|
|
From Jan 01, 1999 To Jul 30, 2010
|
May 31, 2010; 11:52AM - Cabo Bite Report
|
|
Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
|
|
Author Name: George Landrum
|
|
Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
|
Report Description:
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT
Capt. George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
www.flyhooker.com
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
May 24-30, 2010
Weather: It was a strange week as our lows varied from 62 early in the week to 78 mid week and down to 72 at the end of the week. Daytime highs stayed pretty much the same though with the average in the high 80's. With the cool conditions came wind, and that just made it feel colder. There was no rain and the skies were mostly sunny.
Water: There was not much of a change in the water conditions this week. The Pacific side was still much cooler than the Cortez side of the Cape with most of the water between shore and the San Jaime Bank at an even 65 degrees. South and west of the Jaime it rose to 70 degrees. To the immediate south of the Cape there was a mixed zone where we had water at 71-74 degrees outside the 1,000 fathom line, while the rest of the water inside that line and everything in the Sea of Cortez averaged 80 degrees. Strangely enough, most of the warmer water we saw was also off-color, the cleanest water was the mid-rage temperatures to the south and west of the San Jaime Banks. As far as surface conditions go, most of the week was great with medium swells at 3-5 feet on the Pacific, getting larger at the end of the week to 4-6 feet. The conditions were choppy early in the week on the Pacific side and the wind moved in with the cold weather, but it became better later on. The surface water on the Sea of Cortez remained good for fishing with just an occasional chop in the mid day to afternoon.
Bait: We had a full moon this week and Caballito were not biting well at night resulting in them being a bit scarce. Mullet on the other had, while not the greatest offshore live bait, were here in numbers. There was not much in the way of Sardinas though a few boats were able to get some up in San Jose. The larger baits were the normal $3 per bait.
FISHING
Billfish: There were a lot more Striped Marlin being seen this week than last week, but they were not swimming around with their mouths open. It took time, patience and working the right fish to get hooked up as it appeared most of the fish were still full on squid. Most boats were able to get one to bite and a few boats had better luck and were able to hook three or four fish, but the average was more like one for two boats hooking up and fighting to a release. The fish were not far away either, being fairly close to the beach just outside the arch and up the coast on the Cortez side. There were reports of some decent size Black Marlin in the area as well, just as we had happen last week, but I never did see any pictures or talk directly with Captains or anglers who fought them.
Yellowfin Tuna: We had a good to decent bite on football to school size fish close to home early in the week. The fish were just outside of the Gray Rock area within five miles of the beach. This placed them in calm water close to home, so they got hammered hard by almost every boat out there. At the end of the week they had gone away but while they were here guys had great fun on fish ranging in size from 10 to 45 pounds. These fish were associated with a pod of porpoise so they were fairly easy to find most days. Best luck was had by boats able to get Sardinas up in San Jose, but that meant an early go as it is a 45 minute run up there and the same back. In order to have the best luck, you needed to be on the fish early! There was scattered action in other areas, but the best alternative was the area to the south and west of the San Jaime banks where the water blued up nicely. The only problem there was that it was easy to get fish close to home and early in the week the water was rough out at the Jaime.
Dorado: Not here in full force yet, there are still some decent fish turning up on the catch as boats fishing the near shore waters on the Sea of Cortez side of the Cape are having decent luck with fish to 20 pounds while trolling live bait. Several Pangas reported catching Dorado to 30 pounds while slow trolling live mullet for Roosterfish just off the beach, where you can see the bottom. Other fish were caught on the Cortez side as well, but the focus was on the Gorda Banks and the Red Hill area. Not a lot of fish were there, but some of the boats were able to get action.
Wahoo: There were still some decent Wahoo caught this week, but not the numbers or the sizes we were seeing the week before last, and that is surprising to me as we have just gone through the full moon phase. Normally the Wahoo action is better during this phase. The fish that were caught were found in the usual haunts, on top of structure and off of the steeper drops.
Inshore: Roosterfish remained the fish of the week but there was decent action on Sierra as well if you worked the beach on the Pacific side of the Cape. All the Mullet that have arrived really got he inshore action heated up and fishing was good on all species. Amberjack continued to be one of the favorites and limits were easy to come by for most anglers.
Notes: The fishing is improving slowly, but it is getting better! I am off to the beach with Mary and the dog for our weekly romp (going to go twice or three times a week if it gets warmer soon) and will update this report at the end of the day if anything changes. Meanwhile, listen to some Mexico destination music and get in the mood! Until next week, tight lines!
I've started my own blog, for now it's just the fishing reports. But you can check it out at
http://captgeo.wordpress.com/ |
|
|
May 24, 2010; 10:10AM - Cabo Bite Report
|
|
Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
|
|
Author Name: George Landrum
|
|
Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
|
Report Description:
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT
Capt. George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
www.flyhooker.com
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
May 17-23, 2010
Weather: We had great weather this week as the nights were in the mid 70's and the daytime highs in the mid 90's. There were no clouds to speak of so of course, no rain! Light winds most of the week kept things from being too hot but you can tell that summer is well on its way.
Water: Things can change quickly on the water and we saw it happen this week. Early in the week the water was up to 85 degrees in several spots on the Sea of Cortez in our area with an average of 81 degrees while on the Pacific side it was a fairly cool 67 degrees close to the coast. On Wednesday evening things switched around and the water turned over wit areas changing several degrees overnight as well as becoming green. Right now there is a elongated plume of green water extending from the tip of the cape to the south/southeast 40 miles. The water in the rest of the Sea of Cortez is slightly off color but on the Pacific side to the south and west of the San Jaime Bank the water is a deep blue. Oh, big swells from the southwest, spaced far apart, no swimming on Medano Beach!
Bait: The usual Caballito and some Mackerel at $3 per bait, the warm water brought in the schools of Mullet as well and they are $3 each and there have been some sardinas available at $25 a scoop, but not on a steady basis.
FISHING
Billfish: The Striped Marlin bite has improved a little, but not much as almost every boat is getting a shot or two per day on tailing fish, with a few being hungry and eating the bait. There have been a few more Black and Blue Marlin being hooked up, with varying degrees of success in getting them to the side of the boat for releases. Most of the Striped marlin have been found on the Pacific side or right out front, while their larger cousins have been found in the warmer water in the Sea of Cortez.
Yellowfin Tuna: Fish ranging in size from 10 to 50 pounds have been getting into the fish boxes somehow, or at least they were at the start of the week. When the water turned over the bite dropped off a bit. Most of the fish have been found mixed in with the porpoise, but there have been quite a few found while blind trolling. The normal area such as south of the San Jaime Bank and up around the Golden Gate Bank have been producing a little better than other places, but they have been found just about everywhere.
Dorado: I really thought that the warmer water was going to bring in great numbers of Dorado, but they just haven't shown up strongly yet. Maybe next week, but there were some nice fish found this week. A few fish were in the 30 pound class with the average in at 15 pounds, and they were close in to the beach for the most part, on the Cortez side of the Cape and due south early in the week.
Wahoo: The week started out with a bang as these toothy speedsters went on a decent bite for a change. Strangely enough, it was during the new moon phase, not a full moon, so perhaps in another two weeks the bite will take off again. Anyway, it lasted for about four days and everyone who tried for them seemed able to get at least one or two fish, some boats managed a half dozen in the 30-40 pound class. When the water turned over the bite died off but there were still a fish caught here and there. The bite happened in the usual Wahoo haunts, along steep drops and on top of structure.
Inshore: Roosterfish were the beach fish of the week as there were some schools of fish up to 60 pounds in size found. Slow trolling live bait, preferably Mullet, worked best for the Roosters. A few Sierra were still found out there, and there was a halfway decent bite on Amberjack, but most of the Pangas tried to target the Wahoo!
Notes: I had a nice tip up the coast, a little rough the first two days, just a bit bouncy, then the water smoothed out. To the north of Magdalena Bay the water turned a really dirty green/brown color but smoothed right out and we had a good trip all the way to the Channel Islands. We were at the marina this morning waiting for clients to show up and some fog moved in, that was the coldest 74 degrees I have felt in a long time! Until next week, tight lines! |
|
|
May 23, 2010; 02:38PM - Snook Again!
|
|
Category:
|
|
Author Name: Gary Graham
|
|
Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
|
Report Description:
Endless Season Update May 23, 2010
REPORT #1216 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Caption: One of the more unique catches this week was a 28-pound snook in one of the East Cape lagoons, according to East Cape resident, Jim Moyer.
Wow…snook as the lead for the second week in a row! This should dispel any doubts that this is a weird year so far.
This week brought an upward spike in the overall fishing picture for some. Reports of tuna down by Las Frailes were encouraging; however most of the fish were footballs with only an occasional larger fish landed. There has also been a decent volume of striped marlin seen but few biters and a few good sized dorado have been found but no bonanza by any definition.
Inside, the small roosters and ladyfish have been thick but not many in the Bubba-sized scene along the beach.
Now if the sardina would appear, maybe fishing will begin to regain some normalcy.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
A new tournament will be held August 13, 14 and 15 in the mangroves out of Lopez Mateos. It will be Baja's first tournament of its kind to be held in the esteros/mangroves. So far, the plans are to include flyfishing, kayaking and conventional categories. I should have the complete details next week.
Few fished this week and the reports were sketchy but it sounded like fishing was slow.
Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° blue water is back on the beach, with the clear and clean water having moved in to about the 6-mile mark. Historically, this is typical of the first or second week of May. Our bread and butter sailfish will be around, but this is also the time when the marlin and tuna move in. Plus, the warm water on the beach brings back our roosters…the most exciting game fish of them all on a fly rod.
Fishing has been steadily improving this last week, with several notable catches. The boats are each averaging about one sailfish and a striped or blue marlin a day. But, there are only 8 to 12 boats a day fishing. Tourism is really slow right now, with many of the better captains sitting at home.
Santiago, on the panga Gitana, emailed me that Bob Majewski from Texas caught and released a 200-pound blue marlin, and Jim McKenna from New York released four striped marlin and two sailfish for two days of fishing.
Mike Bulkley, owner of the super panga Huntress, and Captain Francisco, told me this last Thursday through Saturday they had a great three days on the water with one blue marlin, two striped marlin and two sailfish. The marlin were taken on separate days, but all were within a few tenths of a mile at the 29 mile mark on a 180° heading.
Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos was real happy when he called me. “The roosters are coming back. We got two today up near Pantla!” He predicts with the warm water on the beaches again, we will be in full swing with the roosters in two more weeks.…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582
Cabo San Lucas
The striped marlin bite has improved a little, but not much as almost every boat is getting a shot or two per day on tailing fish, with a few being hungry and eating the bait. There have been a few more black and blue marlin being hooked up, with varying degrees of success in getting them to the side of the boat for releases. Most of the striped marlin have been found on the Pacific side or right out front, while their larger cousins have been found in the warmer water in the Sea of Cortez.
Yellowfin tuna ranging from 10 to 50 pounds have been getting into the fish boxes somehow, or at least they were at the start of the week. When the water turned over, the bite dropped off a bit. Most of the fish have been found mixed in with the porpoise, but there have been quite a few found while blind trolling. .
I really thought that the warmer water was going to bring in great numbers of dorado, but they just haven't shown up strongly yet. A few fish were in the 30-pound class with the average in at 15 pounds, and they were close in to the beach for the most part, on the Cortez side of the Cape and due south early in the week.
The week started out with a bang as wahoo went on a decent bite for a change. Strangely enough, it was during the new moon phase, not a full moon, so perhaps in another two weeks the bite will take off again. Anyway, it lasted for about four days and everyone who tried for them seemed able to get at least one or two fish, some boats managed a half dozen in the 30 to 40-pound class.
Schools of roosterfish up to 60 pounds in size were found this week. Slow trolling live bait, preferably mullet, worked best for the roosters. A few sierra were still found, and there was a halfway decent bite on amberjack, but most of the pangas tried to target the wahoo!...George and Mary Landrum
Current Cabo Weather http://tiny.cc/cabo191 |
|
|
May 17, 2010; 11:15AM - Cabo Bite Report
|
|
Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
|
|
Author Name: George Landrum
|
|
Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
|
Report Description:
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT
Capt. George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
www.flyhooker.com
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
May 10 - 16, 2010
Weather: Morning temperatures maintaining in the low 70's at 6 am when then fleet heads out. Breezes offshore making beautiful days for fishing. Low 90's when you get back to port, which just makes the beer taste that much better while you are sitting around laughing about the days catch. The other day there was a cool fog move in over Cabo, which just made it feel hotter after it was gone. Friday we were a little overcast, but for the most part sunny weather with scattered clouds.
Water: Water is warming up. The wahoo sure seem to like it. Right out front the water temp are around 77-79 and this remains all the way up around the Sea of Cortez with a few pockets far offshore up to 85. These warmer waters are farther than a normal day trip from Cabo, but will be watching too see how they move in. On the other side, the Pacific still has some 69-70 degree band of water from Finger Bank down past San Jaime Banks. With that colder water, there are also the rougher seas.
Bait: The usual Caballito and some Mackerel at $3 per bait, some sardinas available.
FISHING
Billfish: Cabo Hosted the IGFA Billfish tournament of champions this week. While we had 40 teams from around the world here fishing for Striped marlin, only 60 were released. The local team winning with 7 releases. Seems to me, that says trust your local Captain, when he says the marlin bite is here, don't go the other way!!!! Congrats to Hernando Gonzales, he released 6 himself, with Daniel Fisher releasing 1.
Yellowfin Tuna: They are still here!!!! While we did see some purse seiners around the beginning of the week, the tuna are still biting. Football size close in with the wahoo bite. Bigger fish up around Golden Gate but rougher waters to get there.
Dorado: There were a few more Dorado caught this week than were brought in last week, mostly from people heading out to deeper waters looking for the bigger tuna and marlin. Most in the 15-25 lb range. No dorado were brought in during the tournament.
Wahoo: All I can say is WOW!!! The catch of the week! Lots of wahoo coming in, mostly in the 30-60 lb range. Grace said she had one 80 pounder come into the smokehouse. And the best part is you don't have to go far. They are right out front. Had some guys go out just for the afternoon Saturday, 5 hookups with 3 in the boat. Smallest was about 30lbs and the other two were 45-50 pounds. Right place right time unless you can hop a plane and get here now! Bigger fish caught with concentrations of tuna.
Inshore: Still some nice roosterfish and sierra, but a lot of concentration hitting the wahoo since they are close to shore.
Notes: The fish report is written this week by Mary, George's wife. George is running a boat up the coast to LA. Racing the weather window. By the way, if you are in LA, weather coming Wednesday, which is what they are working to beat! Around it's warming up nicely, well maybe too hot too early. Some people area already afraid this is going to be another summer with those really high temps. Fishing is finally picking up!!! Well, we are out of here, time to take the dog to the beach, then home for breakfast. In the meantime, get those flights booked to come join the wahoo extravaganza going on!!! Only Mother Nature knows how long it will last!!! Until next week, tight lines!
Ooops looks like George might be getting beat up today, that weather system came in early and we might get some rain today if it stays in the current path. Cabo spring !!!! Rain????? |
|
|
May 10, 2010; 12:26PM - Roosters Rock!
|
|
Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
|
|
Author Name: Gary Graham
|
|
Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
|
Report Description:
Endless Season Update May 9, 2010
REPORT #1214 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Caption: The roosterfish and jacks held the most promise for many anglers, both from boats fishing close to shore or from the beach itself.
Another week of mixed reviews for the fishing. Some tuna have begun to show up north of Punta Pescadero, but most of the fish found with the porpoise are barely football size. There were a few better grade tuna caught close to shore up toward Bahia de los Muertos.
The boats seeking billfish are complaining that they are getting little return for lots of effort.It seems that one billfish for the day is a good score.
Also reports indicate that there is just an occasional dorado showing up behind the boats with little rhyme or reason.
The roosterfish and jacks held the most promise for many anglers, both from boats fishing close to shore or from the beach itself. There was one report of nearly thirty anglers fishing one popular stretch of beach…definitely not like the old days when you could fish the beach all day and not see another angler.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
There were some decent-sized yellowtail under the birds at the Entrada. Offshore the water is pretty cool but there are already reports of both billfish and dorado being spotted near the shark buoys scattered out to the west of the Entrada.
Inside the esteros, the bite remains slow for the few boats that even bothered fishing this week.
Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Historically, we have always had a poor March/April for the blue water species, with this year being no different. And, after the 1st week of May, things usually turn around completely. This is what is happening again this year.
The 30+ year annual sailfish tournament was held this last Friday though Sunday. It was a record breaking year, but fortunately not for the number of sailfish killed; but rather for the 220 boats signed up for the tournament. With wind and rough seas, the tournament averaged fewer than a sailfish a day per boat. The overall winner took home a nice first prize of a Hummer truck, with a small (by other year comparisons) 86 pound sailfish.
Since last weekend's tournament, the current prospects show the blue 80° water moving in a full 10 miles, and 20 miles off the beach today (Thursday). Give the water a few days to calm down, after being beaten by more than 200 boats, and we can expect a very decent turn around.
Adolfo and Cheva, on the pangas Dos Hermanos I and II, fished the area at 20 miles on a straight out 200° heading today, releasing two striped marlin for Adolfo, and two sailfish for Cheva.
The inshore water is still very cold at 72°, with not much action other than the hard fighting jack cravelle. The jacks are being taken on light line outfits with a slow trolled Rapala or live bait.…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582
Cabo San Lucas
One of our friends pre-fished an angler for the IGFA tournament for two days and only saw one striped marlin in the distance that sunk out as they approached. Another friend, on a private boat, fished five days for three marlin, two of them as a double header. The fish that were found seemed to be fairly close to land and in the cooler water on the Pacific side. All we can hope for is an improvement on the billfish scene. I had reports, unconfirmed, of several blue marlin coming into the lure patterns this week; let's keep our fingers crossed!
Some tuna action took place on the Pacific side up around the Golden Gate Bank as well as closer to home off of the lighthouse, and of course to the south of the San Jaime Bank. The fish were associated with porpoise for the most part and were halfway decent fish averaging 25 pounds with an occasional fish to 40 pounds. You had to be the first (or only) boat there for the action to take place, but most of the boats that got in on it were able to boat a half-dozen fish before the action quit. There were several spots where blind strikes took place as well, but in those instances it was just for one or two fish.
There were a few more dorado caught this week than were brought in last week, and it may have a lot to do with the warmer water, but maybe not, as there were some fish caught on the Pacific side as well. Of course, on the Pacific side the fish were caught close to the arch, where on the Cortez side most of the fish came from farther north, up in the Punta Gordo area or far offshore in the area of the Cabrillo Seamount. The fish averaged 15 pounds with the larger ones in the 25 pound range and the best luck was with brighter colored striped marlin lures. Not very many fish had followers behind them when brought to the boat, so most of the flags were flying by themselves on the boats return.
There were still a few wahoo caught this week, but not in the numbers we were seeing during the full moon phase. Most of the fish reported were found close to the Punta Gordo area or offshore in the wide open sea with nothing else around. Go figure.
The inshore action dropped off just a little, but there were still some nice fish to be had. One couple who tried offshore got nada; then they decided to drop some bait down and landed one grouper of 48 pounds and lost another. The bite on amberjack has been an on/off bite, but the fish have been slightly larger than last week with a few in the 40 pound range. Sierra are still out there but not in large numbers, and there are still roosterfish to be found in the smaller sizes.....…George and Mary Landrum
Current Cabo Weather http://tiny.cc/cabo191 |
|
|
May 10, 2010; 11:46AM - Cabo Bite Report
|
|
Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
|
|
Author Name: George Landrum
|
|
Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
|
Report Description:
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT
Capt. George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
www.flyhooker.com
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
May 3-9, 2010
Weather: It seems as if summer has hit us overnight as the cool mornings at the start of the week with 62 degrees before daybreak have changed to a warm 74 degrees at the same time. In addition, the winds have finally laid down and people are not breathing in the dust and pollen they were getting earlier in the week. We have had mostly sunny skies and as the early mornings have warmed up, so have the afternoons with highs in the mid 90's. No rain this week!
Water: With the wind dying down, the seas followed and the Pacific side was finally fishable for almost the whole week. The water kept cool on the Pacific side as our cool areas were either very close to the beach or right on top of the San Jaime Bank. At the end of the week the water on top of the bank was at 69 degrees and was the southern tip of a cold water plume extending down from the north. In the Sea of Cortez the water was considerably warmer with some areas having recordings of up to 82 degrees. This was at the end of the week and right on top of the 95 spot. This area of much warmer water had formed and drifted to the southwest over the past several days and sure looks good for big fish, we will have to see if anything shows up in the area! The rest of the water in the Cortez is between 77 and 80 degrees with calm conditions.
Bait: The usual Caballito and some Mackerel at $3 per bait, but prices might go up this week due to the IGFA Offshore Championship Tournament.
FISHING
Billfish: All we can hope for is an improvement on the Billfish scene. To give you an idea, one of our friends pre-fished an angler for the IGFA for two days and only saw one Striped Marlin in the distance that sunk out as they approached. Another friend, on a private boat, fished five days for three Marlin, two of them as a double header. The fish that were found seemed to be fairly close to land and in the cooler water on the Pacific side. I had reports, but unconfirmed,of several Blue Marlin coming into the lure patterns this week, lets keep our fingers crossed!
Yellowfin Tuna: We finally had some Tuna action, and it came as a great relief. The action took place on the Pacific side up around the Golden Gate Bank as well as closer to home off of the lighthouse, and of course to the south of the San Jaime Bank. The fish were associated with porpoise for the most part and were halfway decent fish averaging 25 pounds with an occasional fish to 40 pounds. You had to be the first (or only) boat there for the action to take place, but most of the boats that got in on it were able to boat a half-dozen fish before the action quit. There were several spots where blind strikes took place as well, but in those instances it was just for one or two fish.
Dorado: There were a few more Dorado caught this week than were brought in last week, and it may have a lot to do with the warmer water, but maybe not, as there were some fish caught on the Pacific side as well. Of course, on the Pacific side the fish were caught close to the arch, where on the Cortez side most of the fish came from farther north,up in the Punta Gorda area or far offshore in the area of the Cabrillo Seamount. The fish averaged 15 pounds with the larger ones in the 25 pound range and the best luck was with brighter colored Striped Marlin lures. Not very many fish had followers behind them when brought to the boat, so most of the flags were flying by themselves on the boats return.
Wahoo: There were still a few Wahoo caught this week, but not in the numbers we were seeing during the full moon phase. Most of the fish reported were found close to the Punta Gorda area or offshore in the wide open sea with nothing else around. Go figure.
Inshore: The action dropped off just a little, but there were still some nice fish to be had. We had one couple who tried offshore for nada, then decided to drop some bait down and landed one Grouper of 48 pounds and lost another. The bite on Amberjack has been an on-off bite, but the fish have been slightly larger than last week with a few in the 40 pound range. Sierra are still out there but not in large numbers, and there are still Roosterfish to be found in the smaller sizes.
Notes: I was complaining last week about the cold and the wind, but now that has changed and I have to start complaining about the heat and lack of a breeze! We have the IGFA Offshore Tournament starting this week, I sure hope the bite improves for them! Well, we are out of here, time to take the dog to the beach, then home for breakfast. Until next week, tight lines! |
|
|
May 3, 2010; 11:58AM - Cabo Bite Report
|
|
Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
|
|
Author Name: George Landrum
|
|
Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
|
Report Description:
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT
Capt. George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
www.flyhooker.com
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
April 26-May 2, 2010
Weather: It feels like Oklahoma, where the wind blows across the plains! It has been blowing for the past two weeks from the northwest and we seem to have had a wind chill factor in there. The wind has been between 10 and 25 knots for most of the week, and it did not start to falter until Saturday night. There has been very little cloud cover so we have had sunny skies, but the cold was something we are not used to this time of year. It's all relative of course, while I have had on a sweater in 72 degree weather (with a wind on top of the cold) we have had visitors walking around in shorts and t-shirts! Must have lived in the tropic too long and have thin blood! At least at the end of the week the wind finally laid down, and it was nice in the mornings! Our highs for the week were in the high 80's while the lowest I saw was 62 degrees.
Water: Just as with last week, the steady winds from the northwest have left the Pacific side of the Cape in very rough conditions. For those of you who are familiar with the area. As I was driving past Cost-Co yesterday around noon, I looked past the arch and it looked like several fleets of boats working just outside, then I realized that it was very large curling whitecaps, looking like a fleet of 35 foot boats, not water I want to be in. Thankfully the wind has not had as great an affect on the Sea of Cortez, and the water on that side of the Cape has been very fishable, with some choppy conditions in the afternoons but nothing bad. Water temperatures have been 65 degrees along shore on the Pacific side and 74 degrees almost everywhere on the Cortez side, or at least inside the 95spot-1150, and to the Cabrillo Seamount.
Bait: Mackerel, Caballito at the normal $3 per bait and there has been very little Sardinas available in our area, some boats are getting lucky at San Jose, but they have to be there at gray light.
FISHING
Billfish: Once again there were just a few Striped Marlin found this week, and most, if not all of them were caught on the Cortez side of the cape, in the slightly warmer water, and in the calmer conditions. The areas off of Red Hill was once again the best area for these fish, and in addition there were some Wahoo in the area if you were early enough. At the end of the week with the wind finally laying down fish began to show themselves out at the 1,000 fathom line to the south of the Cape. One boat was reported to have caught a Blue Marlin of approximately 500 pounds in the Red Hill area, I saw pictures of the fish, and it was reported to have died during the fight. That was the excitement on the Billfish front this week.
Yellowfin Tuna: Water conditions kept most of the boats from fishing area that normally produce our Yellowfin Tuna. The rough water didn't allow fishing at the San Jaime bank or the immediate area, but there were a few fish reported offshore around the 1150 area and outside of there to the 1,000 fathom line on the Cortez side.
Dorado: Just a few Dorado were caught this week, up around the Red Hill area and the Punta Gorda area on the Cortez side. These were scattered fish with no concentrations found. Best results were found close to the beach, within a mile or so, and using brightly colored lures for fish to 25 pounds, but averaging 12 pounds.
Wahoo: There were some nice Wahoo caught this week to the north on the Sea of Cortez, but getting there early was the key. If you were not the first boat to the area, you didn't have much luck. That said, the fish averaged 30 pounds, and the best areas were off the ledge at Red Hill, Gorda Banks and the In-man Banks area. Having the full moon this week helped the Wahoo bite.
Inshore: For about the second month in a row, inshore fishing was the way to go for action. There were good numbers of small to medium Roosterfish to be found just off the beach as well as some decent concentrations of Sierra. The Amberjack bite that took off last week died down a bit as the fish were caught out. There were some good Red Snapper taken from the rock piles, and of course, almost all of this action took place on the Sea of Cortez due to the rough conditions on the Pacific side.
Notes: I know I have lived in the tropics too long when it is 70 degrees in the house and I want to have socks, a sweater and long pants on! I hope it warms up soon, and of course it will be in the middle of the summer with sweat streaming down my back when I will wish for the conditions we have now. My fingers are still crossed that the fishing improves soon and if the wind dies down we just might see that happen! Until next week, tight lines, I'm off for a beach walk with the dog! |
|
|
May 3, 2010; 08:16AM - Wind Again
|
|
Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
|
|
Author Name: Gary Graham
|
|
Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
|
Report Description:
Endless Season Update May 2, 2010
REPORT #1213 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Caption: Jason Abrams of Park City, Utah landed this quality rooster on the fly from the Jen Wren.
Some reports are bubbling with optimism expressing their certainty that fishing is going to get better. The 'boots on the ground' reports offer a little different take. The lack of sardina combined with some of the strongest winds in recent memory produced conditions that many say cannot go anyway but up. There were a few instances of good catches but not many.
There was a least one quality roosterfish when Mark Rayor's Jen Wren came upon a huge school of roosters feeding on the surface near Punta Pescadero. But, alas that was the exception.
The good news is the winds seem to be abating and water temperatures are rising. If the conditions continue along that path, fishing could be on track in no time at all.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Few were willing to make the long run to Cabo San Lazaro this week. Most of the focus remained closer in the Esteros. The sierra along with the cabrilla, grouper and corvina have been the primary targets for the few anglers fishing the area.
Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 79 degree clean water is holding around 12 miles, with the deep blue water about 30 miles, and along the 1,000 fathom line. Inside 30 miles, fishing for the offshore species has been slow, and as reported by Mike Bulkly, the owner of the super panga Huntress, many boats are not even getting a strike. However, he did tell me that the inshore fishing for jack cravelle, chulas (a small, but excellent eating tuna with teeth), and black skipjack tuna is still good.
Plus, this weekend, starting Friday, is the annual offshore tournament, with a new car or pickup given as the prize for the largest three sailfish, largest marlin, and largest dorado. Fortunately, with the tournament starting on the full moon cycle, and slow conditions anyway, the normal 120 to 150 boat tournament should have poor results. I say fortunately because Zihuatanejo has yet to get out of the stone age with this 30+ year running 'kill' tournament. In years past, with just slightly more favorable conditions, I have seen as many 750 sailfish hitting the dock over the course of the three day tournament. …Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582
Cabo San Lucas
There were a few striped marlin found this week; most were caught on the Cortez side of the cape, in the slightly warmer water, and in the calmer conditions. The area off Red Hill was once again the best area for these fish as well as the few wahoo that were caught by the early birds. One blue marlin of approximately 500 pounds was also caught in this area.
The rough water conditions prevented boats from fishing the San Jaime bank, the area that normally produces yellowfin tuna, but there were a few fish reported offshore around on the Cortez side.
Just a few scattered dorado were found near the Red Hill and the Punta Gordo areas on the Cortez side, but no concentrations were found. The best results were within a mile or so of the beach, using brightly colored lures. The dorado averaged 12 pounds, but a few were in the 25-pound range.
There were some nice wahoo averaging 30 pounds caught to the north on the Sea of Cortez, but if you were not one of the first boats to the area, you didn't have much luck. The best areas were off the ledge at Red Hill, Gordo Banks and the In-man Banks area.
For some time, inshore fishing has been the most productive. Good catches of small to medium roosterfish are found just off the beach as well as some decent concentrations of sierra. There were some good snapper taken from the rock piles, but due to the rough conditions on the Pacific side, almost all of this action took place on the Sea of Cortez....…George and Mary Landrum
Current Cabo Weather http://tiny.cc/cabo191 |
|
|
Apr 29, 2010; 01:40AM - Hawaii Bonefishing
|
|
Category: Hawaii
|
|
Author Name: Stan Wright
|
|
Author E-mail: stanwright@hawaii.rr.com
|
Report Description:
Hawaii Oio
I've heard reports this week of some nice bonefish being caught..... some of the larger ones topping 9 pounds. They are not all that big, but then even a small one will get you into the backing. As the water temperature heats up this summer we should see more and larger bones.
Clay with a Hawaiian Bone |
|
|
Apr 26, 2010; 11:50AM - Cabo Bite Report
|
|
Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
|
|
Author Name: George Landrum
|
|
Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
|
Report Description:
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT
Capt. George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
www.flyhooker.com
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
April 19-25, 2010
Weather: In an almost mirror image of last weeks weather, this week started out with overcast skies and no wind. On Tuesday the wind started to kick up as the skies cleared a bit and then it really blew, a fairly steady 15-20 knots with gusts to 25 knots for the rest of the week and then on Friday evening it died back down so we had perfect weather for the weekend. Our highs were in the mid to high 80's and our lows were in the mid 60's.
Water: Due to the steady winds the Pacific side of the Cape was very uncomfortable for most of the boats this week but a few braved the rough water and found the temperatures to be quite a bit cooler than expected and the current and wind brought the cold water in. There was a patch of cold water along the beach up in the area of Los Arcos where it dropped as low as 65 degrees, and this band of cold water ran just off the beach out for about ½ mile for most of the week, steadily dropping in temperature over the course of time, starting the week at 70 degrees and ending the week at 65 degrees. The water warmed up a couple of degrees off the beach out to a distance of about 15 miles, then warmed yet another two degrees past there. Just off the Cape itself and up into the Sea of Cortez the water was quite a bit warmer at an average of 75 degrees up to Punta Gorda, and slightly warmer north of there. Surface conditions on the Sea of Cortez were better in the morning but still felt a heavy wind effect in the afternoons all week long.
Bait: This week was a repeat of last week as there were Pacific Green-backed Mackerel and Caballito at the normal $3 per bait and up in the Palmilla area a few boats were selling small Sardinas for $25 a scoop, but tough to find most of the week due to rough water.
FISHING
Billfish: There were a few more Striped Marlin found this week and most of them were on the Sea of Cortez side in the calmer water. There seemed to be a small concentration of them mid-week up off of Red Hill about two miles off the beach, and scattered in the same area. Not many were caught but there were enough of them to make it worth the effort. There were a few Blue and Black marlin released this week as well, from the same area although the fish were not large ones, averaging 250 pounds. I heard that there was a Swordfish caught in the area of the 95 spot early in the week as well, but saw no pictures of the fish. With the wind finally dying down there is a chance that more Striped Marlin may show on the Pacific side of the cape.
Yellowfin Tuna: There were a few fish found in the vicinity of the Golden Gate Banks by boats brave enough to confront the seas early in the mornings before the winds really started to whip things up. The bite lasted for two days but the guys kept things kind of quiet and not many boats heard the exact area. The fish were just a little larger than footballs but the bite was good if you found them with most boats coming in with a dozen or so. There were a few other fish found as well, but as was the case last week, many of them were caught as blind strikes, with no porpoise in the area. I would hazard a guess that less than 10% of the boats came in with Yellowfin Tuna this week.
Dorado: There were not many Dorado found this week but those that were caught were nice fish averaging 20 pounds. Almost every one that I heard of was caught in the Sea of Cortez, and the farther to the north you went the better your chances were. Pretty much the warmer water gave you a better shot at them. Once again though, the catch ratios were low, less than 10% success with Dorado.
Wahoo: There were a few fish caught this week but they were incidental catches while boats were fishing for Marlin. A few guys went out with Wahoo as a target and there were a few bites, but the fishing was not wide open as they moon is not perfect right now. The fish that were caught were all nice ones in the 40 pound class, and were caught in the Sea of Cortez off of the Westin, the Gorda Banks and Punta Gorda.
Inshore: Inshore fishing was the way to go for action this week. There was a good concentration of Amberjack just off the beach and the fishing as red hot for a couple of days. Unfortunately, as happens with some guys, they got greedy and there were pangas that were keeping 30 fish per trip, and none of the fish were larger than 25 pounds, sigh. We had quite a few people fly fishing this week and if they were able to get Sardinas for chum they were doing well on Sierra with a few small Roosterfish in the mix, as well as the Amberjack. Conventional fishermen were doing very well on the Sierra using small swimming plugs from three to five inches in length with a small wire bite tippet. There were some decent red snapper as well, on the Pacific side up in the rocks, but it was a case of being in the right place at the right time, mainly early in the morning before the winds started to whip it up.
Notes: Its getting better out there, slowly, but getting better. My hope is that by the middle of next month things will be really going off for us and the fishing should be great as the water slowly warms up. Meanwhile, we are taking advantage of the inshore fishery for our fun and meat needs, and going offshore for our trophy fish. For all of those who have written to me requesting more information on the Galapagos trip I just finished, I should have a short story of the adventure as well as some pictures to go with it finished in the next week. I have you on file and will e-mail it to you when I am done. If you have not requested the story and info, drop me a line and I will put you on the list. By the way, Cabo Wabo's 20th anniversary bash was this weekend and I didn't get to go, not that I really care for the Red Rocker, but he has a new group called “Chickenfoot” and his lead guitarist is one of my favorites, Joe Satriani. Oh well, I've got CD's to listen to, so that's what I'll do now! Oh, after a beach walk with the dog!
Until next week, Tight lines! |
|
|
|
