Endless Season Update 04/23/2009
REPORT #1163 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
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
__________________
"Fishing is fundamentally a game of chance, and at heart we are all gamblers."
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!
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!
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
__________________
"Fishing is fundamentally a game of chance, and at heart we are all gamblers."
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!
Endless Season Update 04/09/2009
REPORT #1161 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
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
__________________
"Fishing is fundamentally a game of chance, and at heart we are all gamblers."
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!
Endless Season Update 04/02/2009
REPORT #1160 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
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
__________________
"Fishing is fundamentally a game of chance, and at heart we are all gamblers."
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.
Endless Season Update 03/26/2009
REPORT #1159 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
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
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"Fishing is fundamentally a game of chance, and at heart we are all gamblers."
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.
May Action Comes Early
