good days. Some of the reported fish seen are fifty pounds and up.
The billfish, including sailfish, seem to still be around but they are spread throughout Las Palmas Bay. With few boats and light pressure, finding them can be

difficult. Dorado action is spotty; if you find floating debris there are usually a few fish under it. Last week a floating dead whale produced a serious bite until it

disappeared…either drifting over the horizon or sinking out of sight.
Wind waves and beach fishing was not a good combination this week. If you were on the beach early (gray light) you could expect to find a few small roosters,

jacks and perhaps a sierra or two.

Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 61-85
Humidity 73%
Wind: N 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 6:33 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:34 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/11.12.08.frigate.gif
Outside the Entrada ten miles the bird schools appeared on the horizon
Grumpy seas prevented most boats from getting outside earlier in the week. When the seas subsided on Tuesday, the marlin party cranked right back up.

Outside the Entrada ten miles the bird schools appeared on the horizon and the wake was soon alive with marlin slicing and dicing at the hookless teasers.

Though the billfish usually won the race to the teasers, once in awhile the dorado were winners. There were times when a @#$%%^ wahoo would snatch one

of the teasers and wouldn't you know it, they would take off with one our favorites!

On the grumpy days, the only fishing going on was in the Esteros, but the action was only fair. There were several roosterfish reportedly caught on the fly at

Boca Santo Domingo.
Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 78 - 79
Air temperature 60 -86
Humidity 100 %
Wind: Winds: W 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:43 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:40 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The blue water is about 8 miles out, and the fishing hit an abrupt slow down with the bright clear moon yesterday. Previously this week, all boats were

averaging about two sailfish each, with an occasional dorado. Yesterday (Wednesday), ten boats fished the blue water and only caught two sailfish.
The rainy season is definitely over. When looking at the Weather Channel satellite photos, there is hardly a cloud in the sky over the entire Republic of Mexico.

This will help the inshore fishery as the water clears up from the rivers dumping their silt laden outflow into the ocean, but it also makes the affects of the clear

full moon more pronounced.
Santiago, on the panga Gitana, told me he had fished inshore all week, getting a lot of medium sized jack crevalle (averaging between 4 and 10 pounds), black

skipjack tuna, and an occasional rooster.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 70-88
Humidity 81%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:10 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: Striped marlin remained the fish of the week and they were stacked up like cordwood on the Golden Gate Bank. Many boats that worked hard

for them were releasing 15-25 fish before noon, stopping only because the anglers were worn out! These were the top boats, but the average boats were still

managing to release double-digit numbers of fish. Dropping live mackerel down to just above the bait balls, mostly at 180 feet, and waiting for the strike

caught most of the fish. The better boats used circle hooks as the hook-up ratios were better and the fish were not getting hooked in the gut. There were also

many sailfish caught, something of a surprise for me. A few decent-sized blue marlin were reported but nothing that would have won the Bisbee Black and

Blue.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin were the big attraction in Cabo this week as Thursday and Friday were the fishing days for the Western Outdoors Tuna

Tournament. There were 98 teams entered this year, and while there were not as many 40-pound and larger fish caught this year, the second largest fish

recorded in this tournament was weighed in at a whopping 244 pounds by the crew on the Reel Rum.

The boat “Bottom Line” caught a yellowfin that weighed 143.4 pounds the first day and one of 101.6 pounds on the second day to take a record $272,540. Not

to be outdone, the team on the panga, Dr. Pescado, ended the tournament a winner with their 145.4 pound tuna.

Most of the fishing took place on the Pacific side of the Cape, and most of the fish were caught under porpoise. Of course with this number of boats fishing, it

became crowded very quickly once porpoise were found. A few boats came screaming into the pods that others were already carefully working the edges of,

and this activity put the fish down for everyone, sigh. All in all, the yellowfin bite was decent and the bigger fish were reportedly all caught on live bait.

DORADO: The dorado bite remained light this week, but if you wanted one you could get it. Between one and three fish per day were the average and

the fish were around 12-15 pounds in weight. Small lures and slow trolled live bait close to shore, within two or three miles on the Pacific side produced the

best results.

INSHORE: The small roosterfish were still around on the Cortez side up around San Jose, but there were no large numbers. Most of the inshore fishing

was just offshore a bit with the pangas concentrating on dorado and small yellowfin tuna.
George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 73 - 85
Air temperature 62 - 88
Humidity 69%
Wind: WNW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:36 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
November 10-16, 2008

WEATHER: Yep, we have settled into our comfort zone! Last week saw the temps drop as low as 70 degrees at night and not rise higher than 90 degrees during the day, and the humidity was down as well! Sunny skies and light winds were the norm.
WATER: The Pacific side of the Cape lived up to its name this week, as the swells were only 3-5 feet with an occasional day of light chop. At the end of the week it was almost glassy at times. The water temperatures ranged from 81 degrees at the tip of the Cape and to the west in a band that ran across the San Jaime Bank, to 80 degrees just to the north on the Golden Gate Bank and closer to shore. South of the 1,000-fathom line the temperature dropped to 79 degrees. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was glassy all week with swells at 1-3 feet and water temperatures that were consistently in the 81-82 degree range, with the slightly higher area alongside the cooler 79-degree water at the 1,000-fathom line just to the south of the 95 spot.
BAIT: Getting bait in the morning at the end of the week was chancy as the full moon made it difficult for the bait boats to catch Caballito, but they had some as well as a few small jacks to choose from. Most boats were able to get a few baits and then made more on their own once they were at the Golden Gate Bank, there were plenty of Mackerel there.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Still fish of the week, the Golden Gate Bank was the site of multiple Striped Marlin releases for every boat that fished there. A bad day was a release of only 5 fish, and most boats were doing double-digit numbers. We had clients who are charter boat owner/captains themselves on the east coast who released 10 fish on Saturday and they said all of the fish were nice sized with the smallest at around 150-pounds, most of them were in the 180-pound class. The bait was balled up all across the area, and while most of the boats stayed on the high spot, some of the more successful ones looked for balls of bait away from the crowds.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There was scattered Yellowfin action this week, but I did not hear of any big fish caught. Most of the fish I heard about and I saw were in the 30-40 pound class and the schools were reported from all over the area, no concentration in any one spot. In addition, the schools were moving fairly rapidly, there one day and gone the next. 20 to 30 miles to the south in the cooler water and outside the San Jaime and Golden Gate were reported to be good areas this week, and a few boats reported fast moving schools just 5 miles out during the middle of the week. Lures were the way to go on all these fish since they were moving along at a fairly rapid rate, and spreader bars, cedar plugs and daisy chains got the action going.
DORADO: The bite remained light again, but there were still plenty of fish out there if you were in the right area. The San Jaime Bank and just to the south of it delivered up to 9 fish in a day for clients of ours who were looking for Tuna, and other boats were finding 4 or 5 fish per trip as well.
WAHOO: Full moon and calm waters helped boats that wanted Wahoo. A few very nice fish were reported from open ocean waters while looking for other species, and I had a few anglers tell me that the action for these speed demons was fair at the Inman Banks area up around Punta Gorda, but the fish were in the 30-pound class.
INSHORE: I saw a very nice #30 Rooster caught and released by a boat fishing just off the beach in front of the Pedregal on Friday, and a few of the Panga Captains I talked to said that the action in that area had been pretty consistent on fish averaging 15 pounds. With our calm waters, many of the Pangas were venturing off shore after Dorado and Marlin.
NOTES: Since I have been hearing the sound of four or five off-road buggies racing along the streets all morning as they prepare for the Baja 1000 next week, I had a slightly different style of music playing, some good country music! The Best Of Waylon Jennings got me in the mood to type this report, now I am ready for some football and cold ones. Oh, that’s after taking the dog to the beach for some swim time and having a good Sunday morning breakfast. I also have some yard work that I need to do, but that might wait until tomorrow! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 11/18/2008
REPORT #1141 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

Consistent northerly winds equaled slower fishing this week. Some of the boats have relocated to San Jose or Cabo to escape these winds. Those that remain are finding tuna beneath the porpoise on the good days. Some of the reported fish seen are fifty pounds and over.
The billfish, including sailfish, seem to still be around but they are spread throughout Las Palmas Bay. With few boats and light pressure, finding them can be difficult. Dorado action is spotty; if you find floating debris, there are usually a few fish under it. Last week a floating dead whale produced a serious bite until it disappeared…either drifting over the horizon or sinking out of sight.
Wind waves and beach fishing was not a good combination this week. If you were on the beach early (gray light) you could expect to find a few small roosters, jacks and perhaps a sierra or two.

Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 66-87
Humidity 60%
Wind: NNW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:32 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/feedcropsml.jpg
Bird schools continue
Sam and Janet Farish, from Atlanta, GA, fly fishing with Baja on the Fly Guide Lance Peterson on Mag Bay Outfitters’ boat, Mar Gato, with Captain Sergio Garcia, completed five days of fishing from the casitas in Santa Maria this week. Final count: marlin 11, wahoo 2 (lost 9 to sea lions), dorado 32, and yellowfin 26. We still have open dates for fly fishing for November and December.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 78 - 79
Air temperature 67 -85
Humidity 73 %
Wind: NW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 6:47 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:38 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

We had a group of clients from England this week, led by Alan Bird. Many people in the U.S. do not have much contact with our European fishermen brethren, and do not understand they are excellent fishermen and sportsmen. They show up with gear that makes any professional fisherman's mouth water. And, they know how to use it!
When I met with them at the hotel, they were asking me about fishing for roosters and jack crevalle on conventional gear. I told them the best method is using a surface popper, but you need to you cast it a long ways.
"What is a long ways,” they asked.
My answer, "At least 50 yards" brought a round of laughs.
As it turns out, a couple of them cast for distance in competition. They are hitting 250 yards with 12 pound gear! It is a science to them.
But a pendulum swing, in a rocking panga, cannot happen. However, there was no doubt in my mind they would hit a 100 yard cast with no problem....incredible.
Using light tackle, they fished the blue water offshore on Monday, releasing 6 sailfish, 4 nice dorado, a couple of very large jack crevalle, and a small (115 pound) blue marlin.
On Tuesday, they fished the inshore on pangas, with really light gear, down to 12 pound test. Six roosters were leadered, and an estimated 60 pound rooster came unbuttoned right at the boat, just before the leader was touched. I will call it a release anyway. They also took several jack crevalle in the 15 to 20 pound range, along with several black skip jack tuna.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 71-88
Humidity 65%
Wind: SW at 12
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:04 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: Golden Gate Bank was the site of multiple striped marlin releases for every boat that fished there. A bad day was a release of only five fish, and most boats were doing double-digit numbers. We had clients who are charter boat owner/captains themselves on the east coast who released 10 fish on Saturday and they said all of the fish were nice sized with the smallest at around 150-pounds…most of them were in the 180-pound class. The bait was balled up all across the area, and while most of the boats stayed on the high spot, some of the more successful ones looked for balls of bait away from the crowds.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There was scattered yellowfin action this week, but I did not hear of any big fish caught. Most of the fish I heard about and I saw were in the 30 to 40 pound class and the schools were reported from all over the area, no concentration in any one spot. In addition, the schools were moving fairly rapidly, there one day and gone the next. In the cooler water 20 to 30 miles to the south and outside the San Jaime and Golden Gate were reported to be good areas this week, and a few boats reported fast moving schools just five miles out during the middle of the week. Lures were the way to go on all these fish since they were moving along at a fairly rapid rate, and spreader bars, cedar plugs and daisy chains got the action going.
DORADO: The bite remained light again, but there were still plenty of fish out there if you were in the right area. The San Jaime Bank and just to the south of it delivered up to nine fish in a day for clients of ours who were looking for tuna, and other boats were finding four or five fish per trip as well.
INSHORE: I saw a very nice 30 pound rooster caught and released by a boat fishing just off the beach in front of the Pedregal on Friday, and a few of the Panga Captains I talked to said that the action in that area had been pretty consistent on fish averaging 15 pounds. With our calm waters, many of the Pangas were venturing off shore after dorado and marlin.

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 73 - 85
Air temperature 68 - 90
Humidity 30%
Wind: NW 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:34 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
November 17-23, 2008

WEATHER: It just doesn’t get any better than this! Our daytime highs were in the mid 80’s while the evening and early morning lows were as far down as 68 degrees but averaged 70 degrees. At the end of the week we had mostly cloudy skies, which kept things cool as well and gave us some wonderful sunsets!
WATER: Swells on both sides of the Cape were between 1 and 3 feet this week and spaced fairly far apart. We had only light winds for the most part and combined with the small swells, we had some great surface conditions. The water on the Pacific side seemed to cool off a bit between 2 to 3 miles offshore and out across the San Jaime Bank, running an average of 76 degrees. Inside that area, and outside to the west, it averaged 78 degrees. On the Cortez side we saw an average of 81 degrees.
BAIT: Most of what was available this week was Caballito, but the Marlin were fixated on Mackerel, so most of the Caballito were not used. You could catch your own Mackerel at the Golden Gate Bank or, if you had a good depth sounder, at the lighthouse.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin remain the fish of the week with most boats getting at least four of five fish per trip. Boats that really worked it hard and concentrated on them were getting into the double digits again. Most of the fish were still at the Golden Gate Bank, but there was a decent showing at the lighthouse on the Pacific side as well. The bait keeps moving and the fish follow them so as the currents changed the Striped Marlin appeared in different areas, following the bait. Live bait was the key to a decent catch, and using circle hooks with flouro-carbon leaders really made a difference!
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Close to our area there were scattered schools of football to school sized tuna found among the Porpoise. From outside the 95 spot along the 1,000-fathom curve to 8 miles to the west of the Golden Gate Bank there were scattered pods of Porpoise, and about half of them held fish. Occasionally a pod would come through closer to shore and the fist couple of boats would do well, but the later boats just got to see the mammals playing. There were confirmed reports of larger Yellowfin to #150 north of the Golden Gate Bank, but that was to far for most of the fleet boats to go, the reports were from private yachts.
DORADO: The bite picked up just a bit this week for the Dorado with most of the action shifting to 2-3 miles off of the beach on the Pacific side between the lighthouse and the El Arco area. Live bait and bright colored lures in smaller sizes worked very well. Many boats slow trolled live bait and caught a decent mix of both Striped Marlin and Dorado.
WAHOO: I saw a few fish this week in the 50-pound class but there were not a lot of Wahoo flags flying from the boats at the end of the day. Boats that had gone out looking for Tuna caught the Wahoo that I saw.
INSHORE: There were a few more nice Roosterfish caught on the Pacific side of the Cape along the beach between the arch and the lighthouse, just like last week. As well as Roosterfish, there has been a showing of Sierra and a few Yellowtails. A few Pangas reported big Grouper were biting on the rock piles if you fished big live bait, but most of the fish were rocking the anglers and breaking off.
NOTES: We have had a wonderful week as the weather has been just great and the fishing has been almost wide open. I had a chance to golf at Palmilla and while my score was not great, I had a fantastic time on the course. I have tiled the dining room where I pulled up the baseboards (termites) and the border looks great, and yesterday finished painting it. Now we are almost ready for Thanksgiving and all the folks we have invited over! Until next week, tight lines, and try giving a listen to some Allison Krause and Union Station if you can find the time!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 11/25/2008
REPORT #1142 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

With the north winds blowing on some days and lack of clients on others, fewer and fewer boats are getting out these days.
Still there are some dorado to be had along with a few tuna. Billfish has been action spotty throughout Las Palmas bay.
Inshore a few sierra are beginning to show, and there are still some small roosters and jacks feeding on sardina along the beach.

Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 65-78
Humidity 71%
Wind: WNW 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:42 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:31 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/11.25.08.farish.gif
Janet Farish subdues her largest striped marlin ever on the fly
Unusual shirtsleeve November weather greeted Jamie Pierre, from Seattle, who fished offshore with his friends and family. Limits of dorado along with good grades of yellowfin tuna kept their rods bent the three days they fished. A few marlin were seen but the herds seem to be down south of Punta Tosca.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 78 - 78
Air temperature 55 -78
Humidity 88 %
Wind: NW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:52 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:36 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80º blue water is just off the beach, but the fishing has been very poor this last week. One explanation is that a 60 boat/4 day tournament is flaying the water fairly hard. Yesterday, Wednesday, the second day of the tournament, saw only ten sailfish one blue marlin, and no dorado caught. On Monday, Captain Margarito worked hard and never got a fish with his client Chris Varando.
Martin, on the Nautilus, also struck out this last couple of days. Santiago, on the Gitana, did get a couple of sailfish, with the high boat in the fleet this week being Adan on the Gitana II, and released four sails on each of two days.
The Huntress, with Captain Francisco, and the Gitana with Santiago both fished the inshore a couple of days, but only recorded a couple of roosters, a few jack crevalle, and lots of needlefish and black skipjacks.
The new moon is today, Thursday, and as we go into the dark of the moon period, I really expect things to improve.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 72-87
Humidity 80%
Wind: SW at 12
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:09 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
November 24-30, 2008

WEATHER: This weeks weather was a repeat of last weeks, highs in the mid 80’s and lows in the high 60’s with just a slight breeze most of the time, only one day in the middle of the week, Wednesday, when it picked up and blew pretty good. We had scattered clouds all week long, another week of perfect sunsets!
WATER: Water conditions were great this week again, with just the one-day, Wednesday, when the winds from the northwest made conditions on the Pacific side a little choppy. The swells remained small and wide apart on both sides of the Cape, and most days the Cortez side looked like a pool table, flat and smooth. Water temperatures on the Pacific side have dropped down quite a bit as the near-shore areas are showing most days at 76-78 degrees. The water farther offshore has also dropped several degrees into the same range. On the Cortez side of the Cape things have remained warm at 80-81 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito, Mackerel and Mullet were available at the now normal $3 each and there were Sardinas available up in the area of San Jose if you were there early, but they were pricey at $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The fishing for Striped Marlin is really something this year as once again the concentration of fish on the Golden Gate Bank amazes us. Boats that are really concentrating on the Marlin and are spending the time are releasing over 20 fish per day. Most of the fleet boats are trolling there and back and are getting two to five fish per trip. The fish are all in the 110-pound class and over. Working the bait balls between 150 and 200 feet deep with live bait caught on the spot has done the trick for most boats, the baits bought at the marina work for Dorado and an occasional Marlin, but matching the hatch with really fresh bait seems to do the trick. Elsewhere, there are a few scattered Marlin along the coast one to two miles off the beach on the Pacific side and a few showing up on the Cortez side close in as well.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: One boat this week got into a good bite on Yellowfin Tuna averaging 40 pounds while fishing the 77 spot, a high spot between the Golden Gate and San Jaime Banks. The fish had pushed up bait balls of Sardinas and would not hit artificials, so they drifted into one of the balls and scooped up several loads of Sardinas. That did the trick and they were almost limited out when a helicopter showed up and then as they were leaving the school, a tuna seiner showed up. Needless to say, there were no more fish to be found in that area the next day. There were larger fish north of the Golden Gate again, but it was a very slow pick on big fish, worth the work if you wanted quality, but with no guarantees at all of getting bit.
DORADO: The Dorado remained on the bite off of the beach on the Pacific side between the lighthouse and El Arco. Slow trolled live bait and fast trolled plastic lures worked well there, and they also did the job on fish that were on the Cortez side up around Punta Gorda. Most boats were able to get several fish between 12 and 20 pounds and there were a few larger ones to 40 pounds as well.
WAHOO: I heard that there was a good bite on Wahoo to 40 pounds up in the Punta Gorda area, and I know that there were Wahoo on the Pacific side. Of course, the fish on the Pacific side were just little ones; the bites were happening close to shore and a three-foot long Wahoo only weighs about 10 pounds. Some guys mistook them for large Sierra!
INSHORE: The Roosterfish bite seems to be dropping off and the cool water fish are showing up. Sierra and Yellowtail are beginning to be caught and the bottom fishing is picking up as well. With the calm waters though, most of the Cabo Pangas are working off of the beach searching for Dorado and Marlin.
NOTES: I got to play Palmilla again this week as well as Cabo Del Sol, maybe someday my golf skills will match the beauty of the courses I get to play! On another note, the Whales are here! We have seen Humpbacks every day we have gone out, and on one day this week there was a pod of three that kept doing full breaches and lots of tail lobbing, they did the full jumps in pairs and must have come out of the water a dozen times, really great action. Ok then, I am out of here, tight lines until next week!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 1-7, 2008

WEATHER: Our daytime highs reached the high 80's this week and our nightime lows were in the low 70's. There were partly cloudy skies most days as well. During the middle of the week the wind shifted and started coming out of the east and as Sunday approached it slowly moved back through the south, west and then the normal northwest direction.
WATER: Water conditions remained very nice again, and even the shift in wind direction had little effect other than making the Sea Of Cortez side if the Cape a bit choppy. It did not blow from any one direction long enoigh to set up swells. On the Cortez side the water remained several degrees warmer than the Pacific side, averaging 82 degrees. The swells remained slight at 1-3 feet. On the Pacific side the swells were moderate at 3-5 feet but spaced well apart. The water averaged 79 degrees with occasional light chop.
BAIT: Caballito were available at the normal $3 per bait, Mackerel were a "catch your own at Golden Gate Bank" bait and I did not hear if there were any sardinas.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin continued to bite for everyone, but there were a couple of slower days when they kept their mouths closed. Boats were averaging 2-5 hook-ups per trip at the Golden Gate but a few were able to be at the right place at the right time and do better, often releasing 6 or more fish. Matching the hatch by catching your own Mackerel was key to a decent catch rate. Farther to the north at the Finger Bank boats were consistently in double digit numbers, one of my friends released 30 marlin in three hours while fishing with very experienced anglers. Elsewhere the bite was slow, a few Stripers here, a few there with no concentration to be found

YELLOWFIN TUNA: We got out on Monday for a food trip, targetting Yellowfin. The focus was to the sought of the San Jaime Bank as a friend had reported there being a nice school of fish there. We went to the numbers and could not find a thing. We fianlly found some white-bellied dolphin in the middle of the San Jaime and were able to pick a double on the first pass, decent fish at 25 pounds. After working them for a while, and having to return soon, we did the run and gun, getting ahead of the moving pod of dolphin and dropping back two mackerel. That resulted in a double hook-up of 35-40 pound fish. That was it for the trip for us. Other boats reported the same slow pick results from small pods of dolphin both to the south of us and slightly to the north and west. Boats that ventured much farther north (private boats on multi-day trips) reported continued good action on fish in the 100-200 pound class usinf live bait on downriggers and on kites.
DORADO: Once again the Dorado remained on the bite off of the beach on the Pacific side between the lighthouse and El Arco. Slow trolled live bait and fast trolled plastic lures worked well there, and they also did the job on fish that were on the Cortez side up around Punta Gorda. Most boats were able to get several fish between 12 and 20 pounds and there were a few larger ones to 40 pounds as well. A few of the boats on the Pacific side were able to get schools of Dorado behind an already hooked fish and were able to catch limits.
WAHOO: There were a few nice Wahoo taken this week ranging in size from 20 to 40 pounds. Most of the action was around the rocky points on the Pacific side or up around Punta Gorda on the Cortez side of the Cape. A few boats working the Finger Bank reported multiple strikes as well while trolling lures. A few fish were reported caught while blind trolling offshore.
INSHORE: I saw a few Pangas coming in with nice Sierra to 9 pounds, a few with a lot more fish but smaller in size, a few decent Yellowtail to 25 pounds, a few nice Grouper to 20 pounds. There were quite a few Dorado caught just off the beach as well.
NOTES: As you can tell from the report, the fishing has been good this week, a bit on and off day to day but good overall. With the economy the way it is you can probably get some excellent deals on rooms in Cabo right now, and since fuel prices are back down it might result in cheaper air fares as well. Treat yourself to an early Christmas present, come to Cabo and get some fishing in! This weeks report was written to the music of "The Marmalades" . a mostly cover band from the 60's. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 12/10/2008
REPORT #1144 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/ufsccov.jpg
A limited number of copies of The Unforgettable Sea of Cortez is now available for purchase online. Complete details may be found on this page:

http://www.mexfish.com/apgs/ufsc/ufsc.htm

December is here and another Baja winter has begun to set in. If you look at the moderate temperatures for the different areas, it seems odd to be declaring the end of fall and arrival of winter, but Baja winters are more about wind then cold. Of course the wind is welcome if your interest is wind-driven like wind surfing or kite boarding, but for the rest of us, whose interest is fishing, it is definitely unwelcome.
For the few anglers who are interested, there are plenty of sierra and small roosters inshore and along the beach. The big news this week was a wahoo snap at Punta Colorada which caused a flurry of IM’s and hastily written emails. Will it last? Probably not, but it was fun while it lasted for a few lucky ones.
Most locals are claiming this is the slowest December in recent memory in terms of the number of visitors. Two hotels are basically closed for the month and the some of the others are wishing they were.

Gary Graham

Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 63-85
Humidity 73%
Wind: NNW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:33 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

A windy week with slower fishing in all the ‘stock’ spots seems to indicate that the fall season is winding down here as well. The number of boats fishing the area has dwindled. Reports are that the bite below Punta Tosca has moved farther south toward Cabo.

In the Esteros the snook to 15 lbs., corvina and grouper finally decided to bite and it was limits for the few boats fishing

I attended a Tuna Club luncheon yesterday and spoke with Steve Bridges who had recently returned from one of the best Magdalena Bay fishing adventures he had experienced on his boat, the Honey. Steve regaled everyone with the remarkable volume of fish they had found. Upon their return, the crew discovered half a dozen ‘spikes’ broken off in the hull of the Honey from retaliating, angry marlin. The story reminded me of one of Southern California’s legendary anglers, John Tanner, who owned the Twin B. John had the same experience with angry marlin several times back in the old days off of the San Diego coast. He had proudly drawn ‘bulls eyes’ around the impaled bills to go along with the sharks teeth that he always had painted on the bow of his boat.

Gary Graham

Water temperature 72 - 76
Air temperature 50 -85
Humidity 87 %
Wind: WNW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:02 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:38 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The blue water is just a couple of miles off the beach, the seas are very calm, all conditions favorable, and the fishing is poor. We are all scratching our heads trying to figure it out. Some of the guys are making 25 to 30 mile runs, while others are working the close-in areas, and nobody is getting much more than a strike or two all day…on any kind of a fish.
Martin, on the Nautilus, came over to my house and told me how he and Paul Phillips couldn't get anything in the blue water. Adolfo on the panga, Dos Hermanos, and Arturo on the panga, Janeth, told me there were no roosters to the north, which I already knew from a trip up there with fly fishing client Kacey Halligan of Seattle.
Cheva, on the panga, Dos Hermanos II, lives close to me so I gave him a ride back from the pier yesterday afternoon. He told me he found lots of big jack crevalle 8 to 10 miles south in the Barra Potosi area, but the client wanted roosters. They went 26 miles south to the antennas without a strike. On the way back, they got back into the big jacks and caught a few of the 18 to 20 pound hard fighting fish to wrap up the day.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 72-86
Humidity 77%
Wind: ENE at 2
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:07 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:12 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin continued to bite for everyone, but there were a couple of slower days when they kept their mouths closed. Boats were averaging 2-5 hook-ups per trip at the Golden Gate but a few were able to be at the right place at the right time and do better, often releasing 6 or more fish. Matching the hatch by catching your own Mackerel was key to a decent catch rate. Farther to the north at the Finger Bank boats were consistently in double digit numbers, one of my friends released 30 marlin in three hours while fishing with very experienced anglers. Elsewhere the bite was slow, a few Stripers here, a few there with no concentration to be found
YELLOWFIN TUNA: We got out on Monday for a food trip, targeting yellowfin. The focus was to the south of the San Jaime Bank (a friend had reported there being a nice school of fish there). We went to the numbers and could not find a thing. We finally found some white-bellied dolphin in the middle of the San Jaime and were able to pick a double on the first pass - decent fish at 25 pounds. After working them for awhile, and having to return soon, we did the ‘run and gun’, getting ahead of the moving pod of dolphin and dropping back two mackerel. That resulted in a double hook-up of 35-40 pound fish. That was it for the trip for us. Other boats reported the same slow pick results from small pods of dolphin both to the south of us and slightly to the north and west. Boats that ventured much farther north (private boats on multi-day trips) reported continued good action on fish in the 100-200 pound class using live bait on downriggers and on kites.
DORADO: Once again the dorado remained ‘on the bite’ off of the beach on the Pacific side between the lighthouse and El Arco. Slow trolled live bait and fast trolled plastic lures worked well there, and they also did the job on fish that were on the Cortez side up around Punta Gorda. Most boats were able to get several fish between 12 and 20 pounds and there were a few larger ones to 40 pounds as well. A few of the boats on the Pacific side were able to get schools of dorado behind an already hooked fish and were able to catch limits.
WAHOO: There were a few nice wahoo taken this week ranging in size from 20 to 40 pounds. Most of the action was around the rocky points on the Pacific side or up around Punta Gorda on the Cortez side of the Cape. A few boats working the Finger Bank reported multiple strikes as well while trolling lures. A few fish were reported caught while blind trolling offshore.
INSHORE: I saw a few pangas coming in with nice sierra to 9 pounds, and some coming in with a lot more fish but smaller in size. There were a few decent yellowtail to 25 pounds, and a few nice grouper to 20 pounds. There were quite a few dorado caught just off the beach as well.

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 73 - 82
Air temperature 63 - 82
Humidity 74%
Wind: WNW 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:35 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 8-14, 2008

WEATHER: We had a couple of days this week when the temperature dropped to 64 degrees early in the morning. For the most part our daytime highs were in the mid to low 80’s. We experienced partly cloudy skies to mostly cloudy skies all week and had a couple of days early in the week when we had 10-15 knot winds from the northwest.
WATER: Once again the water remained great for most of the week although we did have a day when the winds blew that the conditions became a bit choppy on the Pacific side. The cloud cover did not allow for any good reading of the surface temperatures but I was out there several times and on the Pacific side we had temperatures of 76-78 degrees around the Golden Gate Bank and cool 72 degree water at the arch. Water was reported warmer on the Cortez side with a decent break running north/south across the 95 spot early in the week, but by all reports that break has broken up and now the water up to the Punta Gorda area has cooled to 76 degrees. Up past Punta Gorda it has remained warmer at 78 to 80 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito were available at the normal $3 per bait, most of them were small ones, Mackerel were a "catch your own at Golden Gate Bank" bait and I still do not know if there are any Sardinas available.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The fantastic Striped Marlin bite at the Golden Gate Bank continued for another week, but at the end of the week the bite had turned into an afternoon experience as we worked our way through a full moon phase and the fish fed all night. It was common for boats to return after having released half-dozen Stripers and a few boats did double-digit numbers. Along with the Striped Marlin were hordes of seals and sea lions; it was often very difficult to keep your bait away from them as they followed the pods of Marlin around waiting for the bait to be chased up. I overheard a few boats up at the Finger Banks and the activity there pretty much mirrored that at Golden Gate, but there were fewer boats to compete against and there was also the chance of hooking up a bit Yellowfin.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: I know of one boat that did well on Yellowfin this week outside the San Jaime Bank. They got into a pod of Porpoise and were the only boat there, landing 30 Yellowfin to 80 pounds and keeping seven of them. They also said they lost one fish around 180 pounds just before being able to grab the leader. Other than that, there were only occasional fish caught, but there were big fish seen. Early in the morning at the Golden Gate boats were seeing large Tuna estimated at #200+ clearing the water, but that activity was short lived, as soon as several boats had shown up the fish went down. There were still some nice fish reported farther to the north but that was too long a run for most of the boats.
DORADO: The only place that I heard of having a decent Dorado bite was just off the beach between the lighthouse on the Pacific side and the beach to the inside of the Golden Gate Bank. Within a mile of the shore boats were picking up between one and five Dorado, some of them very nice fish around 25 pounds, but most of them around 15 pounds. There were some fish up around the Punta Gorda area from what I overheard, but I could not get any information on numbers or sizes.
WAHOO: This week was a repeat of last week on the Wahoo. There were a few nice Wahoo taken this week ranging in size from 20 to 40 pounds. Most of the action was around the rocky points on the Pacific side or up around Punta Gorda on the Cortez side of the Cape. A few boats working the Finger Bank reported multiple strikes as well while trolling lures. A few fish were reported caught while blind trolling offshore.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week, I saw a few Pangas coming in with nice Sierra to 9 pounds, a few with a lot more fish but smaller in size, a few decent Yellowtail to 25 pounds, a few nice Grouper to 20 pounds. There were quite a few Dorado caught just off the beach as well.
NOTES: No golf for me this week, lots of boat work and a few days fishing instead, but that is a good thing, right? I saw Humpback Whales, Finback Whales and Gray Whales this week. This weeks report was written to the sounds of Led Zeppelin on the 1997 release “Re-mastered”, a bit different from my normal fare but it did bring back memories.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 12/17/2008
REPORT #1145 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/12.17.08.david.lee.gif
Two of David Lee's best catches, what a difference a day makes look at the surf
Water temperatures still in the high 70’s continue to produce a few stripers and dorado for the few boats heading out. All the hotels opened have few visitors.

The action seemed to be split about fifty- fifty between off of Punta Pescadero and La Ribera. Probably depends on the wind, when the Captains think the north

wind will blow they tend to point the boat up toward Punta Pescadero so the ride downhill back to the hotel when the wind kicks up.

The other benefit of the warm water is the sardina are still abundant along the beaches from Rancho Buena Vista to Punta Colrada according to our friend

David Lee. He and Candida experienced slow to good fishing for almost two weeks. Fishing from the beach from Lighthouse Estates to Punta Colorada.

They landed 18 different species; roosterfish, sierra, toro , ladyfish , leopard Grouper , flag cabrilla , barred pargo , yellow snapper , yellowfin croaker , halibut ,

pacific porgy , lookdown , needlefish , cornet fish , bullseye puffer , and three miscellaneous. . One of th3 sierra weighed in at fourteen pounds a possible new

IGFA record and also a fifteen pound rooster both on the fly.

During their trip they were blown out for 3 days and had some wind in the afternoon on the other days.

Speaking of sierra the Tin boat fleet is catching them early morning tight to the beach. If they would stay in an area where they get bit instead of straight lining

up and down the beach they could really whack them.

Lance also sent in the following update: I've been hitting the beach early the last few days and finding some good action on a mixed bag of small roosterfish,

jack crevalle, green jacks, ladyfish, pompano and a few sierra. Most of the roosters are small but there are a few bigger fish here and there.

I landed one of about 8 lb's yesterday. Schools of milling jack crevalle are making an appearance near the beach with most of them being about 10lb's.

Yesterday there were what appeared to be skipjacks feeding and leaping just offshore. Every now and then they would crash the beach but it was a super quick

bust and very tough to get a fly on them. All in all, there's some fun morning fishing when the wind is down.

Seeing whales frequently now. The last 2 days there were a number of them spouting and breaching off shore
.
Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 61-78
Humidity 80%
Wind: N 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:55 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:36 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Windy conditions and big swells made it impossible to go out through Boca de Soledad. Which was frustrating because the dorado and tuna were inside of ten

miles off the beach.

Of course, the estero action was not affected by all that nonsense. The leopard groupers have been going off for several weeks must be all the shrimp in the

bay right now. Throw in a few snook weighing in and who cares if they can’t get outside in the open water.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 72 - 76
Air temperature 56 -72
Humidity 85 %
Wind: NNW 11 to 14 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:06 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:41 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Fishing did pick up this week, and we anticipate it to get better each day as we get out of the full moon phase. By this time next week, we should be back into

some very good action.

Early in the week, Santiago on the panga Gitana, fished with Harry Schuler of Los Angeles and released 3 sailfish. They also picked up a nice 20 pound dorado.

Terry Carter from Iowa fly fished two days with Adan on the panga Gitana II. On the first day they got a very nice 40 pound dorado, and then on the second day

released two sailfish.

Joe Carroll of Atlanta caught two sailfish with Captain Mecate on the Aqua Azul.

Bob Beck of British Columbia is here trying to get his first blue marlin on the fly. He is fishing with guide Paul Phillips on the panga Huntress. In three days of

fishing, they have raised 3 blue marlin and a few sailfish. Two of the marlin did not want the fly and the third inhaled it. But, a poor hook set sent him off to

parts unknown. He still has a couple of days left, and will probably get it done.
Inshore is not seeing much action. Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, reports lots of sierra, but not much else.

Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 72-87
Humidity 61%
Wind: NE at 3
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:15 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

BILLFISH: The fantastic Striped Marlin bite at the Golden Gate Bank continued for another week, but at the end of the week the bite had turned into an

afternoon experience as we worked our way through a full moon phase and the fish fed all night. It was common for boats to return after having released half

-dozen Stripers and a few boats did double-digit numbers. Along with the Striped Marlin were hordes of seals and sea lions; it was often very difficult to keep

your bait away from them as they followed the pods of Marlin around waiting for the bait to be chased up. I overheard a few boats up at the Finger Banks and

the activity there pretty much mirrored that at Golden Gate, but there were fewer boats to compete against and there was also the chance of hooking up a big

Yellowfin.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: I know of one boat that did well on Yellowfin this week outside the San Jaime Bank. They got into a pod of Porpoise and were the

only boat there, landing 30 Yellowfin to 80 pounds and keeping seven of them. They also said they lost one fish around 180 pounds just before being able to

grab the leader. Other than that, there were only occasional fish caught, but there were big fish seen. Early in the morning at the Golden Gate boats were

seeing large Tuna estimated at #200+ clearing the water, but that activity was short lived, as soon as several boats had shown up the fish went down.

DORADO: The only place that I heard of having a decent Dorado bite was just off the beach between the lighthouse on the Pacific side and the beach to

the inside of the Golden Gate Bank. Within a mile of the shore boats were picking up between one and five Dorado, some of them very nice fish around 25

pounds, but most of them around 15 pounds.

WAHOO: This week was a repeat of last week on the Wahoo. There were a few nice Wahoo taken this week ranging in size from 20 to 40 pounds. Most

of the action was around the rocky points on the Pacific side or up around Punta Gorda on the Cortez side of the Cape. A few boats working the Finger Bank

reported multiple strikes as well while trolling lures. A few fish were reported caught while blind trolling offshore.

INSHORE: A repeat of last week, I saw a few Pangas coming in with nice Sierra to 9 pounds, a few with a lot more fish but smaller in size, a few decent

Yellowtail to 25 pounds, a few nice Grouper to 20 pounds. There were quite a few Dorado caught just off the beach as well.

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 73 - 82
Air temperature 63 - 83
Humidity 83%
Wind: WNW 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:55 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:38 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 15-21, 2008

WEATHER: We continued with the cool, overcast conditions for most of last week. We did see a couple of days with plenty of sun, but for the most part it was partly to mostly cloudy. Our daytime highs were in the mid 80’s and our nighttime lows remained in the mid to high 60’s.
WATER: With light winds most of the week the only rough times at sea were early in the morning between the lighthouse and the Arch, past there things calmed down, the swells were at 3-6 feet but there was plenty of space between them and not too much wind. On the Cortez side of the cape things were much smoother with swells at 1-3 feet between Cabo and Punta Gorda, and almost glass-like conditions. Water temperatures remained in the mid to high 70’s throughout the area except for early in the week when 80 degree water showed on the San Jaime Bank and right next to shore past the arch we had 74 degree water. At the end of the week there was a pretty strong demarcation at the 1,000-fathom line directly south of the Cape where 80-degree water on the outside met 78-degree water on the inside.
BAIT: Caballito were available at the normal $3 per bait, most of them were small ones, Mackerel were”catch your own at Golden Gate Bank" bait and conditions and water temperatures have not been good for Sardinas.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite dropped off just a bit at the Golden Gate Bank but boats were still piling up the numbers with several methods. Drifting with live Mackerel both on the surface and dropped down to 100 feet or so worked well, as did slow trolling live Mackerel through the area. Probably the most exciting and frustrating method was to wait until the fish could be seen feeding on the surface, indicated by birds diving, running to the fish and then throwing live bait into the area. Combat fishing at it’s finest; many fish were cut off by other boats trying to do the same thing. Elsewhere there were a few Striped Marlin caught along the beach on the Pacific side and up around the San Jose area.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: An occasional school showed up around the San Jaime Bank this week and fish to 60-80 pounds were caught, but they did not stay in the area for long. Boats fishing live bait deep for Marlin at the Golden Gate Bank also caught a few nice fish to 150 pounds. I heard reports that boats fishing from the Puerto Los Cabos Marinas in San Jose were getting fish to 80 pounds on a fairly regular basis but have no other information on that.
DORADO: The Dorado bite was a repeat of last weeks and I don’t know if it will last much longer as the water continues to cool down. The only place that I heard of having a decent Dorado bite was just off the beach between the lighthouse on the Pacific side and the beach to the inside of the Golden Gate Bank. Within a mile of the shore boats were picking up between one and five Dorado, some of them very nice fish around 25 pounds, but most of them around 15 pounds. There were some fish up around the Punta Gorda area from what I overheard, but I could not get any information on numbers or sizes.
WAHOO: I didn’t hear of any Wahoo being caught this week.
INSHORE: The cooler water has brought the beginning of the Yellowtail and Sierra fishing with it. Pangas working off of the rocky points on both the Pacific and the Cortez side were able to get into some decent fishing for both these species as well as some nice Pargo right in amongst the rocks.
NOTES: Just a reminder of how important communication is. I had a client this week that I thought had told me that he and his buddy wanted “lots of action, plenty of fish, and a Marlin would be ok”. This is what I told the captain so they went looking for Dorado and Tuna. I received a note from him later that after having caught only two Dorado on the boat we had booked for them, they had booked another boat and that based on the results and what they had observed, our crew had “not really been trying for Marlin, which is what we had wanted to target”. Please be sure you clarify things with the captain when you get on the boat. Have a Very Merry Christmas! Or Happy Hanukah Until next week, tight lines.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 12/2t/2008
REPORT #1146 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape

http://www.bajafly.com/report/12.24.08.xmas.gif
You gotta’ love Christmas in Baja…perfect weather with the sierra snapping at anything thrown at them. Then just a few miles farther offshore, the dorado are still mingling about. Offshore who knows? Everyone was scurrying about doing last minute Christmas shopping or toasting the holidays with a margarita or two. Which reminds us, MERRY CHRISTMAS and we hope to see you here in Baja in 2009!
Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 61-80
Humidity 77%
Wind: NNE 5 to 6 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:58 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:38 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

There are still some dorado and tuna about ten miles out but there are few takers on the angling side. There are only a few visitors and even less who are interested in going offshore.

Even the inshore took a back seat to the Christmas festivities.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 72 - 76
Air temperature 58 -77
Humidity 88 %
Wind: E 14 to 19 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:09 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:43 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Fishing certainly has picked up. The blue water is close, and the boats are getting most of their fish around the 11 mile mark. Each boat in the fleet is getting an average of three to four sailfish a day. three days, with each successive day getting better and better. They totaled 18 sailfish released and they also took three nice dorado. They started on Saturday, with yesterday (Tuesday) being their best day, with 9 sailfish and 1 dorado.

Inshore, there have been a lot of jack crevalle and sierra around, giving the light line angler a great day on the water.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 68-86
Humidity 72%
Wind: NE at 3
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:18 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 22-28, 2008

WEATHER: Our coldest night this week was last night as the reading on the meter showed 65 degrees. All the other days it has been in the high 60’s. Our daytime highs have been in the high 70’s to low 80’s and we had a clear Christmas day, but clouds have moved into the area since then.
WATER: The water on the Pacific side has been in the low 70’s almost all week and there were a few days at the end of the week where it got a little choppy as the clouds moved in, but it was not bad. On the Cortez side the water has remained in the high 70’s and the swells have been small and there has been no wind chop.
BAIT: Caballito were available at the normal $3 per bait, most of them were small ones, Mackerel were”catch your own at Golden Gate Bank" bait and Sardinas were available up at San Jose for around $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Marlin bite remained the same but the fish have moved off the Golden Gate Bank a bit. There are still plenty of fish there, but with the number of boats working the area causing traffic problems at times, some of the guys have been working to the south toward the San Jaime Bank and have been finding the Striped Marlin there as well. Not the same numbers as at the Golden Gate, but the pressure is less. The same methods have been working, drifting with live bait set deep, slow trolling live bait on the surface and casting bait at fish seen in bait balls. This week the plastics have been working fairly well also with the best colors being the Petrelero.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Tuna were scarce once again, but a few fish were showing up mixed in with the porpoise around the San Jaime Bank. These fish ranged in size from 10 to 40 pounds with an occasional larger fish to 80 pounds hooked up. The larger fish were caught on live bait sunk to 50 feet in front of the moving pods of porpoise.
DORADO: The Dorado bite was decent this week with fish coming from close to the beach on the Pacific side, most of them within a mile or so, but a few were in the deeper water as well. The warmer water on the Cortez side of the Cape started to produce as we expected and there were good catches of fish to 35 pounds around the Red Hill area and off of Grey Rock. Slow trolled live bait worked well once you found the area where the fish were concentrated. Average catch on Dorado for boats focusing on them was about 6 fish per boat.
WAHOO: Once again I didn’t hear of any Wahoo being caught this week.
INSHORE: Panga fishing this week has produced good numbers of small Roosterfish, some nice Sierra and Yellowtail along with a few good-sized Pargo. Fly fishermen have been having a blast with the occasional Dorado and good numbers of Bonita, chumming them up with live Sardinas.
NOTES: This has been a very interesting and productive year for us, the fish have been biting well and while the economy has had an effect on bookings the fish don’t seem to care! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and that you celebrate the New Year in style! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 12/31/2008
REPORT #1147 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
2008
Looking back, our fishing season was largely spent on the beach in pursuit of roosterfish on the fly. So, as to be expected, it was wind and waves that determined when the ingredients for successful fishing would come together.
As the winter months faded into spring, the opportunities on the beach increased as the North wind subsided. Early season found the usual ‘fast movers’ (jack crevalle and roosterfish) within range of a fly from shore. But it was a few big yellowtail in March that made for the most noteworthy targets from shore.
While the roosterfish are not often big early in the year, the potential for a grande pez gallo is always there, and by spring the reality of roosters pushing the 50 pound mark (and beyond) made every day on the beach interesting to say the least.
Good numbers of big roosterfish made an appearance at the East Cape in 2008 but finding yourself on the right beach, at the right time, with fish ready to eat a fly was critical. When it all came together, countless hours on the hunt paid off in memorable action and a few amazing fish. Beyond playing the rooster game there were ample opportunities for several other species including sierra, pompano and pargo. Lance Peterson, BOF Guide

2009
The last days of 2008 have provided some great weather and calm seas. The early morning bite has been consistent, providing action on a mixed bag of fish. Most of the roosterfish are under 5 pounds as is usually the case in the winter, but there are some bigger fish around also. I have spotted two roosters in the 30 pound class recently, giving hope to the idea of hooking big fish from shore in the winter months.
Of course, I can't help but look ahead to spring, the last of the North winds, and the best months for hunting roosterfish with a fly. The sardina have been concentrating quite well along the shoreline. If that trend continues, I'm optimistic that we will see great fishing at East Cape in the coming year...it's all a matter of being there when the bite is on!
Lance Peterson, BOF Guide
Water temperature 71-76
Air temperature 60-80
Humidity 55%
Wind: NNW 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 7:01 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:43 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Dropping sea temps have slowed the offshore fishing. However, one boat fishing the Thetis reported good catches of yellowtail. There are also some smaller yellowtail, as well as sierra, at the Entrada.

Estero action provided some grouper under ten pounds along with some good surface action for corvina.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 58 -79
Humidity 44 %
Wind: WNW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:48 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
http://www.bajafly.com/report/12.31.08.zsail.gif
Fly angler: Chris Sovak, New York
Location: Mahuja, North of Zihuatanejo about 30 miles
Guide and photo by Ed Kunze

2008
This last year was really kind of a disappointment for fishing here on the West Coast of Mexico. During the peak of the high season, we had unusual cold water currents move in, which caused our warm water game fish to leave for parts unknown. We look at this as not being a long term affect, rather a short term 10-year cycle about to repeat itself.
2009
This coming year should prove this out as our blue 80º water is currently just off the beach, and the fishing is outstanding. Sailfish action will peak during the dark of the moon periods for January and February, with another mini-migration occurring in July. Roosterfish action will heat up in May, and peak at the end of July, but we will still be getting decent fishing into late December. Blue marlin and yellowfin tuna will be best in May and June.

Our fishing is continuing its excellent action on sailfish. The 82º blue water is just off the beach, with most of the fish being taken between 7 and 10 miles.

The yellowfin tuna are still a ‘no show’, but a few blue marlin and dorado are being taken.
Mecate, on the boat Aqua Azul, is averaging 7 sailfish a day released. He has a total of 34 releases in 5 days, but many other boats are doing almost as well.

Plus, the fly fishermen are finally getting a number of shots at sailfish and a decent chance for a hookup. Fishing with Andre Padovanti, of British Columbia, we teased four fish to the boat and he got the hook into two. We were up at Mahuaja fishing with Ramon on his open panga, and launched off the beach.

A couple of days later I went back to Mahauja with Chris Sovak of New York. The fish had apparently moved out of the area, because we raised only one fish all day. At 11:00 a.m., we got the strike, teased it to the boat, and Chris got a good hook set, with the fly firmly in the corner of its mouth. It was Chris's first ever billfish, either on the fly or conventional gear, so it turned out to be a decent day after all.

The next day (yesterday), I went down to Puerto Vicente Guerrero with Joe and Denette Romano. Joe is a hunting/fishing guide out of Anchorage and an avid fly fisher. We raised six sails, and had four come to the boat. He hooked two, and she hooked one.
Inshore action is still holding steady with lots of sierra and smaller sized jack crevalle.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 71-88
Humidity 65%
Wind: SW at 12mph
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 7:18 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:23 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

2008 This has been a very interesting and productive year for us, the fish have been biting well and while the economy has had an effect on bookings the fish don’t seem to care! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and that you celebrate the New Year in style.

BILLFISH: The marlin bite remained the same but the fish have moved off the Golden Gate Bank a bit. There are still plenty of fish there, but with the number of boats working the area causing traffic problems at times, some of the guys have been working to the south toward the San Jaime Bank and have been finding the striped marlin there as well. Not the same numbers as at the Golden Gate, but the pressure is less.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: Tuna were scarce once again, but a few fish were showing up mixed in with the porpoise around the San Jaime Bank. These fish ranged in size from 10 to 40 pounds with an occasional larger fish to 80 pounds hooked up.

DORADO: The dorado bite was decent this week with fish coming from close to the beach on the Pacific side, most of them within a mile or so, but a few were in the deeper water as well. The warmer water on the Cortez side of the Cape started to produce as we expected and there were good catches of fish to 35 pounds around the Red Hill area and off of Grey Rock.

INSHORE: Panga fishing this week has produced good numbers of small roosterfish, some nice sierra and yellowtail along with a few good-sized pargo. Fly fishermen have been having a blast with the occasional dorado and good numbers of bonita, chumming them up with live sardina.

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 73 - 82
Air temperature 61 - 86
Humidity 34%
Wind: SW at 12mph
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 7:01 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:46 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 29, 2008 -January 4, 2009

WEATHER: Our new year started out with partly cloudy skies and nighttime lows in the mid to low 60’s. As we approached the end of the week things warmed up a bit and the lows were in the high 60’s while the daytime highs remained in the high 70’s and low 80’s.
WATER: The was no change in the water conditions from what we had during Christmas. The water on the Pacific side remained in the low 70’s almost all week and became a little choppy in the afternoons when the winds picked up. The swells increased in size later in the week, or the direction they came form changed, either way, on the Pacific side we had swells at 3-5 feet. On the Cortez side the water has remained in the high 70’s and the swells have been small and there has been no wind chop.
BAIT: Caballito and Mackerel were available at the normal $3 per bait, most of the Caballito were small ones, the mackerel were larger. You could still catch plenty of Mackerel at the Golden Gate Bank if you ran out. Sardinas were available at Palmilla for an average of $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Still the fish of the week, Striped Marlin continued to bite week at the Golden Gate Bank. Catch rates varied from between 17 fish to two fish per day, depending on the length of time spent there and the experience of the anglers. Running to the diving Pelicans and Frigates and throwing a couple of live baits in among the feeding seals and Marlin resulted in many hook-ups, both on Marlin and on Pelicans. The other day we released three Marlin and three Pelicans in an hour. Slow trolling live bait also worked very well. Drifting with live bait set deep did not seem to do as well at the Gate this week. Another area where the Striped Marlin began to show was just off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. Along the flats at the point the bait has begun to stack up and many boats have been saving time by fishing there instead of making the run to the Golden Gate Bank. The fishing has not been quite as good, but that should change soon. Elsewhere, there have been a few fish caught on the Cortez side of the Cape, but most of the fish seen in that area have been sleepers.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin remained scarce this past week. A few football-sized fish are beginning to show up off of the Westin area on the Cortez side of the Cape, the same area where we had such a good time catching them on light tackle last year, just a few miles off shore. Using live Sardinas as chum and bait resulted in catches of up to 6 fish per boat. There were also a few fish 15-20 pounds found among Porpoise off of Gray Rock late in the week, and the same type of action was occasionally found 8-10 miles off the beach on the way to the San Jaime Bank on the Pacific side.
DORADO: There were decent catches of Dorado this week from the Pacific side of the Cape just a few miles off the beach. For some reason these seemed to be fish that averaged 12 pounds. Farther off shore at 10 or more miles the fish seemed to be bigger, one boat came in with three Dorado, all of them over 35 pounds. Slow trolling live bait seemed to work best on the Pacific side. On the Cortez side there was fair action up around Punta Gorda about two miles off the beach. Again, slow trolling live bait worked best, but pulling lures at 8 knots or more also resulted in fish being brought in.
WAHOO: I heard of a few Wahoo being hooked up but none being brought in.
INSHORE: Near the beach things have been very good. Friends of mine managed to catch and release a Roosterfish of 50+ pounds just to the east of the lighthouse one day, and clients of ours have had a blast on small Roosterfish ranging from 5 pounds to 15 pounds. The Sierra bite is getting better with some very nice fish to 8 pounds being caught. I saw one fish caught from a commercial Panga that may have been 12 pounds. A few nice sized Pargo have been found among the rocks on the Pacific side and I have seen some good grouper to 30 pounds being brought in as well.
NOTES: Happy New Year everyone! As a side note, there have been quite a few Mako sharks, small ones, being caught up at the Golden Gate Bank. That has been a prelude to the southern movement of the Striped Marlin in the past, so it is very possible that the Marlin action will move closer to us pretty soon. Also, there have been plenty of Humpback Whales out there and watching them for a little bit has really been a treat. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Good-to-Great Greets 2009
Endless Season Update 01/07/2009
REPORT #1148 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/01.07.09.sierra.gif
Sierra...Don't forget the wire!
Winter conditions persist with sporadic north winds dictating the quality of fishing each day. There are still

reasonable quantities of fish to be found on the good (no wind) days.

Though none of the hotels have more than a few guests and the number of boats going out is light, when they do

go out, it is more often than not for half a day until the wind gets them.

In spite of the fact that most of the boats are fishing within 5 miles of shore, the catches have been remarkably

good. Plenty of marlin are found tailing down-swell with an occasional bite yielding a fish per day for those

targeting them.

Dorado in January? You bet…a few fish are being caught from 5 to 35 pounds, mostly free swimmers in open

water.

Sierra continues to be the go to’ fish when nothing else wants to bite or the boats are forced to remain near the

shore.

Water temperature 71-76
Air temperature 57-81
Humidity 76%
Wind: NNW 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:48 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

As usual, sportfishing has taken a backseat to Magdalena Bay’s other cash crop…whale watching.

With a few whales beginning to arrive and the promise of more to follow, everyone is focused on preparations for

the visitors wanting to get up ‘close and personal’ with these friendly giants of the sea and their newborn.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 52 -79
Humidity 44 %
Wind: W 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:13 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:53 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Our fantastic sailfish action has not let up, plus we are seeing more 20+ pound dorado each day. The 82º blue

water is just 8 miles off the beach, with almost all the fishing action taking place between the 10 and 15 mile

areas.

Jaime Morales, the owner of the Vamonos fleet, told me the Vamonos I fished three days, accounting for nineteen

sailfish, four dorado, and one small blue marlin. The Vamonos II had five sails and two dorado for one day, and the

Vamonos III had seven sails and one dorado for one day.
Martin on the Nautilus, and Margarito on the Gaby, both told me they are getting an average of five to seven

sailfish and two dorado a day.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 71-91
Humidity 77%
Wind: SW at 2 mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:19 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:26 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
January 5-11, 2009

WEATHER: This week saw partly to mostly cloudy skies in the Cape areas. Daytime temperatures were in the high 70’s to low 80’s and the nighttime lows were as low as 58 degrees early in the week, raising to the low 60’s near the end of the week. Winds were light for the most part with a slight kick up in speed later in the afternoons.
WATER: Water conditions remained much the same as last week with only a degree drop across the area. This means that on the Pacific side of the Cape most of the water was around 72-73 degrees with a few spots of 70 degree water, while on the Cortez side the water was 73-75 degrees up to Punta Gorda, and later in the week it dropped to 70 degrees past there..
BAIT: A repeat of last week, Caballito and Mackerel were available at the normal $3 per bait, most of the Caballito were small ones, the mackerel were larger. You could still catch plenty of Mackerel at the Golden Gate Bank if you ran out. Sardinas were available at Palmilla for an average of $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There was no change from last weeks situation for the Striped marlin, still the fish of the week, they continued to bite at the Golden Gate Bank. Catch rates varied from between 10 fish to two fish per day, depending on the length of time spent there and the experience of the anglers. Running to the diving Pelicans and Frigates and throwing a couple of live baits in among the feeding seals and Marlin resulted in many hook-ups, both on Marlin and on Pelicans. We had clients on Saturday release 6 nice fish. Slow trolling live bait also worked very well. Drifting with live bait set deep did not seem to do as well at the Gate this week. Another area where the Striped Marlin began to show was just off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. Along the flats at the point the bait has begun to stack up and many boats have been saving time by fishing there instead of making the run to the Golden Gate Bank. The fishing has not been quite as good, but that should change soon. Elsewhere, there have been a few fish caught on the Cortez side of the Cape, but most of the fish seen in that area have been sleepers.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin remained scarce this past week. A few football-sized fish are beginning to show up off of the Westin area on the Cortez side of the Cape, the same area where we had such a good time catching them on light tackle last year, just a few miles off shore. Using live Sardinas as chum and bait resulted in catches of up to 6 fish per boat. There were also a few fish 15-20 pounds found among Porpoise off of Gray Rock late in the week, and the same type of action was occasionally found 8-10 miles off the beach on the way to the San Jaime Bank on the Pacific side.
DORADO: There were decent catches of Dorado this week from the Pacific side of the Cape just a few miles off the beach. For some reason these seemed to be fish that averaged 12 pounds. Farther off shore at 10 or more miles the fish seemed to be bigger, one boat came in with three Dorado, all of them over 35 pounds. Slow trolling live bait seemed to work best on the Pacific side. On the Cortez side there was fair action up around Punta Gorda about two miles off the beach. Again, slow trolling live bait worked best, but pulling lures at 8 knots or more also resulted in fish being brought in.
WAHOO: What Hoo?
INSHORE: The Sierra bite is picking up and the fish are very nice size, between 8 and 10 pounds when you find the right areas. There are a few nice Yellowtail starting to pop up occasionally off of the Rocky points as well as some Pargo to 25 pounds right in the rocks. Many of the Pangas have been working just offshore for Dorado and Striped marlin and doing fairly well.
NOTES: As you can see from the report, there was very little change this week from last week as far as the fishing went. One change that happened was the rise in price of fishing licenses. A daily license now costs 140 pesos, a rise of 10 pesos, a weekly is now 290 pesos compared to 260 pesos and a yearly costs 540 pesos as opposed to 500 pesos. The whales are still out there and are a lot of fun to watch. I spent a total of 5 days visiting family this week, vacationing in sub-freezing conditions, now I know why I have spent the past 23 years in the tropics! Have fun everyone, and tight lines until next week!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 01/14/2009
REPORT #1149 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

The box below compares the cost of the 2009 Mexican Fishing licenses with the cost in 2008. The price of the

licenses actually went up about 8%. However, the peso rate increased in favor of the dollar by about 31%. The

lesson here is to purchase your Mexican License with pesos and it will be cheaper than it was last year.

Mexican Fishing license cost two year comparison
2008 1 USD =10.9076 MXN 2009 1 USD = 14.2829 MXN
2008 1 day license 130 pesos ($11.92) Weekly 260 pesos ($23.84) Annual 500 pesos
($45.84)
2009 1 day license 136 pesos
($9.17) Weekly 290 pesos ($20.30) Annual 540 pesos
($37.81)

There are few guests at the hotels so most of the boats are not heading out. North winds blew most of the week

creating a left over lump along the beach which prevented even the tin boat fleet from getting a couple of hours

fishing in before the relentless wind pounded the beach in the afternoon.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 57-77
Humidity 65%
Wind: NNW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:53 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The annual influx of tourists arrived in search of a close encounter with the rapidly growing number of whales that

have begun arriving from the North. Every year the number of visitors seems to grow. Meanwhile the fishing

almost comes to a standstill while the town puts on a short lived, eco-friendly image. An image that quickly

disappears when the ‘big guys’ leave.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 56 -78
Humidity 68 %
Wind: WSW 5 to 6 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:13 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:58 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

It is still only a short ride to the 83º blue water, and the outstanding fishing for sailfish continues. And, we were in

the middle of the full moon phase last week. It is hard to believe, but the great fishing we have now is going to

get even better in this next few weeks.

Each boat in the fleet is averaging between four and six sailfish a day, and at least one 20+ pound dorado. Most of

the blue water action is taking place between the 12 and 13 mile mark.
The individual counts are almost too numerous to list, but a few examples are like Martin on the Nautilius,

averaging five sailfish and a dorado per day, with a high day of nine sailfish released. Martin also hooked a large

blue marlin, but lost it after a few minutes. Annual returning fishermen,

Billy and Barbara Gray of Hilton head, South Carolina fished 3 days with Santiago on the panga, Gitana, releasing

19 sails, and then one day with Adan on the panga Gitana II, releasing seven. There is a large group of fishermen

from Denmark here now, and they are having a blast. The days they fish the blue water, they gets lots of sails and

dorado. The days they are inshore, they are getting lots of jack crevalle and sierras. The only thing missing

inshore are the roosters, but they will be back in May.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 73-89
Humidity 65%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:31 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
January 12-18, 2009

WEATHER: We had two very nice clear days this week, the 15th and 16th, the rest of the week was partly to mostly cloudy. Daytime temperatures were averaging the mid to low 80’s while the nighttime lows ranged from a low of 58 degrees on Monday to a high of 68 degrees on Saturday. Winds have been slight to non-existent this week.
WATER: With no wind this week the water remained almost like a pool, we did have one day, Friday, where the swells picked up just a bit in the afternoon, but most of the week we saw conditions that were perfect, swells at 1-3 feet and just a light breeze. On the Pacific side the water seemed a bit warmer at an average of 74-75 degrees as far west as 20 miles past the San Jaime and the Golden Gate Banks. This warm water extended to the south as well, as far as any of the fleet went, at least 60 miles. On the Cortez side of the Cape things were a bit cooler at an average of 72-73 degrees for water east of a north-south line through San Jose.
BAIT: A repeat of last week and the week before, Caballito and Mackerel were available at the normal $3 per bait, most of the Caballito were small ones, and the mackerel were larger. You could still catch plenty of Mackerel at the Golden Gate Bank if you ran out. Sardinas were available at Palmilla for an average of $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Once again Striped Marlin were the top fish, giving angler all the action they could wish for on most of the boats that worked the Golden Gate Bank. Not every day was a red-letter day though; we saw a definite slowing of the bite right around the full moon, several days either side of it seemed to be better. The same held true for the action we had been having on the Lighthouse ledge as the bite went from red-hot hot cool over three days. At the Golden Gate the better catches were had just before the full moon and boats that had experienced anglers were releasing double-digit numbers per day. That bite died to two or three fish per day during the full moon, and as of Saturday things had picked up very well. We had one group of non-experienced anglers release 6 Marlin between 8 am and 10:30 am, and then they went inshore for Dorado. Live Mackerel caught on site seemed to be the best bait by far, rigged dead bait came in just ahead of artificial lures, and those did not catch very many fish this week.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin remained scarce this past week. A few boats managed to get into some fish ranging from 20 to 50 pounds working due south of Cabo on Tuesday. On Wednesday the fish had moved north about 15 miles and on Thursday they could not be found again. Boats that got into the fish had great action, catching limits using cedar plugs and dropping live bait ahead of the moving fish. Elsewhere the Tuna bite was sporadic, with occasional small schools found scattered throughout the area.
DORADO: Once again the best action for Dorado appeared to be close to the beach on the Pacific side of the Cape. With an average size of 15 pounds, most boats were able to get two to five fish trolling live bait under areas where the frigate birds were hanging out, or trolling bright colored artificial lures within a mile of the beach. An occasional 35-pound fish added spice to the catch as well.
WAHOO: I have heard reports of a boat that has been getting several Wahoo every morning at gray light while fishing on the Cortez side just off the beach, but I have not been able to confirm that. Right now for most of the boats a Wahoo is a mystery fish!
INSHORE: There has been very little change in the inshore fishery this week. The Sierra bite is picking up and the fish are very nice size, between 8 and 10 pounds when you find the right areas. There are a few nice Yellowtails starting to pop up occasionally off of the Rocky points as well as some Pargo to 25 pounds right in the rocks. Many of the Pangas have been working just offshore for Dorado and Striped marlin and doing fairly well.
NOTES: We are still seeing plenty of Humpback Whales outside of the beach area but have not seen any Gray Whales yet, at least I haven’t. The Whale harassment fleet (whale watching charters, the small Panga guys) can be spotted right on top of the pods, often 10 boats at a time. Don’t forget, the price of fishing licenses has risen, even thought the price printed on the license has not changed. Until next week, tight lines! This weeks report was written to the music of Norah Jones, man what a voice that woman has!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 01/21/2009
REPORT #1150 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/elvis.gif
Elivis is the only one that likes the wind
Very few visitors in the hotels again this week with only a boat or two heading out on the non-windy days. One

Palmas boat returned yesterday sporting two blue flags with small red flags beneath. I guess that means they

caught something with a bill that they let go??? They also flew five yellow flags indicating dorado, I suppose. Most

of the locals have had to be content with sierra, small roosters and jacks before the north wind cranks up.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 62-73
Humidity 71%
Wind: NE 2 to 2 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:57 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/poster.gif
Lopez Mateos Copa Gobernador Tournament will take place January 30-February 1st
There will be a new category:
Estuary fishing for Adults and teenagers the rule states they can fish aboard pangas no bigger than 20 feet long,

prizes;
10,000, 7,500 and 5,000 pesos per category and for deep sea fishing the prizes are also very good, 5 places

50,000 pesos to 10,000 Dorado, Wahoo & Tuna. Program

Registration January 30th at Aquendi Restaurant, from 2:00 PM on
Fishing on January 31st
Awards ceremony on February 1st at 7:00 PM


Good news for the whale watchers….more whales! And for the surfers, the bigger surf has attracted surfers on Jet

Ski’s. Both of which have over shadowed the fishing this week. There were a few sierra and corvina along with a

few grouper and pargo deeper in the water column. Out at the Entrada there were more firecracker yellows under

the bird schools. However, the show went pretty much unnoticed because of a lack of anglers in the area.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 62 -77
Humidity 56 %
Wind: NW 4 to 6 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:13 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:03 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Our sailfish fest is still holding up. The 83º blue water is still just off the beach and the boats are all scoring well.

Early in the week the counts were down a bit because of a lot of fishing pressure with most boats working an area

8 to 12 miles in a southerly direction, but now the concentrations of fish been relocated and they have moved

more to the North-West.

The Tournament Anglers Association is holding their annual 4-day tournament this week, with 17 pangas and 34

anglers. After day two days of the tournament, the points leader was John Jackson, with 7 sailfish and 1050

points. The TAA is an outstanding group of fishermen dedicated to the conservation of the billfish species. Their

point system is set up so the angler gets 150 points per fish when the leader is touched within 5 minutes. Points

are deducted for every 5 minutes after that. No points are given for a fight of 1/2 hour or more. And, all of this is

using circle hooks and a maximum of 20 pound test line.

I am getting reports of a few roosters being caught up North above Saladita, so tomorrow I will try that. Today

(Thursday), I am fishing with Toronto, Canada angler, Gary Megan, with the fly rods for sails. He hooked two a

couple of days ago, and wants to do that again.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 74-89
Humidity 58%
Wind: SW at 12mph
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:35 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
January 19-25, 2009

WEATHER: Once again we had mixed weather this week. The week started out slightly overcast and cleared up at the tail end of the week and then Sunday came on with mostly cloudy skies in the morning. The early days in the week had a little bit of spitting rain with the clouds, just enough to spot up the car windows, not enough to knock the dust off of the plants. Our daytime highs were in the mid 80’s and nighttime lows in the mid to low 70’s.
WATER: This week we did have a bit of wind but it did not last for long and was not steady from any one direction. The swells did kick up a notch toward the end of the week though and we were seeing some 3-5 footers on the pacific side of the cape. On the Cortez side it remained at 1-3 feet until you got toward the Punta Gorda area then they grew to 2-4 feet. Water temperatures on the Cortez side were in the 73-74 degree close to the shoreline, 74-75 degrees from three to ten miles out and 75-76 degrees farther than that. On the Pacific side close to shore was 71 degrees and there was a band of this cool water running in a southwest direction across the south side of the San Jaime Banks from the shore just north of the lighthouse and extending at least 50 miles in a band 10 miles wide. North of this band of cool water it warmed up to 73 degrees and just to the north of the Golden Gate Bank there was a warm spot of 74 degree water.
BAIT: Mackerel were the bait of the week this week and they were the usual $3 per bait. Sardinas were available as well from bait boats up at the Palmilla area at $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Once again the Striped Marlin remained the fish of the week, as every boat that tried for them was able to get hooked up. The best bite for the boats that stayed local was at the Golden Gate Bank. The fish were coming up on small bait balls. As soon as the Pelicans and Frigates started to dive on the bait the seals started feeding as well and then suddenly there would be a half-dozen or more marlin swirling on the bait. Sometimes they remained up for 15 or 20 minutes, other times they would disappear almost as fast as they showed up. Live bait tossed into the feeders almost guaranteed a hook-up. I had anglers who were not experienced on Thursday and in less than 2 hours we released 4 fish and lost three others. One of my friends fished all day on his boat and between himself, one friend and his wife they managed to release 23 Marlin. There were also plenty of fish found at the Finger Bank, but with hot action at the Golden there was little reason for boats to travel that far. Some fish were showing up on the ledge at the lighthouse and on Friday evening I was seeing quite a few scattered singles feeding just outside of Cabo San Lucas Bay.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I heard of a spot of fish found in the area of the San Jaime Bank early in the week that ranged in size from 20 to 50 pounds but I went and looked there on Thursday and could not spot anything. I also heard reports that the Pangas working out of the San Jose Marina were coming in early after limiting out on decent fish up in the vicinity of Punta Gorda, but I never saw any of the fish.
DORADO: The Dorado bite definitely dropped off for almost all the boats this week as the water temperature continued its slow but steady drop. I fished the area from Los Arcos and 10 miles north of there with no touch at all, but did hear of some fish found just off of the lighthouse and out in front of Grey Rock in slightly warmer water. A good catch of Dorado this week seemed to be two fish, but most boats did not catch any.
WAHOO: What Wahoo?
INSHORE: A repeat of last week, there has been very little change in the inshore fishery this week. The Sierra bite is picking up and the fish are very nice size, between 8 and 10 pounds when you find the right areas. There are a few nice Yellowtails starting to pop up occasionally off of the Rocky points as well as some Pargo to 25 pounds right in the rocks.
NOTES: Still no Gray Whales to report, but plenty of Humpbacks. Wide open on the Striped Marlin, if you want some fast action on these fish averaging 120 pounds, now is the time to get here. My golf game is not happening, I have had little time to get out there and play! No complaints though, working is a good thing. This weeks report was written while listing to the “Echoes, The Best Of Pink Floyd”. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 01/28/2009
REPORT #1151 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/northwind.gif
The north wind can tough to work around

While there were a few nice days, this is not the time to plan a trip around fishing at East Cape. Sure the fish are

still here…a few dorado, maybe a marlin or two and all the sierra you might want, but the wind can tough to work

around.

On the other hand, the beach produced well on some days according to our guide, Lance Peterson.

“There were lots of fish off the beach at times but they were feeding on really small bait and were pretty tough to

feed a fly. Nonetheless, we caught small roosters, jacks, pompano, and even black skipjack.”

So while the weather isn’t ideal, you might get lucky!

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 53-77
Humidity 67%
Wind: NNW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:00 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:03 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Welcome to one of the greatest shows on earth…if you are looking for gray whales, that is. The season is in full

force and every day more busses arrive, disgorging eager tourists with digital cameras clutched in their fists

hurrying to the pier to have an ‘up close and personal’ experience with one of these giants a few hundred yards in

front of the pier.

Adding to the excitement this weekend is the first in a series of localized Copa Gobernador Tournaments. These

tournaments attract many local families seeking cash prizes, tackle, and
Tee shirts while introducing many to sportfishing for the first time.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 53 -79
Humidity 83 %
Wind: WNW 8 to 10 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:09 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Our sail fest slowed down a bit this week. This can be accounted for by several reasons. The blue water is still

close to the beach, but it cooled down a couple of degrees. And, we had a small earthquake last Tuesday, which

really shuts off the bite. Plus, on Monday, we had a barometer pressure drop come over us, dumping a little rain in

the mountains behind us. A barometer drop is tough on fish. They go deeper in the water column to balance out

the pressure, and hate to come to the surface for a trolled bait.

The fish are still here, and if we can get the favorable conditions back, the fishing will definitely improve.
Most boats are raising five to seven sailfish a day, but only hooking one or two. Again, they are just off their feed

from the weird unseasonal conditions.

Jacob Schougaard of Denmark hooked a sailfish on the fly when fishing with me down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero.

We raised 5 sailfish and a huge dorado, which did not take the fly.
Marcos, on the panga Oceana, got two sails and a 250 pound blue marlin for his best day. And Adolfo, on the

panga Dos Hermanos, told me he got two roosters while fishing up North beyond Saladita. He also said there were

a lot of big jack crevalle. The jacks are running 15 to 20 pounds.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 72-87
Humidity 61%
Wind: SE at 2mph
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:19 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:39 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
January 26-February 1, 2009

WEATHER: We had some wonderful skies at the end of this week with almost (Monday through Wednesday saw some clouds) every day being mostly sunny to cloudless. The daytime highs were in the mid to low 80’s and the nighttime lows to the low 60’s. Winds were light and variable most of the time with an occasional few hours of winds to 10 knots from the southwest during the middle of the week.
WATER: Almost everything within reach of the fleets this week was between 75 and 78 degrees with the warmer water running from right off the point and to the southwest. The water was clean and blue as well. With light winds most of the week fishing conditions were great on both sides of the Cape.
BAIT: Mackerel were the bait of the week this week and they were the usual $3 per bait. Sardinas were available as well from bait boats up at the Palmilla area at $25 a bucket but some of them were reported as being really small.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The bite slowed down close to home for the Striped Marlin this week. Last week it was a wide-open bite at the Golden Gate Bank. This week the Golden still held fish but they just were not as hungry as last week. A few boats ventured up to the Finger Bank and reported excellent action there. Scattered strikes were reported almost all over the place but the normal fishing areas for the Stripers still produced better than others, Golden Gate Banks, the ledges off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side and off of Red Hill in the Cortez as well as the point off of Los Arcos on the Pacific. Average catch this week was two to three releases per boat and good days were releases totaling 8 or more.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The Inner Gorda Bank produced a few fish to 50 pounds on live bait early in the week and there were Tuna to 35 pounds found at the same time up in the Punta Gorda area. At the end of the week the fish had moved off and there were reports of some Yellowfin to 30 pounds being caught by blind trolling 10 miles south of Cabo. Other than that there was little to find out there. Perhaps in a few weeks things will pick up on the Tuna fishing.
DORADO: While Dorado continued to be slower than last months fishing there were some nice fish this week. The flats up off of Punta Gorda were giving up two to five fish per trip, the point off of Los Arcos had two days of excellent fishing with many boats getting their anglers limits of two Dorado each. The ledge off of the lighthouse on the Pacific also produced quality of averaging 15 pounds close to shore.
WAHOO: I actually talked to some people who caught Wahoo this week! There were fish to be found on the flats at Punta Gorda as well as a few from the rocky points on the Pacific side. These fish were not big, most of them 15 pounds or so. Trolling swimming plugs such as Braid Marauders had best results or Rapallas but there were a few bites on live bait.
INSHORE: Once again a repeat of last week, there has been very little change in the inshore fishery this week. The Sierra bite is picking up and the fish are very nice size, between 8 and 10 pounds when you find the right areas. There are a few nice Yellowtails starting to pop up occasionally off of the Rocky points as well as some Pargo to 25 pounds right in the rocks.
NOTES: I saw my first few Gray Whales of the year this week in very close to the beach in 30 feet of water. There are still plenty of Humpback Whales out there and the glass-bottom boat/water taxi fleet has been right on top of them, unfortunately. Yesterday there were two whales right out front that had 11 boats right on top, I thought one of the boats was going to hit one whale with its props, sigh. Overall the fishing this week was very good with plenty to choose from. I get to play golf this coming week; it’s been so long that I am going to have to go to the range the day before! This weeks report was written to the music of “Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes” on the album “I Don’t Want To Go Home”, a 1976 Epic Records release.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 02/04/2009
REPORT #1152 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996


East Cape


http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/cruise.gif

When their cruise ship offered a lay afternoon in Cabo, Jim and Val Isaacson took the opportunity to fish a half-

day. Jim brought in a rooster fish and Val caught two red snappers, which they had prepared by Soloman’s

Restaurant at the Marina before catching their shore boat back to their ship for a late evening departure.

This time of year the quality of fishing is completely in the hands of the ‘wind gods’. A calm evening is no

guarantee of calm seas the next morning. Though many a night the windows rattling in their frames give audible

validation that the morning will bring grumpy seas.

Almost always the tin boat guys can be found in the early morning darkness with coffee cups in hand, their

shadowy silhouettes gathering on the damp sandy beach. They wait for the Baja morning to determine their work

for the day…fish or chores?

Occasionally there will be a morning when the sun rises up from a sea so calm that it appears to be an unbroken

sheet of glass where any feeding fish can be spotted instantly.

This week included a few of those days and the boys fishing inshore did well catching plenty of sierra as well as a

few small jacks. The few hotel boats that ventured farther offshore were rewarded with a few dorado and tuna.

Reports of marlin persisted, but few blue flags were spotted on the returning boats.

Lance Peterson reported, “Beach fishing has been hit or miss for me this week despite some calm mornings

and ample baitfish along the shore. Some days there is consistent action on pompano, jacks, and ladyfish; other

days have provided very little action. Roosterfish have been in short supply recently with only a few fish spotted

chasing bait. Farther off the beach, fleeing baitfish and swooping frigates point toward the presence of game fish.

However, I have not ventured out there to see what is biting. Reports from the local tin boat fleet have indicated a

decent dorado bite just a mile off the beach.”


Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 55-88
Humidity 68%
Wind: NE 5 to 7 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:58 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:07 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Copa Gobernador Tournaments part of the XVI Gray Whale Festival was a huge success with good sized tuna,

yellowtail and large groupers being the big winners. The winners all wore big smiles and the others vowed to do

better next year.

The whale watching continues in full force as tourists arrive by the bus loads. These giants of the sea are the

biggest hams in Baja, providing plenty of photo ops for those willing to get up close and personal.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 56 -79
Humidity 61 %
Wind: WSW 4 to 5 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:08 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:13 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Sailfish and dorado fishing has slowed down a bit; however all the captains are telling me "there are a lot of fish

out there…they are just not biting." The boats are averaging about five raised sailfish a day each, but they are only

hooking one or two.

Baja on the Fly client, Phil Barker of Pleasanton, CA, fished a day with me in the blue water down at Puerto

Vicente Guerrero. The fly line parted on the first sailfish he hooked. After the hook set, you have only a

nanosecond of time. You are up against a 75 pound fish that has been clocked at 68 miles an hour, and is the

fastest fish in the ocean. If you hold on to the fly line too long, things start to break down. Fortunately, the second

fish Phil hooked was tagged and released.

Inshore, we’re seeing lots of bait and birds, and there is even some decent jack crevalle action. The action

depends on whether the bait has moved to the inside or just outside of the surf line. It is dangerous to get in too

close to the surf line, so if they are inside the surf line, we just have to leave them for another day.

There are some large cero mackerel being taken on trolled rapalas by the White Rocks. Jacob Schougaard of

Denmark caught five with Marcos on the panga, Oceana. The ceros were between 8 and 11 pounds, and were the

largest Marcos had ever seen. Jacob also released two sailfish on the Oceana the next day.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 72-86
Humidity 58%
Wind: NE at 6 mph
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:18 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:42 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
February 2-8, 2009

WEATHER: The week started out nice and sunny every day and along came Friday and the clouds tried to move in, giving us partly cloudy skies over the weekend. We knew it was coming as the winds really started to pick up on Thursday. Our nighttime lows for the week averaged in the low 60’s and the daytime highs averaged in the mid to low 80’s.
WATER: The water continued to cool down this week. At the end of the week we were seeing temperatures in the low 70’s, mostly around 72 and 73 degrees along the shoreline on the Cortez side of the Cape. The water about 5 miles out on the same side was around 75 degrees. The same conditions occurred on the Pacific side of the Cape except the temperatures averaged one degree less. We had great conditions on the surface at the start of the week but by the weekend the winds had really started to howl and the Pacific side ended up almost un-fishable on Saturday. The wind seemed to die down over Saturday night but the water was still very rough on the Pacific side. On the Sea of Cortez the water was great up outside of San Jose.
BAIT: Mackerel were the bait of the week this week and they were the usual $3 per bait. Sardinas were available as well from bait boats up at the Palmilla area at $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Finger Bank was still reported to be a wide-open bite on Striped Marlin by the boats that went there early in the week. Many of these boats reported releasing up to 20 fish per trip. The fishing at the Golden Gate Bank dropped off quite a bit as the fish have appeared to have moved off in search of baitfish, but there were still quite a few being caught, definitely better fishing there than anywhere else in easy reach. A good day at the Gate resulted in 4-6 fish per boat while the average was 2-3 fish. Water conditions allowed only a few brave (or foolish) anglers to get to the fish on Friday and Saturday and while they hooked up while at the Gate, the water conditions made fighting the fish problematical. There were Striped Marlin reported off of the ledge at the Westin and a few boats were doing all right drifting live bait at depths of 50-100 feet.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I saw almost no Tuna flags on boats returning to the harbor this week but a few Captains reported hearing of fish up in the Punta Gorda area, just like last week, but the bite was definitely slower according to what was heard on the radio. A couple of boats reported catching several small Tuna to 20 pound in the blind while trolling around the 1150 area looking for Dorado, but there were no schools to be found.
DORADO: Water conditions on the Pacific at the end of the week forced many of the boats to fish on the Cortez side of the Cape and as a result there were many more Dorado caught that last week from the same area. Most boats were coming in with at least two, and often as many as five Dorado. Average size was 18 pounds and there were a few that went as large as 40 pounds. Blind trolling with bright colored lures at speeds averaging 8.5 knots worked well on these fish to first find them, then slow trolling live bait in the same area often produced more.
WAHOO: I talked to one angler this week that told me he had caught a dozen small Wahoo, after asking a few questions I had to tell him they were large Sierra. There were a few fish taken however, and the bite was scattered between the Gray Rock and Punta Gorda, only a few fish were reported on the Pacific side early in the week.
INSHORE: As listed above, the Sierra bite has really begun to take off, at least it had started too until the wind kicked in. The same goes for the Pargo in the rocks, most of the activity had been on the Pacific side. The Cortez side still delivered a decent amount of these fish, but not to the number count from the Pacific side. Amazingly enough, there have still been quite a few Roosterfish caught. While not the large fish we get later in the year, these fish have been in the 6-12 pound class and have been biting well on slow trolled live bait, if the bait survives the Sierra attacks!
NOTES: Last week I reported on seeing my first Gray Whales of the year. A fellow Captain reported seeing a mother and her calf being harassed by the little boat fleet just outside the rocks, with about 10 boats right on top of the two whales. They separated the calf from the mother and the calf was repeatedly breaching and looking for its mom, to the point that it was exhausted. There are laws on the books about this, but apparently no enforcement, sigh. This weeks report was written to the music of Norah Jones on her album, “Feels Like Home”. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 02/12/2009
REPORT #1153 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/01.07.09.sierra.gif
Why you need wire

According to Mark Rayor, owner of Vista Sea Sport, the fishing early in the week picked up when the wind died.

Punta Pescadero was the scene of an outrageous sierra bite that went on as long as the chum held out. Even the
yellow tail began to bite. One mossback, weighing nearly fifty pounds, was caught off of one of the rocky points.

Everyone is being ‘mum’ on the exact spot; no one wants a repeat of last year when the local gillnetters swooped in and in one morning wiped out the whole school.

Reports of 74 to 75 degree blue water a few miles offshore sucked a few boat out and they were rewarded for their efforts with limits of dorado.

Then Wednesday morning, the north wind returned effectively preventing anyone from getting out to fish.

IMPORTANT AND ATTENTION ALL EAST CAPE FISHERMEN:

The government division that oversees fishing and fishing licenses - SAGARPA - has installed a new Port Captain
in Los Barriles. In addition to the Port Captain, there are two full time employees - Jorge Castro - whose job it is to
sell licenses and a Super Panga Captain who will be in charge of enforcement. The boat dispatchers at the various hotels will have the required fishing licenses available.

Licenses are: $136p/day, $284p/week, $408p/month $531p/year.

SAGARPA intends to begin enforcement immediately.

Hmm…could last week’s Road Trekker have made a difference? http://roadtrekker.********.com/

Lance Peterson, our East Cape Guide reported, “Just returned from some kayak fishing out front this morning. I was motivated by seeing a twenty pound dorado almost beach itself chasing a ballyhoo. I wasn't out there long before I spotted another dorado swimming on the surface. I took a cast but no interest. On the way back in I was surrounded by a school of quality roosters...10 to 15 pounds, I'd say. I hooked two but could not get the hook to stick! Fun to see them though! I was surprised to see how close they would come to the kayak.”

Water temperature 67-75
Air temperature 55-77
Humidity 73%
Wind: N 8 to 10 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:54 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:12 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Whale watching continued to dominate the water activities again this week, as the strong winds and high seas kicked up most of the week.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 51 -76
Humidity 91 %
Wind: NW 12 to 17 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:19 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

With the full moon, the fishing has slowed down considerably. The 82º blue water is still only about 5 miles off the beach, but the fish are not biting.

Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, said it is "muy mal"...In other words, “real bad”. And, when one of the best captains here can't get a sailfish in the blue water, or even a jack crevalle off the back side of the surf line, it IS really bad! Adolfo does think the game fish are here, and said in one more week we will have good action again.

Earlier in the week, and before the full moon, I had fished with John Spriggs down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero. We raised 4 sailfish, had two teased to the boat, and he hooked one on the fly rod.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 72-86
Humidity 65%
Wind: NE at 1 mph
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:15 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:46 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

The Finger Bank was still reported to be a wide-open bite on striped marlin by the boats that went there early in the week. Many of these boats reported releasing up to 20 fish per trip. The fishing at the Golden Gate Bank dropped off quite a bit as the fish have appeared to have moved off in search of baitfish, but there were still quite a few being caught, definitely better fishing there than anywhere else in easy reach. A good day at the Gate resulted in four to six fish per boat while the average was two to three fish.

There were striped marlin reported off of the ledge at the Westin and a few boats were doing all right drifting live bait at depths of 50 to 100 feet.

A couple of boats reported catching several small tuna to 20 pounds in the blind while trolling around the 1150 area looking for dorado, but there were no schools to be found.
Water conditions on the Pacific side at the end of the week forced many of the boats to fish on the Cortez side of the Cape, and as a result there were many more dorado caught last week from the same area. Most boats were coming in with at least two, and often as many as five dorado. Average size was 18 pounds but there were a few that went as large as 40 pounds.

I talked to one angler this week who told me he had caught a dozen small wahoo. After asking a few questions, I had to tell him they were large sierra. There were a few fish taken however, and the bite was scattered between the Gray Rock and Punta Gorda. Only a few fish were reported on the Pacific side early in the week.

As listed above, the sierra bite has really begun to take off; at least it had started to until the wind kicked in. The same goes for the pargo in the rocks…most of the activity had been on the Pacific side. The Cortez side still delivered a decent amount of these fish, but not to the number count from the Pacific side. Amazingly enough,

there have still been quite a few roosterfish caught. While not the large fish we get later in the year, these fish

have been in the six to twelve pound class.

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 75 - 78
Air temperature 55 - 78
Humidity 66%
Wind: WNW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Partly sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:54 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:14 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
February 9-15, 2009

WEATHER: Once again we had partly cloudy skies this week, not enough of them to block the sun, but enough to make for great sunsets. Our daytime highs were in the low 80’s while the lowest I saw in the early mornings was a cool 58 degrees.
WATER: The wind was still blowing at the beginning of the week but as the days wore on the speed and intensity dropped so that at the end of the week the water was once again almost flat with small swells and very little wind chop, at least most days. Everywhere we looked the water was in the 72-73 degree range and there was no dark green anywhere.
BAIT: Mackerel were the bait of the week this week and they were the usual $3 per bait. Sardinas were available as well from bait boats up at the Palmilla area at $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The bite at the Golden Gate Bank for Striped Marlin remained slower than it has been with good days bringing release numbers of 3 or 5 fish per boat. The bite at the Finger Bank was reported to be excellent, as there is much less pressure up there. Other than the Golden Gate, Striped Marlin close to us were scattered, a few were found off of Los Arcos, a few off of El Faro, a few off of Palmilla, you get the idea, right? Most boats were getting at least a strike or two but the focus for a lot of the boats changed with the drop in the number of bites, the Captains preferring to go for numbers instead of size and targeting other species.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I did see a few Tuna flags this week but did not see any of the Tuna that were brought in. I was told that they were mostly football and small school fish to 30 pounds. There were some found up around the Inman bank and out toward the Cabrilla Seamount as well as a few scattered schools mixed with Dolphin on the 1,000 fathom line south of the San Jaime Bank. The fish at the Inman bank were caught with heavy chumming of Sardinas, and Sardinas used as live bait, the other fish were caught on small feathers in dark colors.
DORADO: There were quite a few more Dorado caught this week than I had expected, but the results were because of the finding of three objects in the water. A dead whale was found in the middle of the week around the 1150 spot and delivered a large number of decent sized Dorado to the boats when live bait was used around it. There was a large section of rope found just off of the Solmar Beach that produced a great number of fish until someone decided to pick it up and take it home. Also found in the same area a bit later was half a bucket, the number of fish around it kept quite a few anglers happy that day.
WAHOO: I thought I was seeing a larger number of Wahoo flags this week than last week, but on closer inspection they proved to be shark flags. Quite a few pup Makos were caught this week, with most of them released. Very few Wahoo were reported being found, and those that were found were in the usual spots off of Gray Rock and up around Punta Gorda with the Inman Bank being the most productive area.
INSHORE: Sierra continued to be the inshore fish of the week as the number caught continued to climb. One of the best spots this week was off of the El Dorado development on the Cortez side of the Cape. Most anglers were able to catch limits on fish that ran to 8 pounds. There were also quite a few small Roosterfish and Jack Crevalle around but live bait was the way to go for them, if you could bet really small Mackerel or Caballito. Most captains for all the species available preferred heavy Chumming with Sardinas.
NOTES: There are still plenty of whales to be seen out there and they have been putting on quite a show most days. The whale harassment league of small water taxis and glass bottom boats seems to have tapered off a bit, good news for the whales. This weeks report was written to the music of James Hunter on his 2008 Concord release “The Hard Way”. My favorite song on this English bluesmans album is the last track, “Strange But True”. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 02/18/2009
REPORT #1154 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
2009 FLY FISHING SHOW AT PASADENA CENTER
Southern California fly-fishing fanatics will converge in Pasadena this weekend (2/20-21) for the annual Fly Fishing Show at the Pasadena Center.
Gary will present a “Baja and Mainland Mexico Do it Yourself” in the CATCH ROOM
Saturday 4:00
Sunday 3:00

http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/wind.gif
“Wind ripping…kite boarders delight…”
Though there were come complaints of wind, it seemed to be an ‘eye of the beholder’ kind of week with conflicting reports all over the map!

My email has been full of East Cape fishing updates some of which are below:

“Wide open yellowtail bite right in front of the hotel…no photos.”

“Wind ripping…kite boarders delight…see photo.”

“We are heading up to Punta Perico…WFO yellows and pargo!” And then later, “We’re back, tough fishing…one twenty pounder and a few firecrackers. Pargo floated, but none landed. No photo”

And finally, “The hotel has been sending out two or three boats per day, with all boats doing well…no photos.”

I feel like I am listening to the judges on American Idol. Seven contestants/days…six bad, one ‘okay’ but that one is declared the ‘best ever’ by some.

ATTENTION ALL EAST CAPE FISHERMEN!!!

SAGARPA, the government division that oversees fishing regulations and fishing licenses, has installed a new Port Captain in Los Barriles. In addition to the Port Captain, there are two full time employees, Jorge Castro, whose job it is to sell licenses and a super panga Captain who will be in charge of enforcement.

The boat dispatchers at the various hotels will also have the required fishing licenses available for purchase.

SAGARPA intends to begin enforcement immediately.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 57-82
Humidity 62%
Wind: NW 15 to 21 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:49 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:17 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Offshore action has been limited all week because of high winds and rough seas. Still a decent bite out at the Entrada for small yellows, along with enough sierra to deplete the fly box.
Inside the esteros the action was limited to a few leopard grouper and snapper plus cabrilla.

Seems like there are more whales than tourists this week.

Puerto San Carlos Copa Gobernador Tournament will take place March 7, 2009.

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 56 -78
Humidity 37 %
Wind: NW 11 to 15 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:58 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:23 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 82 degree blue water is still just a short run from the harbor. The overall fishing for both the inshore and offshore is picking up, and should continue the trend as we get out of the full moon phase.
There is a lot of bait inshore, with the jack crevalle, sierras, black skipjack tuna, and birds all getting in on the feast.
In the blue water, the sailfish action is also picking up. A few marlin strikes were reported, and a couple of dorado were taken.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 73-89
Humidity 65%
Wind: NE at 15 mph
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:49 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
February 16-22, 2009

WEATHER: This was a beautiful week in Cabo with our nighttime lows in the mid 60’s and the daytime highs in the mid 80’s. We had a few days with light clouds, no rain and light winds.
WATER: Warm water moved into our area during the week and almost everywhere you went the temperatures were around 75-77 degrees. It was just a slight bit cooler on the northern edge of our fishing area on the Pacific with the area between the northern San Jaime and the Golden Gate Banks around 74 degrees and the Finger Bank at 71 degrees and greenish water. On the Cortez side there was a pocket of cool water at the Gorda Banks at 72 degrees.
BAIT: Mackerel were the bait of the week this week and they were the usual $3 per bait. Sardinas were available as well from bait boats up at the Palmilla area at $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were still Striped Marlin at the Golden Gate but they were not very hungry this week. You could throw a live bait in front of 20 fish before finding one that would bite. Other areas experienced the same type of results, but the fish were even more scattered. Almost every place you went you could find Marlin on the surface but their mouths remained closed. At a guess, success rates on Striped Marlin were probably around 30% with 3 out of 10 boats releasing a fish.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the Yellowfin bite remained fairly poor with fish being found in the Gorda Banks and the Inman Banks all week and only a few schools are being found outside. The fish on the banks were quality fish between 30 and 60 pounds, but you had to work your way through all the Bonita to get to them. Sardinas were the ticket with chumming steadily bringing in the fish. Small hooks with light leader had to be used in order to get the Yellowfin to bite, but the light tackle also resulted in quite a few fish being lost.
DORADO: Dorado remained the fish of the week as most boats were returning with between five and ten fish. Anything found floating in the water was likely to hold at least a few Dorado and some of the fish were a very respectable 40-50 pounds. Both sides of the Cape produced fish, and working the current lines was the best way to find floating debris.
WAHOO: I only heard of a few Wahoo being caught, but the couple that I did hear of were very nice fish at around 60 pounds each. These were caught in the open water out 15 or more miles due south.
INSHORE: Inshore fishing this week remained a repeat of last week. Sierra continued to be the inshore fish of the week as the number caught continued to climb. Most anglers were able to catch limits on fish that ran to 8 pounds. There were also quite a few small Roosterfish and Jack Crevalle as well as Amberjack around but live bait was the way to go for them, if you could get really small Mackerel or Caballito. Most captains for all the species available preferred heavy chumming with Sardinas.
NOTES: There are still plenty of whales to be seen out there. The water warmed up this week so there could be a continuation of the Dorado bite for a while. I really hope that the Striped Marlin start biting again! I am golfing this afternoon, my fingers are crossed that I can do well and break 100. Maybe it would help if I took some lessons! Mark Knopfler and his 2000 Mercury Records release “Sailing To Philadelphia” were the background for this report.

[puertovallartafish]

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Puerto Vallarta fishing report by www.puertovallartafish.com
Puerto Vallarta the fishing has been great nothing to big in this fishing season but everything is out there sailfish, dorado, striped marlin, roosterfish, smaller tuna, and jack crevalle. if you want to catch dorado, there are huge schools north of the point and the sailfish have been running in the currents north of the bank same with the tuna, inshore we have been catching jacks and roosterfish. the Big Puerto Vallarta season is right around the corner You can feel the early mornings are heating up and as the weather heats up so does the water and that brings in the huge tuna and 500 + marlins will start to show up as well, the past 5 years the biggest tuna was 361 lbs we are hoping to beat that and the world record this season! We our having our annual tuna and marlin tournament coming up in July this is the same tournament that Captain Steve won the year before last on the sirena with the record braking black marlin. We are hoping to beat that record this year as well! Everyone is very excited to see what how big the fish will be this season 2007 was definitely better then it was in 2008 for yellowfin tuna we caught a lot of tuna 200+ but the 300 + cows were nowhere to be found we docked 4 total all season which is very rare so We are really looking forward to this high season and bringing cow town back.



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Puerto Vallarta fishing Report 2/24/09

Hello world here is a another fresh Puerto Vallarta fishing report We went out on the luhrs yesterday with captain Steve and crew Freddy and Mario. We left the docks at 5 am and heading out past the banks for yellow fin tuna, right when We arrived by Islands the tuna's were boiling We got a double hook up with a couple gogle eyes's, 1 got away but Dan reeled in a nice 40 lb football, The next hook up Captain Steve Casted in some live bait and Hooked another nice tuna and then boom another double hook up 2 more yellow fins about 50-60 lbs! After that catch, We drove around in a cricle and starting drifting into the school of tuna and hooked up another 60 punder! Next Dan was up again and this time Hooked probable the biggest tuna of the day after fighting it on 50 lb test for about a 1/2 hour He reeled it in and We decided to start trolling for dorado. about a 20 minutes later We had a bite it was a huge 60 lb dorado as the Dorado got closer to the boat We noticed there was another dorado right behind the one We had hooked so Freddy casted some live bait and and again We had a double Hook up We have been eating alot of dorado so we released one and brought one home. after that We headed back it was great trip and We brought home alot more then supper. We heard on the radio there was alot of dorado action off the point of punta de mita also so all the boats had a great day staying inside or going all the way out! see more info at www.puertovallartafish.com

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 02/25/2009
REPORT #1155 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

2009 FLY FISHING SHOW AT Pleasanton, CA
Southern California fly-fishing fanatics will converge at the Alameda County Fairgrounds this February 27th, 28th, and
March 1st for the annual Fly Fishing Show.

Gary’s Presentation, “Baja and Mainland Mexico Do it Yourself,” will be held in the RELEASE ROOM
Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and again Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

East Cape
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Finally a photo, John Alverez is the angler
“We are heading up to Punta Perico…WFO yellows and pargo!” And then later, “We’re back, tough fishing…one twenty
pounder and a few firecrackers. Pargo floated, but none landed.”

Sure, the good sierra bite has been going on for a while. However this week the fishing from the beach yielded more fish
than the tin boat fleet could scrape up. As the word spread, a few beaches looked like some kind of festival was going on.
Locals gathered before the sun came up to get in on the hot bite. Using everything from bait to crocodile lures, the
fishermen’s plastic five gallon buckets filled up fast. For some who figured out a hand-lined, slow-retrieved crocodile lure
was the hot ticket, their buckets filled much faster. A few of the alert fly guys went to slow retrieved chartreuse Clouser
and matched the Mexicans fish for fish…

Dorado have been feeding along the color line but there has been little or no concentration.
There’s plenty of tuna to look at outside of Las Frailes, but unfortunately there are not many hungry ones. Some quality
yellowtail in the 30 to 40 pound range are showing near Rancho Leonero. Hopefully, the yellowtail will stick around and
give us some good action like they did last year.

Striped marlin are being taken by anglers using live bait fishing deep on the bank outside of La Ribera.

Though there are plenty of sardina and mullet around, the North winds are still an issue; early mornings are mostly calm
but the winds usually pick up around noon and remain through sundown.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 61-91
Humidity 66%
Wind: NNW 10 to 14 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:44 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:22 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Still plenty of the crowd pleasing whales cruising about for the crowds arriving each day. They are not disappointed, as
the mommas and their young-uns frolic in the bay.

Still grumpy seas on the outside preventing much pre-fishing for the next big tournament in Puerto San Carlos. Enrique
Soto reports a good yellowtail bite out at the Entrada. According to his shark fishing buddies, there are some dorado
outside the Entrada up to the west out as far as twenty miles.

Puerto San Carlos Copa Gobernador Tournament will take place March 6 and 7, 2009.
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Clicerio Mercado, the event coordinator, promises a BIG Band during the awards’ lunch around 3:00 pm at the weigh
station.

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 54 -92
Humidity 89 %
Wind: NW 13 to 18 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:52 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:27 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
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2/25/09 Rob Morton, Portland OR Jack Crevalle Taken on a 10wt fly rod while being teased in off a hookless Yo-Zuri

Popper. Caught in the Saladitas area about 25 miles North of Zihuatanejo. We were fishing out of Majahua with Ramon.

Photo and fly fishing guide: Ed Kunze

The blue water is still just a few miles off the beach, but a cooler 79 degree area is moving down from the North. The

division between the 79 degree water and 82 degree water is right in front of Zihuatanejo. What is the significance of

this? There will be fewer sailfish, and more blue marlin with the yellowfin tuna not far behind These two species prefer

the water a bit cooler than the sailfish.

And, this has been what was happening this last week. Most boats were raising 4 sailfish each day, and one blue marlin.
Margarito on the Gaby averaged 4 sailfish raised and 1 blue each day, with Martin on the Nautilus, fishing with fly fisher
Pat Dunlap of Oregon, raised 5 sailfish and two marlin in two days.

The one day total high boat in the fleet was the panga Huntress with 8 sailfish hooked and released.

Inshore action is picking up with the larger jack crevalle, and even a couple of roosters were caught this last week. Adolfo,
on the panga Dos Hermanos caught an estimated 60 pound rooster off Playa Buena Vista slow trolling a large live
mackerel, plus he said he took a couple of smaller ones on smaller live bait.

Pat Dunlap, fishing with Martin on the Nautilus also took 6 large jacks between 18 and 22 pounds near the White Rocks.
They were all taken on Rapalas. Fly fishing client, Rob Morton of Portland Oregon, took a very nice jack the on the fly
while we were fishing up near Saladita. He also got a small rooster.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 71-90
Humidity 59%
Wind: NE at 2 mph
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:07 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:51 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
February 23 – March 1, 2009

WEATHER: A sunny week in Cabo this last seven days as there were only a few clouds that traveled through. Our nighttime lows were in the mid 60’s while the daytime highs managed to get into the mid 90’s a few days. Overall it was a bit warmer than last week, reminding us that summer will be here soon, but there was not the humidity that we see in the middle of the year.
WATER: At the end of the week we had green water along the coast from Cabo up to the north on the Cortez side of the Cape at Gorda Banks and the green water then extended toward the east. This green water was 69-70 degrees. The water on the Pacific side cleared up quite a bit over the week but the temperatures didn’t change much except for a band of cool water that ended up running along the 1,000-fathom line south of the San Jaime Banks. This cool band of water was 5-8 miles wide and the temperature was 69-70 degrees while to the south it was 73 degrees and to the north it was 72 degrees.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito available this week at the normal price of $3 per bait and there were Sardinas available up around the Chileno area at a cost of $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Last week the bite at the Golden Gate Bank dropped off considerably, this week it turned on again. The Striped Marlin decided that they were hungry and the flags being flown by the returning boats showed it. One friend went up by himself and had released 10 Marlin before noon and quit while his arms still worked! With the bite returning the boats returned as well. At times it seemed that you could almost walk across the bank by going from boat to boat, one angler reported counting 74 boats working the area at 10 am but almost everyone had left at 2 pm. He said the fishing was much better and also easier without the crowds. Mackerel were the baits of choice and the ones caught on site using Sabiki rigs or Lucky Joes got bit much better than the baits purchased outside the marina, the only problem was getting the baits the to surface without having a Marlin, Shark or seal taking them. Elsewhere there were Marlin reported but not nearly in the numbers as at Golden Gate. Outside the Gorda Bank and off of the Westin Resort were small concentrations of fish and there were fish scattered on the surface around the 1150 area as well.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were some decent quality Yellowfin being reported from the Gorda Banks and around the Inman area, but while the quality was good it was scratch fishing with only a couple of decent bites per boat in the morning. Most of the fish were in the 30-50 pound class but for every Yellowfin bite you got there were 15 to 20 Bonita and Skipjack to go through. Chumming with Sardinas brought the fish up towards the boats but putting a lively one down at 50-60 feet was what it took to get the Yellowfin to bite, and going down to that depth usually resulted in the other fish picking up the bait first. The band of cool water along the 1,000-fathom line south of the San Jaime Bank produced some decent fish on Friday and Saturday as a few pods of Porpoise moved through. Small dark colored feathers, cedar plugs and diamond jigs worked deep ahead of the pods worked fairly well, a few boats reported getting limits for their clients using these methods. The smallest fish were reported at 12 pounds while the average size was 20-25 pounds. How long this bite might last is unknown as there was a purse seiner anchored in the bay on Saturday.
DORADO: Dorado lost their title as fish of the week as the bite dropped off. This was probably the result of less floating debris being found, or it could be because most of the boats were focusing on the Striped Marlin bite at the Golden Gate Bank. Boats that worked the warm water between the 95 Spot and the 1150 and out to the Cabrilla Seamount did fairly well on fish that averaged 20+ pounds, but there were no large numbers, the best catches were around four or five fish per boat, one or two was the average. Finding Frigates working and then slow trolling live bait in the area was the method of choice for most of the boats but a few were doing well trolling 6-8 inch lures at 9 knots.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any large fish this week but there was a bite on baby Wahoo on the Cortez side of the Cape close to shore. Some small 6-8 pound Wahoo were caught by Pangas fishing for Sierra and they were quite the surprise for most of the fishermen.
INSHORE: The bite on Sierra averaging 6 pounds was wide open on both sides of the Cape this week. Best results were had by chumming with Sardinas once the schools were found, then drifting a live one on a very light wire leader. Mono leader got bit more often but more of these were lost than were landed. Fly fishermen had a blast with these fish! There were scattered Amberjack, Roosterfish, Pargo and Jack Crevalle to be had as well as a few Pacific Barracuda and Needlefish.
NOTES: Well, it looks like things are really kicking in on the fishing front, the bite is good both inshore and offshore. The Whales are still out there, as a matter of fact a few boats have had very close encounters, including a 60 foot Viking that had one come up under it while traveling at 22 knots. My golf game did not improve as I did not break 100 last week, but I have returned to the range this week, maybe I can do better my next time out! This weeks report was once again written to the sound of James Hunter on his 2008 release “The Hard Way”. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 03/12/2009
REPORT #1157 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
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The composite photo above from the Puerto San Carlos Copa Gobernador Tournament last weekend is irrefutable evidence of how popular this series of tournaments has become in Southern Baja. The photo of families crowded together shoulder to shoulder fishing from the Puerto San Carlos commercial pier is one that many would have never thought would happen.

Clicerio Mercado, organizer of the Copa Gobernador Tournaments in Baja has done an outstanding job of bringing the communities together and introducing sportfishing to families and their kids and it is working. Each year the number of participants grows. Why wouldn’t it? Small entry fees, cash prizes, free stuff…hats, t-shirts, good food and of course the fish.

Corvina, mojarra, cabrilla and yellowtail showed up in good enough numbers to make it a contest. As the winners were announced everyone whooped and hollered for their friend and neighbors who won the cash prizes.

According to Mercado, much of the events success was attributable to API office in San Carlos.

Congratulations to our good friend Captain Sergio Garcia from Lopez Mateos for his win in the grouper division.

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 52 -73
Humidity 82 %
Wind: NW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:39 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:34 p.m. MST

East Cape

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Local Jim Gray with yellowtail caught near Rancho Leonero photo provided by John Torres
Unseasonably calm weather produced an uptick in the fishing action. While there were few boats and anglers to capitalize on the good bite, a couple of pangas found a drifting dead seal and the fly fishermen racked up some double digit numbers of dorado…some of them up to forty-five pounds. It was literally fish till you drop or until you can’t lift a rod anymore.

The warmer water below the light house also had a few striped marlin but there were few anglers who cared.

The inshore was the place to be or maybe no one was willing to go any farther. Roosterfish cruising well within casting range could be seen at several different beaches all week with the lack of wind.

The big news was the ongoing yellowtail bite that keeps going off sporadically. One day it is over the top and the next it is all about pelicans sitting on the water. When it does go off, it is ‘bendo’ for yellows all the way up to fifty pounds. The fifty pound ones are probably the ones that got away…you know how fisherman are.

Don’t forget the sierra that are a nuisance when they buzz through at the same time as the yellows, leaving you with a line fluttering in the breeze as they bite through the line and all.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 60-75
Humidity 77%
Wind: NE 4 to 5 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:31 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:27 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

This week we are averaging about 1 or 2 sailfish a day per boat. Dorado are sparse, but the blue marlin bite is heating up. The 81º blue water is still only 5 or 6 miles off the beach, but the boats that are getting in on most of the action are getting their fish from 18 to 20 miles out. The cooler 78º water is still holding to the North, but should move in within the next couple of weeks. This will bring in the blue marlin in force.

At least 30% of the boats are getting a shot at the big blues, and a few of them have been leadered every day this week.

The super panga, Huntress, with Mike Buckley and Captain Francisco, is still holding up to be the high boat in the fleet, and has been for this last 4 weeks. When they find the fish, they are still getting double and triple hook ups, with one day being a double on sailfish, and a blue marlin taking the third bait. However, as with all the boats, the fish are not aggressive and are short-biting the baits. The total for the Huntress was 30 strikes for 5 days of fishing, and 10 sailfish released. They also got a nice 40 pound dorado.

Santiago, on the panga Gitana, is averaging 2 sailfish a day released, and got a nice blue marlin yesterday (Tuesday).

Early in the week, the private boat Moonlight, out of Marina Ixtapa, fishing with Arturo Ramirez of Morelia, Michoacán, caught a nice 500 pound blue marlin, and then the next day took a huge 56 pound dorado.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 70-88
Humidity 78%
Wind: ENE at 3 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:56 a.m. CST
Sunset 7:55 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 9-15, 2009

WEATHER: This was an interesting week as we did receive some rain on Tuesday. It was not just a little spit that dotted the dust on the cars either; it actually rained! Not hard, but enough to collect in small pools. The rest of the week was partly cloudy with highs in the mid 80’s and lows in the low 60’s. The wind really started to blow on Wednesday making it chilly at night.
WATER: On the Pacific side of the Cape this week the water continued to cool down. Along the beach out to several miles the water was 68 degrees and green. Outside that very cool band it warmed up a bit to around 71 degrees. On the Cortez side the water outside Punta Gorda and around the Gorda Banks out to the Cabrilla Seamount was a relatively warm 74-75 degrees. There was a break in the temperature around 15 miles due south of us as strong currents from the Pacific forced the cool water into the 75-degree water to the south and east of us. The water on the Cortez side, and particularly the water just to the east of us was quite green. This was unfortunate for us as the winds really were blowing the later half of the week making fishing on the cleaner Pacific side uncomfortable.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito available this week at the normal price of $3 per bait and there were Sardinas available up around the Chileno area at a cost of $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite tapered off a bit this week as we saw the full moon make its appearance. With the fish feeding all night long, the fish that were caught were biting in the late afternoon. For this reason most of the charter fleet boats were not flying many Marlin flags on their return. The few private boats the braved the weather out there and stayed until 5 or 6 PM returned flying outriggers full of blue flags. With less competition in the afternoon and the fish starting to feed, they were able to do quite well. Catching bait on site was a big key as well, once again the Mackerel at the Golden Gate were a bit smaller than the ones boats were able to buy at the harbor, and the fish definitely preferred the smaller baits.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again there were not very many fish caught this week. I did find a small pod of white-bellied dolphin five miles from the arch and metered fish under them, but did not have the time or gear to fish them. The few fish that were caught this week were from either very fast moving small groups of dolphin such as the ones I found, or as a result of heavy chumming with Sardinas up around Punta Gorda.
DORADO: A repeat of last weeks situation, there were scattered Dorado caught among the feeders at the Golden Gate Bank as well as some fish scattered up around the Punta Gorda area early in the week. Without any floating debris to hold them we have just not seen very many this week.
WAHOO: I was quite surprised this week as I only saw a couple of Wahoo flags. With the full moon I thought that the bite would have been good, but perhaps the water cooled too much.
INSHORE: Once again Sierra were the fish of the week inshore, with the appearance of some decent Yellowtail adding to the excitement for those fishing close to the beach. Add in the occasional Jack Crevalle, Pargo and Amberjack, and factor in the conditions offshore, I think that the Pangas were the way to go this past week!
NOTES: We are still seeing Humpback Whales, but very few Gray Whales were seen in our area this season. This weeks report was written to the soundtrack of the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, one of my favorite movies! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 03/19/2009
REPORT #1158 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
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The recent nice weather was favorable for fishing from the beach photo Mark Rayor

Inshore action dominated this week. Sierra and a few good quality yellowtail were found from Cardonal to Punta Arena, with the largest concentration of sierra from Punta Pescadero to El Cardonal. Warmer water produced a few jacks and small roosters as well.
Rumors of offshore dorado some distance from the beach failed to entice anyone out there. There didn’t seem to be much concentration, so it made for a long boat ride.
The recent nice weather was favorable for fishing from the beach and the few that tried it reported good signs of bait, particularly from La Ribera to Punta Pescadero.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 58-83
Humidity 48%
Wind: SSE 5 to 7 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:24 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:30 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Whale watching has begun to wind down and rough conditions outside kept the few anglers inside. There were small bait schools on the surface at the Entrada. With birds diving from above and sierra and small yellows chasing the bait from below, it created quite a commotion, making it easy to see from a long way off.

Punta Belcher even produced a few halibut in the shallows!

Up in the Esteros, it was mostly bay bass with an occasional grouper or snapper. There were a few corvina to be had at high slack under the bridge at the entrance to Puerto San Carlos.

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 57 -82
Humidity 93 %
Wind: W 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:32 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:37 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Considering we are in a full moon period, with the 80 degree blue water between 8 and 10 miles off the beach, the sailfish action is holding up as well as could be hoped for. Dorado are sparse, but the cooler water pushing down from the North is still bringing blue marlin into the area.

Plus, because of a strong pelagic crab migration moving through the area, the game fish are not eating off color trolled baits aggressively. If you are trolling bait, it better have a lot of red to match the color of the crab.

Each boat in the fleet is raising 3 to 4 sailfish a day and catching 1 or 2. The blue marlin are still holding with about 30 percent of the fleet getting strikes.

Martin, on the cruiser, Nautilus, hooked two blue marlin in one day, and was only able to leader the smallest. It was estimated to be about 180 pounds. On the second day he fished, they released 3 sailfish.
Margarito, on the cruiser, Gaby, reported averaging 1 or 2 sailfish a day in the blue water. He then went inshore one day and they got into a lot of large jack crevalle near the rock pinnacles in front of Ixtapa.

Mike Buckley and Capt. Francisco on the panga, Huntress, are still holding up to have the best weekly catches of the fleet. Mike reported this: "Capt. Francisco had a good week releasing 9 sailfish and 2 striped marlin on three trips. The fish have moved out past the 16 mile line with most of the action between the 20 and 25 mile lines. Lots of clean blue water all over and multiple strikes are common. Several blue marlin have been landed this week."

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 70488
Humidity 70%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:51 a.m. CST
Sunset 7:57 p.m. CST

Cabo San Lucas

The striped marlin bite tapered off a bit this week as we saw the full moon make its appearance. With the fish feeding all night long, the fish that were caught were biting in the late afternoon. For this reason most of the charter fleet boats were not flying many marlin flags on their return. The few private boats that braved the weather out there and stayed until 5 or 6 PM returned flying outriggers full of blue flags. With less competition in the afternoon and the fish starting to feed, they were able to do quite well.

Once again there were not very many fish caught this week. The few fish that were caught this week were from either very fast moving small groups of dolphin or as a result of heavy chumming with sardinas up around Punta Gorda.

There were scattered dorado caught among the feeders at the Golden Gate Bank as well as some fish scattered up around the Punta Gorda area early in the week. Without any floating debris to hold them we have just not seen very many this week.

Sierra were the fish of the week inshore, with the appearance of some decent yellowtail adding to the excitement for those fishing close to the beach. Add in the occasional jack crevalle, pargo and amberjack, and factor in the conditions offshore, I think that the pangas were the way to go this past week!

George & Mary Landrum

Water temperature 75 – 78
Air temperature 57 – 86
Humidity 50%
Wind: WNW 8 to 10 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:25 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:30 p.m. MST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 16-22, 2009

WEATHER: There was no rain this week although a few mornings felt as though some rain could happen. What made the week different was the onset of our springtime winds. It actually started the week before but now we are seeing the normal three or four days of wind then three or four days of calm. There is no predicting it but at least there is usually a calm day sometime during the week. Our daytime highs were in the low 90’s and high 80’s while the nighttime lows were in the high to mid 60’s.
WATER: On the Pacific side the water close to the beach remained cool at 65-67 degrees. Out across the San Jaime Bank and the Golden Gate Bank the water was 69-70 degrees. The 75-degree water was pushed farther away to the south by the strong currents and now lays 20 miles out. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water is decently warm at an average of 75 degrees north of the 1150 spot. Surface conditions on the Pacific remained choppy due to the strong winds that blow for a few days but has still been fishable. The Cortez side has been much better with small swells and light wind effects. The water throughout the area has been a bit off-color this past week with greener water than last week.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito available this week at the normal price of $3 per bait.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: We may have seen the last of the red-hot Striped Marlin bite for this season as the fishy have moved off of the Golden Gate Bank along with the bait that was holding there. With the bite having have lasted since last November it is surprising that it lasted as long as it did. Now we are most likely going to be doing the normal fishing, casting live bait in front of tailing fish as they move through the area. A good day this past week would have been a five fish day; the average seemed to be one or two releases. With the water cooling down and turning a bit green, we might start to see a few Swordfish soon, but they have not appeared yet.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yet again another poor week for Yellowfin Tuna with only a few fish being caught. There were plenty of Bonito to be hooked up, and in those schools Yellowfin were reported as well, but they just would not bite. The presence of red crab in the area made having something in a red or dark orange color very important in lure selection, and those colors did much better than others on the few fish that were caught.
DORADO: There were some Dorado to be found in the warmer waters on the Cortez side of the Cape this past week. The waters just offshore of the Westin and at the Inman Bank held fish that were not large, but there were some decent numbers. With an average size of 12 pounds, smaller live bait such as large Sardinas worked well. Offshore just a few miles there were larger fish to 40 pounds, but they were few and far between.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo being caught this week.
INSHORE: Sierra and Yellowtail continued to dominate the inshore action this week. While not large, the Sierra were in great numbers once the schools were found. There was great action just outside the beach on the Pacific side at Pueblo Bonita Sunset resort and on the Cortez side outside the Cabo Del Sol Golf Course. Most boats were able to get limits for their anglers using Sardinas as live bait, but blue/silver swimming plugs and hootchies did well also. There were not great numbers of Yellowtail found this week, but they were showing up in the fish boxes of the Pangas. Most of them were firecracker fish in the 8-10 pound class, but there were a few nice fish to 25 pounds and an occasional fish that could not be stopped. Added to the mix of fish caught were the occasional Pargo and Amberjack as well as some small Roosterfish.
NOTES: The Whales are starting to move north and we are seeing fewer every week. Fishing inshore was where the action was this week but there were some days when the Bonito averaged 15 pounds and provided a good fight on the right gear when fishing offshore. This weeks report was written to the music of pianist Marcus Roberts on his 1990 BMG release “Deep In The Shed”. Until next week, tight lines!

[puertovallartafish]

Puerto Vallarta sport fishing FISHING REPORT: MARCH 19tH, 2009 THE MANTRA FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH PUERTO VALLARTA SPORTFISHING ABOARD THE SIRENA WAS “FIND THE BAIT….AND YOU WILL FIND THE BIG GAME FISH”! FOLLOWING THIS PHILOSOPHY, OFF-SHORE TRIPS REAPED EXCELLENT CATCHES OVERALL. THE SEASONED SIRENA CAPTAIN, STEVE TORRES, WAS RUNNING OUT NORTHWEST FROM THE BAY OF BANDERAS, 50-60 MINUTES OFF PUNTA MITA TO THE ISLANDS. THE BEST DAYS BROUGHT IN STRIPED MARLIN, BIG MAHI AND YELLOW FIN TUNA IN THE 50-70 POUND RANGE. A 125 POUND, SHORT- FIN, MAKO MADE FOR AN EXCITING CATCH ON  A SPINNING ROD AT EL BANCO ONE LATE AFTERNOON. DAY TIME TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW TO MID 80s(F) HAVE BROUGHT WARM, CALM SEAS WITH LIGHT AFTERNOON BREEZES. BAIT HAS BEEN ON THE SURFACE BRINGING THE BIG GAME TO THE SURFACE. WITH WATER TEMPERATURES GETTING CLOSER TO 80(F) THE BLACK AND BLUE MARLIN ARE MOVING BACK IN THE AREA ALONG WITH LARGER SIZE YELLOW FIN TUNA.  FOR OFF-SHORE FISHING TRIPS PLAN A MINIMUM OF 10-12 HOURS WITH A 6 AM DEPARTURE TO GET WEST OF EL BANCO FOR THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH YOUR PRIZE. OUR ABLE FIRST MATE, FREDY RODRIQUEZ WILL HELP YOU BOARD YOUR BIG TUNA OR MAHI OR TAG& RELEASE THE BILL FISH TO PRESERVE THE STOCK. PLAN 4-8 HOURS FOR AN INSHORE FISHING TRIP LEAVING THE DOCK BY 7AM TO GET TO SMALLER TUNA'S ROOSTER FISH, SPANISH MACKEREL, JACKS AND RED SNAPPERS REELED IN JUST OFF PUNTA MITA AND ITS COVES. HUMPBACK WHALES ARE LEAVING ON THEIR NORTHWARD MIGRATION HIGHWAY BUT THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF DOLPHINS, SEA TURTLES AND MANTAS ANSWERING NATURES CALL IN THE BAY. A DAY OF FISHING IS THE PRESCRIPTION FOR A BAD ECONOMY…A DAY TO JUST “FORGETABOUTIT”! REMEMBER THE SUMMER MONTHS ARE PRIME BIG GAME FISHING TIME FOR GIANT TUNA AND BILL FISH SO GET DOWN HERE AND CATCH YOUR PUERTO VALLARTA GAME FISH.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/fishingpuertovallarta.jpg

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 03/26/2009
REPORT #1159 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/NONOTail.JPG
La Ventana mossback yellowtail photoTim Hatler

Inshore action dominated this week. Sierra and a few good quality yellowtail were found from Cardonal to Punta Arena, with the largest concentration of sierra from Punta Pescadero to El Cardonal. Warmer water produced a few jacks and roosters as well.

Rumors of offshore dorado some distance from the beach failed to entice many out there. There didn’t seem to be much concentration, so it made for a long boat ride.

The recent nice weather has been favorable for fishing from the beach and the few that tried it reported good signs of bait, particularly from La Ribera to Punta Pescadero.

Palapas Ventana (Las Arenas area) report: “Mackerel are gone locally - but there are plenty of sardina that will do the job to get those yellowtail for those using live bait. Just keep them out of the rocks please --no slack line ever -- I just bent a spear shaft up good by playing with a 30 pounder too long -- now imagine what a 50 pounder will do to you and your gear!

Now the weird thing is that dorado just showed up and they are good size. Why? Sea surface temps have spiked a little outside towards 88 - I guess that’s why... but under the backside buoys, the dorado are congregating…waiting for flies and baits!! Too much fun!!
Winds are up and down this time of year but the lulls are lengthening and the weather is warming up fast!!” Tim Hatler



Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 56-86
Humidity 75%
Wind: ESE 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:17 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:32 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

As early as it is the dorado and football sized tuna are showing around the shark buoys according the commercial fishermen. Inside was pretty much the same story with little sportfishing activity. The Entrada is still providing some decent action for small yellows and sierra. Most of the sandy beaches have small halibut in shallow water.

Up in the Esteros, surface action for corvina was widespread from Puerto San Carlos to above Lopez Mateos. Down deeper it was a slow pick for both grouper and mangrove snapper.

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 51 -83
Humidity 77 %
Wind: WNW 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:32 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:37 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80º blue water has moved out to about the 12 mile mark, with the offshore action slowing down a bit. The boats are only averaging 1 to 2 sailfish a day each. Few dorado are being caught, and the blue marlin bite has even slowed. No tuna were reported.

The one highlight is the jack crevalle action has really turned on big time. Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, reported the big jacks are running between 20 and 25 pounds. He is getting them as they crash on bait about a 1/2 mile off the surf line. These are very hard fighting fish and excellent on light gear or the fly rod. He also reports a lot of sierra.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 72-90
Humidity 60%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:45 a.m. CST
Sunset 7:58 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 23-29, 2009

WEATHER: We had partly cloudy skies for most of the week but there was enough sun for everyone to stay happy. No rain came with the clouds we did get, but I heard there was a little up in the mountains. Our daytime highs remained in the mid 80’s and our nighttime lows in the mid 60’s. The winds stayed down for the most part and the wind we did get seemed to happen later in the afternoon.
WATER: The water on the Sea of Cortez side remained a fairly steady 71-73 degrees everywhere you went. On the Pacific side of the Cape the water was considerably cooler at 65-67 degrees. The currents pushed this cooler water in a plume past the tip of the Cape and there was a defined temperature break early in the week and again on the 27th. This break had a difference of 6 degrees in a very short distance and while it was there the fishing was pretty good. At the end of the week the current from the Cortez side had pushed the warm water back across the tip of the Cape and the cold plume disappeared.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito available this week at the normal price of $3 per bait.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There have been just a few Striped Marlin caught this week. Most of these fish were found on the Pacific side inside the San Jaime Bank area. These fish have been tailing down-sea and when you found one that was hungry you had a chance at a hook-up. The problem was, not many of the fish were hungry! Maybe a quarter of the boats fishing this week returned with a Marlin flag, quite a difference from last month.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin Tuna were a repeat of last weeks report. Yet again another poor week for Yellowfin Tuna with only a few fish being caught. There were plenty of Bonito to be hooked up, and in those schools Yellowfin were reported as well, but they just would not bite. The presence of red crab in the area made having something in a red or dark orange color very important in lure selection, and those colors did much better than others on the few fish that were caught.
DORADO: Again, a repeat of last week. There were some Dorado to be found in the warmer waters on the Cortez side of the Cape this past week. The waters just offshore of the Westin and at the Inman Bank held fish that were not large, but there were some decent numbers. With an average size of 12 pounds, smaller live bait such as large Sardinas worked well. Offshore just a few miles there were larger fish to 40 pounds, but they were few and far between.
WAHOO: There have been a few Wahoo being caught up in the Inman Bank area, but no large numbers of them. Perhaps one fish a day total for the boats in the area, and the fish have been averaging 30 pounds.
INSHORE: Once again a repeat of last week, and definitely the way to go this week if you wanted action. Sierra and Yellowtail continued to dominate the inshore action this week. While not large, the Sierra were in great numbers once the schools were found. There was great action just outside the beach on the Pacific side at Pueblo Bonita Sunset resort and on the Cortez side outside the Cabo Del Sol Golf Course. Most boats were able to get limits for their anglers using Sardinas as live bait, but blue/silver swimming plugs and hootchies did well also. There were not great numbers of Yellowtail found this week, but they were showing up in the fish boxes of the Pangas. Most of them were firecracker fish in the 8-10 pound class, but there were a few nice fish to 25 pounds and an occasional fish that could not be stopped. Added to the mix of fish caught were the occasional Pargo and Amberjack as well as some small Roosterfish.
NOTES: Inshore was where it was happening this week and that is what many boats ended up doing instead of searching offshore for Marlin and Tuna. The water conditions were good and there was bait available (Sardinas) and the action could be red-hot at times. The whales continue to slowly move north and we see fewer every week. This weeks report was written to the sounds of dogs barking in the neighborhood.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/02/2009
REPORT #1160 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/04.02.composite.gif

Every day can be different this time of the year. The last few days have been terrific!

Mark Rayor, Vista Sea Sport, reported, “Yesterday, we fished straight east about 15 miles. There was a wide open dorado bite to the north of us. Although we saw jumpers all over, the marlin didn’t bite until the afternoon and we ended up with two. Our second one was only 4.5 miles from the house.”

Beach action was best from La Ribera to the lighthouse with numerous small schools of sardina attracting roosters, jacks and ladyfish right up to the shore line.

Cerralvo Island fishing report:

“Outside the warm water bulge continues to produce dorado on the buoys, while yellowtail action is slightly slower but still good. Sierra, cabrilla and pargo are abundant inshore and the winds are calming more and more.” Tim Hatler

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 58-84
Humidity 75%
Wind: SE 4 to 5 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:46 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Regardless of the cool water, the dorado remain just a few miles offshore. There are also some football-sized tuna with skipjack mixed in.

The esteros were lightly fished again this week but they did yield a few grouper, spotted bay bass and on the surface, some small sierra and corvina.

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 52 -82
Humidity 80 %
Wind: W 9 to 13 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:17 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:43 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

With almost the cruelty of a bad April Fools joke, you can be fishing in beautiful blue water, and not see a sign of life. Then you check the water temperature. The 77º reading makes it obvious if you want to catch a sailfish, instead of trolling lures, you would be better off trolling a jacket.

There is a strong cold current pushing the blue water, and it is meandering. It can be at 4 miles in the morning, and then 10 miles in the afternoon. The boats are only averaging one sailfish a day per boat.

There are no tuna or dorado showing, and even the blue marlin bite has died off. Historically, this is very typical for April. In a couple of weeks, the private yachts will start arriving and will be fishing out at the 45 to 50 mile mark. They will do well on blue marlin and large yellowfin tuna. It is all a prelude for the good things which start happening in May.

The best action on the coast is the large jack crevalle. Earlier in the week, Gordon Krantz of Texas fished with Cheva on the Dos Hermanos II. This is what he had to say: "We caught yellowtail jacks till my poor old arms couldn't take it anymore. The most fun, however, was catching them on top of the water...Poppers." The hard fighting jacks were averaging between 18 and 25 pounds.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 68-86
Humidity 72%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:40 a.m. CST
Sunset 8:00 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 30-April 5, 2009

WEATHER: Once again we had partly cloudy skies most of the week, clearing toward the weekend. Along with the clouds came wind, and it got pretty breezy for a few days. On the days when it was not blowing in the morning, it got started in the afternoon. Our daytime highs were in the mid to low 80’s while the nighttime lows were in the mid to low 60’s.
WATER: There was pretty much no change as well on the water as the Sea of Cortez remained a tepid 75-71 degrees almost everywhere. The warmer water was from an area just to the south of the Cabrilla Seamount. The warm water extended toward us up until just to the south of the 95 spot, then the cold water from the Pacific side intruded. At the end of the week we had water as cool as 65 degrees just off the beach at the arch and it continued on up the coast very close to shore, but most of the area on the Pacific side was warmer than that at 66-67 degrees. The very cool water was also green, and the color change extended out to the 95 spot.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito available this week at the normal price of $3 per bait. There were also Sardinas at $25 for a large scoop at Chileno or $25 for a small scoop here in Cabo.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: For most of the week the Striped Marlin stayed hidden from us, but as expected they did finally make a showing again. As usual for this time of year, the next appearance was to the north on the Sea of Cortez, specifically up at the Punta Gorda area around the Inman Banks. There was plenty of bait there and if you ran out you could catch your own. The fish were primarily tailing fish and you needed to be pretty accurate with you casts, but if you managed to get bait within 10 feet the chances were pretty good of getting a hookup. The better scoring boats were releasing 5-7 fish per day; others were getting one or two. There were occasional fish found in other areas as well, but they were not feeding as well, nor were they as concentrated.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The Yellowfin bite remained slow this week, just as it has for the past few months, but a few spots that encouraged us were to be found. A few nice fish were caught at the Gorda Banks, nothing earthshaking but some decent fish to 50 pounds were caught on live Sardinas. There were also several pods of Dolphin found that did have fish with them, small fish of 10-20 pounds for the most part. Of course there were more pods of Dolphin without Tuna than there were with Tuna, but that is just part of the game. Most of the fish that were found were on the Cortez side of the cape.
DORADO: There were scattered Dorado this week and most of them were found in the warmer waters offshore on the Sea of Cortez. Outside of the 1150 and north of the 95 spot where the water warmed up, all the way out to the Cabrillo Seamount there were scattered fish. Hook one up and there was a fair chance of getting another following behind the hooked one. Spotting the Frigates feeding was the key, although blind trolling resulted in some fish as well. Most of the fish were decent size at 20+ pounds.
WAHOO: Once again I heard of a few Wahoo being caught, but have no information other than they were all found on the Cortez side of the Cape.
INSHORE: Once again a repeat of last week and the week before, and definitely the way to go this week if you wanted action. Sierra and Yellowtail continued to dominate the inshore action this week. While not large, the Sierra were in great numbers once the schools were found. There was great action just outside the beach on the Pacific side at Pueblo Bonita Sunset resort and on the Cortez side outside the Cabo Del Sol Golf Course. Most boats were able to get limits for their anglers using Sardinas as live bait, but blue/silver swimming plugs and hootchies did well also. There were not great numbers of Yellowtail found this week, but they were showing up in the fish boxes of the Pangas. Most of them were firecracker fish in the 8-10 pound class, but there were a few nice fish to 25 pounds and an occasional fish that could not be stopped. Added to the mix of fish caught were the occasional Pargo and Amberjack as well as some small Roosterfish.
NOTES: It is amazing how quickly things can change on the ocean. Only a month ago and all the action was taking place on the Pacific side of the Cape and now everything has shifted to the Cortez side. It was nice to hear about the Marlin showing back up, it is the same distance to run but in the opposite direction! It is Easter weekend coming up and the beaches here are going to be full of vacationing Mexicans, it is one of the biggest holidays of the year and it is almost a tradition to go to the ocean for the week. Access roads to the beaches will be blocked at most areas close to town so if you are coming here this week be prepared for crowds! This weeks report was written to the music of Mark Knopfler on my own mixed CD. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/09/2009
REPORT #1161 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/aprildorado.gif
Best action reported is to the north, close to the 88. Loads of dorado and some marlin.

Closer to shore, anything floating seems to be holding schools of small dorado.

Same story inshore with a continuing run of quality roosters mixed in with some big-shouldered jacks north of Punta Pescadero all the way to Muertos.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 57-87
Humidity 60%
Wind: NNW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:38 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Outside, the dorado can be found around the shark buoys and the small yellowfin tuna are within ten miles of Boca de Soledad. There’s still some decent action at the Entrada for small yellows and some remaining sierra.

Estero action has been spotty. The few anglers fishing there found small snook, grouper and snapper at Devil’s Curve.

Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 52 -81
Humidity 55 %
Wind: WNW 14 to 19 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:47 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

For all species, the fishing here has really been very slow this week. Historically, this is a typical April trend. Then when the cooler water current moves out, the fishing rebounds after the first week of May.

The blue water is still holding between 10 and 12 miles out, but the average is only about 1 sailfish per boat, per day. I was on the beach early this morning watching the night fishermen bring in their catch, and even it was very small. However, this could be attributed to the full moon phase. There was one commercial fisherman who had a few football sized yellowfin tuna, but he said he had to go 50 miles to find them.

Even the inshore jack crevalle action, which has been so hot the last few weeks, completely shut off this week.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 68-86
Humidity 72%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:40 a.m. CST
Sunset 8:00 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
April 6-12, 2009

WEATHER: Scattered clouds were overhead this week almost every day, but they managed to disappear at the end of the week. We had strong winds almost every day that started about noon and blew until sunrise. Daytime highs were in the mid 80’s and the nighttime lows were around the low 70’s.
WATER: Water on the Pacific side remained a cool 64-66 degrees everywhere to the west and north of Cabo, and conditions were very bumpy due to the wind. 12 miles to the south of a line due west of Cabo on the Pacific side the water was much warmer at an average of 72-73 degrees, but again, very bumpy. On the Cortez side of the Cape north of a line running southeast of Cabo the water was averaging 73 degrees. The further north you went on the Cortez side the better the surface conditions became, the Cape blocked the wind and the build up of swells. Between the two bodies of warm water was a plume of the cold water being pushed south from the Pacific and it was averaging 66 degrees. The cold-water plume was a bit on the green side.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito available this week at the normal price of $3 per bait. There were also Sardinas at $25 for a large scoop at Chileno or $25 for a small scoop here in Cabo.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The concentration of Striped Marlin that we saw last week up in the Destilladera area was a short-lived showing that only lasted about three days as far as having a good bite. Later in the week the bite dropped off and a really good day there might have resulted in three fish released. As we moved toward the end of the week the fish were to be found almost everywhere up in the Sea of Cortez, but with a full moon on Friday they were feeding at night and it was almost impossible to get bit. That’s not to say there were no fish caught, but the odds were pretty small. On the positive side, since the fish are showing on the surface, in another week the bite should really pick up! There were reports of a few different billfish this week as well. Unconfirmed by me but related by someone I know pretty well is the report of a Swordfish taken by a private boat early in the week while fishing at night. Also, on Thursday there was a Blue Marlin of about 300 pounds released in the area of the 1150 Spot. That fish ate a bait that was presented to a Black Marlin according to both the angler and the Captain of the boat.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin Tuna have still failed to show up in any numbers but a school was found well to the south of the San Jaime during the middle of the week and a few boats were able to post good numbers on fish averaging 25 pounds, with an occasional fish pushing 40 pounds. There was also a good bite early in the week for one boat that found the fish well to the west of the San Jaime, so it appears that there may be fish out there, but just too far from us right now to make the run. Maybe they will move closer to us soon.
DORADO: Once again it was a case of scattered fish. Almost every boat was able to get a Dorado this week, and a few boats managed to get three or four. The warm water on the Cortez side produced the fish and the best area was three to five miles off the beach, the same area that held most of the Striped Marlin.
WAHOO: The full moon helped on the Wahoo bite but it was not wide open by any means. Most of the fish caught were from the Punta Gorda area but there were a few fish found in the deep water as well, as long as it was warmer than 72 degrees. There were scattered fish in the warm water to the southwest of Cabo but they were incidental catches.
INSHORE: Due to the strong winds this week the inshore fishing was a bit tough on the Pacific side but the area off of Los Arcos produced decent Yellowtail early in the week for boats using iron in 150 feet of water. Later in the week the anglers all moved to the south side of the lighthouse and up on the Cortez side of the Cape to get away from the wind. The Sierra bite continued to be very good and anyone who really tried was able to limit out on fish to 9 pounds. An on-off bite on Red Snapper kept every day a surprise and there were a few species such as Roosterfish, Amberjack, Ladyfish, Needlefish and Skipjack that kept the action fairly constant.
NOTES: It is Easter Sunday and I just finished getting the back yard set up for guests as we are having a few friends over for grilled ribs and Dorado while we listen to music and watch the Masters tournament. Mark, the hanging basket of cherry tomatoes is producing great quantities, the Beefsteaks I planted are almost ready to produce flowers, my green beans are growing at an incredible rate and the sage, rosemary, mint, spearmint and basil plants are growing incredibly fast. My thyme has sprouted and next week the lavender seeds go in! Thanks so much for getting me started! I will get a chance this week to check and see if I learned anything from watching the master’s tournament. This weeks report was written to the music of Leo Kottke on his 1986 RCA release “A Shout Toward Noon”. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/16/2009
REPORT #1162 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

Our clients found the offshore a little cool but the inshore was just right, yielding multiple species on the fly.

Cecilia “Pudge” Kleinkauf, Anchorage, Alaska, visited this week with a group of mostly seasoned Baja anglers with one angler on her first trip to Baja. They caught a variety of fish which included roosterfish, red snapper, pargo, cabrilla, sierra mackerel, pompano and white bonito all round. By the end of the trip almost everyone had achieved a personal best or a new species!
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/04.16.09hegge.gif

Heggie Wilson, from Park City, Utah, caught a fish on his second cast in the morning and it never slowed down. They fished the reef in front of Leonero until almost 10 a.m. for 5 different species. He ended up the day with 8 different species. it was full speed most of the day!

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 56-86
Humidity 48%
Wind: NNW 13 to 18 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:58 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:41 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Enrique Soto reported that the shark fishermen were finding dorado around the shark buoys twenty miles west of the Entrada. Up at Lopez Mateos outside the Boca ten miles, there are some small yellowfin tuna with skipjack mixed in.

Water temperature 49 - 82
Air temperature 52 -81
Humidity 45 %
Wind: WNW 12 to 16 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:50 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The fishing and conditions picked up a bit this week. Even though the fleet is only averaging about one or two sailfish a day per boat, this should improve soon.

The warm, 80° blue water is about 12 miles off the beach and several blue marlin are being hooked. The boats are averaging about one marlin hookup for every five boats each day.

Santiago, on the panga Gitana, had one decent day with his clients and released three sailfish. Not to be outdone, his brother Adan on the panga Gitana II, released four sails in one day.
The jack crevalle action bounced back to life, with lots of the larger 15- to 20-pound hard fighting fish being reported around the White Rocks, and on down to Petatlan (about 7.5 and 16 miles south of Zihuatanejo).

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 68-86
Humidity 62%
Wind: WSW at 13knt
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:29 a.m. CST
Sunset 8:03 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
April 13-19, 2009

WEATHER: We had partly cloudy skies early in the week with the weekend resulting in perfectly clear skies. There was some windy days early with the wind lasting all night during the beginning of the week and tapering off a bit as the week progressed, then at the weekend the wind died to an occasional light breeze. As the winds lessened the temperatures increased. At the beginning of the week we had lows in the mid 60’s and highs in the low 90’s, at the end of the week the lows were in the mid 70’s and the highs in the mid 90’s.
WATER: Surface conditions on the Pacific side were choppy at the beginning of the week, coinciding with the winds we experienced but at the end of the week the chop had gone away and there were just some well spaced 3-5 foot swells with a light breeze on them. On the Cortez side the surface was calm with negligible swells and no chop locally in the mornings, and with some slight chop and swells in the afternoon and early in the week up to the north around Punta Gorda. Water temperatures on the Pacific side remained at 66 degrees out to the San Jaime Bank and past there to the west it warmed to 70 degrees. On the Cortez side the water was a very nice 74 degrees early in the week and on the 16th a hot spot that went to 79 degrees appeared between the 1150 spot and the Cabrilla Seamount. Immediately afterward the surface temperatures dropped and as of the end of the week we had a fairly uniform 70 degrees in the area.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito available this week at the normal price of $3 per bait. Sardinas were hard to come by this week.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite has slowly begun to pick back up with fish showing on the surface on the Cortez side of the Cape. Most of the fish being caught are found tailing on the surface and the bites have been pretty evenly mixed between live and dead bait. On the Pacific side there have been a couple of fish found, but overall everyone pretty much agreed that inside the Pacific side banks the water is too cool for much action. There were reports of a couple of Blue and Black Marlin giving some adrenalin rushes out there and that action was between the 95 spot and the 1150, outside around the 1,000 fathom line.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the Yellowfin Tuna failed to show in any numbers. There were a few fish found, but they were at quite a distance from Cabo, it took several hours running time to get into the productive waters, such as they were, and once there it took quite a long time to find any fish, it there were any there. 40 miles to the southwest was where a few schools were found, and they were only school fish in the 20-35 pound class. That meant a long run on a possibility of getting a couple of small Tuna, most anglers said never mind. We did have one day of decent fish just to the south of the San Jaime with both Yellowfin and Dorado on the bite, but it was very short lived.
DORADO: Just like last week, once again it was a case of scattered fish. Almost every boat was able to get a Dorado this week, and a few boats managed to get three or four. The warm water on the Cortez side produced the fish and the best area was three to five miles off the beach, the same area that held most of the Striped Marlin.
WAHOO: There were scattered fish found in the early part of the week in the Punta Gorda, Inman Bank area. These fish averaged 25 pounds and swimming plugs had the best results.
INSHORE: The bite is still on for Sierra and Yellowtail, it’s decent for Amberjack and Pargo and there are a few Grouper to add to the mix. Most of the action early in the week was taking place on the Cortez side of the Cape but as the winds died down it moved back to the Pacific side off of Los Arcos.
NOTES: Took the dog to the beach this morning, nice and quiet out there with just a few people walking back and forth. I have a two hour cruise at noon and then will get to watch some golf. I am planning to get a couple of rounds in this week. If anyone out there has every played any of the courses in Sun River, Oregon, I would like to hear from you and get your opinions on them. My wife and I are going there at the end of June for a week long vacation, I need to smell some pine trees and see if I can stand wading in cold water casting a fly! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/23/2009
REPORT #1163 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/whale.o4.23.gif
By all accounts, the past few days have been the best in 2009 so far. With the help of a floating dead whale and flat seas, the dorado action was ‘off the charts’ providing nonstop action on both fly and conventional.

Inshore action continued with its winning ways providing plenty of bait which attracted roosters, jacks and pompano…enough to keep rods bent. Even after being thrashed last week by wind, the beach has turned the corner and those fishing from shore in the past few days have had the kind of action normally not expected until later in the spring.

Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 56-86
Humidity 48%
Wind: NNW 13 to 18 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:58 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:41 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Very few anglers went out but the commercial guys are still talking about the dorado around the shark buoys west of the Entrada. Skipjack and small tuna remain in easy striking distance of Boca de Soledad.

The Esteros have also been lightly fished but there were a few grouper and mangrove snapper all the way up to the top end of the bay. There are also a few small halibut on the sandy beaches near the inside of the Boca.

Water temperature 67 - 77
Air temperature 52 -81
Humidity 45 %
Wind: WNW 12 to 16 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:50 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Being the blue water has moved out beyond the 24 mile mark, the blue water fishing is practically non-existent this week for the sport fishing fleet. They are only averaging less than a sailfish a day per boat. The only reports of decent blue water fishing are coming in from the commercial pangueros. They are working an area from 45 to 50 miles out, and scoring on yellowfin tuna and blue marlin.

There is a hot bite going on however. The jack crevalle, chulas and black skipjack tuna are providing lots of action for the light-line fishermen. The majority of the action is taking place between 1/2 to 2 miles off the beach, all up and down the coast. (A chula is an excellent tasting small tuna, between 4 and 6 pounds, with white meat and a serious set of dentures).

Most of the inshore fish are being taken on trolled Rapalas.
Talking to Jaime this morning on the municipal pier, he told me how yesterday they even encountered a school of large jacks at 17 miles. The 25 pound (average) fish were so hungry he ended up with a quadruple hookup on his sailfish baits.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 68-86
Humidity 62%
Wind: WSW at 13knt
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:29 a.m. CST
Sunset 8:03 p.m. CST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
April 20-26, 2009

WEATHER: There were a few clouds in the sky this week but for the most part we had sunny and clear skies. It feels as if summer is fast approaching as our daytime temperatures have been a few degrees warmer every week, this week we averaged 88 degrees in the daytime and 71 degrees in the mornings. I almost turned on the air conditioning last night, but then thought better of it, after all, that stuff costs a lot of money and I turned on the floor fan instead!
WATER: We had light winds at the beginning of the week and they picked up quite a bit on Thursday, by the weekend they had died back down. The winds were our typical northwest winds and they kicked up the swells and waves for a couple of days. By the end of the week things had calmed down. On the Cortez side of the Cape things were a bit calmer since the wind did not shift very much and the swells stayed small with just a light wind chop. There was a very defined current line running from the tip of the Cape to the south-southeast where the western side was a cool 64-67 degrees and the eastern side was 70-71 degrees. The cool water was in a band about 10 miles wide 30 miles to the south and the distance between the cool water and the warm water was one mile. On Saturday there was an 81-degree hot spot on the surface that ran between the 1150 and the Cabrilla Seamount.
BAIT: Once again it was a mix of Caballito and Mackerel at $3 per bait and the Sardinas were hard to come by here in Cabo. The little guys were hard to get in San Jose as well; you had to be early to get a shot at these baits.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The warm spot of water between the 1150 and the Cabrilla Seamount was expected to give up a couple of Blues or Blacks but failed to produce much of anything at all other than a couple of Dorado. A few boats were able to scratch up one, two, or in a few instances, three Striped Marlin while working between the shore and the 95 Spot. There were a few tailing fish sighted on the Cortez side but the kudos went to the guys who were willing to use their electronics to spot fish down at 100-150 feet and drop bait to them.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: We had a couple of good days of fishing for football Tuna in the 5-15 pound class in the middle of the week. The fish were with a large pod of dolphin on the Pacific side just to the south of the San Jaime Banks. When the wind picked up on Thursday the fish were more difficult to find. When they were biting earlier I had no problem getting limits for my guys as we were covered up five times and had multiple hook-ups every pass. Small feathers or lures in the 4-5 inch size and in red or black were the ticket as the Tuna were feeding on small squid. There were also dolphin that had fish to the south, but once again at a distance of 25 miles and they were football fish.
DORADO: This week was a repeat of last week, and it of the week before. Just like last week, once again it was a case of scattered fish. Almost every boat was able to get a Dorado this week, and a few boats managed to get three or four. The warm water on the Cortez side produced most of the fish and the best area was three to five miles off the beach, the same area that held most of the Striped Marlin.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo this week.
INSHORE: Just like last week, the bite is still on for Sierra and Yellowtail, it’s decent for Amberjack and Pargo and there are a few Grouper to add to the mix. The Yellowtail were up around Los Arcos on the Pacific side and the Sierra were on the Cortez side of the Cape. When the winds blew hard in the middle of the week the water really greened up on the Pacific coast and most of the action moved to the Cortez side.
NOTES: Thank you for all the replies about my questions on Sun River last week, they helped me a lot. Denny, I look forward to hearing from you when you come down. Another game of golf planned for this week and perhaps some time on the water as well. This weeks report was written to the music of the birds on the Legends of Golf tournament in Savannah playing on the TV! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 04/30/2009
REPORT #1164 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/04.30.lprooster.gif
Regarding the elephant on the beach, all of the talk about swine flu in Baja is just that…talk! As of today, there are nada, none, zip cases reported here in East Cape, as well as the rest of Baja Sur and West Coast of Mexico. The following link is a Google map with an up-to-date map of all reported cases. http://tiny.cc/V8Q8j

As promised, the Mexican Department de Pesca has begun inspecting to be sure that anglers are abiding by Mexican fishing regulations. Apparently a panga is being provided by alternating hotels each month.

Marlin action exploded early in the week but it has slowed somewhat as the baitballs have been broken up by schools of feeding skipjack.
Dorado action continued at a better than average rate for this time of the year with many larger fish being caught close in.

Beach action also has heated up early; larger roosters have begun to show in shallow water close to shore. There were reports of “Bubba” class roosters seen feeding on mullet. Lance Peterson sent us a photo of his first of the ’09 season caught earlier this week and photographed by his wife Colleen before it was released. He commented that he had lost even a larger one just minutes before hooking the one in the photo.

Water temperature 72-77
Air temperature 58-91
Humidity 42%
Wind: SE 4 to 6 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:45 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:47 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Angler count was even less than last week. Enrique Soto reported good action under the bird schools at the Entrada for a mixed bag of bonito, sierra and a few firecracker sized yellowtail. Dorado were still being reported by commercial fishermen 15 to 20 miles west of the entrada.

Lopez Mateos reported small tuna and yellows outside Bode Soledad, beginning at ten miles and improving out to twenty miles.

Estero action took a back seat as scallop season began capturing the attention of most of the locals this week.

Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 59 -90
Humidity 50 %
Wind: NW 7 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:50 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The blue water fishing is improving, but not by a lot. A few sailfish are being reported, but the average is still only about 1 sailfish per day per boat. The clean water has come in to about the 18 mile mark, which is better than the 24 miles last week. The blue water is about 30 miles out.
With the very low fish counts this last couple of weeks, Jamie Morales, the owner of the Vamonos Fleet, was telling me this weekend's annual International Sailfish Tournament should be changed to jurel (jack crevalle), chulas, and barriletes (black skipjack tuna). This is because the action is still outstanding for these inshore fish.

However, a lot of other people must have thought the same thing, because the tournament has been delayed until the weekend of May 22nd. Of course, this was all done in solidarity for the other sporting events in Mexico, which are shut down due to the swine flu. There is no swine flu here in this state, but the federal mandated program is shutting down all sporting events in the republic.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 72-90
Humidity 61%
Wind: WSW at 12kt
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. CDST
Sunset 8:036p.m. CDST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
April 27-May 3, 2009

Notes: This week I decided to start with the notes instead of ending with them. I thought that giving an overview at the start of the report would allow you to decide what sections you would like to check out. I did not fish this past week and there were very few boats going out due to the Swine Flu scare. We have had no cases in Baja California, none, zero, zip, and nada. Even with that knowledge, the media has hyped up this flu so much that almost every charter we and other companies have had on the books has cancelled their trips. We still have a couple this month, but overall it looks like a good month for us to take a vacation. Since there is no Swine Flu here, maybe we will go up to the East Cape, don’t want to go to California or Texas, they have cases there and we might get sick, lol!! Given the fact that there were few boats out this week, the information I have is based on just a few trips, not the normal numbers.

WEATHER: We had a couple of partly cloudy days this week but most of the time it was clear and blue. We started the week with some clouds on Sunday and had a mostly cloudy day this last Saturday. Nighttime temperatures have been in the low 70’s and daytime highs have been in the low 90’s. We had a bit of wind on the Pacific side Thursday and Friday that cooled things off a bit over there, but there was almost no wind on the Cortez side this week.
WATER: Surface conditions on the Pacific side were great with swells at 3-5 feet and only a few days of wind at the end of the week putting some decent chop on the water. The Cortez side of the Cape showed us great conditions with small swells of 1-2 feet and only light winds. Water temperatures remained constant as there was very little change in the direction or speed of the currents. On the Cortez side the water was a very consistent 75-76 degrees with it warming slightly up toward the Punta Gorda area. On the Pacific side the cold water remained 64-66 degrees along the beach and extending in a plume to the south. Outside the 1,000-fathom line it warmed back up to 72-73 degrees. The cool water was slightly more green that the warm water.
BAIT: Bait availability was very good with so few boats going out, at least at the beginning of the week. At the end of the week even the bait boats were taking nights off because of the low number of boats going out. Mackerel and Caballito were the normal $3 per bait and Sardinas were hard to come by.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were fish seen and a few fish caught up around the 1,000-fathom line on the Pacific side as well as quite a few seen and a few caught around the 95 spot. These were Striped Marlin that averaged 120 pounds. Catches averaged on release per boat with a couple of boats releasing three fish. Live bait tossed in front of tailing fish was the best technique but a few were caught on lures.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were still quite a few of the football 10-15 pound Yellowfin found around the area of the San Jaime Bank this week and the boats that got into them had a great time because of the lack of pressure. There were reports of some larger fish being found at the Cabrilla Seamount, supposedly fish to 50 pounds. All the Tuna found this week were with porpoise and feathers in dark colors were the best bet for the football fish while live bait dropped into the middle of the porpoise were reported to get the larger fish at the Seamount.
DORADO: Almost every boat that fished the Cortez side this week caught at least one Dorado, and some of the fish were really nice sized, to 50 pounds. Finding the feeding Frigate birds really helped zero in on an area, then slow trolling live bait got the fish to bite. Multiple fish were caught by leaving the first one in the water and dropping back a chunk of cut bait; getting any fish following to bite.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo this week.
INSHORE: Inshore fishing was the most prevalent type done this week. Due to economic reasons most likely as the Pangas cost a lot less than cruisers. Whatever the reason, the inshore fishery is still a happening thing with every Panga getting Sierra and having a good shot at Yellowtail to 20 pounds. Toss in the possibility of Dorado, Amberjack, Pargo and Grouper and almost every boat came in with a nice mixed bag of fish. Action was scattered along both sides of the Cape.

P.S.: My gardening is coming along great, I have gotten a chance to catch up on my reading and hopefully get some time on the driving range. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 05/07/2009
REPORT #1165 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape

As I write this report the biggest impact of the swine flu is the lack of tourists. There are still no cases of swine flu in Baja Sur. For my take, read the cover story in this week’s WON. http://tiny.cc/i5K3z
Water temps continue to climb and the weather is great – winds are nice and calm in the mornings with very nominal afternoon winds and fishing is awesome! The striped marlin are everywhere! Running in packs of three or four and performing their aerial jumps for everyone's benefit, including their own!
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/rayorsword.gif
Another bonus this week was the landing of a swordfish by Mark Rayor on his birthday from his boat, Jen Wren. More on this to come.

The photo below is from Lance Peterson. Lance said, “Fed a few (roosterfish) on Cinco de Mayo. This one was the best of the bunch. Since then it's been tough. Maybe I'm crazy...but perhaps it has something to do with the gill nets I've seen lately? Two nights ago a panga came in after sunset and set one right along the beach near our house. Yesterday I saw two groups of men swimming with gill nets to set them along the beach near the park boundary south of the Lighthouse (Miramar). The "authorities" are busy checking fishing licenses at East Cape while these guys run amok and do untold damage to the fishery. It’s frustrating to say the least.”
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/May_5_09_Pez_Gallo_resize.gif
Dorado are being found up and down the East Cape, either free swimming or under almost anything floating - including dead sea lions. Near Punta Pescadero, a whale carcass was located that provided limits of dorado for several days. Some in the 50 to 60 pound range were reported over the days the carcass was seen. Another reported carcass was north off the Sierra Verde (slide rock area) that was also holding lots of dorado. Fishermen heading either north or south were having no trouble reaching their limit on dorado.

Late season sierra mackerel are still around and those being caught have been ‘grandes’.

Lots of sardina available and those with some ballyhoo rigs are doing better with their marlin catch and release.

Water temperature 72-77
Air temperature 65-95
Humidity 58%
Wind: S 1 to 1 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:41 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:50 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The water has begun warming up which has improved fishing conditions for yellows, tuna, dorado and skipjack just a few miles outside the Entrada and Boca Santa Domingo all the way to the Thetis Bank.

In the Esteros there are a few snook up to 10 pounds along with some mangrove snapper and leopard grouper from 5 to 10 pound class.

The scallop season is now in full swing and will continue for the next few months.

Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 65 -96
Humidity 50 %
Wind: WNW 7 to 9 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:46 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:00 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Cool water is still the controlling factor, with the blue water moving even further out this week. Six miles off the beach, the water is 76º at the 100 fathom line and only 80º at the 1,000 fathom line (30 miles).
Even though there are very few marlin, sailfish and dorado being taken.

A very large area of yellowfin tuna has been located at 26 miles. Most of the tuna are averaging between 35 and 45 pounds, with a few larger ones down below the large schools of smaller fish.

Inshore action is still very good for jack crevalle, sierras, chulas, and black skipjack tuna.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 73-85
Humidity 83%
Wind: WSW at 12kt
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:17 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:09p.m. DST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 4-10, 2009

Notes: There are still no reported cases of the Swine Flu here in the Baja, but tourist numbers have remained low anyway. So come to Cabo to escape Swine Flu! Just as was the case last week the report this week is based on very low numbers of boats going out. We are still seeing a few whales here and there but they are pretty much done for the year.
WEATHER: It was pretty nice during most of the week with light and scattered clouds, the daytime highs in the mid 80’s and nighttime lows in the mid 60’s. At the end of the week clouds moved into our area, coming in from the southwest and they were heralded by some pretty strong winds on Saturday. With wind speeds at 25 miles per hour all day long and a heavy cover of clouds it felt as if it might rain, but all we had was about 10 minutes of a light mist.
WATER: The Pacific side was a tough way to go this week as they weather system made its way toward us. The winds have been pushing the swells all week long and early in the week you knew that something was on it’s was as the swells went overhead. A few boats that went out toward the San Jaime Bank reported that conditions were similar to “victory at sea” film clips. It was not comfortable out there and the water was cool as well with surface temperatures in the 67-degree area at the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Banks. Closer to shore on the Pacific side there was a band of cold water pushing its way south along the beach. This cold water was 61 degrees and ran from the beach to three miles out all along the Pacific side, finally turning off to the southwest at the lighthouse. Between the band of cold water and the 95 spot on the Cortez side of the Cape the water slowly warmed up to 72 degrees, and once you went east of there it quickly warmed to 77 degrees. The cold water was also very green with the green slowly fading the warmer the water became.
BAIT: There was bait available at the normal $3 each with the small Barred Jacks being more prevalent than any other type of bait. These make good cut bait but I don’t care for them for much else. There were a few Mackerel, but there were not very many Caballito, both due to the cold water and the full moon. There were supposed to be Sardinas available up in San Jose, but I also heard that their availability was on “who you know “ basis.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: Reports have some Striped Marlin showing up at the Punta Gorda and north of there, in the warmer water. We caught one this week on the Outer Gorda Bank and had another one on the same trip come into the pattern and swirl on a lure. There were plenty of small Skipjack on the bank as well as common Pacific Dolphin. We went as far as Vinorama without seeing any other fish but I had some friends tell me I should have gone about 10 miles farther north. A couple of boats reported seeing Swordfish on the surface around the 95 spot on Thursday but no one was able to get a bite.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I did not hear of any boats getting into the Tuna this week locally, but did hear of one boat making a transit from Mazatlan that got into some nice fish about 80 miles from us. The fish were in the 50-pound class and they caught a dozen or so of them.
DORADO: There were scattered Dorado this week and perhaps 50% of the boats out there were able to get a hook into one of them. These fish were scattered on the Cortez side of the Cape and until we get some floating debris in our area there are not likely to be any large catches.
WAHOO: The full moon brought about a few hungry Wahoo up around the Punta Gorda area and the Inman Banks area. The usual high speed swimming plugs did not work as well as slow trolled or drifted live bait, but that may have been because more anglers were slow trolling or drifting, huh?
INSHORE: Inshore fishing was almost non-existent on the Pacific side as wind and swells kept getting stronger and larger, the water became colder and got greener. The action on the Cortez side made up for it a bit though with some decent Yellowtail to 25 pounds being found off of the rocky points as well as some nice Sierra to 9-10 pounds. A scattering of other fish in the mix such as Amberjack, small Roosterfish, Pargo and Grouper made for some interesting trips on the Pangas.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 05/14/2009
REPORT #1166 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/rayor.mother.gif
There have been very few guests at any of the hotels to enjoy the continued good fishing. Even without any reported cases of swine flu in Baja, it’s taken its toll.

If you can handle the heat, the beach has been producing plenty of jacks with some roosters mixed in including some larger class Bubbas above twenty-five pounds…also ladyfish, pompano and a few pargo.
Boats fishing along the shore found plenty of action near the rock reefs near Punta Colorada which included few good sized grouper and pargo as well as jacks and roosters. A bit farther out, there are some huge skipjack breezing on small sardina.

Out in the bluewater, boats lucky enough to find something floating usually found dorado under it and some are large up to thirty five pounds.
As the water warms up, the sails have begun to be seen mixed in with the marlin. Also an occasional swordfish pops up and few even bite.

Water temperature 72-78
Air temperature 64-94
Humidity 62%
Wind: ESE 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:53 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Plenty of wind and whitecaps made this a good week to fish the esteros and what do you know… the leopard grouper cooperated; none of them were huge but a few were up in the 10 pound range. Of course there were five spotted bay bass for every grouper. On the surface the orange mouthed corvina were eating small poppers.

Out at Cabo San Lazzaro there were yellows up to a Baja 12 lb. which by most standards are still firecracker class. Last and maybe least there were some small halibut hanging out in the shallows off the sand beaches.

Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 61 -98
Humidity 67 %
Wind: WNW 13 to 18 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:42 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:03 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The fishing is picking up this week. There are very few clients, but the action on the yellowfin tuna has been excellent. Basically it is just the commercial pangueros who are doing most of the fishing for the tuna. With the blue water moving in to the 18 mile mark, the tuna were between 18 and 20 miles. But, reports are circulating that the bite is shutting off and they have moved out to about 40 miles. This is typical, and they should move back in close again within a few days. A few blue marlin are also being taken and the fleet is averaging one or two sailfish a day per boat.

There is still excellent action on the jack crevalle, and the roosterfish are making their long awaited arrival. There has been some very good roosterfish action reported down about 18 miles in the Petalan region.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 78-105
Humidity 68%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:11 p.m. DST

[puertovallartafish]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/CIMG0612.jpgPuerto Vallarta fishing report 05/15/09Sailfish Frenzy! We took out Bobby, Charles, Mike, and Keith yesterday on the  2006 luhrs, the Sirena With Captain Steve and crew Freddy and Marcos. What a day right when We got around the point of Punta de mita We spotted a nice sailfish Marcos ran to the front of the boat casted out some live bait and boom We had a sailfish on Keith was first and did a great job reelled in a nice 100 lb sailfish in about 15 minutes next we found a nice school of dorado feeding off a small tree branch floating about 10 miles north of the point We caught 4 back to back enough to make some fresh ceviche for lunch then We decided to go and catch some more sailfish! We started heading further north by guayabitos but the conditions were so nice the water was like a lake You could see for miles about a 30 minutes later Captain Steve saw a couple sailfish sun bathing about a 2 miles away from us he speeded up the Sirena and 2 seconds later we were right on top of them but could not get a bite on 50 lb test so We tried with a 40 and boom the bigger sailfish hit and hit it hard within seconds You could see this beautiful fish fighting and jumping about 20 yards from the boat  what a show! Mike nailed it though reeling in this 98 inch sailfish like a true pro it only took him 20 minutes to land it  which is not so easy on 40 lb test. We kept trolling north following the birds and dolphins keeping a look out for sailfish as we were trolling a nice striped marlin hit a lure Captain Steve hit the throttle and hooked a nice striped marlin about 120 lbs. After that it was slow We did not see anything but dolphins for a couple hours then just like that We spotted about 5 sailfish jumping and swimming Marcos hooked another one this one was bigger then the first 2 though a nice female about 130 lbs after that we spotted a school of jacks picked up a nice triple hook up and then called it a day.but what a day 5 dorados,3 jack crevalle, 3 sailfish, and 1 striped marlin!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 11-17, 2009

Notes: The number of tourists in Cabo is still far under the normal for this time of year and yet we have had no reports of swine flu in our region at all. Add the fact that we are far from the border and the drug wars and everyone here is wondering what we need to do to get things turned around. Hopefully over time things will change, and before everyone here goes broke! If you wanted to go fishing this week for anything other than Striped Marlin you needed to go in a Panga on the Pacific side, offshore there were only billfish. Scroll on down for more information on the different species this week. Until next week, tight lines!
WEATHER: The week started with pretty steady winds from the west-northwest. I was out fishing in a Panga on Tuesday and the wind was blowing steady until about 9 am, and then the fog rolled in and the wind died down. Morning low was in the mid 60’s with the daytime highs in the mid 80’s. A few days later, and as a matter of fact through the rest of the week, the fog continued to move in, and not on a regular basis. At the end of the week the nighttime lows had risen to the mid 70’s and the daytime highs to the high 80’s, the wind had died down and the fog had finally stopped.
WATER: At the beginning of the week that cold water plume that ran along the shore on the Pacific side continued to keep near shore water at a cool 60 degrees, but as the week continued the current slacked off and warmer water from the Sea of Cortez pushed its way to the lighthouse and slightly beyond. On the San Jaime and the Golden Gate Banks the water remained between 65-67 degrees. On the Sea of Cortez side of the Cape the water near the beach was 75 degrees while at the 1150 and east it warmed to 80 degrees. Pacific waters were rough early in the week and became more comfortable later on, in the Cortez early in the week getting home was a wet trip as the winds really kicked things up after noon, but later on it was nice all day long.
BAIT: Bait was a little rough to get this week as the Caballito were fairly large and most of the fish that were caught were caught on lures. Everyone that could get live bait bought some though, as you never know if thy might make the difference between a good trip and a skunk flag at the end. Caballito were the normal $3 per bait, but some of the bait guys tried to sneak in half-dead fish or the small jacks instead, so you really had to watch out.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin showed up again from the 1150 to the Cabrillo Seamount, and they were there in pretty good numbers. They did not show much interest in live bait, most of fish came in pretty aggressively to lures, they just played with them and turned their bills away from live bait that was dropped back into the pattern. Boats where the mates and Captains worked the lures, teasing the fish into eating what they were already focused on, had best results. Boats that went for the Striped Marlin averaged 2 fish per boat with some getting up to four releases per trip.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again I did not hear of any boats getting into anything close to home except for a few small football fish that may have gotten lost!
DORADO: A few scattered Dorado were caught this week by boats working the beach on the Cortez side, but with the water warming up there may be a better bite in the week to come.
WAHOO: What Wahoo?
INSHORE: Fishing from a Panga was the way to go this week and the cold water on the Pacific side did not deter the fish from biting. I fished just to the north of the lighthouse on Tuesday and we caught 16 firecracker Yellowtail and lost one that surely felt much larger. Later in the week the Pargo started to show up as well and the catch became a mixed bag. On the Cortez side there were scattered Sierra between Cabo and San Jose and past San Jose they were getting into some decent Bonita.

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 05/21/2009
REPORT #1167 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/05.21.09.diego.gif
With 77 degree calm seas, offshore action has begun to comeback from the slowdown caused by excessive bait and cooler waters. Lots of jumping marlin and ample bait have equaled enough action for some boats to rack up decent multiple scores.

Dorado action has continued to produce limits around anything floating. Plenty of ‘schoolie-sized’ fish with some larger fish mixed in.

Sunny skies and little wind have allowed the rooster action to pick back up. They are mixed with large schools of good sized jacks. Boats fishing at the lighthouse found some pompano along with a few pargo very close to shore.

The new fishing inspectors implemented earlier this season are being criticized by both the locals and the hotels for devoting all of their time to policing the sportfishing fleet while the inshore gillnetters continue to illegally set their nets along the shore.

Be sure to check out our newest audio project, Gary Graham’s Baja Backroom. Unabridged taped interviews of individuals featured in Gary’s columns and articles are now available online either on iTunes or http://www.bajabackroom.com/
The first is with Captain Peter “Pete” Groesbeck, with his background of over 30 years of successful tournament fishing, discussing and comparing Southern California and Baja billfishing.

Water temperature 72-78
Air temperature 61-91
Humidity 53%
Wind: SSE 6 to 9 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:34 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:56 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Plenty of smaller yellows were found under the bird schools at the Entrada according to Enrique Soto, Puerto San Carlos. While there are few boats fishing offshore, reports of dorado being spotted by local shark fishermen sound tempting.

Punta Belcher is producing good catches of small halibut in the shallows twenty yards off the beach.
Also a few grouper and corvine are being caught from shore under the bridge entering Puerto San Carlos.

Lopez Mateos has been eerily quiet. Maybe the grouper bite reported last week broke wide open and they are trying to keep it to themselves?

Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 64 -93
Humidity 36 %
Wind: WNW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:39 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:07 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The sailfish action has died off a bit, with less than one fish per boat per day. But, this may be because most of the captains are concentrating on the yellowfin tuna, which have shown up in excellent numbers. Even though the blue water is still about 25 miles out, we have clean water at 16 miles. Most of the fish are being taken between the 16 and 20 mile mark.

A few blue marlin are being taken in the same area as the tuna, and small dorado are in the weed lines close to shore.

I fly fished with Greg Eynon of Vail, CO, up above Troncones and Saladita with Captain Ramon. Greg took several green jacks, a very nice sierra, and several black skipjack tuna. The schools of jack crevalle we were after were moving too fast and not slowing down enough to get a fly to them. We did not see any roosters.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 78-91
Humidity 69%
Wind: WSW 8 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:11 p.m. DST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 18-24, 2009

Notes: Well, we finally had a reported case of swine flu in Cabo and guess what? Yep, it was a tourist that brought it with him! I just knew it was going to happen! Anyway, just the one case and it had no effect on any of the fishing. One good thing this week was the fact that the inshore fishing was great and the Marlin started to bite pretty good for the offshore guys. Check below for a little more detail.
WEATHER: We really had a great week as we got a bit of rain at the beginning. Not of lot of it, mind you, but it was enough to make everyone get their car washed right afterward as the rain spots made the dust covering them easy to see. Combine the rain with a bit of fog and it was a nice cool start. As the week wore on the clouds and fog moved away and it started to warm up. At the start of the week the nighttime lows were in the high 60’s and low 70’s, at the end of the week it was in the high 70’s while the daytime highs at the end of the week were in the low to mid 90’s. Combine the temperatures with light winds and it was a very nice week to be here.
WATER: The water on the Pacific side of the Cape was off-color out to the San Jaime bank this week, once past there to the west the water cleaned up a lot and was nice and blue. On the Cortez side the water was a bit off color out to 10 miles offshore then it cleaned up as well. The cold-water plume along the Pacific shoreline continued through Saturday with temperatures in the mid 60’s up to 2 miles from shore but on Sunday the warmer water from the Cortez side pushed the cold water back and it warmed to a very nice 70-71 degrees. At the end of the week the water around the San Jaime bank was 74 degrees; it was 73 degrees at the Golden Gate Bank. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was a nice warm 76-78 degrees everywhere wit the exception of a ridge of 81-84 degree water that ran from the Grey Rock south to the west side of the 95 spot and continued south at least 40 miles. Surface conditions on both side of the Cape were just great at the end of the week with small swells through Saturday, then some larger ones coming in on Sunday but with very little wind pushing them.
BAIT: We had a nice mix of different size Caballito this week and it was nice to be able to get the smaller ones for inshore fishing. There had been some very good small Mackerel available at the bait barge, but according to all the boat captains all the guys that work there got drunk on Thursday night and did not show for work on Friday, so, no Mackerel were available that day. Bait was costing the usual $3 per bait.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: This week was almost a repeat of last week. The Striped Marlin was still showing in good numbers on the Cortez side of the Cape from the 95 spot and past the 1150 spot. Most of them seemed to be mixed in with an enormous pod of common Pacific Dolphin that moved in, probably feeding on the same squid. The difference this week was that the Marlin were willing to eat live bait. As a result there were more fish hooked up this week that last week and most boats were releasing two to four fish a day. Later in the week the action was starting later in the day so boats that stayed out an extra hour or so were doing much batter than the boats that came in early.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: As with the billfish report, there was little change in the Tuna report from last week. Yellowfin of any size were a no show with the exception of some football fish found to the west of the San Jaime. These footballs were not associated with any Dolphin and the two boats that did get into them on Saturday were not able to track them for long and as a result were limited to only a half-dozen fish apiece.
DORADO: Wow, it seems that everything is a repeat of last weeks report and the Dorado are not exception. Find something floating on the water and you might get lucky, and the chances of this happening in the warm water of the Sea Of Cortez were much greater than in the cooler waters of the Pacific. A couple of boats were able to find some small debris and picked up a few fish each, but for the most part there the chances were about 10% of getting one stray Dorado.
WAHOO: Once again, what Wahoo?
INSHORE: Like I said, everything is a repeat of last week. Fishing from a Panga was the way to go this week. I fished just to the north of the lighthouse on Friday and caught a 19-pound and a 13-pound Pargo in the rocks at the lighthouse. One of the Pangas we use got into a nice school pf Pargo late in the day farther up the beach and had 10 fish over 20 pounds for his two anglers. Small live Caballito were the way to go. The Yellowtail bite dropped off a bit and the fish were scattered. Trolling Rapallas at 6 knots found some of the fish and then working yo-yo’s in the area would result in a few more bites. There were some bigger skipjack just outside the 50-foot depth that made a few reels scream as well. On the Cortez side there were scattered Sierra between Cabo and San Jose and past San Jose they were getting into some decent Bonita.

[administrator]

For immediate release

Mexico's Senators applaud TBF’s efforts on sportfishing/conservation bill;
continues to face strong opposition from commercial fishing lobbyists

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Though backed with a stronger sportfishing/conservation bill currently on the Senate floor in Mexico City that would close major loopholes in the current law, its proponents now face opposition from political and commercial fishing interests pushing legislation to open the dorado fishery more.
For over two decades dorado (also called dolphinfish, mahi-mahi or goldmakrele) along with billfish (striped marlin, sailfish, etc.), tarpon and roosterfish have been regulated as sport fish in Mexican waters. But a controversial directive, 15 NOM-029 also known as “Shark Norma,” authorized by Mexico’s fisheries agency CONAPESCA in May 2008, allows for the “incidental” harvest of billfish, dorado and other species within Mexico’s conservation zones. The area has long attracted the illegal fishing interests in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) waters and Pacific Ocean coasts and tons of illegal dorado shipments into the United States.
Based on a multi-year socio-economic study by The Billfish Foundation (TBF), the new conservation bill was introduced by Senators Luis Alberto Coppola Joffroy and Humberto Andrade Quezada with endorsements by Sen. Jaime Rafael Díaz Ochoa, Sen. Luis Fernando Rodríguez Lomelí and Sen. Emma Lucía Larios Gaxiola. In March it received unanimous support by the Congress of the Mexican State of Baja California Sur (BCS).
But members of Mexico’s PRD (Party of Democratic Revolution) political faction countered by introducing an initiative to allow dorado to be harvested by commercial fishermen contrary to the law that regulates dorado, billfish and other species as sport fish only.
In turn Coppola and Andrade, both members of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) brought to the Senate floor in May a proposed “agreement with arguments” against the dorado commercial fishery. It too received the Senate’s full support in late May.
For both of their conservation initiatives the senators used TBF’s study that revealed sportfishing tourism added over $630 million dollars annually directly to the BCS economy.

Study: 24,000 jobs created in Los Cabos region; one billion dollars in economic activity
The study led by TBF Science Director Dr. Russell Nelson and Rob Southwick, Southwick & Associations, Inc., revealed 354,013 people fished in Los Cabos in 2007, most all of them international visitors spending an estimated $633.6 million (U.S.) dollars for lodging, charter boats, food, transportation, tackle, fuel and more. Positive cascading economic effects in the local economy included the creation of 24,426 jobs, $245.5 million (U.S.) in local and federal tax revenues, and $1.125 billion (U.S.) in total economic activity. Visitors who fish there provided an estimated 24.1 percent of the total Los Cabos economy the report disclosed.
Specific waters includes the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts 50 miles out and an additional large area off Cabo that extends about 150 miles north and south and 100 miles out from the coast. Coppola’s bill would clearly eliminate the commercial market’s sale and the possibility of any bycatch exceptions for billfish, dorado, tarpon and roosterfish protected by the existing conservation zones.

Original bill may sit through the summer
But that bill will likely sit until after a summer-long recess in August, when the three year terms of the PRD’s lame-duck congressmen end and the new congressmen’s terms begin.
“Before the ‘war’ can be won, i.e. the passage of the Coppola’s bill for sportfishing and conservation, he must wait for the ‘battle’ to be won,” characterized Guillermo Alvarez, TBF's Mexican conservation director, of the situation. “We hope over the summer Senators Coppola and Andrade can gain even more support among other lawmakers in the 31 states of Mexico.”
In a letter thanking TBF President Ellen Peel, a spokesman for the two senators wrote, “Mexico can not afford to divert from its sport fish conservation tradition and we will not tolerate this (commercial harvesting of dorado, etc.) to happen.”
“In difficult times - as we are going through because of the influenza outbreak - competitiveness lies on sportfishing as TBF’s economic research shows,” stated Joel Macias de Lara who coordinates the senator’s advisory group.
Wire service reports in late May announced Mexico was spending $90 million to attract tourists after the severe fallout of visitors led by the news on the country’s flu epidemic. Because of the flu Los Cabos saw several major tournaments postponed or cancelled.
“TBF’s recent socio-economic study in the Baja Sur region of the country makes clear that billfishing is an important economic stimulus to the nation, therefore billfish, dorado and other species important to anglers should be protected,” said Ms. Peel.
“The Billfish Foundation applauds Senator Coppola for his two current initiatives now in Congress. He once again is demonstrating his strong commitment to good conservation and a strong economy. Senator Coppola understands that good conservation pays. Many areas in Mexico are famous and were economically strong not too long ago because of sportfishing. But if the fish important to sportfishing are allowed to be sold, then anglers and their dollars will go to other nations to fish. TBF urges the Senate to join forces with Coppola for the good of the country, its economy, the fish and the ocean.”
To read Senator Coppola’s bill and proposal in both English and Spanish, along with the letter thanking TBF’s efforts, go to TBF’s web site at www.billfish.org
Established in 1986 by the late Winthrop P. Rockefeller, The Billfish Foundation is the only non-profit organization dedicated solely to conserving and enhancing billfish populations worldwide. With world headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., USA, TBF’s comprehensive network of members and supporters includes anglers, captains, mates, tournament directors, clubs, sportfishing and tourism businesses. By coordinating efforts and speaking with one voice, the organization works for solutions that are good for billfish, not punitive to recreational anglers and good for the local economy. TBF’s phone number is 800-438-8247.
###

Note to editors: TBF’s Ms. Peel can be reached at 800-438-8247 ex.108 or via e-mail at ellen_peel@billfish.org . Contact Dr. Nelson at DrRSNNC@aol.com or by phone at 561-449-9637.

5/28/2009 TBF PR counsel - Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications,
Scottsdale, Ariz., USA
480-951-3654 (ph)
JohnsonCom@aol.com

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 05/28/2009
REPORT #1168 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/05.27.09.bull.rayor.gif
Water temps in the low 80’s and flat calm seas have offered great conditions for looking but the fish that are found seem not be interested in biting. Even last week’s dorado action has slowed to a few fish here and there.

Inshore reports indicated that the great action experienced for the past month has also slowed. Of course, part of the problem is that the recent Swine Flu thing has reduced the normal busy spring season to a trickle of hard core Baja regulars.

Conditions have improved a lot with warmer water and great visibility for sight casting. Add in the numerous schools of mullet along the beach and it's a recipe for good rooster fishing. In the last few days there has been a tremendous amount of jack crevalle, with many in the high teens to twenty pounds.

“There have also been good number of roosterfish ranging from five pounds to well over forty pounds. The true ‘grandes’ have eluded me this week. One highlight this week was sight casting to an estimated twenty-pound triple tail that eagerly followed the fly right to the beach. However...it just would not close the deal”…Lance Peterson
Gary has written several positive stories about the benefits of the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger. Here is a chance to receive one for free with the purchase of two years of service with Mail-in-Rebate* Offer that is valid when purchasing SPOT from participating retailers between June 1, 2009 and August 3, 2009. For more information visit www.findmespot.com/freespot

Water temperature 72-82
Air temperature 66-91
Humidity 45%
Wind: SE 7 to 10 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:34 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:59 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Offshore remains, windy and grumpy with plenty of white caps to discourage even the most avid die hard anglers.

No report received from Bob Hoyt again this week

Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 59 -89
Humidity 82 %
Wind: WNW 15 to 20 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:10 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Check Ed’s article on Marlin on the Fly http://tiny.cc/5Ol7l

This has been kind of a strange May for us. Historically, this is the absolute best month for blue and black marlin and the larger yellowfin tuna. But, with the blue water holding around the 1,000 fathom line (about 30 miles), the action has not yet developed for the sport fishing fleet.

The commercial pangueros and larger private yachts are getting good action on the tuna at the 40 mile mark....with reports of a couple of blue marlin being taken in the same area each day, one of the marlin weighing 273 kilos (614 pounds). There are very few clients here for the fishing and this has also lowered the counts substantially.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 77-91
Humidity 73%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:16 p.m. DST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
May 25-31, 2009


WEATHER: Once again we had a strange week with the weather. At the start of the week the wind began to blow pretty hard at 15-20 knots from the northwest and that brought the temperatures down. Our early morning lows were in the low 60’s, here at the house on Wednesday I registered 61 degrees. Our highs during the day stayed in the low to mid 80’s. Thursday evening the wind started to slow down and Friday around noon it stopped. Saturday morning the coolest I saw was 72 degrees and it warmed right up to 92-95 in the afternoon. No rain this week.
WATER: At the beginning of the week there was a large plume of cold water coming across the tip of the peninsula and the water three miles off the Cape was a cool 63 degrees while farther up the Pacific side there was 57-degree water off the beach at Los Arcos. The currents changed and at the end of the week everything had warmed up by ten degrees as we had 77-degree water off the Cape and the beach temperatures on the Pacific side had warmed to 70 degrees. With the wind blowing as hard as it was no one wanted to fish that cold water early in the week anyway, it looked like victory at sea out there. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was warmer with the current pushing out the cold plume we had early so that at the end of the week from the beach to the 95 spot and the 1150 it was averaging 77 degrees and just outside of there it was 75 degrees. At the end of the week the wind had died, the surface conditions on the Pacific had calmed right down and the Cortez side was almost flat.
BAIT: There was a decent mix of Caballito and Mackerel this week at the normal $3 per bait.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: You wanted Striped Marlin this past week? Well, we had them by the dozens between the 95 spot and the 1150, but they were not as interested in biting later in the week. The boats were throwing baits every five minutes to fish on the surface but finding one that has hungry took time. Some boats were able to catch and release three of four early in the week but the numbers dropped at the end of the week. One possible reason is the amount of bait out there. Squid were showing on the depth sounders and you could see the Marlin around them, occasionally balling them up a bit so the Marlin were stuffing themselves and were not really in the mood to expend energy chasing lures or lively little Caballito and Mackerel. Putting out artificial squid as lures brought more attention, and this week I am going to try some of the real stuff inside of the artificial, perhaps that will work! At the end of the week the Marlin had moved closer to town and they were pretty concentrated three to four miles off of the Cape.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Sorry to say it but there were very few if any Tuna found by the boats fishing this week. We did see several Tuna Seiners anchored in the bay early in the week, the big ones with helicopters on them, and at the end of the week there was one small one anchored out there, so somewhere there are Tuna, just not here.
DORADO: Dorado were scarce this week but there were a few caught at the end of the week as the water warmed up. A good catch was two or three fish but most boats were happy to get the chance at one.
WAHOO: Once again, what Wahoo? On the bright side we are coming up on the full moon so maybe there will be a decent bite this coming week as the moon gets bigger and the water warms up.
INSHORE: The Pacific side was basically un-fishable the early part of the week but at the end, starting on Saturday the seas had calmed enough that the Pangas were able to get back to the area that were producing last week. There were still Pargo in the rocks and live bait was the way to go. You had to button down the drag on these guys or they would rock you right away. There were some nice sized Jack Crevalle in with them as well. On the Cortez side the Roosterfish started to show up and they ranged from 5 to 35 pounds. Live bait slow trolled in 15-30 feet of water brought fish to the boat for pictures. There were very few Sierra caught and the Yellowtail bite slowed way down close to home.
Notes: This weeks report was written to the music of Jack Johnson on his 2004 Universal release “In Between Dreams”. I can’t believe I just heard of him a few weeks ago! There seem to be more tourists coming in now, which is a very good thing for Cabo since we have been almost dead for the last month. The government has finally gotten around to tearing up Marina Blvd so you can’t drive through the middle of town. The good thing is that they have made the side streets one way with no parking so traffic moves along pretty well. Until next week, tight lines!

[puertovallartafish]

Puerto Vallarta fishing report  6/5/09 The fishing is wide open in Puerto Vallarta right now the water temps are up and so are the fish.  The Puerto Vallarta fishing season has started off strong this last week there have been huge dorado and sailfish  coming in south then moving out north along the coast along with the tides so some day's the sails and the mahi mahi have been right off the point almost inside the bay we went out for a short 6 hour day today and caught 8 dorado’s one that was 56 lbs.  The bank has started to heat up with blue marlin, and smaller yellow fin tuna in the 50-100 lb rangeit was cold for about a week but its good to see some signs of the big girls So either way You go You are going to get into some big game fish! http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/CIMG0658.jpg

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 06/03/2009
REPORT #1169 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/06.03.09.snook.gif
Angler's name is Ellie Crocker, fishing aboard the Santi I with Captain Victor Saizar.

They also caught 5 snappers that day. Ellie is a Phys Ed teacher at Lanier Middle School

in Houston TX. She is visiting her brother-in-law Capt George Landrum. The next day

they caught 3 more snook in the 20-30 lb range. The 3rd day she reeled in 8 roosterfish

of various sizes.

Marlin are fickle and not too interested in lures or ballyhoo or anything else. But a few

reports have come in with 120 to140 pound fish being caught and released. Those

caught have been around 25 to 35 pounds. A few sailfish were reported and there are

reports of an occasional tuna south in the Frailes area. The dorado are scattered but

are being found under floating objects. Those caught have been around 25 to 35

pounds.

Much larger roosters are spread out throughout Palmas Bay, with the Frailes area

producing the really big fish. Anglers have released at least a dozen over 50 pounds.

Live mullet is the best bait for the larger fish. Lots of jacks, mixed with pompano and

pargo, are making for stellar inshore fishing. One huge dog-toothed snapper (about 60+

pounds) was caught recently.

Lance Peterson reported: “The beach game is always a challenge. No boat, no chum,

just sight casting and a teaser man, if you're lucky enough to have one. Even when it's

"game on" it's super physical…running, casting, and plowing through the deep sand to

find the next shot. There has been a ton of bait and a good amount of gamers along

the beach. Roosters and jacks a plenty. If you're able to get on the bite the action has

been amazing and the fish have been anywhere from 5 pounds to way over 40 pounds.

Good stuff for sure.”

“There has also been a tremendous number of jack crevalle in the high teens to twenty

pounds.”

Water temperature 72-82
Air temperature 65-98
Humidity 72%
Wind: ENE 3 to 4 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:31 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:03 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The Esteros have been producing good catches of small grouper, halibut and cabrilla.

The Estero at Santa Maria Bay had consistent action for corvina and small halibut in

the channel at the entrance.

Outside at the shark buoys there are dorado to 25 pounds and tonnage of football

sized yellowfin.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 66 -97
Humidity 81 %
Wind: WNW 16 to 22 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:14 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Offshore fishing was very slow here this last week. Our 26th Annual

Sailfish/Marlin/Dorado tournament, which is normally held on the first weekend of

May, was delayed to this last week due to the earlier flu scare.

However, even with the delay, 90 boats entered the 2 day tournament this last week,

but only caught a total of 34 sailfish and 2 blue marlin, no dorado. With the full moon

cycle coming up, I do not expect things to improve.

We are seeing a lot of red tide along the coast right now, stretching about 7 miles on

either side of Zihuatanejo Bay. The other areas are not affected, having good clean

water and very favorable conditions for jack crevalle and roosters.
In fact, the close by red tide has actually pushed the baitfish into the bay, with the

jacks following. Some of the best fishing right now is inside Zihuatanejo Bay.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 77-94
Humidity 59%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:19 p.m. DST

Cabo San Lucas

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
June 1-7, 2009


WEATHER: Summertime is here! Our nights had low temperatures in the mid 70’s this week with our high on Saturday of 100 degrees, but for most of the week it was in the mid 90’s. There has been a light breeze in town from the northwest that keeps it from being stifling, and it has been a cool breeze since it is being blown across the cool Pacific water. We had no rain this week and had beautiful clear skies.
WATER: Water temperatures across the region stayed pretty much the same all week long. On the Cortez side of the Cape we say water averaging 79 degrees early in the week and 80 degrees later on with the warmest water occurring later in the week at 83 degrees between the Gorda Banks and the Cabrilla Seamount. Most of this warm water has been between the shore and out to just past the 1,000-fathom line. On the Pacific side it has been cooler and the water has been green. From Cabo Falso out to and across the San Jaime Bank the water has been averaging 65 degrees and has been very green. Between the 1,000-fathom line to the south of the San Jaime to a line directly to the south of Cabo the water has averaged 74 degrees.
BAIT: There was a decent mix of small and large Caballito and Mackerel as well as some Mullet this week at the normal $3 per bait.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: All those Striped Marlin that we were seeing last week that would not eat a bait decided to get hungry this week. Not only that, they decided top move closer to us! The bite was going off only 1 to 4 miles off the arch during the later half of the week. There were Marlin everywhere you looked, tailers here and there, jumpers everywhere and groups of fish schooled up. The largest group I saw was 15 fish within a 30 yard circle, two on the surface and the others just underneath. They were biting well on live and dead baits, we had hooked one on a live bait and were clearing a rigged dead bait, just letting it hang back about ten feet when it was attacked by a brightly lit Striper! There were reports on the radio of a few small Blue Marlin being caught as well, but I don’t have any hard information on them. That is not hard to believe though since we have that warm water out there.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The Tuna bite was still slow this week but there were reports of some fish being caught over the weekend among porpoise just five miles south of the arch. I saw those Porpoise while fishing off a Panga as a guest and we pulled lures through them with no results, but there were a couple of boats hooked up to fish of some kind. There were also some decent fish in the 25-30 pound class reported being caught outside the Gorda Banks up to the Vinorama area up the Sea of Cortez.
DORADO: Some decent sized Dorado were caught this week up in the warm water in the Sea of Cortez. The large fish were 40-50 pounds with fair numbers in the 20-pound class. Close to shore there were good numbers of small fish in the 6-10 pound range. The best lure we ran was a bullet head in pink/white but other anglers had good luck with green/white and bleeding mackerel. Most boats that got away from the Marlin and made Dorado a target were able to get a couple of fish per boat, not great numbers yet, but with some quality fish in there.
WAHOO: The full moon appeared to make a difference this week. There were no reports of fish the week before but in the past five days I have heard of quite a few decent Wahoo to 40 pounds being caught. Fishing fairly close to the beach in less than 150 feet of water brought the most bites, but the fish were a little smaller than the fish caught incidentally offshore. There was a good bit on fish in the 15-20 pound class up at the Inman Bank according to a few fishermen that went there and targeted Wahoo. They had their best luck with slow trolled live baits.
INSHORE: We had a good surprise this week with the inshore fishing. I actually fished off a Panga five days this past week and on two of those days we were able to get Snook. Snook only show up in our area for a very, very short period and it was my luck to be on the water when it happened. I fished on Tuesday through Saturday, the first three days with my sister-in-law, Ellie Crocker, a teacher of outdoors activities and physical education at Lanier Middle School in Houston, Texas. Tuesday we caught five nice red snapper, the largest about 15 pounds and then tried for the Snook. Ellie caught on that weighed 31.83 pounds and another of about 28 pounds. Casting live Caballito into the impact zone right where the rocks and the beach met resulted in the Snook ambushing the bait as they swam out of the bubbles and swirling sand. On Wednesday we went back and Ellie caught two more about the same size and I was able to get a chance and caught my first Snook. Of course it was smaller than any of hers! Then on Thursday we went for Roosterfish and caught 8 out of twelve that bit. Friday I fished with some friends from New Jersey for Snook with no luck in the first two hours so we went offshore and released two Striped Marlin of about 130 pounds each. Saturday was another two hours trying for Snook with the owner of “Eat Me” lures with no luck so we went looking for Dorado and ended up with two small fish. There were a few Yellowtail and a few Sierra caught and as the week came to an end the Snapper bite dropped off a bit.
Notes: The water is warming up and the fishing is getting better every week. Now if the Yellowfin would just show up in good numbers things would be great! On the golf front, as a side note, most of the courses had dropped their prices for the summer and it is now affordable to play once in a while. I just played Cabo Real and had a great time except for the greens, they were so fast it was unfair! All in all though, I was happy with my 96. This weeks report was written to the music of Jack Johnson once again, this time on the soundtrack to the movie “Curious George”.

[puertovallartafish]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/CIMG0665.jpg
hing report  6/11/09 Boiling Blue marlinsThe boys went out today in the 2006 luhrs Captain Steve took out his cousins marlin fishing they tagged 4 and boated 1 blue marlin. all ranging from 300-350 lbs. The hot spot was about 5 miles short of the bank.  "9am- 2pm We were hooked up" the marlin were striking one after another they the 2nd and 3rd caught on a double hook up they were hitting all lures no bait  trolling fast at a little above 10 knots with  pink and blue,  purple and black and lime green black bart lures  with 80  lb test . and they hit them all We had 8 strikes in total. it is becoming high fishing season everything is out there yellow fin tuna, marlin, saifish, and dorado,

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 06/10/2009
REPORT #1170 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
The inshore action for roosters and jacks continues to be off the charts. Plenty of bait along the beaches is attracting some of the best grade of roosters to be seen in years! Huge schools of jacks are also being seen daily cruising up and down the beaches along the shore.
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/06.10.09.B.gif
Lance Peterson added another ‘grande’ to his 2009 total before leaving on a trip to the Caribbean and then on to chase roosters with our clients at Zihuatanejo.
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/06.10.09.corvina.gif
Another noteworthy catch this week - actually last night in front of Rancho Leonero - Jim Ogborne, from Bozeman MT, landed an unusual catch…a small orange-mouth corvina on a chartreuse Clouser. While common in Magdalena Bay, this is the first one I can remember being caught at East Cape.

While many keep trying to will the offshore bite to turn-on, the facts indicate that it is still tough going for the billfish and dorado. While a few football-sized tuna are being found with the porpoise, if you aren’t one of the first boats to find them, chances are that you will be a spectator…not a player.

Water temperature 72-82
Air temperature 71-97
Humidity 56%
Wind: N 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Mostly Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:31 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:05 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Fishing the Esteros continues to be the best bet this week. There’s plenty of grouper, nothing huge, but along with the corvina and an occasional snook in some of the secret spots it’s enough grabs to keep things interesting.

There are good signs outside. If the wind would lay down a bit and if someone wanted to fish, there are both dorado and small tuna ten or so miles out in front of Lopez Mateos.

Bob Hoyt

Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 663 -93
Humidity 97 %
Wind: WNW 15 to 20 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:16 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Conditions have been improving dramatically this week. Early in the week, the fishing was as it had been this last several weeks; slow. Then Jaime Morales, the owner of the Vamonos Fleet, reported to me things started turning around on Tuesday.

The entire area is averaging a surface water temperature of 87º, and the blue water has come back in to about 12 miles. The game fish are coming with the favorable water conditions. On Tuesday the Vamonos I found a floating log and took a 20 pound dorado, a sailfish, and a very nice rainbow runner off it. Plus, Jaime's panga took a blue marlin only four miles in front of Zihuatanejo Bay. Other pangas also report several sailfish and a couple of blue marlin.

On Wednesday, the Vamonos I, with Leigh Bingham and friend, Chris, caught three sailfish. Martin, on the Nautilus also picked up a couple of sailfish. Remember, all of this is going on during the full moon period, so next week should be very good fishing.
Roosterfish and jack crevalle action remains strong.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 81-101
Humidity 69%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:21 p.m. DST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
June 8-14, 2009


WEATHER: We hit a new high of the year this week with the top number being 102 degrees on Thursday afternoon. The rest of the week we were seeing high 90’s during the daytime and low 80’s at night. There was very little wind early in the week but on Friday the breeze picked up a bit. No rain for the week, instead we had mostly sunny skies.
WATER: On the Sea Of Cortez we had water in the 81-84 degrees range, on the Pacific side of the Cape it was 67-68 degrees and from due south of the cape toward the southwest it was averaging 73-75 degrees. The cold water on the Pacific side was green as well, and the warm water on the Cortez side was nice and blue. Surface conditions were great all around early in the week. At the end of the week the swells began to pick up as a result of a storm that had built up to the southwest of us. Starting Friday the wind started getting stronger and the swells started getting larger. On the weekend the swells on the Pacific side were at 6-9 feet, causing surf to 20 feet, on the Cortez side the swells were less visible until they crashed on-shore, then they were dangerous.
BAIT: Large Caballito at the normal $3 per bait, small and large Mackerel at $3 per bait and plenty of mullet at $3 per bait. The large swells at the end of the week resulted in no Sardines being available.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: Just as quickly as the bite turned on last week for the Striped Marlin it turned off again. They were still being caught, but not in the numbers of last week. A good trip would result in two to three releases; most boats this week were lucky to get one release. The fish were scattered between the 95 spot and the Los Arcos area on the Pacific side, from one tow five miles offshore for the most part. There were also fish reported from up around the Punta Gorda area close to shore. There were plenty of fish being seen, but few of them were biting. The fish that did bite were on a mix of lures and live bait.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The numbers were still low for Yellowfin Tuna this past week, but there were some caught. Most of the fish were less than 20 pounds, and most of them were caught while blind trolling, not in the porpoise. Directly to the south and into the southwestern area were the best bets to find the Tuna this week. There were a lot of flags being flown this week, but most of them were for Bonita that were being caught directly in front of town.
DORADO: The Dorado bite continued to improve this week with most boats returning flying at least one or two flags for fish that ran up to 50+ pounds. A few boats really got into the fish and returned with limits for their anglers, but it did not happen very often. The warmer water on the Cortez side of the Cape had the largest fish, the numbers occurred to the south of us. At least a few of the large fish were being found up on the Pacific side as a few boats returned from the Golden Gate area with fish to 50 pounds, but no large numbers.
WAHOO: There were still a few Wahoo caught this week and there should be a few caught this coming week as well as the warm water stays with us. The fish I heard of this past week were from the Punta Gorda and Gorda Banks area.
INSHORE: The Snook disappeared and the bite for Snapper and Sierra as well as Yellowtail slowed along with it. Early in the week there was a concentration of Roosterfish to 50 pounds with most of them much smaller found just to the north of Chileno beach, but by the end of the week they had moved somewhere else. Most of the Pangas were working just outside for the Bonita and Dorado.
Notes: At the end of the month we are going on a short vacation so there will not be a report for the last week of June. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 06/17/2009
REPORT #1171 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/04.30.lprooster.gif
Our guide and friend of many years, Lance Peterson, has been nominated in the “Who are the faces of fly fishing’s future?” in the American Angler Magazine. Those of you who have fished with Lance know that he is one of the best! If you would like to vote for him in the categories of Fly Fisherman and Fly Fishing Guide here is the link: http://americanangler.com/index.php?option=com_forme&fid=31

Tropical Depression One E is moving northeast at 7 knots toward the mainland (at this report it is located 335 miles below the tip of Baja) and conditions have turned windy. There were even a few sprinkles Wednesday night.

More importantly, though, offshore action is kinda’ all happening according to an IM received from Mark Rayor, Vista Sea Sport, today. Marlin and good sized dorado are biting and from twenty-five to fifty miles the porpoise are holding schools of yellowfin tuna to 30 pounds with a few fatties above 50 pounds mixed in.

Inshore beach fishing is going strong but the wind is making fishing a little tougher. Lots of roosters and jack crevalle are still keeping the beach fishing exciting. Roosters in the 25 to 30 pound range are close to shore with lots of juvenile roosters just off sandy beach areas. Some of the rocky points are producing some quality pargo and the larger pompano bite at the lighthouse has been extreme.



Water temperature 72-82
Air temperature 67-97
Humidity 45%
Wind: SSE 10 to 14 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:08 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

While the winds continue to rip on the outside preventing anyone from fishing the dorado or small tuna that have shown up, the grouper remain ‘on the chew’…still nothing gigantic but fun fishing anyway. A snook here and there can be found and the halibut are off the sand beaches at Belchers.

The small yellows are having a field day under the bird schools at the Entrada, but the afternoon winds make for a wet bumpy ride home.

Water temperature 69 - 77
Air temperature 65 -91
Humidity 48 %
Wind: WNW 14 to 19 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:18 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 84º blue water is just a couple of miles off the beach. The big surprise this week is most of the sailfish being caught are in the is not so clean water, only about one mile off the beach. The fish counts are reflecting only a 1 or 2 sailfish per boat per day average, but the numbers are misleading. Within the first few minutes after leaving Zihuatanejo Bay, most of the boats have passed right by the fish.

Ben and Austin Gaffney of NC fished with Santiago on the panga, Gitana, releasing three sailfish and three small dorado.
Roosterfish action is still very good. Jay Eshbach, fishing with Adolfo on the panga, Dos Hermanos, took three roosters and a couple of dorado.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 79-93
Humidity 66 %
Wind: W at 17mph
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. DST
Sunset 8:23 p.m. DST

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
June 15-21, 2009


WEATHER: Thank goodness we had a bit of a break in the heat this week. We still started the week with daytime highs in the high 90’s but ended up with mid 80’s at the end of the week. The nighttime lows went down as well with the week ending in the low 70’s, we did not need to use the air conditioning this week! While the start of the week was hot and had little wind movement on shore, we did have the first tropical depression of the year develop to the southeast, and it brought overcast skies on Thursday and Friday, which resulted in the lower temperatures, and also increased winds.
WATER: The surface temperatures in the Sea of Cortez at the end of the week were between 77 and 82 degrees with the cooler water being toward the west and south. Directly south of us we had 71-degree water and at the end of the week we had cold water push across the Cape and bring the Pacific side down to the 65-66 degree range. There was a very cold area between the beach and about 5 miles out from just up around the Golden Gate Bank to the lighthouse that was between 56 and 60 degrees, and very green as well. At the start of the week we were still seeing the large swells from the west that were a result of that dissipated storm during the middle of last week to the southwest. During the middle of the week the swells shrunk to the usual 2-4 feet and then at the end of the week the tropical depression southeast of us brought in larger, slightly confused swells from that direction, but at the end of the week they had already started to shrink as well.
BAIT: Large Caballito at the normal $3 per bait, small and large Mackerel at $3 per bait and plenty of mullet at $3 per bait. The large swells at the beginning and end of the week resulted in no Sardines being available then, but there were some during the middle of the week at the normal $20 per scoop.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: Boats that targeted Striped Marlin this week were having very mixed results. One day the fish would bite and the next they all had their mouths closed no matter what you put in front of them. When they were on the bite, getting three of four strikes on a mix of lures and bait was normal and the majority of the boats were able to release one or two fish. When the bite was off, no one was getting anything going. There were a few Blue Marlin caught this week as well as a couple of Black Marlin reported, and the size of the fish was decent at an average of 250 pounds. They were all found on the Sea of Cortez, and they struck on lures.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: For most of the week the action continued to be slow with a few fish being found among Dolphin, and most of the fish were footballs between 5 and 12 pounds. A good catch would be 4 fish. At the end of the week there were a few very nice fish between 100 and 150 pounds brought in, caught among the big black porpoise in the Sea of Cortez. Hopefully they will remain in our area for a few days longer.
DORADO: Dorado were the fish of the week for offshore anglers as they were almost everywhere on the Cortez side of the Cape. Along with numbers that averaged between three to six fish per boat came a very nice average size at between 15-20 pounds. A few small fish in the 10-pound class balanced out the few caught that were over 50+ pounds, and there were quite a few in the 30-40 pound category. Trolling lures along the current lines and under frigate birds worked very well and then once hooking up, dropping back a live bait for following fish had good results.
WAHOO: I did hear of a few Wahoo caught this week but did not see them, they were reported from up around Punta Gorda as well as in open water where the surface temperatures were higher than 80 degrees.
INSHORE: Fish of the week for inshore anglers was the Roosterfish. Although they were not everywhere, when you did find them they were there in good numbers. The high swells at the start of the week and at the end of the week put them off their feed for a while, but they did bite well once they got going. This week end I had a report of one boat fishing live bait catching two fish over 60 pounds, one of just under 40 pounds and quite a few in the 15-25 pound class. Up around San Jose there were good numbers of small fish in the 5-10 pound class.
Notes: There will be no report next week, I hope the weather in Sun River, Oregon is good as I am looking forward to some golf and fly fishing there! Until next month, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 06/24/2009
REPORT #1172 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

Fishing was great until Andres stirred things up down by Zihuatanejo this past week, resulting in unseasonal north winds bringing rough conditions and plenty of white caps to the area. Whether the fish quit biting or everyone just elected to stay in is debatable.

When Andres faded into obscurity and the north wind went with it. Both the billfish and dorado picked up where they had left off before the storm. It has taken a few days for the inshore water to clean up, but there are still lots of jacks and enough roosters to keep everyone pumped up.

Current Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

With the lighter winds and calmer seas this week, the few boats heading out found plenty of dorado and small tuna ten miles outside the Boca. The entrada produced good catches of small yellows. Deeper down in the water column, there were some smaller leopard grouper.

Estero action above Lopez Mateos seemed to be the most productive with grouper and spotted bay bass dominating the catch.

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Tropical storm Andres hurt the fishing this week. We had two days of port closure, and nobody went out fishing.
The aftermath, caused from high winds and a high tide caused by the storm surge, along with the rain, made it very difficult to fish for the roosters, and the blue water bite slowed way down also.

Baja On The Fly client, Kurt Ransohoff of Santa Barbara and Tom Lorish of Portland fly fished with fly fishing guide Lance Peterson down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero on Wednesday and only raised one rooster. However, the day was salvaged by moving off the beach about a mile and fishing the weed lines caused by the storm runoff out of the rivers. They took 13 nice dorado. Lance was casting a hookless surface popper teaser and the dorado were readily eating the fly.

Tomorrow, they have relocated to Zihuatanejo and will be fishing with Arturo on the panga, Janeth. I will be guiding fly fishing client Mark Hennig of Denmark tomorrow down at Vicente Guerrero. We are all hoping the 24 hours will give the ocean enough time to calm down and bring back the roosterfish bite.

Ed Kunze

Current Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 07/02/2009
REPORT #1173 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/Kurts.Gallo.Resize.jpg
Kurt Ransohoff, Tom Lorish, and I had a really fun time over in Vicente Guerrero, south of Zihuatanejo. Even with the poor conditions, courtesy of Tropical Storm Andres, we managed to see some good fishing and certainly saw the potential for some really amazing action. Yesterday we fished out of Zihuatanejo and found some good sized roosters willing to chase the teaser. Kurt landed the attached fish. Tom had two great shots at fish to 40 pounds but didn't connect. There was only one other boat fishing near us and the fly angler in that boat landed two, the largest weighing about 35 pounds. The bite was on! There were even dorado showing up on the teaser right along the surf line. Pretty cool fishery. Lance Peterson

Blue marlin and yellowfin tuna have finally made it to the area with most boats reaching their daily limits. Blue marlin from 350 pounds to 600+ pounds have been reported. Tuna schools are scattered and those caught have been from football size to ‘oh my God’ range. Resort boats are still not going out as much as in past summer fishing seasons, but tourists/fishermen are gradually showing up again to enjoy the great weather and fishing.

Dorado continue to be strong with many boats reaching their limits early; roosterfish are being targeted by most boats early in the morning along the beaches south of La Ribera to north of Los Barriles. Red snapper are being caught off rocks by Punta Colorada and the bank a few miles off La Ribera.

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Good News…they’re back! It seems longer but it has only been since last December that marlin have been seen at Magdalena. According to Captain Sergio there are a few out in front of Lopez at about 24 miles. Since the yellowfin tuna have been in that area for a while along with a wad of dorado in the 10-20 pound range, it makes for some good fishing!.

Small yellowtail dominated the action at the Entrada under the bird schools, along with grouper and mangrove snapper…along with the cabrilla which are a nuisance. However, don’t make the mistake of moving to get away from them. You just have to pick through them until you get that quality bite, you know a snook or something.

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/07.03.09.zihuat.gif
Uffe Moerk – Denmark, Puerto Vicente Guerrero, Panga - Angela II with Captain Jose Pino, Guide and photo -Ed Kunze Fly - pink and white. We were trolling a red and white hookless Ranger lure. When the school-sized dorado started crashing on the lure, we threw the boat into neutral and made the cast...instant hook up! We took seven dorado on the fly that day, plus a rooster.

After tropical storm Andres left here last week, things calmed down enough for us to get some fishing in. The sailfish action is still on the slow side, with only a one-fish average per boat per day. However, this is being made up by a lot of smaller dorado being taken by each boat. The roosterfish and jack crevalle action has been excellent.

With good clean water only six miles from the beach, and an average surface temperature of 87º, it may be a bit too warm for the sailfish. However, the roosters and dorado sure like it, with most of the dorado action being only less than a mile off the beach.

Arturo, on the panga Janeth, fished with Richard Anbers of Danville, Illinois. Using conventional gear he caught two nice roosters to 32 pounds, 12 jack crevalle and a dorado. Arturo told me they saw many more roosters but were not able to get a hook set. They were fishing the Valentin area south of Zihuatanejo Bay.

The biggest news of the week was by George Brown of Lodi. He was fishing with Cheva, on the panga Dos Hermanos II in the Valentin area and caught a 54 pound rooster on the fly. It was probably a world record, as the cast was made with an approved leader, but the fish was not weighed until 10 hours later. George always releases his roosters, but his double hook rig got in the gills, and killed this fish. By the time Cheva and Adolfo decided they had a possible record and called me, it was too late. The fish had dehydrated too much.

Henning and Uffe Moerk from Denmark fished with me at Puerto Vicente Guerrero using gear. Henning caught and released an estimated 55 pound rooster. Then Uffe took a nice rooster and seven dorado on the fly.
Santiago on the panga Gitana is vacationing in Minnesota right now and his brother, Adan, is taking care of the charters. This is what Santiago emailed me: Joe Luciano with his boys, Peter and Mark From Oklahoma, caught two rooster fish (15 Pounds) also many dorados and bonitos (little ones). The two others days we fished offshore with no luck.

Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
June 29- July 5, 2009


WEATHER: There were cool temperatures at the start of the week compared to what we had at the end of the week. Early on the highs were in the low 90’s but as the 4th drew closer things started to heat up. On the 4th we showed 101 degrees on my home gauge. There were mostly sunny skies early in the week and some scattered clouds on the 4th, enough of them that we actually got a little spit of rain, enough to spot up the cars in town. Nighttime lows were in the mid 80’s to low 80’s, we were using the air conditioner when we returned from Oregon.
WATER: There was a strong push from the California current this week and the cool water from the Pacific side wrapped around the Cape bringing water as cool as 72 degrees up to Los Frailles and 67 degrees just off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. This cool water extended out 25 miles from the beach on the Pacific side and 10-15 miles from the beach on the Cortez side of the Cape. This cooler water was also green, and the closer to the beach you got the greener it was. Outside of the cool water the clarity improved and the water warmed up with a nice band of water between 79-82 degrees and 20 miles wide, then the temperature dropped a couple of degrees. Surface conditions were reported as variable this week as the wind would blow for one or two days hard from the northwest then die down for a day or two. This wind really brought up the chop and made things uncomfortable. At the end of the week the wind had dome very little and things were nice and smooth out on the water.
BAIT: Caballito and Mackerel at the normal $3 per bait as well as some Mullet at the same price.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: It was reported to me that almost every day boats had been hooking up to Blue Marlin but since most of them are not prepared yet for these larger fish, most of them were getting away. There are still Striped Marlin out there but they have not been very hungry this week, there has been so much squid around that the fish are very lethargic and not willing to expend very much energy chasing lures or live baits. A few have been caught on lures and dead bait though, and the success rate has been about 40% for boats looking to hook up to a Marlin. Late in the week there was a decent bite reported just two miles from the beach up around La Laguna, between San Jose and Punta Gorda, right in the dirty green water, and several boats that fished there were able to get the fish to bite and managed to release several fish each. There have been Sailfish around as well and they have been found on the Cortex side of the Cape where the water has been warmer.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were scattered spots of small football fish found in the blind this week and boats that stayed and worked an area after hooking one usually were able to put a half dozen in the box. A few fish were found among porpoise but it was not common to find these guys, those that were able managed to pick up between two and four fish averaging 25 pounds. A dead whale was found early in the week not too far from shore and there were plenty of football sized fish found around it, but the whale disappeared for a day, showed again for a day and then was gone.
DORADO: Once again Dorado were the fish of the week, but mostly because of the dead whale that was found. A few greedy boats caught well over double their limits off of the whale but most boats kept things reasonable and left after getting two fish per client, the legal limit. The Dorado averaged 15 pounds and there were a few that approached 30 pounds. In other areas there were Dorado as well, mostly in the warm band of water 10-15 miles offshore, but also occasionally in close in the green water. Some of these fish were very nice sized, in the 40 pound class and larger. Even with the action around the dead whale things were still slow overall, when the whale was not around boats were lucky to get one or two Dorado per trip.
WAHOO: The only Wahoo I heard of this week were caught from around the dead whale and were caught on lures being trolled for Dorado. A few boats put out Rapalla style lures and managed to get a few as well, but no one tried dropping iron deep for these fish that I heard of.
INSHORE: Roosterfish were the inshore fish of the week, but even then things were slow due to the colder, greener water. A few Pangas were able to do well on Jack Crevalle averaging 25 pounds about a mile off of the beach to the north on the Sea of Cortez, but for the most part that was about the extent of the action.
Notes: We had a great time in Oregon this past week, perhaps next time we will be able to stay longer. It was nice to wade in an icy cold stream flowing over clean rocks and smell the pine trees surrounding me! As the fishing here was slow overall with the exception of the two days the dead whale was around, it was a good time to get away. If this Pacific cold water current weakens and the water warms and clears again we should start to get more action in our area. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 07/09/2009
REPORT #1174 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape

http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/07.10.09.rayordorado.gif
Father John "J.D." Davis and his son Scott, fishing on Mark Rayor’s Jen Wren, were examples that being in the right place at the right time was the key and had some nice dorado to prove it.
This season the East Cape reports seem to contain more hyperbole than usual. I suppose that it’s a sign of economic times. Reports of wide open action are more common than the 4 hour warnings for Viagra. Reports that begin with, “It’s a scratch bite,” have become much more credible.

The truth is business is slow so there are fewer boats out there looking for the hot spots. As an example, there was a video published on the web this week that promised great rooster action. In the video, the most prominent noise was the wind ripping while some guy fought his fish. Judging by the bend in the rod, it wasn’t exactly a whopper. So these days it is all in the eye of the beholder.

Few were skunked this week but only a few limited out on anything. Dorado were fewer but bigger; marlin were few and far between. The touted tuna bite is mostly football sized

The inshore and beach action still seem to be the best that East Cape has to offer currently with lots of smaller roosters and jacks and a few bigger ones for the lucky few who end up in the right place at the right time.



Over the course of the last week I saw beach fishing action ranging from excellent to slow depending on conditions and location. When I found the bait and had good light for sight casting there were some excellent opportunities for roosterfish, jacks, and even a few barred pargo.
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/07.10.09.pargo].gif
Most of the roosterfish were ranging from 5 to 15lb's but there were a number in the grande class to be found. However, the larger fish are now frequently spotted in pairs or three's. These fish are exhibiting their spawning behavior so it can be very difficult to get them to chase the fly rather than chase each other. That said, there is enough good bait along the shore to attract other gamers that are ready to play. The pargo in the photo this week was spotted in the mullet schools along side both roosters and jacks. It was a pleasant surprise that he beat the other fish to the fly. It's been a while since I've caught a barred pargo on the fly from shore.
Lane Peterson

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The offshore summer pattern has begun with limits of small yellowtail and tuna beginning just four miles outside the Boca. The commercial shark fishermen continue to report marlin and dorado sightings out twenty miles or so.

The catch in the Esteros continues to be decent, but not wide open. Leopard grouper can be found up to the north from Lopez Mateos…all the way up to Boca de Soledad. Tides were ripping with the recent full moon, so fishing time was cut short. There were a few corvina to be had under the bird schools in the middle of the bay but tough to get on quick enough before they went down.


Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 85º blue water is just off the beach, with most of the action taking place between one and two miles off shore. The fleet is averaging one to two sailfish per day per boat, and between two to four dorado per boat.
Adan, on the panga Gitana, fished only one day this last week but released a sailfish and got two dorado. His only complaint is that there are not enough clients here fishing to keep the boats on the water daily to locate and follow the concentrations of fish. He said it is almost like going out blind every time they fish.

Martin, on the Nautilius, appears to have had the best day on the water for the fleet this week. Fishing with Page Bristol of San Antonio, TX they released three sailfish and took four dorado.
All up and down the coast, the roosterfish action is still excellent. They are being taken from as far as 25 miles south at La Barrita, to 25 miles north up at the river bar of Union.

Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
July 6-12, 2009


WEATHER: Well, now we know for sure that summer is full on us as our daytime temperatures this week have been consistently above 100 degrees, in a few cases getting higher than 103 degrees at my house. Our nighttime range has been in the mid to high 80’s early in the morning, I have yet to see anything lower than 80 degrees on the chart. We did have a couple of days when the wind blew a little from the east and brought some cooling to town, and on Sunday morning it felt for abut an hour that we might have a bit of fog move in and cool things down, but that never happened and things have stayed warm. No clouds, no rain and sunny skies, if you are coming in the next few months, leave the long pants and sweater at home, just bring swim suits and sunblock!
WATER: The strength of the California current died off and the warm water that was stacked up past the Punta Gorda area worked its way quickly across the Cape. At the end of the week we had surface temperatures in the high 80’s across the Sea of Cortez and up into the Pacific as far as 10 miles northwest of the Golden Gate Banks, a big difference from what we were seeing last week. From the San Jaime Banks and the 1,000 fathom line all the way across the Cape into the sea of Cortez the water was 85 degrees or higher. On the Pacific side up above the Golden Gate Bank half way to the Finger Bank it began to cool a bit and at the Finger Bank itself it was 77 degrees. Even thought the water was warm above the San Jaime Bank, it was still a little off color, but everywhere else it was a deep blue. Sea swells were a little larger than normal due to the passing far to the south of Hurricanes Blanca and Carlos, but there was very little to no wind on top of the swells so conditions were great for fishing.
BAIT: Caballito and Mackerel at the normal $3 per bait as well as Mullet at the same price.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: The numbers of Striped Marlin that have been seen this week are down, but that is considered normal for this time of year as the water warms past their comfort zone. A few are still being seen out there and a few are caught every day, but as the water stays warm the numbers will continue to drop off. There have been a lot more Sailfish showing up in the catch reports this week, once again due to the warmer water. They are being caught on smaller lures being pulled for Dorado and a few boats have had instances where all the lures have been attacked at once. There are also reports every day of Blue Marlin, and occasionally a Black Marlin appearing in the pattern and engulfing a lure. Not a lot of them are being brought to the boat yet, but that will change soon as the fleet boats start gearing up for these larger fish.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again we were seeing small football fish in and around some of the porpoise pods that were found. Not all pods had tuna with them, often a large pod would be found with plenty of feeding activity and bird action, yet not one fish would be caught or show up on the fish finders. On about half the occasions that the porpoise were found there would be fish with them. In the middle of the week there was decent action for one day with a nice pod of porpoise holding fish averaging 30 pounds between the San Jaime Bank and the Golden Gate Bank, but the fish did not stay around long enough for more that a couple of boats to get in on the action. Other than that one day, a good bite on football fish would be between 10 and 20 fish a trip, but you had to be in the right place at the right time for that to happen. Most boats looking for Tuna were lucky to get a couple of them in the box.
DORADO: Still averaging 2 fish per boat, Dorado remained the fish of the week this week. While not everyone got into one of the nice 50-pound fish, there were enough of them in the 15-pound class to get a nice dinner for everyone aboard. Most of the action shifted to the Pacific side of the Cape as the warm water pushed its way up the coast. Closer to shore, mostly within five miles was where the majority of the action took place and small brightly colored feathers or plastic lures worked the best. Dropping back a live bait behind a fish that was already hooked up sometimes gave anglers a chance at a second, larger fish.
WAHOO: With this week having the full moon I did hear of a few nice Wahoo in the 40-pound class being caught offshore. These were fish that were incidental catches caught while fishing for Marlin or Dorado.
INSHORE: It was a pick this week with steady action on small Roosterfish averaging 10 pounds and an occasional fish to 40 pounds, a couple of Sierra and small Yellowtail found on the Pacific side and a scattering of Pargo in the mix. There were two days in the middle of the week when the grouper action was decent, but then the fish moved to deeper water. Most of the Pangas were working just offshore looking for Dorado and Tuna action.
Notes: While the fishing was not red hot by any means, it was not dead either. The action was a steady pick all day for most of the boats, just enough action to keep anglers from getting bored. As the water remains warm the action for Blue and Black Marlin, Sailfish and Dorado should heat up. If there were more anglers in town perhaps the action would be better, but as so many have said recently, it is almost like a new day every day out there. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 07/16/2009
REPORT #1175 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/07.16.09dorado.gif
Dorado and tuna are the same story; the boats that find them call it wide open and the ones that don’t, claim it sucks.

With fewer boats racing around Palmas Bay this season, it is far tougher to find the fish. As an example, our clients, Kevin Cuevas from Lakewood, CO and his father, wanted to catch sailfish in the worst way. So Mark Rayor, owner of the Jen Wren, headed up to the area outside of Punta Pescadero among the buoys that usually are proven producers. After spending half a day there for nothing, the boat ran all the way down to an area in front of Punta Colorada and barely had the teasers in the water before two sails appeared in the pattern for a double hookup.

Inshore and the beach are still producing the best consistent action for both roosterfish and jacks.

Lance Peterson, guiding Kevin on the beach the following day, managed to put him on several roosters where Kevin caught his first roosterfish ever...actually, he caught two of them. Good karma?

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

There was no wind to speak of this week and outside the yellowtail are only a few miles from the Boca; they are also at the Entrada. Farther out, at about ten miles, the small yellowfin and skipjack are mixed in with the dorado. The rumor is that marlin remain outside. It’s just that as no one went out far enough to verify the reports.

This week inside the bay it was a steady pick for corvina on the surface. The shallow sandy beaches provided some small halibut. The Esteros channels provided some leopard grouper to ten pounds along with a few mangrove snapper.

Current Mag Bay Weatherhttp://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 84º blue water is right up to the sand, and the best action is still holding up within two miles off the beach. The great dorado action we had has tapered off a bit, but the sailfish have picked up. Early in the week, the boats were averaging between three and four sailfish a day each. Ruben, on the Vamonos III got four sailfish for his clients, with Margarito on the Gaby matching that number the next day.

This was all under a full moon period, so it should improve a bit more this next week. All of this is due to the annual July mini-migration we get from sailfish returning from Central America, and heading up towards the Sea of Cortez.

The roosterfish action is still holding strong also, but the jack crevalle are moving around a lot. Ward Twyford, from Missouri and sales rep for Bass Pro Shops, fished a day with Cheva on the Dos Hermanos II, catching a very nice rooster weighing about 35 pounds plus several sierra. Ward told me they missed several roosters on the surface popper, and when they used live bait, the needle fish were all over it.

Ed Kunze

Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
July 13-19, 2009


WEATHER: You don’t need to be packing any sweatpants or sweaters when you pack for your trip to Cabo if you are coming down in the next few weeks. As the weather last week showed us, summer is here to stay a while. Our daytime highs on land have been over 100 degrees every day, most days topping out at right around 102 degrees while the evenings have been a warm 85 average. There were a few clouds early in the week as a few weather systems passed to the southwest and the east of us, bringing cover from the sun, but no relief from the heat. Getting out on the water made things more livable, be it swimming in the ocean or getting out on a boat. Definitely save the golf courses for early in the day though!
WATER: We did see water temperatures as high as 89 degrees early in the week up around the Punta Gorda area on the Sea of Cortez, but later in the week things cooled down a bit and the same areas on the Cortez side of the Cape had an average of 85 degrees with a few warm spots at 87 degrees. On the Pacific side there was a cool spot just to the north of the lighthouse near shore where the water dropped to 75 degrees later in the week. The water on the Sea of Cortez was a very nice deep blue once you got out past the 1,000-fathom line, a decent blue color inside there, but on the Pacific side the cool water was green and offshore the water had just a bit of a green tinge. Surface conditions on the Pacific were swells at 3-6 feet with chop on top in the later part of the week. The chop and swells wrapped around the Cape and finally tapered off to the east of the 95 spot, once you were toward the 1150 the swells had laid down and the chop had disappeared.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. There were Sardinas available up in San Jose at the usual $25 per scoop.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: The numbers of Striped Marlin being seen and caught continue to dwindle, as the water remains warm in our area. Along with the scarcity, the average size of those being seen seems to have dropped a bit as well. The cooler, greenish water on the Pacific side continues to hold more Striped Marlin than the warmer waters on the Sea of Cortez, but they have not been very willing to bite. On the positive side, there seems to be a bit of a better bite starting to happen with the Blue Marlin right about now. I heard of one boat releasing two decent fish on Saturday, and there has been at least a fish per day reported every day for about every 10 boats, that’s reported hook-ups, not releases. The warm, blue water on the Cortez side has the fish scattered out, there were no defined current lines or temperature breaks. This has meant that as usual, boats that have wanted to focus on these larger Marlin have been working structure. The 95 spot, the 1150, the Gorda Banks, the Cabrilla Seamount, the Vinorama drop and the 1,000-fathom line have been targeted this week, and with a bit of success.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The fish started to show up in decent numbers this week with most of them football fish on the Cortez side of the Cape. Along with the 10-15 pound fish were occasional fish to 35 pounds and a few schools of fish in the 40-50 pound class. All of them were associated with porpoise, and is usual, the first few boats to the action had action; if you were late you were out of luck. There were also a few larger fish mixed in with the small ones, hooking up to the occasional 80-100 pound fish surprised a few anglers this week. I heard of two fish hooked up that were supposed to be around 200 pounds, but did not get to see them; it may have just been the usual beer talking!
DORADO: For some reason the number of Dorado caught this week dropped off. There were still fish out there but the average per boat dropped to about one instead of the two from last week. Perhaps because no one found anything floating on the surface this week! The fish that were found were scattered out, a mix of both the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific side of the Cape, inshore and offshore. Basically get out on the water and keep your fingers crossed. Working a while under frigate birds increased your odds quite a bit.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo this week.
INSHORE: This week the inshore action was a repeat of last week. It was a pick this week with steady action on small Roosterfish averaging 10 pounds and an occasional fish to 40 pounds, a couple of Sierra and small Yellowtail found on the Pacific side and a scattering of Pargo in the mix. There were two days in the middle of the week when the grouper action was decent, but then the fish moved to deeper water. Most of the Pangas were working just offshore looking for Dorado and Tuna action.
Notes: The water has stayed warm, the big fish are starting to show up and we are getting a bit more excited every week! I will be out on the water at least two days this week looking for Blue Marlin and will let you know next week about any luck that we have. Until then, tight lines!

[puertovallartafish]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/6smalltunaJuly22.jpg

Puerto Vallarta fishing Report July/22/09the weather is really heating up we are getting about an hour of tropical storms everyday around 9 pm which is making for humid day's and water temps are up to 85 at some hot spots We went to the bank yesterday clean water but no bite so We headed north and about 10 miles from the banks found a nice boil of smaller 30-50 lb Yellowfin tuna jumping all over the place thats not all that We found after boating 3 tuna's Freddy spotted a sailfish  about a 1/2 a mile south so Captain Steve hit the throttle and 30 minutes later we had tagged a nice 110 inch sail, not 5 minutes after that Freddy had hooked another 1 this one was smaller about 90 inches, after that we headed back to the tuna boated 3 more and called it a day. The tunas are biting live bait new big secret just need to get far enough out to find the boils,  the fish are just going to get bigger from now until the end of December high season for 500 + black marlins and 300+ Yellowfin tuna September and October the bank and corbetena will be hot with huge game fish. Puerto Vallarta is holding its annual marlin and tuna tournament this August 13th with over 10,000 dollar grand prize for tuna and marlin for more Puerto Vallarta tournament info please contact us

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
July 20-26, 2009


WEATHER: It was just nine in the morning and the temperature was 90 degrees, by the time we got back home from the beach at noon it was 98 degrees. No clouds to be seen and just a light wind from the southwest. Guess that gives you an idea of the weather at the end of the week, huh? Well, the rest of the week was just about the same except, for an occasional three or four hours of wind from the northwest in the afternoons. Daytime highs averaged 98 degrees and the evening lows were in the high 80’s.
WATER: From the Pacific side of the Cape around the Golden Gate Banks where it was 81 degrees around to the Punta Gorda on the Cortez side where it was 87 degrees the water was almost calm all week long. On the Pacific side there were a few days in the middle of the week where the water kicked up for an afternoon or two, the water was a bit more green in color than the Cortez side and there were larger swells on the Pacific side. On the Cortez side the water was almost like a lake for most of the week and the water was nice and blue once you got outside the beach a couple of miles. There was no real temperature break or color break anywhere around.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. There were Sardinas available up in San Jose at the usual $25 per scoop.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: As the water warms up to the mid to high 80’s the Blue and Black Marlin have started to show up as well as a few Sailfish. The Sailfish have been found closer to the beach, most of them within a couple of miles on the Cortez side of the Cape. Traveling in small packs, it was not uncommon to have three or four of the lures attacked at the same time. The Blue Marlin seemed to be concentrated between the 95 spot and the 1150, most of them were attacking larger lures trolled at slightly higher than normal trolling speed, around 9-10 knots, and the fish averaged 200 pounds with a few reported to be in the 400-500 pound class. There were Black Marlin found at the outer Gorda Banks as well as off of Punta Gorda, and the boats that did get hooked up on these fish were drifting or slow trolling live Bollito for big Yellowfin Tuna when they got bit. I saw one angler on a Panga fight a 400-pound Black for four hours standing up with no fighting belt and using a single speed Penn senator reel, wow, talk about old school! There were still scattered Striped Marlin around but not in large numbers and the sizes seemed a bit smaller than usual.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Things have been slowly improving for Yellowfin Tuna as schools of football size fish continue to work their way toward us. As well as the footballs, there have been fish between 35 and 80 pounds being found occasionally around the 1,000-fathom line on the Cortez side. All of the fish have been found associated with either the spotted dolphin or the white-bellied dolphin. Several fish assumed to be even larger have been hooked up, some of them resulting in fights lasting several hours before either pulling the hooks or breaking the line. The largest fish I saw brought in this week was around 120 pounds.
DORADO: The number of Dorado caught this week remained low once again, for no reason that I can see. Most boats were lucky to get one, let alone hook up with one. A few boats returned with two or three yellow flags flying, but they were in the very small minority.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo this week but with the full moon coming up soon that should change soon.
INSHORE: It was still a steady pick on Roosterfish this week, but at least there were some decent fish out there. I saw a phone picture of one Roosterfish on Thursday (sent to my wife’s phone) that was at least 90 pounds, caught on live mullet, and the angler released one other at about 50 pounds. Most of the Roosterfish were a bit smaller than those two though, averaging about 15-20 pounds. The Pangas were also finding some grouper and Pargo close to the beach. Going just a few miles off the beach they were getting into some Sailfish and Striped Marlin as well.
NOTES: The big fish are showing up and the water continues to be nice for us. As long as it does not get too warm we should be fine. The East Cape Bisbee Tournament is this coming week and I have friends fishing it, good luck “Sporty Game”! This weeks report was written while listening to the Sirus-XM Margarita channel. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 08/1/2009
REPORT #1176 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/08.01.09.blue.release.gif
The first of the week began with great weather and enough blue marlin biting to raise the expectations for the East Cape Bisbee tournament. However, by mid-week, snotty seas whipped up by an unseasonal south wind that also cooled the water surface temperature three to five degrees.

Fifty-four boats lined up for the shotgun start the first day. During the three day event Tournament control was kept busy fielding a steady stream of radio reports of hookups and releases of both blue and striped marlin, along with a few reports of quality sized dorado. Lacking was the number of blues that would exceed the qualifying 300 pound minimum. By the end of the third day, only two qualifying blues were brought to the scales at Hotel Buenavista Beach Resort. The largest, weighing 341 pounds, was caught by Kent Andersson on the Cap'n Jake and the other 310 pounder was caught by Keith Jones fishing on the Mi Corazon. In the dorado category, the winning fish was a respectable 57.2 pounds caught by Alfredo Lucero on Sails Call. There was also a yellowfin tuna class and Daniel Fisher on the Fisherman delivered a 174.4 pound tuna to the scale.

Meanwhile, for the non tournament anglers, the inshore and the beach remained the best bet. Deeper in the water column there were amberjack and pargo. Along the beaches was a mixed bag of small roosters, green jacks, pompano and Mexican lookdowns.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

First timers Charlie Delorme and his family discovered how hard yellowfin tuna pulled and were exhausted by the time they limited out. The fish were close enough, inside of ten miles, so the trip was more huff and puff than boat riding. There were also some just under a 100 pound grouper hanging on the rock reefs a few miles outside the Boca much to the delight of John Yancy and friends.

After their success they decided to chase a rumor that the commercial pangas had found a wad of wahoo farther offshore. They had a nice ride on the early morning calm seas but never did find the wahoo. With the afternoon wind at their back, it was a quick ride back.

Boats fishing outside of Cabo San Lazaro are reporting some chunky white sea bass up to 50 pounds along with some 20 pound yellows. Farther offshore up toward Thetis the shark buoys are loaded with both dorado and YFT’s.

Inside the bay, sierra have exploded with a few fatties to 8 pounds in the mix. Kayaker Ricky Garcia reported limiting out each of the four days he fished. His catch included sierra, corvina, grouper and bay bass.

Bob Hoyt

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

No Report Computer Crashed!

Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
July 27-August 2, 2009


WEATHER: With partly cloudy skies this week you would think that the temperature would have dropped a little bit, but unless you were on the Pacific side of the Cape during the middle of the week while we had a decent wind blowing you were sweating most of the time. Our daytime average was 98 degrees and the nights were averaging 82 degrees. The clouds we had were blown our way from the mainland as a few storms passed us, dropping some much needed rain up in the mountains, but not on us.
WATER: The swells on the Pacific side were pretty large during the middle of the week but got smaller later on. The mid-week wind from the southeast caused the Port Captain to close the port to small vessels in the afternoon on Thursday, the water was pretty choppy that day with many charter boats coming back early. Water temperature on the Cortez side of the Cape was pretty much averaging 88 degrees with a few areas well offshore that read up to 90, way to hot for fishing. On the Pacific side the water was a much more mellow average of 83 degrees with the San Jaime Banks at 82 degrees and the Golden Gate Bank at 84 degrees.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. There were Sardinas available up in San Jose at the usual $25 per scoop.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: Black and Blue Marlin along with a fair showing of Striped Marlin and the occasional pack of Sailfish continued to bite this week. I know of one Captain who caught a small 5 pound Dorado, rigged it as a live bait off the outrigger and hooked up to a 600+ Black Marlin less than 10 minutes later. After 2 hours of fighting the fish, with lots of video, it was released at the boat. Another boat, one of the big fleet boats, brought in a 400-pound Black to be weighed. There were quite a few more caught and released that were smaller. The Blue Marlin showed up as well with fish that occasionally topped the 400-pound class being released by private boats and a few in that size being caught by fleet boats. The fish were close enough in that a few were caught by Pangas as well. The Blacks were close to shore with the two large fish I just mentioned being caught in less than 300 feet of water. The Blue Marlin were caught farther out with most of the action occurring south of the Cape at a distance of about 12 miles. Sailfish were showing again this week with the concentration (or at least what we get as a concentration) occurring within 5 miles of the beach on the Cortez side. The Striped Marlin were found about the same distance off the beach up on the inside of the Golden Gate Bank.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: It is nice to see the Tuna continue to show up, and occasionally a large one hits the deck. Up at the East Cape Bisbee Tournament the top fish was right at 150 pounds and we had fish here that would have matched that. Of course most of the fish were smaller! We had one client who did well with one Yellowfin at #60, three at #35 and one football and he was back by 11:30 with more than enough fish, having reached his limit on Yellowfin anyway. The fish have been showing up all over the place, but always associated with the spotted Dolphin (the larger fish) and the white-bellied dolphin, everywhere from the Gorda Banks to the Golden Gate, and up to 50 miles offshore.
DORADO: The Dorado numbers were still down this week, a few boats were getting a few fish but most of them were happy to come across one and get it to the boat.
WAHOO: There were a couple of fish reported to me this week from the area off the beach around Los Arcos, caught by boats looking for Striped Marlin, but the fish were not large ones, averaging only 25 pounds.
INSHORE: Small Dorado, an occasional large Roosterfish and plenty of small grouper and snapper had the anglers fishing off of Pangas happy this week. With the rough water mid-week the later part of the week saw most of the boats working the water around 200 to 300 feet deep, staying away from the churned up beachside.
NOTES: I shot my best golf game yesterday with a score of 93, I should have broke 90 but had a couple of train-wreck holes. I also lost about 3 pounds while doing it; even with drinking five bottles of water during the three hours it took to play. Downtown Cabo is a nightmare to get around in if you are walking and if you are trying to drive it is worse. The streets are still being worked on, it was supposed to be finished by yesterday but still looks like another month to me! The fishing is good, the weather warm and the beers are cold so if you are considering coming down, now is the time to look for some decent airfares! Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 3-9 2009


WEATHER: We had partly cloudy skies this week and even had just a spit of rain on Thursday and on Saturday, not enough to do anything but you could see the spots on the cars. There was thunder and lightning in the mountains on Saturday so there must have been some decent rain going on up there. Our daytime highs were in the high 90’s to low 100’s and the nighttime lows did not drop much below the high 80’s.
WATER: Surface conditions on the Pacific became a bit on the choppy side during the later half of the week as the clouds also brought in a bit of wind. It seemed that the wind was from the west so that even the Sea of Cortez was affected, receiving the results as fairly choppy conditions later in the week. Earlier in the week things were much nicer! Water temperatures on the Sea of Cortez remained high, and the farther north you went the higher they got. On Saturday I was reading 86 degrees at the 95 spot and as I got to the east of the 1150 on the 1,000-fathom line it had crept up to 87.7 degrees. Most of the water on the Pacific side was considerably cooler with 85 degrees being the warmest out around the San Jaime Banks.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. There were Sardinas available up in San Jose at the usual $25 per scoop.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were fewer Blue and Black Marlin caught this week, but that may have been due to the effects of the full moon. There were still some caught, just not as many as last week. Once again the area to the south of the Cape had the most Blue Marlin hookups while the Blacks were found closer to shore. On the Pacific side the bite for Striped Marlin continued at its slower than normal summer pace, but there were boats that released two to three fish per day, most of them being found fairly close to the beach, within five miles, up past the Los Arcos area. There were Sailfish around, we hooked one on Saturday out by the 1150 in warm 87-degree water, and released one at the 95 spot in 86-degree water. Others were caught to the south and west of the Cape as well. Most of the Sailfish were in the 40-60 pound class.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There have been decent numbers of fish this week in the 20-30 pound class being found on the Pacific side of the Cape, out around the San Jaime and the Golden Gate Banks. Early in the week there was a group of fish that were between 100-200 pounds found south of the Cabrilla Seamount. As the week progressed these fish worked their way around the Cape and at the end of the week they were outside of the San Jaime Bank. There were fish in the 120-180 pound class caught every day, one boat got covered up, hooking and landing five fish over 100 pounds on one pass. Bet those guys were tired afterward! Cedar plugs and feathers worked great on the smaller fish; Marlin lures and live bait were hooking up the larger ones.
DORADO: The bite definitely improved over the results of last week, as most boats were able to get five or six fish a trip, averaging 15 pounds as long as they fished the right area. From the lighthouse on the Pacific side up to inside the Golden Gate Bank, as long as you stayed about 2-3 miles off the beach you were going to hook up. The boats that fished slow trolled live bait had the best results, but plastic lures worked as well. Closer to the beach the fish were smaller, but very active.
WAHOO: The full moon did have an effect on the Wahoo bite, we had two on Saturday, both of them found in the open water around the 95 spot, and both were about 20-25 pounds. Other fish were caught by boats working off the beach for Dorado on the Pacific side and there were fish found at the San Jaime and Golden Gate Banks as well, and all of them were about the same size.
INSHORE: Dorado in decent numbers and sizes as well as some good Rooster fishing kept Panga anglers happy this week. When the football tuna ventured close to shore the Pangas would scoot out and score a few fish, but for the most part they stayed within 3 miles of the beach, and almost all of them were fishing the Pacific side of the Cape.
NOTES: I have a few more days of fishing coming up so will be able to relate some information next week based on personal observation instead of having to rely on other Captains and anglers to let me know. Take your pick on the music this week, during this report I covered everyone from Mark Knopfler to Craig Chaquiso to Ottmar Liebert, one song here and one song there. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 08/16/2009
Flyfishing and convention gear on an offshore sportfisher? Cooperation and teamwork made it happen http://tiny.cc/va2lG
REPORT #1178 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/08.15.09sarah].gif

Pending World Record Roosterfish - Women's division Angler - Sarah Henry Langley, British Columbia 8 kilogram tippet Weight - 5.48 kilos Captain - Jose Pino Panga - Angelica Deckhand - Cheva Guide and photo - Ed Kunze Location - Puerto Vicente Guerrero (about 1.5 hours South of Zihuatanejo)

Had the dorado foaming behind the boat this morning and told your client to grab the fly rod. His response was ‘later’. Got limits of dorado and needlefish, and also got him his first marlin ever!”

Even though we got out late, bait wasn’t a problem; it’s on the small side for the hook but fine for chumming. Fished the same place where we barely scratched out some skipjack yesterday; today there were dorado everywhere.

By 10:30 the client asked what his chances were of catching a marlin. I'm thinking ‘not good with the little time we have to work with and why would we leave this’? I plunked in the marlin lures. We were not a half mile off shore by the light house and wham! A striper just commits suicide. The only thing I was not able to get in all the cluster was good photos.

Continuing today’s story…the fly guy was having so much fun I couldn't get him to pick up the fly rod. Finally, in all the commotion I thought, ‘Gary is not going to be pleased if we don't get a dorado on the fly’. So I picked up the rod and started to strip line. Something I quickly discovered is EVERYBODY has to be on the fly page. Every time I started to cast, someone would step in front or behind me and foul the line. I was good with it until Chuy came up behind me with a rod. I thought I was going to choke him. He looked at me like I was nuts. We are talking three to five pound dorado.

I had a few follows and changed the fly a couple of times because it just seemed like they didn't want to bite it. It would attract them but I couldn't close the deal. All in all I spent more time getting out tangles because of the fire drill on the boat than having the bait in the right spot. You need to understand the client and his wife were pinned to the rail with these fish…Mark Rayor

I've been trying to do some catching. But the swell has been really big and the water kind of beat up. Add in the oppressive heat and it's a recipe for tough fishing. The swell is supposed to subside in the next few days. I hope to get some quality fishing in…Lance Peterson

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Captain Sergio reported a large volume of dorado has moved in ten miles from the Boca de Soledad entrance. Some of the fish topped thirty-five pounds. He went on to say that there were plenty of smaller yellowtail and yellowfin tuna in the same area.

Snapper and grouper are still being caught on the rock reefs a few miles offshore.

Outside of the Entrada on a west heading, the shark fishermen reported a good show of dorado near the shark buoys.

Inside the bay the action remained consistent for sierra, corvina and a few leopard grouper in the deeper water…Bob Hoyt

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue water remains close to the beach with the action for the offshore species about typical for this time of the year…a couple of sailfish per day per boat, and a few dorado are being taken by the fleet.
The best action is inshore with lots of jack crevalle and roosterfish. Fly fishing clients David and Sarah Henry of Langley, British Columbia fished with Adolfo and Cheva on the panga Dos Hermanos up near the Pantla area and wore themselves out on jack crevalle.
Then they fished with Cheva and me for roosters down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero, which was more of a learning curve day. The waves were large and fairly dangerous and we only raised eight roosters.
On Friday, with the waves settled down and they now being ‘experienced’, we raised about 20 roosters, with Sarah getting one which will be submitted for an IGFA 8 kilo line class record…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 10-16 2009


WEATHER: Hot. Daytime highs were in the 100-degree range, on Thursday at the house we had 105 degrees in the shade, the highest I have seen so far this year. In the evenings it has dropped to the high 80’s, and this morning at 5:30 it was 84 degrees. We had a little cloud cover in the middle of the week but it brought no cool air with it, just less breeze. If you are coming down, don’t pack a sweatshirt.
WATER: On the Sea of Cortez the water was hot, just like the air. Surface temperatures were a fairly consistent 86-89 degrees with the cooler water closer to shore near the Cape. There were a few hot spots out past the 1,000-fathom line where we saw 90 degrees. On the Pacific side it was a bit better with the water being between a cool 80 degrees (at least cool for this time of year) and 86 degrees. The cooler water was at the San Jaime Banks and close to the beach up past Los Arcos. There was a bit of wind and chop on the Pacific side when the clouds moved in, and in the afternoons a slight breeze made for more comfortable conditions. As of the end of the week, over the weekend, the wind really picked up and the conditions became very rough and uncomfortable. On the Cortez side the water was smooth and glassy almost every day except for the end of the week when the swells picked up a bit.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. There were Sardinas available up in San Jose at the usual $25 per scoop.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin concentrations have been moving off to the north for quite some time and the few fish were are seeing now may have been lost, as there are not very many of them. Most of the billfish we are seeing now are either small Blue Marlin or Sailfish, with an occasional large Blue or Black in the mix just to surprise you. Almost all the action on billfish has taken place on the Pacific side or to the south of us; a few Sailfish have been seen and caught in the hot water on the Cortez side. The Blues are striking on large lures trolled at slightly higher speeds than normal and the Sails seem to like the smaller lures used for Dorado. Having a drop-back live bait standing by for packs of Sailfish that come in the pattern has resulted in multiple hook-ups for a lot of boats.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Early in the week the bite was still on for the Yellowfin that came through, but by the end of the week these fish had already moved on to the west and could not be found. They were finally lost to the west at 60+ miles, but hopefully another school of the large guys will come through the area. There are still some schools of the smaller fish to be found to the north of the Los Arcos area and to the south of the cape. The white bellied dolphin have been holding these smaller fish, to 30 pounds with an occasional 60 pound fish in the mix, while the white spotted dolphin were holding the larger tuna that came through. The key to the larger fish, while they were here, was circle hooks, live bait and #60 flouro-carbon leader dropped well in front of the moving school and away from the boat, or an immediate drop back when a smaller fish was hooked while trolling.
DORADO: Early in the week and in the middle of the week the action on Dorado was almost wide open. As the moon became smaller it dropped off a bit. Either that or the fish moved off for a while. On a very positive note, the fish that have been taken lately have all been very good sized, and for many of the boats being able to cull your catch by releasing the small ones has been easily possible. Fish in the 40 to 60 pound class have been brought in every day and almost 70% of the boats have been hooking up to one that size, although getting them into the boat is a different story! Most of the fish have been on the Pacific side close to the beach, in the slightly cooler water.
WAHOO: There were a few fish caught this week, most of them in the 30-pound class, and most of them have been found while trolling for something else.
INSHORE: Dorado were the fish of choice for most anglers going out on Pangas this week but on Friday the wind kicked up for the early morning and Roosterfish were the target. Fishing was very good for both species and there were some very nice grouper and snapper caught as well. Most of the Dorado fishing was done on the Pacific side while the Roosterfish were found on both side of the Cape, with a better concentration of them on the Sea of Cortez side.
NOTES: Just a last minute update on fishing conditions overall, since I wrote the above on Sunday morning the wind has picked up on the Pacific side and the fishing over the weekend has dropped off considerably. Most boats at the weekend were coming in with one or two Dorado and perhaps a small Tuna or releasing a Marlin or Sailfish. Hopefully the fishing picks up this coming week. It has been too hot to golf this week so I am taking a break and doing some little stuff around the house. I had a chance to see my friend Brian Flynn this week as he came down for a few days. He and the Brian Flynn band played one night at Poncho and Blondie’s, really rocking out the joint with their southern rock & roll. I listened to one of his CD’s today as I wrote this report and now I am all wound up! Rock on Brian!! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

The most predictable thing about fishing in August at East Cape is that before you head out, the decision of what you want to catch needs to be made’ this accounts for all the boats hanging out close to shore around the bait guys, hopefully catching a few roosters, jacks or whatever else will bite.

http://www.bajafly.com/report/Bajafly.report.htm

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 17-23, 2009


WEATHER: It cooled down a few degrees this week as compared to last week. Our highs were in the mid 90’s and our lows in the mid 80’s, about 5 degrees less than our averages from last week. It was sunny this week with mostly cloud free days except the very beginning and the very end. On Sunday we had a cloud mass move in that looked as if it was going to drop a lot of rain on us, but most of it ended up in the mountains, as usual.
WATER: The surface on the Pacific side started out the week pretty rough due to the wind and clouds that had just moved into our area, but by Tuesday things had really settled down. The rest of the week it was very nice, a little bumpy at times but very fishable. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water remained in great shape on the surface all week long. Water temperatures were very steady across our area with the cold areas at 83 degrees and the warm spots at 86 degrees with the warmer water on the Cortez side of the Cape.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. There were some Sardinas available up in San Jose at the usual $25 per scoop, but you needed to make arrangements the day prior to going out.

FISHING:

BILLFISH: We had a two day convention of Striped Marlin between the beach and five miles offshore up on the inside of the Golden Gate Bank this week. On Thursday and Friday the fish were packed up and almost everyone there was able to release at least one Striped Marlin, and a few boats released three or four. During the rest of the week the fish were there and along the rest of the Pacific coast as well, but the catch ratio was considerably lower. Also in the area, as well as offshore were Sailfish. They were between 40 and 100 pounds in size and occasionally attacked in packs with tow or three lines going off at once. Offshore there were a few Blues and Blacks found, but not very many were caught. I know of one Black that was tail wrapped and came in dead that taped out at #400 pounds. (Take the length from the tip of the lower bill to the fork in the tail, multiply that by the square of the girth, then divide the total by 800 and you will be within 10% of the correct weight) and one big Blue that came into the pattern on a friends boat that was bigger than that, his fish just stripped about 100 yards then left the scene.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: For most of the week it seemed as if the Tuna had departed the area for good, no fish were caught for almost four days. Lucky for us some showed up late in the week on the Pacific side of the Cape. In the area of the Golden Gate Bank a very large pod of Dolphin showed the way to a school that averaged 10 pounds, not big fish, but there were a lot of them. Boats that were in the area did well, and the first boat of the day to find them occasionally caught one of about 60 pounds. Limits were normal for several days. Other than that there were very few reports of Tuna found anywhere.
DORADO: Definitely the fish of the week once again. The water temperatures are perfect as are the surface conditions and everyone is coming in flying yellow flags if they want. Most of the fish have been found in the Pacific within five miles of the beach, but there were also concentrations found under floating objects. We had clients on Wednesday who were lucky enough to be the first boat to a floating dead seal and they managed to pick up four Dorado averaging 35-40 pounds, lost a couple more the same size, kept four more about 15-20 pounds and released a lot more that were smaller.
WAHOO: We are going through a new moon phase and I have not heard of any Wahoo this week.
INSHORE: Panga fishermen were getting a little bit of everything this week, ranging from Roosterfish to Jacks to Snapper to Grouper to Dorado to Sailfish, etc. Pretty much anything you wanted to fish for could be found from a Panga this past week.
NOTES: I am hoping that the weather we are seeing over on the mainland works it’s way toward us and manages to dump a little rain, we sure could use it. The construction project renovating the main road through town is at least a month behind schedule so getting around by rental car is not really a viable option, I almost guarantee you will get lost, and then there is no place to park since they have started construction of the new cultural center in the big empty dirt lot near the Dolphin Center. This weeks report was written to the easy listening music of Jack Johnson, once again. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 08/28/2009
REPORT #1180 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/08.28.09.jenwren.gif
Pretty sure it is a tuna but is it...15, 25, 50, 90 or 120 pounds?

Based on sample online reports this week, everyone agreed that billfishing was off. However, one report suggested “the billfishing has slowed, as most anglers are targeting the tuna and dorado.”

Another report begins, “fishing seemed to be a roller coaster ride. We had some great days and some slow days.

Then…wait…wait…keep reading! The report continues, “But, overall the fishing was good. We saw many big tuna again this past week, the biggest weighing in at 120 pounds and many more in the 50 to 90 pound range were also weighed in.”

Another report also alluded to a good tuna bite with tuna averaging 25 to 40 pounds and once again, wait…wait…wait…”the largest this week 120 pounds.”

Then comes---“dorado are plentiful, both inside and outside.”

“Inshore fishing has been very consistent with pargo and pompano taking baits daily. The
roosters are smaller this week.”

“Bait has been scarcer than normal. Mostly sardine has been available this week.”

Then my final source, a local with no boats or rooms to rent sent the following:

“Things are very slow. A few schoolie dorado off the light house and a very slow tuna bite on 15 to 25 pound tuna fishing the same area. South of Los Frailes a few tuna if you are lucky enough to find the porpoise. Very slow on marlin and sails; inshore is tough as well. Not many boats going out either. All is very quiet on the East Cape.”

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Barbra and Bruce Carter, from Hayward, CA, limited out in the bay on grouper, corvina, bass and two snook. And Mark Wisdom, a surfer from Cabo, broke the ice with four wahoo fishing out of the camp on Cabo San Lazaro. He came for the waves which were great ,but topped it off with the wahoo.

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The blue water is just off the beach, with the average surface temperature at 87°. Due to the absence of tourism, only a couple of boats are going out each day, getting about one or two sailfish per boat. Dorado fishing is slow, and the water is too warm for yellowfin tuna or marlin.
The very good inshore action we have been having shut down this week. The fish are still here, but the surf was huge all up and down the coast. The bait fish can't handle the heavy surf, so the game fish have followed them into the deeper water.

Cheva and I fished with fly fishing clients, Scott and Christine Repass, of New Jersey, down south at Puerto Vicente Guerrero, and did not raise a fish. We also had to move around quite a bit, covering a lot of areas, to keep out of the stained water. Even though we are not getting any rain on the coast, the mountains are getting plenty, with the rivers discoloring the water near their outlet.

Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, reported the same conditions to the North of Zihuatanejo; not catching a single roosterfish for his three days on the water..…Ed Kunze

Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 24-30, 2009


WEATHER: We had interesting weather this past week as clouds moved in on Tuesday evening and brought with them a spit of rain, just enough to spot the windows. We thought that was all that was going to happen but on Saturday another cloud mass moved in. The thunder and lightning had my dog and the cats scared, but my wife got a decent photo of lightning striking the mountain nearby. It rained for an hour or so, knocking off all the dust and brightening everything up bit. This past week was still a bit warm at an average of 98 degrees during the day and 85 degrees in the coolest part of the night. Check the notes below; it looks like we may get some more rain this coming week!
WATER: It was 85-86 degrees everywhere you went this week with no temperature breaks. The water was blue and with the winds mostly coming from the southeast to east, the Pacific side was calm most of the time with the Cape stopping the wind. The Cortez side had a little chop on it at times.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. Large swells this week kept the bait guys from getting any Sardinas this week.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were still Striped Marlin being caught out there, and mostly in the same area as last week, up the coast toward the Golden Gate Bank on the Pacific side. There were also still quite a few Sailfish being caught, some of them small and some large, and normally there were at least two in the pattern when they showed up. With the full moon coming on the bite picked up just a bit on the Blue and Black Marlin. These fish were found between the 95 spot and the south end of the San Jaime Bank with the areas around the porpoise seeming to offer a few more chances at one as they seemed to be in there feeding on the small tuna.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were not a lot of Tuna caught this week, a few pods of porpoise held football size fish but they were not very willing to bite. Every day at least one boat, sometimes more, got into a fish of over 100 pounds with a few over 200 pounds being caught. The locations varied from 30 miles to the south to 3 miles off the lighthouse and up the Cortez side toward the Inman bank area. There seemed to be several schools out there moving around a lot. Of course there were also those times when you could see the fish but not get them to bite.
DORADO: Once again the fish of the week, Dorado continued to please anglers who went looking for them. Even if your target was something different it seemed you could get at least one Dorado hooked up. Some of the boats that really concentrated on these fish were limiting out early and then going out to try for a big Blue Marlin. The majority of the fish were found close to the beach on the Pacific side from the arch and northward.
WAHOO: I heard of a few Wahoo this week from the Punta Gorda area as well as a couple from close to the beach on the Pacific side up in the Los Arcos area. The fish reported to me averaged 30 pounds and were caught while fishing for Dorado.
INSHORE: Just like last week, Panga fishermen were getting a little bit of everything this week, ranging from Roosterfish to Jacks to Snapper to Grouper to Dorado to Sailfish, etc. Pretty much anything you wanted to fish for could be found from a Panga this past week.
NOTES: Hurricane Jimena looks like she is going to come in and give us a close-up look early this week. Perhaps a category 4 Hurricane when she come in on her closest approach (presently forecast for late Tuesday, subject to change at any moment) she will bring some much needed rain to our area, we just hope it is not so much that it ruins all the street construction taking place downtown (that was supposed to be completed at the beginning of August). Check in next week and I’ll let you know how things turned out. Meanwhile later today I am putting the hardtop back on the jeep and filling my gas cans, putting the yard in order and getting ready for a hurricane party. If you want to follow the storm check out one of my favorite weather sites, www.hurricanezone.com. This weeks report was written to the music of Jethro Tull on the 1993 Chrysalis release “The Best Of Jethro Tull, The Anniversary Collection”. Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
August 31- Sept. 6, 2009


WEATHER: Those of you who have been watching our area this past week are already aware that we managed to dodge a bullet once again. Hurricane Jimena was expected to pass almost on top of us, perhaps just a little to the west on Tuesday as a Category 4 Hurricane with winds at 155 mph and higher gusts. With nature and lady luck on our side she shifted just a bit to the west and all we got were three to four days of clouds, about an inch of rain and winds that may have gusted at times as high as 70 mph. It knocked down palm fronds and kicked up some big seas, but it also brought in some cooler weather as well. At the end of the week our nighttime lows were in the low 80’s and our daytime highs had finally gotten back up to the high 90’s, but the humidity at the end of the week was a bit lower than it had been so it did not feel quite as hot as that.
WATER: The Captain of the Port closed the Harbor on Monday at noon due to the increasing size of swells as Hurricane Jimena approached. The port was re-opened on Thursday after the Hurricane had passed and the swells had become smaller. The cloud cover having finally moved away, we were able to access to satellite charts to see how things had changed. We now have a band of cooler water on the Pacific side just to the outside of the 1,000-fathom line that is right at 78 degrees. This is a 10-15 mile wide band of water running from the northwest to the southeast. To the inside of this band of cool water is a band of 82-84 degree water about 15-20 miles wide and just inside there, along the beach, it is 80 degrees, from the inside of the San Jaime Bank to the inside of the Golden Gate Bank and out across the 95 spot on the Cortez side of the Cape. Elsewhere on the Sea of Cortez the water is a fairly steady 84-86 degrees. The cool water close to shore on the Pacific side is also green, a change from the nice blue water we had prior to the Hurricane passing.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. Large swells from Hurricane Jimena this week kept the bait guys from getting any Sardinas.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: On Thursday, after the storm, there were Striped Marlin and Sailfish on the Pacific side up around the Los Arcos area. Some boats were able to release two or three of each, most boats were happy to catch one. I heard of one nice sized Blue Marlin being hooked up on Thursday around 25 miles to the south of the Cape, but did not hear of any of these larger fish being brought to the boat. All in all it was a slow week for Marlin.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: It was also a frustrating week for those trying to catch Yellowfin. The only really decent day we had was on Thursday. Several pods of dolphin were found that held Yellowfin and a few boats were able to get the larger fish to bite. About a dozen fish between 150 and 200 pounds were caught but most of the boats were able to catch a half dozen or so smaller fish to 35 pounds. These fish remained in the area for the rest of the week but no one could get them to bite again. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were very disappointing as you could see the fish clearing the water but even dropping down to #40 floura-carbon leader did not help, so very few fish were caught.
DORADO: We were hoping the Hurricane would wash debris from the arroyos and that would help congregate the Dorado for anglers, but with only an inch of rain there was not enough water dropped to cause the arroyos to flood. Perhaps next week the debris from farther north where Jimena crossed onto land will reach our area, by then there should be good concentrations of fish underneath. Meanwhile the bite was way off, most boats were happy to get a Dorado in the box.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo caught this week, even though it was a full moon.
INSHORE: The large swells really messed up the inshore fishing, at least for the week on the Pacific side of the Cape, and on the Cortez side while the water was churned for most of the week by Sunday it had begun to settle and clear. Roosterfish were found again up around the El Tulle area but that was pretty much it for the week, with the exception of a few Jacks and a few Grouper.
NOTES: As is normal after the passing of a Hurricane the water is all mixed up and it may take a week for everything to settle out. I am not sure how it affects the fish, but I know the current and temperature changes for a while and that is what we are seeing now. Our fingers are crossed that everything gets back to normal, or better, within the next week. This weeks report was written to the music of Jimmy Buffet and friends on Sirus/XM Margaritaville channel. Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 7-13, 2009


WEATHER: We had a really nice week as our daytime highs were reaching 100 at the beginning but had ended the week in the high 80’s and low 90’s and the lows have been in the low 80’s. Nice comfortable weather, if just the humidity would drop a bit it would be perfect. We had scattered clouds this week and no rain.
WATER: The water’s color returned to it’s normal blue on both sides of the Cape; the Pacific side was looking much better. With our normal northwesterly breeze back in place the Pacific side was a bit choppy but fishable. The band of cooler 80-degree water 30 miles to the southwest is still in place, closer to home it steadily increases to a nice 86-87 degrees close to home across both the San Jaime Bank and the Golden Gate Bank. On the Cortez side of the Cape at the end of the week the water inside the 1,000-fathom line was 87 degrees and outside it was 84-85 degrees, but blue on both sides. Surface conditions on the Cortez side have been great with just a little chop in the afternoons.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. Sardinas were available from the Palmilla and Puerto Los Cabos area at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: It was still a slow week for billfish as few Striped Marlin were caught locally. There were reports of some decent numbers beginning to show up at the Finger Bank but with things being in constant flux the boats that went there were just as likely to strike out as to find a decent concentration of fish. A scattering of fish were found locally, most of them being found close to shore on the Pacific side up around the Los Arcos area and northward. There were still some Sailfish to be found but they were scattered as well, only on the Cortez side, and again, close to shore. I did not hear any reports this week of big Blue or Black Marlin, but there may have been a few hooked up.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There have still been some nice fish caught this week but they have been scattered. 30 miles to the south has been producing a few nice fish to #150 if you are in the right pod of porpoise, and there have been fish to #80 being caught on Sardinas up the coast in the Inman bank area. That was scratch fishing with only a few fish a day with lots of chumming taking place, but at least the fish were there. Light floura-carbon leader, #30 and #40 was needed, but you could get some fish. Some boats did all right catching a few Humboldt Squid at Punta Gorda and using them for chunk baits. Closer to home there were scattered schools with fish to #35 but averaging #15-#20. Most of these were found on the Pacific side between the beach and the San Jaime Bank and on the Golden Gate Bank.
DORADO: It took a while but there was finally some debris in the water this week, perhaps washed into the ocean up north from last week’s hurricane. Boats that managed to find the pieces of wood were able to put a few nice #30 Dorado in the box along with some smaller fish. Inshore on the Pacific side was also producing Dorado once again with the average size being 15 pounds and a few larger fish in the mix. We hooked up one female on Tuesday at may have been 30 pounds and a much larger male was following her. Unfortunately she shook the hook while still a distance from the boat and even though we slow trolled a couple of live baits in the area for a while we could not get hooked up again. That’s fishing!
WAHOO: A friend of mine did get a nice Wahoo this last week, early in the week. It weighed around #85 and he caught it while checking out the Inman Bank area. A few other Wahoo flags were being flown but I have no idea what size the fish were or where they were caught.
INSHORE: Most of the Panga Captains are doing well on Dorado and football Tuna since they are close to shore. There are still some decent Roosterfish being found and a few snapper and grouper as well. The Pacific side has been the favorite side of the Cape this week.
NOTES: The fishing has been decent if not great this week and things are returning to normal on the water. This coming week should see good action on Striped Marlin as the new moon is on the 18th; I hope it happens close to home. This weeks report was written to the music of Darius Rucker (Hootie and the Blowfish) on his first country album, “Learn To Live”, a 2008 Capitol Records release. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 09/19/2009
REPORT #1183 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/09.19.09.rayoryft.gif
Check out this nice yellowfin tuna we caught in the East Cape. It weighed in at 201 pounds. http://tiny.cc/rayortuna091509

I don’t know if it is a coincidence, but the Humboldt squid show up and suddenly, it was tuna time. Tales of broken tackle and disappointed anglers were common this week. However, for the few who closed the deal, they were so exhausted that even the ‘high-fives’ were difficult. Not all the fish are VW size; for the wimps, (or is it the smart ones?), in your group there are plenty of smaller fish mixed in. Most of the action is out 20 to 40 miles providing time to find a sailfish.

The dorado are thick down toward Los Frailes and beyond all the way to Gordo Bank…most of them are weighing in the mid-teen range.
Near the Lighthouse, there is also a good concentration of smaller yellowfin tuna with skipjack mixed in.

The water along the beaches has cleaned up, but there is still plenty of bait attracting roosters, jacks, ladyfish and pompano. It is still warm enough that if you go out on the beach midday, it may feel more like an Ironman competition, than fishing. If you think that ‘heats not neat’, try early morning and late afternoon.

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Just outside Boca Santo Domingo 8 – 10 mile the tuna bite has returned with some fish to 35 pounds. Further out the wahoo have begun to show outside the double 23’s and small groups of marlin are also being spotted.

Shrimp season began the 18th which brings much more feeding activity in the Esteros for a long list of predators including grouper, corvina, snapper and snook.

The cannery in Lopez Mateos is still closed and in Puerto San Carlos the job of removing sunken boats is underway.

Finally, I returned home this week and Mex 1 is open all the way…Bob Hoyt

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

We've had some decent rains from storms pushing up from the South, with the effect of cooling the surface temperatures down quite a bit. Last week we were at a tepid 85°, and we are now averaging a perfect 80°. The cooling water trend actually heated the fishing up.

Stan Hootman of Houston, TX is fishing several days with Adolfo on the panga Dos Hermanos. They are doing excellent. I talked to Stan by cell phone as they were returning to the dock today (Thursday) after a very successful day of rooster fishing. Using a blue and white surface popper, they caught 6 roosters of 60#, 50#, 45#, 40#, and a couple of smaller ones.

Yesterday they had fished for sailfish and released four. Plus, they got into the football yellowfin tuna and caught 6 tuna averaging 10 pounds...…Ed Kunze

Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 14-20, 2009


WEATHER: We started this week with partly cloudy skies, had partly cloudy skies during the middle of the week and ended the week with partly cloudy skies. Tropical Storm Marty was well off to the west of us at the beginning of the week and remained stalled in the same area for several days until degrading and falling apart. Marty brought us just a sprinkle of rain. At the end of the week an un-named storm came up quickly from the south bringing more clouds and we received a bit of rain from these on Saturday night, enough to leave small pools of water on the sidewalks in the early morning. Our daytime highs were in the mid to high 90’s while the nighttime lows were in the mid 80’s.
WATER: Tropical Storm Marty brought the swells up early in the week, most of them at 6-7 feet but spaced well apart. With no wind on top of them it was very nice water. At the end of the week the Port Captain closed the port to all vessels Saturday afternoon and to small vessels (Pangas) Sunday morning due to the large swells brought by the un-named storm. Again, there was no wind on top of these swells so conditions were still good. At the end of the week the water temperatures on the Pacific side from the beach to 10 miles out stayed in the 84 to 85 degree range while farther out they dropped to 81-82 degrees. Both areas had blue water. On the Cortez side there was a finger of cool water of 83 degrees that had pushed its way between the 1150 and the Cabrillo Seamount toward the Gorda Banks. Everywhere else on the Cortez side was 85 degrees and blue.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. Sardinas were not available due to the large swells most of the week.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Marlin fishing picked up a bit when compared with last weeks result with more Striped Marlin appearing within several miles of the beach on the Pacific side. We had one dedicated angler who had never caught a marlin of any kind release three Striped Marlin on Saturday while working this area. I fought and released a small Blue Marlin of around 150 pounds on Wednesday while out to the south of the San Jaime Bank and another client had a Blue in the 260 pound range in the same area on Friday. There were still a few Sailfish around but I did not hear of any Black Marlin caught. Sunday we had to clients release 300-400 lb blues.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Tuna were the fish of the week with almost every boat being able to get into them. Sizes ranged from 230 pounds to 15 pounds with most of the larger fish being caught on live bait dropped in front of the moving pods of Spinner Dolphin or Spotted Dolphin. The White-Bellied dolphin often only held smaller fish but an occasional larger one would surprise an angler. Almost all the fish in our area were caught inside the 1,000-fathom line from due south, then up to the San Jaime Bank and then up to the Golden Gate. This made for easy trips to find the fish, and I know of one Panga that caught a fish over 200 pounds just off of the lighthouse.
DORADO: Dorado were an off and on event this week, one day there would be plenty and then the next day they could not be found. When you could find them they seemed to be close to the shore on the Pacific side in the warmer water. Averaging 12-15 pounds, there were enough larger ones out there to make things interesting. Lures accounted for the first fish for most boats and then live bait dropped back usually accounted for the next one or two. Boats that did well on Dorado were catching between five and ten per trip and releasing two or three of the smaller fish.
WAHOO: I saw a few red/orange flags being flown this week but was never able to contact the Captains or anglers on the boats to find out where or when they caught the fish, or even if they were for Wahoo at all.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week’s inshore report. Most of the Panga Captains are doing well on Dorado and Tuna since they are close to shore. There are still some decent Roosterfish being found and a few snapper and grouper as well. The Pacific side has been the favorite side of the Cape this week.
NOTES: The fishing has been very good this week and almost all the anglers I have talked to have been very happy with the results of their trips, and some of them have been worn out afterwards from fighting Marlin and some of the large Yellowfin that have been around. We hope the action continues this week. Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 09/25/2009
REPORT #1184 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/09.25.09.picies.gif
200 lb yellow fin tuna caught at the Jaime banks by Heather DeRamus weighing half its' size....took her three hours though and she still looks good! La Brisa 31ft.

Bertram Capt. Nicolas Winkler pictured right and deckhand Salvador Flores left of www.piscessportfishing.com
Once again, September has been a winner. The Humboldt squid continues to be the first stop in the morning for many of the boats. Talk about matching the hatch! Fresh

cut chunks of squid are the perfect chum or bait for the dorado and small tuna and when fishing near the rocky points that dot the East Cape.

Of course if you want to go farther offshore and chase the porpoise schools, there are still some gorilla-class tuna reaching 200 pounds. Pulling on one of those

behemoths can easily replace the day’s workout on the Nautilus machine…and then some.

If you are trying to avoid the tuna workout, there are still plenty of sailfish, as well as blue and striped marlin to take care of the billfish urge.

Most of the dorado, tuna and skipjack caught close to shore are in the single digit to mid-teen range; offshore don’t be surprised if a larger one shows up in one of the

porpoise schools.

The beach is the beach and it is still hot midday. That said, if you are looking for sight casting opportunities, midday is the best time. Later, as the sun sinks behind the

hills, it seems like the fish come alive for a brief period before it gets too dark to fish.

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Local commercial fishermen are reporting lots of dorado around the shark buoys, and the clear blue water close to the shore is holding plenty of smallish tuna as well as

a few larger ones up to 30 pounds.

With many of the Soouthern California yachts beginning their long trek down the coast to Cabo San Lucas, we expect to hear good reports of the numbers of fish found

as they pass by Magdalena Bay.

Inside the esteros, there has been little current and both grouper and snapper have been on the bite. Still there’s only an occasional snook caught, most weighing no

more than ten pounds.

The yellowtail action at the Entrada is mostly the smaller firecracker variety chasing small sardine to the surface, which in turn attracts the birds, making it easy to spot

the schools. Farther outside the Entrada there are schools of skipjack and a few dorado to be found.

Though there are plenty of fish, there are few tourists visiting the area recently.

Reports are that Mex 1 is passable all the way from the border to the tip! However, road crews working on the road are causing some short delays…Bob Hoyt

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The average water temperature is back up to 85° with the blue water only a couple of miles off the beach.

Santiago, on the panga Gitana, told me there is very decent fishing, but few people to take advantage of it. The boats going out have each been averaging two to three

sailfish a day, plus a couple of nice dorado around 20 pounds.

We have had some hard rains, which has discolored the inshore water some, but when you find the open patches, the roosterfish action is still holding very strong.

Three to four roosters a day is common with at least a couple of them approaching 50 pounds…Ed Kunze

Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 21 - 28, 2009


WEATHER: We started this week with clear skies, had a small squall come through and wreaked havoc on us Friday morning. We had thunder and lightning, along with a decent rain for about a couple hours. Along with that came the wind. Apparently they were still parasailing during the squall. One boat crashed on the rocks by the arch, the folks dropped into the water and were rescued, but it was enough for the Port Captain to close the harbor and tell everyone to come back. After sitting around for an hour looking at flat calm water, he reopened the port. Some called it a day, and some headed back out fishing. Our daytime highs were in the high 90’s to low 100’s again, while the nighttime lows were in the mid 80’s.
WATER: Early in the week the seas were big but spaced far apart coming from TS Noro off to the west of us. Seas are back to normal now 1-6 feet, slow rollers. Water temps aaround 89-90 in the Sea of Cortez around the Gordo Banks to 1150, 95 and past Cabo up the Pacific to Golden Gate. Slightly cooler temps out at San Jaime in the mid 80’s
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. Sardinas available at the usual $30, if you are heading up towards San Jose, they are not bringing them down to Cabo.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: With the warmer waters coming back the Striped marlin bite has dropped off again. They are all over the place but being finicky eaters. Bouncing bait off their noses, just gets you “the look” before they swim away. Head of one 550 brought in on Friday. Makes me sad when people still kill these beauties for a couple tacos. Just a reminder to everyone, those fish over 300 #’s are the female breeding stock! Take your picture at the side of the boat and let her swim away. Fish like that are the future of marlin fishing.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Tuna were the fish of the week with almost every boat being able to get into them. Sizes ranged from 230 pounds to 15 pounds with most of the larger fish being caught on live bait dropped in front of the moving pods of Spinner Dolphin or Spotted Dolphin. Report from San Jose of a 357lb Yellowfin brought in up there. And this was the story until Thursday night when 3 purse seiners moved in the Pacific side with their helicopters. Not a tuna flag flying Friday or Saturday. Ok last minute update, I did get a report Sunday afternoon, that were a couple boats that finally found tuna late Saturday, so hopefully they will make a quick comeback this time.
DORADO: Dorado were an off and on event this week, one day there would be plenty and then the next day they could not be found. When you could find them they seemed to be close to the shore on the Pacific side in the warmer water. Averaging 12-15 pounds, there were enough larger ones out there to make things interesting. Lures accounted for the first fish for most boats and then live bait dropped back usually accounted for the next one or two. Boats that did well on Dorado were catching between five and ten per trip and releasing two or three of the smaller fish. Same this week as last week.
WAHOO: I saw some nice wahoo come in this week. We had one client bring in a nice 50 lb fish, and I saw a few more in the 20-30 lb range.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week’s inshore report. Most of the Panga Captains are doing well on Dorado and Tuna since they are close to shore. There are still some decent Roosterfish being found and a few snapper and some nice 8-10 lb grouper as well. Not many marlin offshore but one panga released a sailfish and a striped marlin! The Pacific side has been the favorite side of the Cape this week.
NOTES: The week started off great with lots of fish being caught all different kinds. It’s amazing how a couple of purse seiners setting their nets scares most of the fish off for a couple days. Hopefully the did not completely deplete the stocks as they have done in the past. 5 cruise ships coming to Cabo today, bringing a much needed boost to the local economy!. This weeks report was written while listening to a new CD our clients brought down, flashback to the 60’s with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Greatest Hits. Brought to you by Curb records 1990. Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 21 - 28, 2009


WEATHER: Tropical Storm Olaf was the influence this week as it slowly worked it’s way up the Pacific side of Baja California, finally crawling across the central part of the peninsula before going off onto the mainland. At the slow speed Olaf was moving, we received lots of clouds and some more much needed rain. With light rains every other day and an occasional one-hour drench, the whole of Baja California Sur is looking clean and green! Our daytime highs dropped a bit due to the clouds and averaged 95 degrees with an occasional short jump to over 100 when the sun showed itself. Nights were in the low 80’s. Winds were from the west and southwest for the middle of the week through the end of the week due to the trailing feeder bands from Olaf.
WATER: Long slow rollers were the word of the week for most of the time with the water on Friday becoming very confused and rough on the Pacific side as the wind finally switched directions. Seas averaged 2-5 feet on the Pacific and 1-3 feet on the Sea of Cortez. Water temperatures were down a bit due to the cloud cover and also they were hard to get unless you were actually on the water for the same reason. What we did see was temperatures on the Pacific side at mostly 79-80 degrees while the Cortez side was 76 degrees inshore and out to 10 miles along most of the coast with a plume of warm water to 82 degrees intruding across the 1150 and Cabrillo Seamount from the southeast.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Striped Marlin and Sailfish were found rather close to shore on the Pacific side once again. There were reports of some decent Blue and Black Marlin being hooked up on the Cortez side up in the San Jose area, but I did not get to confirm that, just rumors I heard. The water conditions on the Pacific side at the end of the week had many of the boats focusing their efforts on the Cortez side of the Cape and it appears as if there are a few Striped Marlin and Sailfish to be found there as well, just not in the numbers we were seeing on the Pacific. Like the fish found to the west, these fish were not really in the eating mood either, drop a bait on their heads and the odds were 20% for a hook-up.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: While the Tina Seiners the week before last caused a couple of days of no Tuna action, they seemed to have returned a few days later. Still not in the numbers we saw before the seiners came through, they are being found in decent numbers farther offshore on the Pacific side. Running 30-40 miles in the choppy conditions we had was not in the books for most of the boats though, and few of them made it out to the fish, therefore there were few Tuna flags flying. Heading out between 175 and 210 degrees for 30 miles put you in the area, then it was a job to find the porpoise, when the chop started they seemed to disappear!
DORADO: Dorado action was good at the end of the week. These fish seem to like the conditions a bit choppy and most boats were coming in with at least four or five fish, averaging 12-15 pounds with good numbers of larger fish to 40 pounds. Most of the action was on the Pacific side of the Cape close to the beach.
WAHOO: There were some nice fish last week and with the full moon on the 4th, there should be more this week. Most of the Wahoo taken this week were found by boats working just of the beach fishing for Dorado, so you know there were a lot of fish lost due to small diameter Mono leaders!
INSHORE: The Pangas were not doing a lot of inshore fishing this week as the conditions were a bit rough, but there were some decent catches of small grouper and snapper made by boats working the bottom. For Pangas that were surface fishing, most of them were working just off the beach for Dorado and the occasional Striped Marlin and Sailfish.
NOTES: I love the rain that we have been getting, it is just the right volume and scattered out so that it soaks into the ground instead of washing everything away. It has caused a bit of a problem with the road construction however, and for those of you who actually expected the crews to meet the August 1 completion deadline, this is Mexico, we will be lucky if it is finished by the end of October! Full moon in October this week should mean Wahoo in decent numbers and, hopefully, some big Marlin showing up! This weeks report was written to the music of the king of blues, B.B. King on the 2008 Geffen Records release, “One Kind Favor”. Until next week, tight lines!

[puertovallartafish]

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/smalltuna.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/Puertovallartafish/Dorados.jpg

Puerto Vallarta fishing for Marlin and yellowfin tuna. We left the docks at 5 am and reached the Bank by about 6:45 am, there was bait all over as soon as we put the lines in the water we reeled in 5 bonita's rigged them up and starting trolling, live bait a couple teasers and black and purple black bart lures, at 8 am we had our first bite a huge dorado about 50 lbs , 5 minutes later we hooked a nice 60 lb Yellowfin tuna, then a big marlin struck it was a nice blue about 200 lbs we did not boat it but an hour later we had another strike this time a nice 400 + lb black marlin it took Mark about 2 hours to pull it in and i was surpized when he still had enough energy to nail 3 more tuna's after that! What a day we got to the docks around 6 pm total 1 black marlin, 6 yellow fin tuna and 1 big Dorado! tournement season is here and Puerto Vallarta will be holding its 54th anuual marlin and sailfish tournament November 12th here in the Marina Vallarta with over $300,000 dollars in prizes we should have a great turnout. this is the big Puerto Vallarta fishing season those 500 + marlins, and 300+ tunas you read about are always caught between September and December we are always excited to see what record fish will be pulled out of PV this year!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 10/10/2009
REPORT #1186 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image2009/BrianKelley.gif
Brian Kelley, wearing the white cap, with three of his buddies celebrating his 50th birthday with a fat one …Mark Rayor.

The first serious north wind of the season arrived late this week along with grouchy seas that caused short days for some.

Still seem to be enough fish around to keep things interesting; it is just tougher to find them. There were a few porpoise schools found closer to shore that did produce

some tuna for the first handful of boats that found them.

Dorado action was also a little sketchy with most boats finding only a few, if any, but there are still some skipjack and football sized tuna out in front of the lighthouse.

As usual the beach was trashed from the wind waves which created difficult conditions for the beach walkers.

The good news is the winds are predicted to subside soon and hopefully the bite will pick right back up.

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Well so much for the quickie trip last Friday. By the time I arrived at the border a small tropical depression, Olaf, had turned and was headed on an erratic path for Baja’s

midsection.

Since my trip only allowed for a few days of fishing with little or no wiggle room, I delayed the trip until this Monday.

Turned out to be a good call; Olaf dumped plenty of rain from Cuidad Constitution to Mulege. There were a few washouts and one group driving down reported 30 water

crossings during their trip from the border to East Cape.

The storm left unsettled conditions but they seem to have dissipated by the end of the week.

So I will be driving down the peninsula Monday, the 12th, with a stop planned in Mulege to check out some rumors of large snook appearing in the Santa Rosalia River.

Then on to Lopez Mateos to fish both beach and offshore for three days with Lance Peterson, our Mexico Guide.

I will return on Monday, the 19th, and should have an update on the aftermath of the recent storms.

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° blue water has cooled down a bit from last week, and has moved in very close to the beach. This should improve the fishing, but we have had a series of hard

rains and wind and a full moon period, combined with few clients fishing. An accurate picture of the fishing action is hard to describe at best.

The average for sailfish is about one or two a day per boat, and few nice size dorado are also being taken.

Inshore, there are a lot of small jack crevalle, and even a few sierra, but the roosterfish bite also seems to have died off. However, we also had strong surf all this last

week, so the roosters have moved offshore, and should move back in when the moon phase affects the surf to a lesser degree.…Ed Kunze

Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Oct 5-11, 2009


WEATHER: We had a week with no influences from storms finally! Well, with the passing of Olaf we did get some very nice cool weather early last week, so nice in fact that we felt that we might just be getting into the fall weather pattern, but that was a short lived wish. At the beginning of the week we had our nighttime lows in the low 70’s with low humidity as well, and light breezes, perfect evening weather. The daytime highs were in the mid 80’s and also with low humidity, even though we had a fair amount of cloud cover. Later in the week things warmed up almost 10 degrees across the board. At the beginning of the week the wind was from the southwest, then it started to shift around and come from the northwest at 15-20 knots in the afternoons with lighter winds in the mornings. In the afternoons late in the week, Thursday and Friday in particular, the wind shifted hard and blew at about 15-20 knots from the east, surprising everyone.
P.S. Update: Since writing the report an area of disturbed weather to the southeast has been designated as Tropical Storm Patricia and is expected to move over or very near the southern tip of the peninsula (that’s us!) on Tuesday evening with winds to 50 knots, gusting to 60 knots, and it looks like there is a lot of rain with it.
WATER: The water was choppy almost all week on the Pacific side and in the afternoons on the Cortez side of the Cape this week. At times it looked as if there were sheep feeding all over the place out there as everywhere you looked there were whitecaps. I was fishing on Monday and when we went out in the morning toward the Gorda Banks the water was perfect, when we started to come back in the afternoon we were taking an occasional dose of water on the fly bridge of the 40’ Blackwatch I was on. The same thing happened for boats that went to the Pacific side later in the week as they faced winds from the east on their way back, hugging the beach helped them a little bit. Early in the week the water temperatures close to shore on the Pacific side were cool at 77-80 degrees between the beach and the offshore banks while the water on the Sea of Cortez remained a steady 85 degrees everywhere. This changed late in the week and on the weekend the warm water from the Sea of Cortez had wrapped its way around the Cape so that we had 83-85 degree water everywhere on the Cortez side as well as from the San Jaime and Golden Gate Banks to the beach on the Pacific side. Outside the Banks the water dropped quickly to 79-80 degrees. Surprisingly enough, the water on the Cortez side of the Cape was slightly green, even though it was the warmer water for most of the week.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait and they were occasionally hard to come by, perhaps the product of coming off the full moon. There were Sardinas available at San Jose if you got there early, at the normal $25 per bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The billfish bite dropped off quite a bit this past week, perhaps due to the full moon. There were Sailfish and Striped Marlin found close to home and close to shore, just not in any number and the ones that were found were not in a very hungry mood. We should have been seeing more Black and Blue Marlin than we have been, but once again the full moon had an effect on that. Now that we are in the last quarter perhaps things will get better with these larger billfish. Don’t get me wrong; there are still Marlin and Sailfish out there, just not in great numbers. There have been all species caught everyday, with the exception of Black Marlin, just no really large specimens or in large numbers.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: This was a nice week for a number of boats that went out and got into the Tuna. The bite got quite a bit better late in the week with fish showing up close to home and in a feeding mood. As close as two miles from the arch there were pods of porpoise holding fish that averaged 30 pounds. We had clients on two days bring in Tuna that weighed over 100 pounds, one of them scaled out at 150 pounds. The rough water conditions extended the fight as did the fact the fish were caught on #30 test line. Live bait was the key to the larger fish while the smaller fish often turned their noses up at normal sized lures and demanded small hootchies in red or pink. At the end of the week the Tuna had worked their way to 24 miles offshore toward the southeast.
DORADO: Dorado were the fish of the week as the action was wide open on fish ranging in size from 4 pounds to 25 pounds with an occasional 45 pound fish tossed in. I heard of one boat that landed a fish over 70 pounds but did not see the fish or a photo. Almost all the action was on the Pacific side where the water was a bit on the rough side. To my surprise it seemed that dark colored lures worked better this week for those using artificial lures. Many of the boats opted to catch a few skipjack and chunk them up for chum, and then using strips for bait as the Dorado showed up. It was no problem at all to limit out, and with the action this hot and heavy many of the boats went overboard and caught three or four time their limit (two Dorado per angler). There were scattered Dorado offshore as well, and boats that caught Dorado limits early and headed offshore for something else still caught them 20 miles out.
WAHOO: We still had a decent Wahoo bite happening this week as fish averaging 30 pounds were caught on both sides of the Cape. Working structure was the best method, back and forth across peaks and drop-offs with heavy lures. Trolling at a higher than normal speed kept many of the nuisance small Dorado off the hooks. 9.5 to 11 knots worked for us, and we still got larger Dorado as well as Striped Marlin hook-ups at that speed.
INSHORE: There was a three day showing of football Yellowfin and decent sized Dorado off of the Cabo Del Sol beaches during the middle of the week and Pangas that made the run to San Jose for Sardinas did well with plenty of both species of fish showing up in the catches. There were even a few Wahoo caught this way. Those willing to work their way offshore and brave the seas did well trolling lures for the smaller Tuna and a few Pangas managed to get Yellowfin to 60 pounds with live bait when the fish were close to shore. Most of the Pangas focused on Dorado as the water conditions made working very close to the beach uncomfortable.
NOTES: The hills and desert are nice and green and there are flowers coming up everywhere. If you are coming down, take a day and get out into the surrounding area to check it out. There are plenty of companies that do excursions into the hills. On the fishing side of things, it’s finally happening, the Tuna are here and have been biting well, there are plenty of Dorado around, and in my mind that means that as the new moon approaches the large Marlin should be starting to feed. We have the bait in Tuna and Dorado, the water temperature is right and the moon should be perfect! Lets keep our fingers crossed! This weeks report was written to the blues of Taj Mahal on the 2000 Sony Music release “The Best Of Taj Mahal”. My great thanks to Tom Hispanski for bringing me this CD as well as the ones I have been using for my reports for the past three weeks, and the one I will use next week, thanks Tom I hope Herman gets a Marlin on the next trip! Until next week, tight lines

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Oct 12-18, 2009


WEATHER: We had a break last week as we expected Tropical Storm Patricia to come over the top of us. She did, but only as a remnant low-pressure system, thank goodness she fell apart early. She did bring three days of gentle rain, and the hills are bright green now. Due to the swells and gusty winds the Captain of the Port closed the port Wednesday and Thursday morning. We were hoping the clouds would help lower the temperatures a bit and they did for a few days, then we were back to the mid 90’s with high humidity during the daytime and the mid 80’s at night. Now we have something else to worry about, and we can only hope that Hurricane Rick, a category five hurricane at this time, and 555 miles away and with core winds at 180 mph, either gets directed more to the west or falls apart soon. As of now we are expected to get a very close pass mid-day Wednesday with core winds at 125 mph, and storm force winds out to 140 miles from the center.
WATER: Choppy water was the norm early in the week and things finally mellowed out on Friday. We had swells at 2-5 feet on the Pacific, 1-3 feet on the Cortez side with winds that varied direction, occasionally from the east but mostly from the northwest or north. The water on both sides of the Cape was in the 84-85 degree range at the end of the week, as far as you could fish on the Cortez side and out to 35 miles from shore on the Pacific side. Once past that 35 miles it dropped to 81 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito and Mullet were the usual $3 per bait and there were some Sardinas available up in San Jose at $25 a bucket, or here in Cabo at $30 a half bucket. Prices seem to go up in tournament time for Sardinas, as they are needed to catch the small tunas used for baiting the big Marlin.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There were still plenty of Striped Marlin out there but getting them to bite was sometimes difficult. Most boats were able to hook and release at least one fish per day, and a few boats were releasing two or three per trip. They really seemed to like the Pacific side of the Cape close to the shoreline, as did the occasional Sailfish. The Larger Marlin were in different areas. Running the ridge between the San Jaime and Golden Gate Banks brought up quite a few Blue Marlin this week with a couple of fish that were in the 200-300 pound category. The biggest fish were the Black Marlin, and there seemed to be more of them than this time last year. The Los Cabos Billfish Tournament was two days this year due to the port being closed for the first half of the first day, but there were four Black Marlin weighed that were over #300 with the largest at #550, all on live bait and all at the Outer Gorda Banks.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: While the number of Yellowfin caught this week dropped off from last weeks catch, there were some quality fish taken. Among the 39 boats fishing the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament there were four Yellowfin over 100 pounds. Earlier in the week there was a reported cow over #300 taken from the Gorda Banks area. Most fish found were smaller, in the 20-35 pound class and were found with porpoise. Good areas were to the south between 8 miles to 30 miles.
DORADO: Once again Dorado were the fish of the week as the action was wide open on fish ranging in size from 4 pounds to 25 pounds with an occasional 45 pound fish tossed in. Almost all the action was on the Pacific side where the water was a bit on the rough side once again. Limits were common as was boats going way over the established limit of 2 fish per angler. Many boats left Dorado in order to catch something different!
WAHOO: Surprisingly we still had a decent Wahoo bite happening this week as fish averaging 30 pounds were caught on both sides of the Cape. Working structure was the best method, back and forth across peaks and drop-offs with heavy lures.
INSHORE: Dorado were the target of almost every Panga Captain and angler I talked to this week. With the bite as good as it is and with a few billfish to toss in for some action there was little effort made to work the beach for Roosterfish or the bottom for Snapper and Grouper.
NOTES: Please keep your fingers crossed that Hurricane Rick does not hurt us too bad. We just had one huge noisy squall come, part of the feeder bands Cats and dogs hiding everywhere! We may end up with a one-day Bisbee tournament as the fishing is supposed to be on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Maybe we will be able to fish on Friday at least! This weeks report was written to an album first released in 1971, “L.A. Woman” by the Doors. I thought the song “Riders On The Storm” was appropriate. Until next week, tight lines.

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Oct 19-25, 2009


WEATHER: Two close calls in two weeks means we got really lucky when it came to weather this week. As Monday opened we awoke to the sounds of heavy thunder and lightning flashes with heavy rain as the first band of Hurricane Rick came over us. For the next two days we watched as Rick finally lost energy and started moving off to the south of us. We received lots of gentle rain and then the skies cleared. On Wednesday afternoon the last feeder band went over the top of us and once again we received several hours of heavy rain. The remainder of the week was sunny and we had nighttime temperatures in the mid 70’s and daytime highs in the high 80’s with light winds.
WATER: We had rough water at the start of the week as Hurricane Rick approached. The swells built up and the Port closed through noon Wednesday due to the high winds and sloppy sea conditions. On Thursday the swells were back to normal size and the skies were clear. At the end of the week the water was in great shape with small swells and no wind chop. Water temperatures on the Cortez side of the Cape averaged 85 degrees to 25 miles south of land then dropped to 83 degrees. The warmer water wrapped around the Cape on the Pacific side and we had continued temperatures of 85 degrees 10 to 15 miles off the beach there. Once past the San Jaime and the Golden Gate banks to the west the temperature dropped to 81 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito and Mullet were the usual $3 per bait and there were some Sardinas available up in San Jose at $25 a bucket, or here in Cabo at $30 a half bucket. Prices seem to go up in tournament time for Sardinas, as they are needed to catch the small tunas used for baiting the big Marlin.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: This week was the Bisbee Black and Blue Marlin tournament. We were postponed a day due to Hurricane Rick but this tournament really shows the state of billfish in our area as they are the only fish that count, and you have some of the best fishermen and fishing teams in the world competing, at least for the big marlin. I guess it’s possible that Hurricane Rick caused things to change because while the week before there were plenty of Black Marlin caught on the Gorda Banks, the boats that fished there this week got goose eggs for their efforts. With 89 teams competing for three days there were only two fish brought in that weighed over the 300-pound minimum, one on the first day at #375 and one on the third day at #305. It’s pretty sad that 267 fishing days had those results. There were smaller fish caught, we released a Striped Marlin on the first day and a small Blue Marlin on the third day and there were plenty of hook-ups reported, but no big fish. Most of the action seemed to have shifted to the Pacific side this week as the current pushed the warm water up the coast.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the number of Tuna was down from last week but when you could find them they bit pretty well. We had one couple who got into the fish on Thursday about 20 miles to the southwest and they were able to come in with one fish of 100 pounds, one of 80 pounds and plenty of smaller fish. On their second day they had all smaller fish. Another group we had out got into the fish but were unable to get a bite all day long, ending up with a goose egg for the day. Most of the fish were found on the Pacific side within 25 miles of the shore, but there was a nice school reported out at the temperature break to the west of the San Jaime Bank. Another big fish was caught by one of the boats in the Bisbee tournament. They boated the large Yellowfin after 1-½ hours of fighting on #130 line so it had to be a beast but I never heard the weight.
DORADO: The Dorado bite dropped off a lot this week, the storm seemed to have scattered them. Perhaps this coming week will allow them to school up again and the action will improve. A few boats were still able to show well on these fish with limits of two per angler, but they were not the norm for the week. The action that occurred was on the Pacific side of the Cape fairly close to shore in the warm water.
WAHOO: I only heard of a couple of Wahoo being caught this week, and those were found in the open water by boats looking for Blue Marlin.
INSHORE: Dorado continued to be the main focus of Pangas this week as they were still present in fair numbers, though small in size, close to the beach. A few of the Pangas ventured offshore on the Pacific side looking for Yellowfin and did well. Action inshore did not pick up until the very end of the week due to churned up conditions, but there was a bite for small Sierra up toward San Jose and there was some decent grouper fishing along the Cortez coast.
NOTES: Our prayers were answered as Hurricane Rick downgraded from a category five to a category one and passed well to the south of us. The rain it brought was a blessing; gentle enough to soak into the ground without causing bad run-off. The Bisbee tournament was a bust with low numbers of boats and even lower numbers of fish. The next tournament coming up is the Tuna Tournament the first week of November so everyone is now gearing up for that! My thanks to Mark Bailey for bringing me some new CD’s to listen to. This weeks report was written to the great country music of Danny Balis on his 2009 self released album “Too Much Living”. Great stuff! Until next week, tight lines!

[puertovallartafish]

fishing report October 31 2009

Mahi mahi, yellowfin tuna, sailfish and big black marlin
it is high season and everything is out there you can do a short day
inside the bay and still catch a dozen dorado! off the point of punta de mita
you find the right line and the smaller mahi mahi are jumping in the boat, go
a little further to corbetena and you will find smaller tuna 40-100lb range sailfish 90-110 lbs
and bigger mahi mahi up to 50 lbs, the bank has been day to day every day is a
little different we went last tuesday and it was hot with Wahoo and tuna, the
next day just alot of bait we caught one 240+ yellowfin tuna so the big ones are there
you just need to pick the right day, but if the big tuna cows are there gauranteed our
crew will put You on them! Puerto Vallarta is holding the 54th annual sailfish
and marlin tournament starting november 11th with over 400,000 dollars in
prizes plus daily sailfish, marlin, yellowfin tuna, and mahi mahi jackpots.
for more info on the tournament please email info@puertovallartafish.com
that is all for now until we catch the next big fish tight lines.

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
October 26-November 1, 2009


WEATHER: As we expect this time of year, the weather has gotten off of the summer schedule and we now have the cool fall weather comforting us. Our temperature this morning was 68 degrees, earlier in the week it was a steady 70 degrees while the daytime highs have been in the mid to high 80’s with little humidity. No wonder so many people come and visit this time of year! We had mostly clear skies this week with a little wind from the northwest early in the week.
WATER: The seas have been nice at an average of three-foot swells with a little afternoon chop on top of that on the Pacific side and an average of 1 foot less on the Cortez side of the Cape. There was an intrusion of cool water from the Pacific side across the tip of the Cape this week and at an average of 80 degrees it crept close to the beach in a narrow 3 mile wide band as far as San Jose then bent to the east in a 10-mile wide band extending from the Gorda Banks to the 1150. To the southwest of this cool band the temperature was 82 degrees, sort of a pocket of warmer water 30 miles by 30 miles. Out on the Pacific the water 15 miles to the west of the San Jaime Bank, along the 1,000-fathom line, was also a warm 82 degrees while inside that area it was 80 degrees. Surprisingly, the warmer water was a little green this week while the cooler water was bluer.
BAIT: Caballito and Mullet were the usual $3 per bait and there were some Sardinas available up in San Jose at $25 a bucket, or here in Cabo at $30 a half bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin bite as well as Blue and Black Marlin dropped off this week. It may have something to do with the full moon. As the water cooled we expected the big girls to slow down but the Striped Marlin should be picking up. Maybe soon the big groups will start to show. The Striped Marlin that were caught were found on the Pacific side fairly close to the beach by boats looking for Dorado. Small groups of two to six fish were spotted on the surface but only one in 10 or 12 showed any interest in eating a live bait and very few of them showed any interest at all in lures. A few boats did all right, releasing two or three fish per trip, but we have not yet seen the numbers of fish as we have over the past three years.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The Yellowfin were scattered out this week, some fish were found as close as two miles from the lighthouse and there were other out 30+ miles to the west. Almost all the fish were found with Porpoise, there were a few unassociated schools found but it was hard to keep on the fish without the mammals to show you where they were headed. Most of the fish caught were football to school size fish, from 8 to 40 pounds with an occasional 60-80 pound fish in the mix. A few boats that got to the schools first did all right with an occasional larger fish to 130 pounds. At the end of the week the bite slowed down and the fish were harder to find. On Saturday it was reported that there were three purse seiners working the area so the bite may be off for a while. That too bad as we have the yearly Tuna Tournament coming up next week.
DORADO: The Dorado bite was wide open early on, boats were catching all they could handle and were releasing anything under 10 pounds (at least most of the boats were). Later in the week the water started to cool and the bite slowed down. With the moon getting larger the bite moved to the afternoon as well so it often seemed that there were no more Dorado around, at least at the end of the week for the first few hours of a trip, A few boats managed to do extremely well after finding a dead turtle on one day and a log on another day, both of which were holding major numbers of fish under them. Even with the slow bite late in the week, most of the boats were able to catch near-limits of fish averaging 12 pounds.
WAHOO: The full moon brought the Wahoo bite back as there were more fish found late in the week than earlier in the week. Most of the fish averaged 30 pounds and were found near the points by boats working for Dorado.
INSHORE: With the great water conditions most of the Pangas were trying their best to put clients on the Dorado and Tuna early in the week. At the end of the week with the bite moving toward the afternoon, the morning boats returned to the near shore ground and targeted Roosterfish, Sierra and Snapper. Most of the Roosterfish were on the small size with an average of 10 pounds but there were some nicer fish found in the Cabo bay near the RIU resort beach. These fish reportedly were in the 30-4o pound class. The Sierra were still small at an average of 4 pounds and were found farther up the Cortez side of the Cape. The main species of snapper found this week were the smaller Yellowtail Snapper but there were a few Cuberra and Barred Pargo in the catch as well.
NOTES: Once again my thanks to Mark Bailey for the music selection this week. The 2008 release by Smith Entertainment of the album “Ain’t In It For The Money” by the Texas group “Micky and the Motorcars” kept me tapping my toes as my fingers worked the keyboard. Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
November 2-8, 2009


WEATHER: Our nice weather remained with us this week as we saw high temperatures in the mid to high 80’s and the lows in the low 70’s. One morning, Tuesday I think, the data on the truck dash showed 68 degrees. We had no rain this week and mostly sunny skies with light winds from the west and northwest.
WATER: The Pacific side has had a bit of a swell compared with the Cortez side, around 3-5 feet most of the time and in the late afternoons the wind has picked up just a little bit causing some whitecaps on top of the swells. The Cortez side of the Cape has remained calm. The water on the Pacific side has remained several degrees cooler on average than that of the Cortez side. Water close to the beach on the Pacific has been in the 78-79 degree range and rising a degree or so a little farther offshore. On the Cortez side the near-beach water has been 80 degrees and offshore it has been 81-82 degrees.
BAIT: We had a full moon this week so Caballito were tough to get and there were no Mackerel. When you were able to get the larger baits they were going for $3 each or more, depending on what the bait guys could get away with, there was a two day Tuna tournament at the end of the week that caused prices to go up a bit. There were Sardinas available at $25 or more per scoop; again the price depended on the tournament boats needs.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There was a Black Marlin reported to have been caught on the Gorda Bank during the Tuna tournament that ended up weighing over 650 pounds. Ah, just little late to get any big money for that girl in a tournament! That was the only large Billfish I heard about this week, most of the action was on Striped Marlin and a few Sailfish. There were fish found scattered about all along the Pacific side, no strong concentrations were found anywhere. Getting a billfish strike was the average luck; a few boats were able to get one or two to the boat for a release.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The big news on the Tuna front was the capture of a Yellowfin during the first day of the W.O.N. tournament that weighed 383 pounds! That fish was a real toad and was reported to have been caught while fishing with a live Bollito on the surface at the Gorda Banks. There were no other fish caught over 200 pounds and not really that many over 100 pounds. Most of the fish found were in among porpoise to the west of the San Jaime Banks and to the south of the Cape approximately 35 miles. There were 104 boats entered in the tournament so pretty much all the areas got covered.
DORADO: The Dorado bite has slowed down a little overall, but a few boats are continuing to do extremely well when finding debris on the surface. One boat found a dead turtle on the surface and loaded up on decent size Dorado averaging 20 pounds. For the most part the numbers are down, a good trip is five to 10 fish and the average size is now down to 10 pounds. During the Tuna Tournament there were only two Dorado weighed in over 30 pounds.
WAHOO: The Wahoo bite was good for the boats that targeted them and for everyone else it was an incidental catch. I have one friend that managed 15 Wahoo in three days, loosing a lot more than that, and the largest one was 85 pounds. During the Tuna Tournament the largest to come to the scales was 61 pounds. Working the high spots and the steep drops with either high-speed lures of slow trolled live bait on wire leader was the key for Wahoo.
INSHORE: It appears that the size of the Roosterfish shrinks week by week. The week before last they were averaging 5-10 pounds and this past week anglers were lucky to get one that weighed 5 pounds. The lack of larger baits may have had something to do with that though, as a small sardina tends to be a quick snack for a small roosterfish. Other inshore fish have yet to really arrive, there are a few Sierras being caught and an occasional small Yellowtail, but neither in any numbers. Most of the Pangas are concentrating on Dorado at the moment.
NOTES: Once again my thanks to Mark Bailey for the music selection this week. This week it is the music of 1100 Springs on a cd he labeled “Country Jams” Thanks Mark! Until next week, tight lines!

[administrator]

For immediate release:
w/jpeg photos courtesy of the National Geographic Channel

Tagging billfish for science leads to great white shark research adventure and exciting TV series
Chris Fischer leads “Expedition Great White” on Nat Geo Channel Monday night, Nov. 16th GUADALUPE ISLAND, Baja Mexico, (Nov. 13, 2009) – Avid billfish angler and TV outdoor fishing adventurer Chris Fischer never thought he’d actually be living a scene much like that from Jaws as he kneeled face-to-face handling a huge, live 4,600 pound great white shark.
As a sportsman Fischer has caught and safely released lots of giant black marlin each weighing about 800 lbs, but this great white and the other giant toothy predators that followed were the biggest he’s ever caught, examined and then released 15 minutes later unharmed.
It began when Fischer, a board member for The Billfish Foundation (TBF) was asked by Dr. Michael Domeier to help him tag big black marlin off Panama to follow their migratory habits by satellite. An avid billfisherman and billfish scientist, Domeier happens to be a great white shark scientist as well.
“When he saw Ocean our 126 ft., mothership he asked if I would be able to catch and safely lift a great white shark on it for scientific research he wanted to do,” said Fischer. “We have a hydraulic lift to pick-up a 75,000 lb game boat. I said ‘sure. We can build a fence around the lift and swing a great white over it.’
“I felt we were the only people in the world who can safely capture these giant beasts of the ocean, pick them out of the water and let them go in good shape because of the lift and my crew of very talented world game anglers and captains,” as Fischer described Jody Whitworth and Brett McBride two legendary captains among his team members.
“I self-funded it, because we don’t really know much about great white sharks or other huge fish. It was a kind of a moral obligation to help Dr. Domeier solve this puzzle because I thought we would be the only people in the world who could do it for him. No one has ever had the ability to deliver mature specimens to scientists in remote locations because they are so big.
“Like in the movie Jaws, the first time we saw a shark come in and eat the bait and then take off and drag the buoys under and across the water it was a life-changing moment as an angler. The angling experience of capturing and releasing giant great white sharks is nothing similar to an angling experience of capturing a large pelagic fish. There’s a sense of history, a sense of awe, humility and humbleness. When a shark comes into the pattern under the back of the boat you look over at your bro and you’re all taking a step back. That thing is going to eat and we don’t want anyone to die today,” Fischer said with a smile describing that moment.
They even named the first great white they caught and released Bruce for the mechanical sharks used in the 1975 movie thriller classic.
Like a tenacious angler trying to get his quarry it took Fischer two years of pitching his project before National Geographic bit after seeing his exciting and extensive footage.
“I promised Dr. Domeier I would help him get these tags out and I went back and funded it a second year to help him finish this TV project and continue his science. Because of the severe down turn in the nation’s economy, if I couldn’t sell it I would have to sell my ship and get rid of everything. I was getting down to my last liquid dollars.”
Emulating the late French marine researcher Jacques Cousteau and his 139 ft. Calypso, Cousteau’s filming platform, Fischer describes his new TV series and his ship Ocean as a modern day vessel worthy of worldwide research of huge sharks and pelagic fish.
“And the episodes have the adventures of writer Zane Grey with many elements of the Deadliest Catch.” Fischer has won multiple Emmys for his recent Offshore Adventure series and other shows over this current decade. Actor Paul Walker another TBF board member and avid billfisherman helped on his crew.
“Monday night’s show is kind of a sneak peak during Expedition Week for the 10 hour series to run next summer,” said the highly passionate Fischer for his project. “The show is called Expedition Great White. We caught what we estimated to be a 4,600 lb great white based on length and girth.
“The first thing I did was call my buddies at the IGFA (International Game Fish Association) the world record keeping body, and Salt Water Sportsman magazine and asked them what was the biggest fish ever caught and released alive. Figures were in the 2,000 lb range on recreational tackle. I sent them this picture and they said nothing has been caught and released alive that big. We caught three of them over 4,000 lbs., the three biggest fish ever in history, caught and released alive. A specially designed system is used to keep each alive. The exam includes a blood draw by Dr. Domeier to check hormone levels, measurements, sperm samples taken, and tagging by attaching a tracking antenna to the dorsal fin before releasing.
“So it’s been great as the data is pouring in. Dr. Domeier is beginning to solve the puzzle of the great white shark; where they breed, where they feed, where they give birth so we can look after them and protect these areas. We’re learning so much new science.”
And work continues on the life cycle and migratory habits of billfish.
“Early next year we’re helping Dr. Domeier put out black marlin tags in the Puerto Vallarta fishery,” said Fischer. “He’s an avid big time black marlin and striped marlin angler and an active advisor to the TBF board. We support him and his science anyway we can.”
For more on the show which will be broadcast at 9 pm ET/PT, go to the Nat Geo website at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/ .
----------------------
More on The Billfish Foundation: TBF is the only non-profit organization dedicated solely to conserving and enhancing billfish populations worldwide. With world headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., USA, TBF was established in 1986 by the late Winthrop P. Rockefeller, and has a comprehensive network of members and supporters including anglers, captains, mates, scientists, tournament directors, clubs, sport fishing and tourism businesses. By coordinating efforts and speaking with one voice, the organization works for solutions that are good for billfish, not punitive to recreational anglers and good for the local economy.
For more see the TBF web site at www.billfish.org or phone them at 800-438-8247.
###

TBF PR counsel - Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications
Scottsdale, Ariz., USA
480-951-3654 (ph) -- JohnsonCom@aol.com

Editors: please credit the National Geographic Channel for the following photos:

Captions:
1-2 – Chris Fischer holds one of the special hooks used for the safe catch and release of the great white sharks during the filming of Expedition Great White. (photo credit: © National Geographic Channel)

2 -2 -- GUADALUPE ISLAND, Baja Mexico: (Left to right) Crew member, Chad Kiesel and expert angler, Chris Fischer tag a 14 ft female great white shark to track her to breeding grounds. The hydration hose in the shark's mouth keeps it alive while the team measures, tags, and takes blood samples. (photo credit: © National Geographic Channel/ Chris Ross)

5 – 4 -- GUADALUPE ISLAND, Baja Mexico: Crew member, Jody Whitworth lifts the nose of a great white shark while Captain Brett McBride removes the hydration hose that keeps the shark alive on deck. (photo credit: © National Geographic Channel/ Chris Ross)

[puertovallartafish]

Puerto Vallarta fishing report November 20th 2009,
the bank has really starting
heating up with blue marlin and bigger yellowfin tuna
the average size is 100-120 lbs the biggest one last
week was 267 lbs but we are docking yellowfin everyday if you have been waiting to see what the yellowfin were going to be high season this is it but you need to get out to the bank the tuna are boiling 5 miles north . the blue marlin are also running at the bank averaging 300-400 lbs, Marco Sildini went out last Saturday tagged 2 blues a sailfish and docked 2 tuna's 100+ anyday now we will start seeing the schools of the big cow tuna. until the next big fish

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
November 16-22, 2009


WEATHER: It was a great week to be outside or on the water as our highs were in the high 80’s and the lows in the low 70’s. It actually hit 68 degrees one morning; almost cool enough for me to get out a long sleeve sweater to wear! We had mostly clear skies and sunny days except for the end of the week when some clouds moved in.
WATER: Water on the Pacific side of the cape had a slight swell of 2-5 feet. Near shore and out to the Golden Gate and San Jaime bank the water was in the 80-81 degree range, west of there it dropped to 77-78 degrees. Near the shore the water was great with little wind until late in the day, outside the wind picked up earlier and it was occasionally rough in the afternoons. On the Cortez side of the cape the water was 80-82 degrees everywhere you went with just small swells and light winds.
BAIT: Bait this week was mostly Caballito but there were some Mackerel showing up from the bait boats. The prices remained at $3 per bait and there were some Sardinas available in San Jose at $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: There has not been a good bite for billfish this week but there have been some caught. Mostly Striped Marlin and fairly close to shore on the Pacific side, the fish have been scattered up and down the coast. On Saturday a private boat fought and landed a 650-pound Blue Marlin in about 600 feet of water just north of the Golden Gate Bank. We had decent luck ourselves with a release on a Striped Marlin on Thursday, going one for two but spotting no tails, the strikes we had were on lures. On Saturday we had no marlin action at all but watched part of the fight on the big Blue. There have been a few fish on the Cortez side of the Cape but not any numbers there either, just scattered fish here and there.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Tuna were scarce this week but toward the end of the week there were a few schools found to the southwest of the San Jaime Bank along the 1,000-fathom line and the temperature break. Most of the fish were footballs to 30 pounds but there were a few fish that pushed the 60-80 pound mark. Live bait got the larger fish to bite and the first boats to the area caught them. Elsewhere there were just a few fish found under scattered Porpoise.
DORADO: The Dorado have moved a little farther to the north every day on the Pacific side. Early in the week they were concentrated close to the shore just to the north of Los Arcos. As of this weekend the larger mass of fish had moved up as far as Cerritos beach and could be found in water from 50 to 200 feet in depth. The bite was not wide open but it was a fairly steady pick on fish that ranged between 8 and 25 pounds in size. Dropping back live bait as the first fish was being brought in accounted for about half of the fish landed.
WAHOO: There were a few Wahoo caught this week but there were more lost than landed. That is to be expected from the razor tooth gang when you are rigged for Dorado, mono leader just can’t handle them very well. A few fish were found offshore but most of the action occurred close to the beach around the rocky points on both sides of the Cape.
INSHORE: Pangas have been having good luck on the Cortez side for large Sierra and there have been a few large Roosterfish found on the Pacific side. Most of the inshore action has been with snapper and small Roosterfish as well as Dorado.
NOTES: My apologies to everyone for there not being a fish report last week, but I was up in the states for a friends wedding. On Friday I got the chance to play the newest golf course in Cabo, the Diamante. Boy, what an experience that was! This has to be the nicest course I have ever played and the service was out of this world. I have no doubt this is the best course in Mexico and it should easily be ranked in the top 100 in the world, if not in the top 50. It is a Davis Love III design with a true links look and feel. If you only have the chance to play one course when you come here, make it this one, the price is very reasonable for Cabo and you will not regret it, believe me on this! I wrote this weeks report to the music of Mark David Manders on his CD “Cannonball”, yet another great gift from Mark Baily! Until next week, tight lines

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
November 23-29, 2009


WEATHER: We had mostly sunny skies at the start of the week with a few scattered spits of rain on Thursday as clouds moved in for a couple of days. It cleared on Saturday and then another cell of clouds moved over us bringing some wind with it. Our daytime highs were in the high 80’s and the nighttime lows were in the low 70’s.
WATER: It seems as if the water temperatures across the area cooled by several degrees this week. On the Cortez side of the Cape we saw 80 degrees next to the beach and to two miles out, past there it dropped to 76-77 degrees. On the Pacific side the same thing was going on close to the beach with the temperature around 78-79 degrees and outside of the two mile distance dropping to 76 degrees from the north end of the San Jaime Bank and northward. To the west of the Cape there was a plume of warm water that averaged 80 degrees and extended across the San Jaime Bank and 10 miles to the south of there, then bent sharply to the southwest. Surface conditions were great on both sides of the Cape early in the week but at the end of the week the winds had caused steeper seas with quite a bit of wind chop on top.
BAIT: Bait this week was mostly Caballito but there were some Mackerel showing up from the bait boats. The prices remained at $3 per bait and there were some Sardinas available in San Jose at $25 a bucket.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: We had scattered Striped Marlin showing on both sides of the Cape with a lot of small ones showing up, and by small I mean less than 50 pounds in weight. There were groups of Stripers to be seen on the surface in numbers as high as 25 fish per group, but they were not very interested in eating anything. A few boats were able to release two fish per trip, but they were the exception, not the norm. Early in the week there was a flurry of action on Blue and Black Marlin to 400 pounds close to shore on the Pacific side in the warm water band. Feeding on small Dorado and skipjack, they surprised and tormented a lot of the boats that had changed over to smaller tackle for the Dorado and Striped Marlin.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The best action I heard of for the week was at the Gorda Banks. Using Sardinas as bait and light flouro-carbon leader, many of the boats were able to get two or three fish to 100 pounds drifting over the high spots on both the inner and outer bank. At the end of the week school sized fish averaging 25 pounds were found off of Palmilla point, and once again Sardinas were the key to the action.
DORADO: he water has cooled a bit and the numbers of Dorado have dropped off. Most of the boats are averaging 4-10 fish with a lot of small ones in the catch. A few of the boats have lucked out finding floating debris and have recorded great catches on fish averaging 25 pounds, but these were few and far between. The best action on Dorado has been along the shore on the Pacific side and out on the 95 spot to the east.
WAHOO: Surprising as it is, this seems to have been the best Wahoo season in years as boats are still getting multiple fish each day if they focus their efforts on these speedy razor toothed fish. Most of the fish have been found to the north of Palmilla and up around the East Cape but floating debris has held numbers as well. The fish have been smaller than average with most of them ranging in size from 6 to 20 pounds.
INSHORE: In a repeat of last week, the Pangas have been having good luck on the Cortez side for large Sierra and there have been a few large Roosterfish found on the Pacific side. Most of the inshore action has been with snapper and small Roosterfish as well as Dorado.
NOTES: The Whales are showing up in decent numbers now, there are plenty of Striped Marlin around (even if they are not eating right now), there are still Dorado and Yellowfin as well as Wahoo, the weather is great and the holidays are here, what more do we need? My friend Capt. Darcy completed a Darcy Slam the other day with a #35 Striped Marlin, #6 Wahoo, #8 Dorado, #6 Yellowfin and a #8 Sierra. So Darcy, is it the size of the fish or the variety that make it a slam? LOL!! This weeks report was written to a variety of songs from the reggae guitar master Ernest Ranglin, and I replayed “Stop That Train” about 10 times! Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
November 30 - Dec 6th, 2009


WEATHER: I think that the season’s change is upon us. This week the low was down to 61 degrees, cold enough for me to be wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a sweater on top of it when we went to the marina in the mornings. Our daytime highs were up to 89 degrees a couple of days but for the most part remained in the low 80’s. We had mostly cloudy skies for most of the days this week but there was no rain with the clouds, at least in our area. We had a couple of days of blustery weather at the end of the week but by Saturday things had really calmed down.
WATER: Surface conditions on both sides of the Cape were very nice most of the week with the exception of the Pacific side on Monday and Tuesday as the wind blew fairly strong in the afternoons on both of those days, and on the Cortez side on Friday as the wind switched direction and came from the southeast. The swells were not bad anywhere but there was some fair sized surface chop accompanying those winds. On the surface the water on the Sea of Cortez averaged 80 degrees well offshore and a cooler 78 degrees within 10 miles of the shoreline. On the Pacific side the water to the north of the San Jaime stayed cool at an average of 76 degrees, while the water on the San Jaime and to the south of there was a warmer 78 degrees.
BAIT: There was a full moon this week that made it a bit more difficult for the bait boats to catch the Caballito. There seemed to be plenty of Mackerel around though and all the larger baits were at the normal $3 per bait. I heard that there were Sardinas at the Palmilla area but can only assume that they were the normal $25 per scoop since I did not buy any myself.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: The high note for the week on the billfish front was the capture (and non-release) of a Blue Marlin that weighed over 850 pounds. The fish was caught on the Pacific side within a mile of the beach just to the inside of the Golden Gate Bank. This area had been providing some action the week before on fish to 400 pounds or so. The amount of bait in the form of young Dorado kept these large fish in the area much longer than normal. When weighed, this Marlin had two Dorado in the 12-pound class in its stomach. Other than this one large fish there were few other Blues or Blacks reported this week. There were plenty of Striped Marlin; however getting them to eat was a problem. Many boats were seeing groups of a dozen or more feeding on bait balls off of the area known as Los Arcos and were able to get an occasional fish to bite. A good catch for the week was two or three Striped Marlin released for the day, but most boats were lucky to get one. ((In a last minute update: On Sunday the 6th as the boats started coming in there were blue marlin flags flying everywhere. Mid-morning the bite on Striped Marlin had busted wide open on the ledge at the lighthouse and boats were releasing between two (for the slow boats) and 17 (high flag boat) marlin, best of all, there were only 30 boats in the area at the time. Hopefully the bite will continue. The bait was stacked up and the fish were feeding hard on a mix if Mackerel and large Sardinas, but boats using Caballito as bait got bit as well.))
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again the Yellowfin action remained slow as the few fish that were found on a regular basis seemed to have been fished so hard that it was difficult to get anything going. The Gorda Banks bite slowed quite a bit and there were occasional schools of fish moving through directly south of the Cape, mostly in the 20-pound class and associated with Dolphin that provided action once in a while.
DORADO: The water continues to cool down and the bite continues to drop off, not that it has gotten bad, mind you, but not the numbers were had been spoiled with a month ago. Boats were averaging 4-8 fish per trip with an occasional limit load. Most of the fish remained in the warmer water on the Pacific side and around the structure of the 95 spot on the Cortez side. The fish were averaging 12 pounds with a few large fish in the pick, but no big numbers of them. Live bait seemed to do the trick on them this week, slow trolled in areas where Frigate Birds were seen to be working.
WAHOO: Once again we had a good week for Wahoo. While never a common fish in our area, the past couple of months have really been good. The fish have not been large, with an average weight of 20 pounds once again, but there have been many more than normal come in on the boats. Perhaps one in 10 boats came in flying Wahoo flags this week, about double the norm for this time of year. Working areas just off the beach around the rocky points in water ranging from 50 to 250 feet in depth with dark colored lures that work below the surface, or with live bait dropped deep and slow trolled on wire leader has provided most of the action.
INSHORE: Inshore has been a decent mix of Sierra, small Roosterfish and Dorado. Most of the activity has been taking place on the Pacific side of the Cape and you did not have to go very far to get into the action.
NOTES: More whales continue to arrive in our area, providing a break from watching lures behind the boat most days. I am off to the beach with the dog in a few minutes; she needs a few more boogie-board lessons and some exercise (as well as a bath). This weeks report was written to the Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Collection of blues, released in 1991. Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 7-13, 2009


WEATHER: The weather this week was a repeat of last weeks with the lows around 61-63 degrees and the highs around 89 degrees. We had partly to mostly cloudy skies at the beginning of the week that slowly developed into clear skies at the end of the week. No rain of course, and the wind died off a little. We still had afternoon winds from the west and southwest through Thursday but then they switched and came from the northwest.
WATER: Surface conditions on the Pacific were very nice in the mornings with swells building during the week but spaced far enough apart that they gave the surfers a great time but did not really affect the fishing boats. These were caused by a couple of storms off to the far west, the same storms that gave Hawaii such great swells at the beginning of the week. In the afternoons there was a bit of chop on the water due to the afternoon winds, but the water was still very fishable. On the Cortez side of the Cape we had smaller surf and less chop, as is normal when the swells and weather come from the northwest, but at the end of the week the swells had switched and started to come from the east, but they were small. Across the area from the Golden Gate on the Pacific to the Punta Gorda area on the Cortez side the water was almost an even 80 degrees.
BAIT: Almost all the bait this week was Caballito, the moon was coming off of full and the bait guys had no problem getting these in the early morning. Mackerel was scarce but there were some available and I hear that there were still some Sardinas to be had up around Puerto Los Cabos.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: I did not hear of any Blue or Black Marlin being caught this week even thought the water temperature is fine for them. The Striped Marlin bite we had at the tail end of last week was a two day wonder, lasting Sunday and Monday, since then the better catches have been topping off at 3 fish per boat but the average is probably less than one release per boat per trip. The fish that are being caught are spread across the area, but more have been seen on the Pacific side than on the Cortez side, and the ones that are being caught show a preference for artificial lures over Caballito, and for Mackerel over artificial lures. There have been some very small fish in the releases as well, some of them reported as small as 15 pounds, but the average seems to be staying around the 100-110 pound mark with an occasional fish in the 160 pound range.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Still a slow bite on Yellowfin with a few fish being found on the Golden Gate Bank every few days as well as off of Palmilla on the Cortez side. A few boats have been going as far out as 50 miles to the south and west with little luck, and the fish they have found have mostly been footballs.
DORADO: The water temperature across the area warmed back up and the Dorado have remained in the area, but like last week, the bite has been slower than it was last month. This week was a repeat of last week as Boats were averaging 4-8 fish per trip with an occasional limit load. The fish were averaging 12 pounds with a few large fish in the pick, but no big numbers of them. Live bait seemed to do the trick on them this week, slow trolled in areas where Frigate Birds were seen to be working. The fish were spread across the area but the best results seemed to be had close to the shoreline and close to Cabo.
WAHOO: The full moon has gone and the Wahoo bite disappeared as well. There was still an occasional bite, but not nearly the numbers we were seeing during the full moon phase. Once again the shallower waters near steep drops and around rocky points supplied what little action there was.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week here. Inshore has been a decent mix of Sierra, small Roosterfish and Dorado. Most of the activity has been taking place on the Pacific side of the Cape and you did not have to go very far to get into the action.
NOTES: I could not help myself and played my “Chute 9” CD again, replaying over and over the first song on their album, “Mexican Dog”. I was laughing so much I kept missing the right keys on the keyboard and almost have the lyrics memorized. Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 14-20, 2009


WEATHER: We had very even weather this week with the morning lows at 65 degrees and the afternoon highs at 85 degrees with just a little wind in the afternoons. No clouds to speak of this week, really wonderful weather to spend the holidays enjoying, much better than all the snow I see in the news!
WATER: Surface conditions on both the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez have been great, some small swells set quite a distance apart and light winds in our area. Farther up the Sea of Cortez, around the East Cape the wind has been howling and there were whitecaps everywhere. On the sea surface temperature charts you can almost see where the wind stops, as that is where the water temperature changes. Just to the south of Los Frailles the water warms to 79 degrees from 76 degrees and the warm water wraps completely around the Baja all the way up to just past Todo Santos on the Pacific side and extends well past any fishing range offshore along the entire area.
BAIT: Caballito and Mackerel in a pretty even mix at the usual $3 per bait and I have been told that there are some Sardinas up toward San Jose at $25 a scoop, but only if you get there early.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: With the water temperature staying fairly warm and the Dorado still around there was a bit of Blue Marlin action this past week. We had clients on two trips hook into Blues, one at the start of the week that was estimated at 225 pounds and was released and then at the end of the week another on estimated at 500 pounds that did not stay hooked for very long. If we had that kind of action then there were certainly others hooked as well. Also, there are still Sailfish to be had as twice this week anglers fishing with us released Pacific sails that averaged 100 pounds. The big news though is the Striped Marlin bite. It has started again and is happening close to home. Most of the action is taking place on the Pacific side off of the Lighthouse and up to the north to Los Arcos, close to the beach where the bait is stacked up, and there are reports of them showing up in small numbers at the Golden Gate Bank. Some of the better catches have been double digit numbers up to 19 a day (the best I heard of) but any boat that has gone out with the intention of Marlin fishing has been coming in with at least two flags flying. Hopefully this action will continue.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin have been scarce in our area. Boats traveling 20 or more miles to the west have found some fish, and there were some fish found to the northwest of the Golden Gate Bank, toward Finger Bank, but for the most part the Tuna have been a non-event for the boats. The fish that have been found in our area have all been football size, nothing large. I did talk with one angler that got off a long-range boat fishing well to the north of us who said that they had four fish over 300 pounds during their trip sop maybe we will see some of those fish later in the season.
DORADO: Dorado remained a staple for most of the boats, as they were fairly easy to find and close to home as well. The numbers have not bee great with most boats getting one or two fish, but a few boats that found schools of these great tasting fish were able to limit out at two fish per angler. They were scattered over the area with even numbers found on both the Pacific and the Cortez side of the Cape. All methods were working but the best results seemed to be had by boats that saw or hooked fish then slow trolled live bait in the same area.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo caught this week but did see a couple of Wahoo flags flying. They may have been for Wahoo but it is more likely that they were being flown for Sierra.
INSHORE: Once again it was a decent bite for Sierra that were averaging 6 pounds with an occasional 8 or 10 pound fish, Roosterfish that averaged 5 pounds with an occasional fish to 30 pounds and some scattered bottom fish found as well. Most of the Pangas were going just offshore and getting into the Striped Marlin action so it was hard to get a really good idea of inshore catch ratios.
NOTES: This weeks report was written while listening to Christmas music on Sirus Radio. I had forgotten what a beautiful voice Jim Nabors had. We are still seeing whales, the weather is great and there is a good Marlin bite going on. Buy yourself your own Christmas present and get away from the snow and cold! Until next week, tight lines! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, whichever is your reason for the season!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update 12/27/2009
REPORT #1195 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/12.27.09.jj.gif
Jennifer Medrano and Jonathan Medrano take time out from their Honeymoon for a final...final beach catch.

Fewer visitors and more fish seemed to be the mantra for 2009. While locals debated whether or not the lack of fishermen helped improve the fishing, the smart ones took advantage of the bite when it occurred. The reward was a swordfish for a few as well as one of the largest blues caught in quite a few years in July, plus the dorado and football tuna became commonplace, filling limits daily.

Then the better grade of tuna arrived...the 'tackle-busting kind' that had Captains and deckhands searching their respective storage areas for their heavy tackle. First large fish weighing in the double-digit range, and then the real tackle busting triple-digit ones. For some reason the usually ever-present Mexican tuna seiners never appeared. From Isla Cerralvo to Baja's tip the mayhem continued, remarkably all the way into December.

While all the offshore action drew the attention of most, for the few willing to brave the heat and hot sand, the beach delivered some one-two punches of its own with trophy sized jacks and some memorable roosters.

Now in late December you would assume that most of the attention would be directed to celebrating the holidays. Not exactly! Lance Peterson couldn't resist the great weather and while prowling a deserted beach he found a nice sized rooster to cap off 2009.

With 2010 just around the corner, the anticipation of what will happen in Baja's New Year is exciting.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

While the fall season didn't produce the expected number of billfish, Magdalena's multi- dimensional fishery provided plenty of other species and many memorable highlights. Wahoo action was the best it has been in quite some time. Getting them to bite was the easy part ...keeping them away from the fur coats was another matter. Notwithstanding there were some spectacular catches by the local fleet as well as the visiting sports, yachts and trailer boats. One monster was reported weighing just over 100 pounds.

Tuna, dorado and yellowtail came to the party early and stayed late providing easy limits from early in the summer all the way until mid-December.

The esteros lived up to their 'fishy' reputation. Don’t confuse ‘fishy’ with easy. The spotted bay bass, grouper, corvina, sierra, jacks, mangrove snapper, pargo, pompano, halibut and snook were plentiful and there were trophy fish to be caught. Perhaps earned is a better way of putting it.

This combination of tough and strong fish in an hostile environment demands all the skill that an angler can gather. For those who met the challenge the rewards were some trophy sized catches.
As preparations for whale watching season continues, we are all looking forward to 2010. I'll leave the predications to the experts but after several decades of fishing in and around Magdalena Bay, I can promise it may be unexpected but remarkable..

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

2009 was the best year we have ever experienced for fishing for roosters on the fly here in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. Of course, having Cheva and Adolfo, two of the best roosterfish captains in Mexico, certainly helps.

There were days we raised as many as 40 roosters and 30 jack crevalle on hookless teasers. And these fish are huge...averaging 30 pounds.

Sara Henry of British Columbia got one pending line class World Record and several other records almost fell. We are really looking forward to the 2010 season......…Ed Kunze

Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
December 21-27, 2009


WEATHER: The low this morning was 61 degrees, a tie for the season so far. Most mornings this week have been in the low 60’s while the daily highs have been in the low to mid 80’s. We had partly cloudy skies to mostly cloudy skies this week, to the point that for a few days it looked as if it might rain on us! At least if it did it was not going to be the frozen stuff.
WATER: The surface conditions on the Pacific side of the Cape were good for most of the week but there were a few days when the wind made itself felt. On those days the water on the Cortez side was just fine. The Pacific side has been warmer than the Cortez side this week with water averaging 77-78 degrees while on the Cortez side it has been ranging from 74-77 degrees. Water clarity has been very good with the exception at the end of the week of a large eddy of cold green water that came in across the 1150 area from the southwest.
BAIT: Most of the bait this week was Caballito but there were a few Mackerel as well as some mullet to be found. The cost of these larger baits was the normal $3 per bait. On and off you could find Sardinas up in the San Jose area for $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: I am really confused about the Marlin fishing so far this season. I know that it is an El Nino year so the water is going to remain warmer longer, but I saw a Blue Marlin that weighed in at just around #800 hanging from the scales on Wednesday! I did not get over there in time to find out where the fish was caught or what it was caught on, but having Blue Marlin remain in our area this long, and be a fairly consistent catch is very unusual for us. Normally we are getting multiples of Striped marlin and the water has cooled to 72 degrees by now, but the water is still warm and the bite on the Striped Marlin has not yet turned on full time. We are getting little spurts of action from time to time, and I am hearing good reports from the private boats that are willing to travel 80+ miles up the coast on the Pacific side, but these fish have not yet made it into our area. The Striped marlin we are getting have been found off of the lighthouse on the Pacific and up just offshore of Los Arcos, both areas where bait is concentrated by the currents. When the bite has happened it has been good, but the past week only had two good days where the boats were releasing 4 or more fish each day, the rest of the days they were lucky to get one to the boat.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Football fish were available this week but they were moving around very rapidly, one day they could be found off of the Golden Gate Bank, the next day they would be absent there but were found 12 miles south of the Cape. With the fish moving around so quickly the action was not consistent, but if you were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time the action was good on fish that ranged in size from 10 to 30 pounds. Some boats only got one, others that were first on the scene managed to get 15. The fish also showed up for a few days off of the Palmilla point and chumming then live baiting with Sardinas was the way to go. There was also some decent action on fish of the football size on top of the inner Gorda Bank and an occasional cow was hooked up on the outer Gorda Bank by boats using downriggers and Bollito as bait.
DORADO: Dorado were still caught by almost every boat that fished this week, and those that managed to find something floating in the water really managed to limit out (and sometimes exceed the limit). Most of the action was still close to the shore on the Pacific side in the warmer water and slow trolling live bait worked well. Boats that headed offshore in search of Tuna usually managed to get one or more Dorado out there as well, but the numbers were found in close to the beach.
WAHOO: I am amazed that there are still Wahoo being caught! While I reported in last weeks news that there had been no Wahoo caught, I was corrected by a large number of anglers and Captains afterwards, and I myself was aboard a friends boat when we hooked and brought to the side of the boat a Wahoo of around 30 pounds while fishing the inner Gorda Bank. The fish have been scattered but reported from almost all the high spots and along the points, no large numbers on the most part, but a decent pick for boats that rigged a couple of lures for them.
INSHORE: As a repeat of last weeks action, again it was a decent bite for Sierra that were averaging 6 pounds with an occasional 8 or 10 pound fish, Roosterfish that averaged 5 pounds with an occasional fish to 30 pounds and some scattered bottom fish found as well. The Striped Marlin bite was not as good close to the beach this week.
NOTES: I hope everyone had a great holiday and will have a great New Year celebration as well. Whales are still around and showing off for us, both Gray and Humpbacks. If you want to do any banking, avoid HSBC Bank, they no longer accept a U.S. passport as valid identification and they no longer change dollars to pesos, maybe that is why there is no longer anyone in line there? This report was written to the guitar playing of Larry Carlton on the 1982 MCA release “Sleepwalk”. Until next week, tight lines and happy holidays!

[puertovallartafish]

Puerto vallarta fishing Janurary -1-2010Captain Steve Torres has been putting the boat out daily for extreme offshore hookups of Sailfish, Blue and Black Marlin and more Yellowfin than you can hold in your coolers. Hooked and Released this past week were a 650 lb. Blue and a 700 lb Black Marlin. At El Banco, the tuna catch has been off the hook in the 50-250 lb. range. A real nice Alice Tuna weighing 240 lbs was caught by angler, Dan Gentles from New Jersey , Christmas Week. Don’t see those too often! There is plenty of Dorado/Mahi for the taking in a wide range of weights- more than enough to make a good day of fishing. Inshore, you can usually hook up Roosters, Toros (Jack Cravelle), Bonita, Spanish Mackerel, Snappers and Skippies. The tuna have been sticking around due to cooler water temps this season. El Nino or climate change- don’t know but it makes for great fishing days this month!On December 18-19, boat Owner Dan Gilmartin; son, Cory Gilmartin; and Dan Gentles took an overnight trip to El Banco from the dock at Paradise Village, Nuevo Vallarta. After hooking up bait of Skipjack and Bullet Tuna in the Bay of Banderas we were off to chase the Yellowfin at El Banco. Arriving at 8:30am, they began the slow troll. By 9:00 am we had the first Yellowfin strike and reeled in a 90 pounder. By the end of a crazy day we hauled in 9 Yellowfin Tuna with a total weight of 640 pounds! This was a Top Ten Day for Captain Steve and First Mate, Freddie on the Sirena. The catch had to be unloaded at Punta Mita by 11:00pm so the boat would have room for more! By 4:30am, Sirena was fast trolling lures and brought up a Marlin by the time we hit El Banco. A beautiful sunrise and perfect bay weather presaged another perfect day. Lots of birds working north landed us right in Tuna territory. The Bullet Tuna bait worked best and by 2:00pm another 14 Yellowfin Tuna were boated. Dan Gentles was renamed THE TUNA-NATOR; by the crew! He landed 80% of the catch, all standing up, with the hat-trick, 245lb Alice Tuna --the last hook-up of the day on the way in. Folks, thats 1,400 pounds for 23 tuna caught in two days! This trip was TEAM WORK at its best! The experienced team of Captain Steve and First Mate Freddie are a wonder to watch in action. It’s a well orchestrated show from running the boat, finding the fish, handing the rods off, and boating the catch. Remember that memories of a Great Fishing Trip

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Dec. 28, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010


WEATHER: We started the week with rain, and a good rain at that! For the past few years we seem to have had just a bit of rain once a week for the first 6 weeks of the year, but this Monday we had at least 2 inches, more rain than we received during several close hurricane passes late in the year. No really hard rain, just a steady, hard drizzle and occasional dump. Almost all of it soaked into the ground, but it did put a bit of a damper on the fishing for both Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week provided us with partly cloudy skies, high temperatures in the mid 80’s and low temperatures in the low 60’s.
WATER: Surface conditions on both sides of the Cape were great this week and in an unusual change, we had swells from the east early in the week! They were not large and had little effect on the fishing, but it was a bit disconcerting in the morning. Water temperatures were a bit warmer on the Pacific side most of the week with the water up to Todo Santos averaging 78 degrees except for the 2 miles closest to the beach where it was about a degree cooler. On the Cortez side it was an average of 77 degrees anywhere to the north of an east-west line across the 95 spot.
BAIT: Almost all the bait this week was Caballito, which was a bit of a change as normally being close to the full moon causes a drop in the numbers of these baitfish being caught. There were a few Mackerel being caught as well, but most boats were better off trying to catch their own at the lighthouse. Prices remained at $3 per bait and there were reports of some decent sized Sardinas being available up in San Jose.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Once again there were a few decent Blue Marlin and Black Marlin reported this week, but nothing as large as the #88 that was caught last week. The fi8sh I saw and heard of were in the #400 class and were found on the Pacific side close to the beach, feeding on Dorado in the case of the Blue Marlin, or on the Outer Gorda Bank feeding on Bollito in the case of the Black Marlin. A few decent sized Sailfish were found as well, and the Striped Marlin bite just shut off. A few Stripers were caught every day, and the best results I saw were three fish in one day, but at least they were close to home, almost on our doorstep. The action was between the lighthouse and the Solmar Hotel and deep drifting with live bait or slow trolling them on top produced the best results. Most boats were getting shut out on the Striped Marlin this week.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Football fish were the fish most often caught but there were a few boats that got into fish in the 30-40 pound range. All Yellowfin were few and far between this week but the Pacific side between the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Bank seemed to produce more than other areas, at least areas that were reachable by the day charters. The Gorda Banks were reported to continue to produce an occasional larger fish, up to 100 pounds, but it was a scratch fishery, nothing steady.
DORADO: What happened to the Dorado? One week it was great and then all of a sudden they seemed to disappear! We fished the coastline to Todo Santos on Saturday for one Striped Marlin and one Dorado; earlier in the week it was no problem getting limits on Dorado in that area. There were a few boats that came in with multiple flags flying, but they were not the norm.
WAHOO: Our trip Saturday was focused on Wahoo as we trolled the drops along the Pacific side at 9 knots with Marauders and Rapallas but did not receive even one Wahoo strike. We released a Striped Marlin on a Rapalla but did not hear of anyone getting a Wahoo that day.
INSHORE: The Sierra action was really good early in the week but by the weekend the bite had really dropped off, most boats were happy to get a few in the box. Small Roosterfish and a few bottom fish rounded out the inshore action for us this week.
NOTES: Happy New Year everyone! As you can tell from the report, the fish decided they needed a holiday as well and did not show up for the New Year party in Cabo. Hopefully they show up again soon as we have a lot of people looking forward to bending a rod in the next month! Until next week, tight lines!

[bajafly]

Endless Season Update January 2, 2010
REPORT #1196 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape
http://www.bajafly.com/report/image.2010/01.02.10.jack.gif
Caption: Ryan Eardly - age 10 Michigan jack cravelle Caught on a ranger surface popper lure while fishing with his dad, Pete, and Ramon out of Majahua (about 20 miles North of Zihuatanejo). Photo by Ed Kunze

Compared to what is happening throughout the U.S., the relatively warm weather reinforces why many of us choose Baja. The only white stuff around here is the froth on the cold Cerveza and margaritas not snow on the ground.

Sailfish the last week of the year along with dorado. Sure there is a little wind here and there.

Some mornings the tin boats barely catch a limit of sierra before they can be seen scurrying back to shore as the wind picks up.

Everyone's betting that the first flat day will yield plenty of first of the year catches.

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Whale watching is center stage or will be when the whales complete their journey down the coast. Meanwhile the wahoo bite that won't quit has continued to provide limits for the few brave souls willing to make the bumpy ride uphill to Thetis. Water temperatures continue to remain in the low seventies. If they hold up it could be quite a January.

Not many bothering to fish in the Esteros with all the holiday activities and whale watching preparations going on.

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° blue water is about 8 miles off the beach. Between the full moon phase and a barometer which has been bouncing up and down, the sailfish fishing has backed off a bit compared to the previous few weeks. Each boat is averaging one to two sailfish a day. Plus, most every boat is getting a shot at a decent 20-pound dorado or two.

The larger numbers of rooster fish have fairly much left the area, but Adolfo, fishing up near the river bar at Union, is picking up one or two a day. Plus, he is also getting several nice hard fighting jack cravelle..…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
January 4-10, 2010


WEATHER: It seems as if we have settled into the winter weather fairly well as for the past month we have been consistently in the low 60’s at night and the mid 80’s during the day. This past week had us happy with mostly sunny skies and light winds.
WATER: There were no large swells this week; everywhere you went it was an average of 2-3 feet on the Pacific and 1-3 feet on the Cortez side. Along the beach on the Pacific side it was an average of 77 degrees with an occasional spot of 76-degree water. On the Cortez side it was a little cooler with a cool area from just to the north of Cabo all the way up to San Jose where the water was 76 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito were still the most common bait available but there were a few Mackerel to be found, all at the normal $3 per bait. There were Sardinas up in the Palmilla area at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: I heard of a Black Marlin in the #450 range being caught at the very beginning of the week between the 95 spot and the 1150 area but the larger Marlin were few and far between. As the water continues to cool I expect the numbers to reduce even further, but as long as there are large baits in the area there is a chance at a Blue or Black Marlin. The bite on the Striped Marlin has been very sporadic this week as one day the bite is on and the next day it is off. The favorite and best producing area continues to be from the lighthouse on the Pacific side to the lighthouse on the Cortez side. Boats that have been drifting with baits deep have had most of the luck, as it seem the fish are feeding deep. Fish on the troll have been caught, but not in the numbers as on deep drifted live bait. The expected action at the Finger and Golden Gate Banks has yet to happen, and it may be a while before it does.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin fishing this week was a repeat of last week. Football fish were the fish most often caught but there were a few boats that got into fish in the 30-40 pound range. All Yellowfin were few and far between this week but the Pacific side between the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Bank seemed to produce more than other areas, at least areas that were reachable by the day charters. The Gorda Banks were reported to continue to produce an occasional larger fish, up to 100 pounds, but it was a scratch fishery, nothing steady.
DORADO: Our wide open bite on Dorado stopped at the beginning of the week before last and i9t has not gotten any better since then. The cooling waters have had a lot to do with this and I don’t expect the bite to get much better unless you are able to find something floating that has been in the water a long time. Most boats were happy to get several Dorado and a few were lucky to get a half-dozen or so during a trip. We had fly fishermen this week who caught a few on the fly every day after hooking one on the troll, casting to following fish resulted in some nice fish in the 10-18 pound class. Most of this action occurred just up the beach on the Pacific side.
WAHOO: There were a couple of days this past week when I heard of boats getting one or two fish a day, most of them coming from the area of Gray Rock, and they were biting regular Marlin lures, or getting hooked on drifted live bait. Other than those two days, there were few Wahoo in our area. I heard of reports of decent catches from the San Jose area though, with some fish on the Gorda Banks and others around the Punta Gorda area.
INSHORE: The Sierra bite picked up, but you had to go a ways up the Pacific coast to get into the numbers. From Migraino and to the north the numbers were good with limits happening on a regular basis. There were reports of some small Roosterfish, but the water is starting to cool down and the action on the bigger fish is cooling as well.
NOTES: The fishing is still not great, but it has improved over the first week of the year, and hopefully this is a trend that will continue. The whales are giving a good show every day; the weather is great, even if it is cool enough for a sweater in the evening. This weeks report was written to the music of Ernest Ranglin from his album “Grooving”. Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
January 11-17, 2010


WEATHER: We had great weather this week even if it was a little on the cool side for me. Our daytime highs never rose above 82 degrees where I was and I saw a low of 60 degrees on Saturday morning. We had a couple of days with blustery winds on Thursday and Friday but then it settled back down. We had mostly sunny skies with no rain for the week.
WATER: 40 miles to the southwest has been an area of warm water, 76 degrees with a solid appearing edge, but I know several boats that went to the area and could not find a really defined separation. Elsewhere on the Pacific side the water was averaging 72 degrees with swells at 3-6 feet with a decent amount of chop during our blustery days. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was a bit warmer at 73-74 degrees and some swells from the east at 1-3 feet.
BAIT: The normal Mackerel and Caballito were on hand for $3 per biat and there were Sardinas in San Jose at $25 a scoop.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Once again there were Striped Marlin caught but not in any numbers. The most flags I saw on any one boat this week for Billfish was two, but I did talk with a captain who said that on Saturday he had released two Striped Marlin and a small Black Marlin. Both of these fish were found close to home, as were most of the billfish found this week. A few boats went to the Golden Gate and Finger Banks to check out the activity and reported that there was no bait to be found either place, but reports from boats transiting the area between Mag Bay and Cabo have reported good numbers of fish midway, so hopefully soon they will appear here.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There have been some fish in the 20-30 pound class found to the south of the San Jaime Banks this week, and there have been reports of some very nice fish occasionally appearing to the north of the Golden Gate, but they have not been biting anything offered and disappear very quickly. The smaller fish were found with the white bellied porpoise and only the first few boats on the scene have been having any luck.
DORADO: These have been the fish of the week and have saved quite a few charters this week. I am surprised that they are still around with the water as cool as it is, but most boats are still able to get a few in the fish box by the end of the day. The Dorado have been scattered and watching the frigate birds has been the best way to find them.
WAHOO: Again these fish continue to surprise us. First that there are still some out there with this cool water and second that they are still willing to bite! There were not a lot caught this week but I know of at least one that was 60 pounds or so, it was dropped into the marina while being held for photos, and then they could not find it!
INSHORE: the bite has been hit or miss on the Sierra, when you found them the bite was really good, but otherwise it might end up being just a couple of fish in the box. There are still a few small roosterfish being caught and I had a report yesterday of a couple of small yellowtail being caught up by Migraino beach. Some decent snapper and grouper are starting to show up in the fish wells also.
NOTES: Whales, cool water, great weather and good football, it’s been a nice week, now if the Striped Marlin would just show up in numbers things would be perfect! This weeks report was written to the music of Boz Scaggs on his 1994 Virgin Records release “Some Change”. Until next week, tight lines

[captgeo]

FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
January 18-24, 2010


WEATHER: Our highs this week were in the mid 80’s and the low we experienced was 59 degrees, enough to require a light sweater in the early mornings and in the evenings. We had mostly sunny skies and some strong winds at the end of the week. We did have a bit of rain on Thursday night and during the day on Friday, but no downpours.
WATER: Water temperatures on the Pacific side of the Cape this week remained in the 73-74 degree range while well offshore 40+ miles to the southwest there was an area of 76 degree water. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was several degrees warmer at 75-76 degrees. The water on the Pacific side became very rough, almost un-fishable in the later part of the week as the southern end of the frontal system that struck the U.S. west coast came across our area bringing strong winds and rough seas. With the Cape protecting the Sea of Cortez from the strongest winds the water there was in much better shape with the seas beginning to get choppy in the early afternoon each day.
BAIT: Mackerel and Caballito were available at the normal $3 per bait.
FISHING:

BILLFISH: Fishing for Striped Marlin was spotty this week, the success ratio was down as the fish were difficult to find, and once found were not in the feeding mood. This, combined with the rough seas made most of the boats try to target other species. One friend of mine did see, early in the week, several Blue Marlin and a Black Marlin feeding on a school of Dorado just off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. He reported that the fish looked to be between 600 and 800 pounds but were focused on the schooled Dorado and would not touch what he had out, and even if they had, his #30 gear would have not been able to handle them. A few other boats reported seeing an occasional large Marlin on the Cortez side as well, but there were no reported hook-ups.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There have been some smaller school sized fish found on occasion along the ridge between the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Bank early in the week before the wind began to blow, but since then the Tuna catch has been pretty much confined to an occasional hook-up on the Gorda Banks. There was a decent bite for one day around the 1150 spot but those fish had moved on by the next day, and they were just larger than footballs anyway.
DORADO: We had some decent action on Dorado along the Cortez coastline between the Santa Maria Bay and Red Hill just off the beach. The fish averaged 12 pounds and while there were good numbers to be found early and mid-week, at the end of the week the fish had moved elsewhere. Watching the boats return Saturday afternoon there were not many yellow flags flying.
WAHOO: Still around and still biting, really amazing that boats are still getting Wahoo this time of year! There was a decent bite on fish averaging 30 pounds in the same area the Dorado were found, probably feeding on the same baitfish. While there were no big numbers, there were about two dozen caught each day. A few boats targeted them and were able to come in with two or three per trip.
INSHORE: With the strong winds and big swells almost all the action took place on the Cortez side of the Cape. The action was fair for Sierra most days but a few days the fishing really shined as when the schools were found the anglers were able to get limits on fish averaging 5 pounds fairly quickly. There was sporadic action on other near-shore species such as snapper and grouper with the action really spread out.
NOTES: Overall I have to say that we can’t refer to this past week as one when “You should have been here” as the fishing action was sporadic at best and occasionally just bad. The heavy, strong winds had a lot to do with it as about half the week the fish on the Pacific side were unreachable. Hopefully the situation will return to normal quickly. This weeks report was written to the music of the Bryan Flynn Band, once again back in Cabo and playing at the Cabo Lounge and at Tanga-Tanga. Brian will be playing at the Talketna, Alaska Folk Festival this year (how is southern rock folk music?) so if you get a chance, check him out. Until next week, tight lines!

[puertovallartafish]

We are at the time of the year when the bigger tuna's and black Marlin have moved for warmer water this is the season for Sailfish, Striped Marlin, Roosterfish, Grouper, smaller yellowfin tuna's and lots of mahi mahi. / Dorado.
We went out for a 8 day first thing we saw when we reach the north side of the point was a nice sailfish sleeping on oh the surface ot more then a mile offshore Freddy tossed him a nice goggle eye breakfast burrito and we had our first hook up before we started trolling, the Sail was about 90 lbs after that it was quiet for about 2 hours when captain Steve spotted a big School of Mahi mahi Freddy started casting bait after bait and we had 3 triple hook ups the biggest being about 35 lbs, it was a great day total 9 Mahi mahi's and 1 sailfish.

[captgeo]

CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT
Capt. George Landrum
"Fly Hooker Sportfishing"
www.flyhooker.com

Feb. 1-7, 2010

Weather:

Thank goodness that the coldest we have seen here in the past week was 58 degrees! None of the snow storms and ice that has been plauging the mid-west and the east coast. We did have some weather this week though. As my wife picked me up at the airport on Tuesday it started to rain, and it continued through the night until the early hours of Wednesday morning. Since then we have has only partly cloudy skies with cool evenings and early mornings and daytime highs that just reach 60 degrees. At least I am not out shoveling snow!

Water:

The Pacific side of the Cape had some large swells this week along with occasional stiff breezes from the northwest that made it uncomfortable for some anglers and the water on that side has cooled off quite a bit as well and now is averaging just 70 degrees out to the San Jaime and the Golden Gate Banks. It drops a little more once you go west of there, sometimes down to 68 degrees. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water has been much calmer with small swells and only light chop in the mornings, picking up a bit later in the day. The water has been warmer there as well averaging 73 degrees five miles from the beach. Closer than that between Cabo and San Jose it has averaged 71 degrees.

Bait:

The bait has been a mix of Caballito and Mackerel at the normal $3 per bait. I am not sure if there has been any Sardinas, but believe there have been some in San Jose based on what I have been told.

FISHING:

Marlin:

These have not been the best choice to target as the success rate for those looking for a trophy fish have been low. There have been fish spotted but very few have been brought to the boat this week. The few that have been caught have been hooked on live bait, very few were caught on lures, and most of them were found on the Cortez side of the Cape. These are Striped Marlin I am talking about. I did not hear of any other species of Marlin being caught this week.

Yellowfin Tuna:

Another scarce species this week, the Tuna that have been found were mostly football sized fish up to 20 pounds and it was a long run south, sometimes 40 miles, to get to the fish. There were plenty of schools of Porpoise to check out, but few of them had Tuna. A few boats were able to score fish closer to home, also to the south but we are talking about one or two fish per boat. At the end of the week I heard that there had been some fish show up in the area of the Gorda Banks.

Dorado:

The cool water has really shut down the bite for Dorado, if you were able to find any. They were scarce, and the word I got from a few boats that got into schools on Thursday was that regardless of what the crew tried, the fish would not eat. No lures, no live bait, no fresh cut strips, nothing seemed to interest them. Hootchies and flies were ignored, rigged dead bait, it was as if the fish had their mouths sewn shut for the most part. During the week there were a few Dorado brought in, but the consensus was the season is over for Dorado unless we get a warm water eddy come through.

Wahoo:

What Hoo?

Inshore:

All right, finally some good news! The Sierra have shown up in good numbers with most anglers able to catch easy limits. While most of the fish are in the 5-6 pound class there have been a few good ones to 10 pounds. Don't turn away from these fish in disgust at their size, match your tackle to the fish and they are lots of fun and great smoked or for seviche. Both side of the Cape have been producing well. Yellowtail are begining to show up as well, mostly firecrackers this early in the year but there have been some fish to 20 pounds. Fishing around the points and rock bottom areas using live bait or iron jigs produced the majority of the fish. The Pangas have also been getting into some Grouper and a scattereing of smaller sized Roosterfish.

Notes:

I just returned from seeing my family in Oklahoma. While it was nice seeing everyone again, and getting to see relatives I have not seen in 30 years, the cold really got to me, guess I have lived in the tropics too long. I really feel bad for all of you who have to put up with those conditions all winter long! Anyway, that was my way of letting you know why there was no fish report last week. I got my wife a new computer as well and forgot to have Office installed (sometimes I do stuff like that). In the next week or so that should be rectified and things will get back to normal. This weeks report was written to the music of Jack Johnson on his 2008 Universal Records release "Sleep Through The Static". Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

Fly Hooker Sportfishing
Cabo San Lucas Fishing Report
Capt. George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com

Feb. 8-14, 2010

Weather:

Two weeks in a row now we have had rain for at least one day,
and a decent plant watering rain at that, not the window spotting stuff we
normally get. On Wednesday of this week we received over a 1/2 inch
during the day and almost the same that night. The rest of the week was
partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. Our nights were as low as 58 degrees
while the days were averaging 80 degrees. We had two days of strong
winds that kedpt most of the fleet working close to shore on the Cortez
side of the Cape, but that was all right as that was also where most of the
fish were found.

Water:

Water temperatures on the Cortez were in the 74-75 degree range while
on the Pacific side north of a line between the Cape and the San Jaime Bank
it cooled off to 71-72 degrees. Tuesday and Friday of this week the wind
was blowing stgrongly enough from the northwest that the Pacific side was
extremely uncomfortable to fish. The rest of the week water conditions on
the surface were good on the Pacific, but the fish were scarce. Conditions
on the Sea of Cortez were much better, but once you got north of Punta
Gorda the wind started to pick up.

Bait:

Caballito were the bait of the week at the ususal $3 each and there were
some Sardinas available in the San Jose area at the normal $25 per scoop.
There were few if any Mackerel to be found this week.

FISHING

Billfish:

For most of the week the Marlin and Sailfish would not bite, you could
find them but they were not hungry. Finaly at the end of the week the bite picked
up a little and boats began to get them to bite on both bait and lures. Most of
the fish I heard caught were found on the Cortez side of the Cape and the majority of
them were Striped Marlin. There were some Sailfish caught as well, a real suprise
considering the water temperature. The area outside of the 95 spot to the 1150
produced fish for a number of boats and a few were able to release as many as three
marlin per trip, not the numbers we have been expecting considering the last several
years production, but not bad.

Yellowfin Tuna:

The catch on Tuna is still spotty, a few fish found here and a few found there, mostly
it seems to be a matter of luck by boats that are actually in the historicaly producing
areas such as west of the San Jaime, due south 40 miles and outside the 1,000 fathom
line anwhere on the Cortez side. The fish that were found were smaller school fish to
35 pounds, but most of them were footballs at 5-15 pounds. All the fish found were
associated with porpoise.

Dorado:

We had almost no Dorado in the area at the beginning of the week, but just after the
first heavy winds came throught there was a big school of small fish (and some of them
were really small, smaller than Sierra) just off of the beach between Gray Rock and the
Westin on the Cortez side. These fish were within a mile of the beach and unfortunately
they were hammered hard by the fleet, many of the boats were keeping fish that only weighed
four or five pounds. The school was blasted quickly and by the end of the week the fish were
almost gone. There were a few larger fish found offshore on the Cortez side with some
of the fish going as large as 35 pounds, and most of these were caught on lures by
boats looking for Marlin.

Wahoo:

I did hear of a few Wahoo being caught this week, and they were found close
to the beach by boats working for the Dorado in the area. None of the fish were
large, averaging just 15 pounds, and a few more were lost due to monofiliment
leader, but it was still nice to see a few around.

Inshore:

Once again the inshore fishery was the way to go if you wanted action. While the action
offshore was slow, there were plenty of Sierra on both sides of the Cape to keep rods
bent and fishermen happy. Along with the Sierra were the occasional showing of Yellowtail,
Snapper and Grouper. Combine these traditional inshore species with the Dorado action and
everyone had some luck this week.

Notes:

Whale watchers were excited this week as there seemed to be action wherever you
looked, breaching whales, blowing whales, singles and small pods. Inshore was where the
fishing action was this week, but we hope the Marlin start to show up on the Pacific side soon!
This weeks report was written to the music of "Yes" on their 1999 Beyond Music release "The Ladder".
Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

Cabo San Lucas Fishing Report
Capt. George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
www.flyhooker.com
gmlandrum@hotmail.com

Feb. 15-21, 2010

Weather:

All right, finally a week with no rain but I think I like it better when we
get one day, at least! We had mostly sunny skies (even though I did not see
much of them) with our daytime highs in the high 70's, occasionally
touching the low 80's and our nighttime lows were in the high 50's.


Water:

We had interesting things happening with our water temperatures this past week.
Contrary to our normal pattern this time of year, the water on the Sea of Cortez
was, on average, cooler than that of the Pacific side, at least within 30 miles of shore.
On the Pacific side we were seeing an average of 74-76 degrees and on the Cortez
side it was averaging 72 degrees. There were a couple of anomalies however as at
the end of the week there appeared to be an intrusion of very warm (for this time of
year) 78-80 degree water at the end of the week from the east. This warm water
appeared 15 miles off of Punta Gorda as well as across the Cabrillo Seamount and
up to the 1150 spot.

Bait:

Caballito were the bait of the week at the usual $3 each and there were
some Sardinas available in the San Jose area at the normal $25 per scoop.
There were few if any Mackerel to be found this week.

FISHING

Billfish:

Marlin and Sailfish continued to be scarce this week and while a few were spotted
as well as caught, there were no large numbers of them anywhere. It appears that we
are not going to see a repeat of the fantastic Striped Marlin fishery we have been this
time of the year for the past three years, or if we do it means that everything else is
going to be all contrary for the rest of the year as well. The few fish that were caught
this week were found up in the Punta Gorda and Gorda Banks area as well as very close
to the beach on the Pacific side up around the Golden Gate Bank.

Yellowfin Tuna:

News for the Yellowfin Tuna fishermen is still bad as this week was a repeat of the
last week. The catch on Tuna is still spotty, a few fish found here and a few found there,
mostly it seems to be a matter of luck by boats that are actually in the historically
producing areas such as west of the San Jaime, due south 40 miles and outside the
1,000 fathom line anywhere on the Cortez side. The fish that were found were smaller
school fish to 35 pounds, but most of them were footballs at 5-15 pounds. All the fish
found were associated with porpoise.

Dorado:

The good news for the week was the reappearance of the warm water and a few
more Dorado showing up, and most of them were actually worth catching. If you
remember, last week there was a large school of very small fish at Gray Rock, well,
those fish were either all caught or got smart and moved on. This warm water brought
in some larger fish, and while the numbers have not been high, the fish have been
quality fish in the 25-40 pound class. A few of these fish were found on the Pacific
side around the sea mounts in the warm water, but the better ones came in on the warm
water flow from the east, and at the end of the week the area around the 1150, Cabrillo
Seamount and outside Punta Gorda were the places to be. Most of the fish were
hooked on lures being trolled for Striped Marlin, but there were some hooked up on
live bait as they followed a lure-caught fish in.

Wahoo:

Surprisingly there were still Wahoo to be caught out there. Most of those I heard of
were incidental catches, but at least they were there. The fish were not large, averaging
just under 25 pounds, but there were a few larger ones reported in the warm water
offshore. As incidental catches, most of them were caught on lures pulled for Tuna or
Striped Marlin, resulting in the majority of hook-ups being lost due to sliced leaders.

Inshore:

Overall the inshore fishery was the way to go this week if you wanted action, but
that didn't work for everyone. Unlike the last several weeks where the fish would
concentrate in one area for several days, this past week the fish seemed to be constantly
on the move. The Sierra, Yellowtail and Amberjack would be in one place in the
morning and 2 miles away in the afternoon. This may be due to the changing water
temperature moving the bait around, but for whatever reason one day could be red-hot
and the next ice-cold.

Notes:

The whales are still providing thrills and if you were fishing offshore that was a
good thing as sometimes that was the only action you might see. There were whales
inshore as well so combine the inshore action with the whale action and this week
inshore was the place to be. Things might change this coming week with the warm
water moving in, we will just have to wait and see how long that lasts. I didn't get out
much myself this week as I was down for 5 days with a nasty cold. I am feeling better
now and listening to Jack Johnson on his 2000 Everloving Records release "Brushfire
Fairytales" helped me feel better! Until next week, tight lines!

[captgeo]

CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT
Capt. George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
www.flyhooker.com
gmlandrum@hotmail.com


Feb. 22-28, 2010

Weather: Mostly sunny skies made us happy all week and the temperatures could not have been better. The morning lows were down to 59 degrees a couple of days and our daytime highs were as high as 87 degrees. We had no rain but did have a bit of a breeze during the middle of the week.

Water: Water conditions were mixed this week. At the end of the week the water on both sides of the Cape were in the 73-74 degree range from Past Punta Gorda on the Cortez side to the San Jaime Bank on the Pacific side and this warm water extended to the south 30 miles and more. In a change from our usual, the warm water was off color, being a bit on the green side and occasionally very green. The only place anyone was able to find good blue water was 40 miles to the south, but it was 71 degrees and a long run. Surface conditions were decent on both sides of the peninsula but directly south the currents collided and for 25 miles the water was very disturbed and cross-chopped and swelled.

Bait: There were Pacific Green-backed Mackerel at the normal $3 per bait and up in the Palmilla area boats were selling Sardinas in the 3' size for $25 a scoop.

FISHING

Billfish: I wish I had better news on the Billfish, but it seems to have become a common refrain every week for me, once again there were Striped Marlin caught, but not in numbers to get excited about. Fish were seen close to the shore in the greenish water on the Cortez side, we had anglers this week bottom fishing for Grouper and Snapper who dropped a live mackerel halfway to the bottom while fishing in 150 feet of water and they hooked two Marlin, releasing one and losing the other. Other boats were seeing one here and one there on the surface in the same type of conditions. There was no consistent bite nor was there any regularity to the areas they were being found.

Yellowfin Tuna: Well, the Yellowfin had some regularity to where they were being found, and that was way out there! Most of the fish found this week were from football size to 30 pounds and it was a long run for a consistent bite. While there were fish found as close as 18 miles due south and 24 miles at 210 degrees, most of the action this week was due east 35 miles or due south at 40 miles, a long two hour run for the charters. If you got into the right porpoise pod the action was hot and heavy, but there were a lot of pods that were not associated with fish. If you were in the right ones, almost anything was working, from feathers to marlin lures to cedar plugs, it didn't seem to matter.

Dorado: The Dorado seemed to be missing in action this week. While boats were able to find the type of debris that would normally hold these fish (weed lines, dead seals, wood) there were no fish under any of them. An occasional flag was flying from outriggers at the end of the day, but I saw no boat with more than two yellow flags.

Wahoo: What Hoo?? I saw lots of orange flags flying this week, but they were all for Sierra.

Inshore: Once again inshore fishing was where you wanted to be for consistent action. While the fish were not large, there was an abundance. The most common catch was Sierra and most boats did not have any problem limiting on them. Small swimming plugs, hootchies and live Sardinas, all rigged with a small trace of wire leader resulted in plenty of fish in the box. Anglers working yo-yo style jigs of rocky bottom did well on Amberjack to 25 pounds, Grouper to 20 pounds and Snapper to 20 pounds with an occasional larger specimen of each in the mix. There were also plenty of Roosterfish to be had, unfortunately most of them were the small 5 pound or less class, but there was an occasional school of 20-25 pound fish that gave good action. Yellowtail provided some steady action with fish to 30 pounds for boats that worked the points on the Pacific side, but several shrimp boats put a crimp on the action as they anchored on the schools and had 10 guys hand-lining with shrimp heads as bait. Watching the fish come over the rail one after the other really let you know how many there were in the school. After the boats left (two days on the spots) you were lucky to find one Yellowtail.

Notes: Whales are still providing a show for everyone, both Humpbacks and a few Gray whales are always in view. I don't know if there is any correlation between these things, but along with the warm, green water has come the Humboldt Squid. A lot of the boats are stopping to jig up a few of these after a long offshore trip just to get something for their anglers to pull on. Spot the bird piles working just off the surface and you can see the squid. Pull up so that your lures sink and pretty soon you are hooked up. Don't get inked though, it's pretty nasty to get off. Our Tsunami after the earthquake in Chile was a non-event. We had a few hours of the marina water ebbing and surging, stirring up the bottom silt and turning the water in the Marina a really dirty color. I heard that the marina in San Jose had a few issues, mostly because of the narrow entrance causing a 5-knot current during the surges, but all in all things are fine. Until next week, tight lines!