Guatemala Sizzles; Z-What Hot; Others Lukewarm

East Cape
Thursday’s (2/24) beach trip went fairly well with two small roosters, one small jack and a couple of ladyfish. Yesterday (2/25) we were out in a panga with little success. The North wind came up and we couldn't find the dead whale. On the bright side, we did get one 55-pound dorado trolling conventional gear. No sardines yet.
The North wind is back. Fishing has dropped off. I'm still able to catch some ladyfish and small jacks from shore early and I mean early – the bite is over by 7:30. The whale is gone and so are the dorado. There are a few dorado around but no concentrations. Red, and black is what worked a few days ago. As has been the case all winter, there are more marlin than usual for this time of year. Some yellowfin were caught a few days ago, but that was before the wind came back. The roosters have disappeared, but I'm sure they will be back on the beach when the wind quits. I landed two one day on a gray and white deceiver. The fish are scattered, but most boats are going south. Sierra have been hard to find. Local people say it’s because of the fleet of shrimp boats that have been fishing every night for the last week. I don't know how much truth there is to that. It is cloudy and cool. I hope the water doesn't cool off too much. Report by Baja on the Fly guide Tim Selzer.
Water temperature
67-74
Air temperature
60-68
Humidity
58%
Wind:
NNE 4 mph
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
10 miles
Sunrise
6:42 a.m. MST
Sunset
6:20 p.m. MST


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
It’s been a little cooler this week, but all-in-all nice weather. The few that ventured out to the entrada (entrance) were not disappointed. A few small yellows and leopard groupers couldn’t resist a slow retrieved Baja Deep Diver. Up at Devil’s Curve, the snook did their snipe impression and were among the missing this week. As usual for this time of year, more time was spent whale watching than fishing.
Water temperature
69-75
Air temperature
60-68
Humidity
93%
Wind:
WNW 13 mph
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
3 miles
Sunrise
6:51 a.m. MST
Sunset
6:27 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80 degree blue water has moved out a bit to the 6 mile mark, and I thought the full moon was going to affect our fishing. The pattern was holding true for most of the boats fishing the normal 8 to 14 mile areas. But, early yesterday morning (Friday) I logged onto the Terrafin Surface Temperature Satellite Service and noted decent water from 19- to 30-miles out. Martin, on the panga Isamar, fly-fishing client Kirk Strawn of Chicago, and I then fished the areas from 19 to 28 miles on a 180 degree heading.
\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nIt was Kirk\'s first fly fishing\r\nexperience for sailfish, but he managed 3 tagged and released sails by\r\n10 O\'clock. As we got back to pier, Santiago, on the panga Gitana, was\r\nright behind us and flying 6 tag and release flags for conventional\r\ngear fisherman Russ Kirtchner of Indiana. They had gone 20 miles on a\r\n200 degree heading. This bite is not off, it\r\nhas only moved out a few miles.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nA couple of days ago, I saw a lot of\r\nbait and birds working the shoreline at Barra Pototsi. Kirk and I are\r\ntaking the 9wts there this morning, for some jack crevalle and black\r\nskipjack tuna action from the beach.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nRoosterfish action was very slow this\r\nweek however, and there are still no signs of the tuna.\r\n\r\nEd Kunze\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n",0]
);
//-->


It was Kirk's first fly-fishing experience for sailfish, but he managed 3 tagged and released sails by 10 o'clock. As we got back to pier, Santiago, on the panga Gitana, was right behind us and flying 6 tag and release flags for conventional gear fisherman Russ Kirtchner of Indiana. They had gone 20 miles on a 200 degree heading. This bite is not off, it has only moved out a few miles.

A couple of days ago, I saw a lot of bait and birds working the shoreline at Barra Pototsi. Kirk and I are taking the 9-weight there this morning, for some jack crevalle and black skipjack tuna action from the beach.

Roosterfish action was very slow this week however, and there are still no signs of the tuna.


Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze

Water temperature
80 - 84
Air temperature
75 - 86
Humidity
94%
Wind:
Calm
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
8 miles
Sunrise
7:06 a.m. CST
Sunset
6:51 p.m. CST
San Jose, Guatemala

The conditions this past week were really nice with calm seas and fishing action from 5- to 15-miles out. There have been some days with tougher conditions, and others where the sails were just jumping in the boats. There are a lot of anglers down, and most of the boats are venturing out. During the week on the conventional side there were 2,314 hooked sails and 1,542 released sails for an average of 24 releases per boat day. On the fly side there were 691 hooked sails and 340 released sails for an average of 10 releases per boat day. The high boat on the conventional side for the week had 72 releases in a day and on the fly side had 27 releases. Truly spectacular results for a week! In the mix of all the sails were also some monsters with quite a few sails being reported in the 100-140 pound class. One of our clients on our feedback form said, "The thrill of these huge sails is going to be hard to describe.” There were dorado in the mix as well, and inshore there were several roosterfish released in one afternoon of fishing.

We also ventured over to Huatulco, Mexico last week, and will begin offering trips in March. This location looks really fabulous from a fishing standpoint with excellent billfish action from March through August. It also offers great activities for non-anglers in the group including stunning beaches and scenery. During our stay there was great action reported on yellowfin tuna, sailfish, and marlin. Look for our upcoming reports in the next couple of weeks.
\r\nSan Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWater temperature\r\n\r\n78 - 82\r\n\r\n\r\nAir temperature\r\n\r\n80 - 84\r\n\r\n\r\nHumidity\r\n\r\n55%\r\n\r\n\r\nWind:\r\n\r\nSE 8 mph\r\n\r\n",1]
);
//-->

San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature
72 - 82
Air temperature
78 - 82
Humidity
94%
Wind:
Calm
Conditions:
Mostly Cloudy
Visibility
3 miles
Sunrise
6:21 a.m. CST
Sunset
6:11 p.m. CST

All Signs of Spring Say GO!

For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
East Cape
Fishing here has turned on. A Spa boat went out two days ago (2/16) and found a dead whale. They landed 26 dorado from under and around it. Skipjack are biting well and some sierra early. The shore fishing has been good. I can catch ladyfish every time I go out. I landed four jacks and one rooster yesterday (2/17). The wind is still blowing out of the north, creating large waves. The afternoon fly-fishing from shore is tough. Most of my fish have come from casting a baitcaster and surface lures a long way out. A white jumping minnow is by far the best lure. The ladyfish are in close early and will hit a variety of flies. White and olive Clousers with lots of flash work best. Pink and purple still the best colors for the skipjack.
Report by Baja on the Fly guide Tim Selzer.
Water temperature
70-74
Air temperature
68-71
Humidity
58%
Wind:
North 8 mph
Conditions:
Clear
Visibility
10 miles
Sunrise
6:48 a.m. MST
Sunset
6:17 p.m. MST


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Nice weather most of the week brought out the whale-watchers in full force. The entrada produced a few small yellows, sierra and a full-on barracuda bite. Up at Devil’s Curve, the snook still continued their elusive ways with only a few small ones caught. Up at Lopez Mateos, the Whale Festival is history and it is back to business as usual. Not much action on the outside where lumpy conditions persisted. Corvina, sierra and a few leopard grouper were all that could be found in the esteros this week
Water temperature
69-75
Air temperature
66-71
Humidity
25%
Wind:
WNW 13 mph
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
3 miles
Sunrise
6:57 a.m. MST
Sunset
6:23 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
We are certainly having one of our best Februarys for the last couple of years. Historically, February is one of the best months of the year, and this year is proving it so.

The 80 degree blue water is still only a couple of miles off the beach and no boat is traveling further than 20 miles to find fish. Most of the sailfish are being taken between the 8 and 12 mile mark.

I was talking with the captains this morning (Saturday) on the municipal pier, and we were recounting the number of fish they have released this week. Everybody was running out of fingers and toes. Adolpho, on the panga Dos Hermanos had the best week. He fished the blue water four days and never released less than eight sails, with two days of 13 releases. Adolpho also fished for roosters three days and tallied numbers of 9, 5, and 4 roosters each day. They averaged about 30 pounds, with a few fish well over 50 pounds. He also averaged between 8 and 10 jack crevalle on those days. The big jacks were about 15- to 20-pounds.

Santiago, on the panga Gitana, released 38 sailfish in the last seven days. And, Cheva, the captain of the Dos Hermanos II, released 30 sailfish for his four days in the blue water.

Scott McKane of New Jersey, fishing with Orlando on the panga Tequila, averaged four sailfish a day, while looking for the yellowfin tuna. They never found the tuna, but with the sails and a few dorado, he was really excited about the quality of fishing he has had.


Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze

Water temperature
80 - 84
Air temperature
75 - 89
Humidity
83%
Wind:
Calm
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
10 miles
Sunrise
7:10 a.m. CST
Sunset
6:49 p.m. CST
San Jose, Guatemala
The conditions this past week have been very nice, with the run to the fishing getting longer during the week. Early in the week, the run was 2-5 miles and it grew to 20 miles later in the week. The early part of the week started off with some lower production and tough times for the anglers, but the later parts of the week came on strong, and for the sails the boats hooked 243 sails and released 149 of them on the conventional side, and hooked 46 and released 21 on the fly side. Dorado again made a consistent showing, and a few boats even got in to some grouper action during slow sailfishing times. Roosters were also present with most of the action occurring on live bait on outgoing tides.
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature
72 - 82
Air temperature
78 - 82
Humidity
100%
Wind:
SE 11mph
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
6 miles
Sunrise
6:24 a.m. CST
Sunset
6:09 p.m. CST

For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373

That Glimmer of Light Looks Like Spring

East Cape
The wind is out of the east at about 10 knots and cloudy the last few days including scattered rain showers. The surf is large, but not choppy. The water is warming and clearing. Fishing is good for marlin and OK for dorado. Sierra are hard to find. A Buena Vista boat went out on Tues. (2/8) and caught one marlin, two dorado and two tuna. A “tin boat” angler went out yesterday, landed a dorado and hooked a marlin close to shore. Pink and purple seem to be the preferred colors. Shore fishing has been slow, but a few ladyfish were chasing bait yesterday off the beach here. First ladyfish I have seen in awhile.
Report by Baja on the Fly guide Tim Selzer.
Water temperature
70-74
Air temperature
66-69
Humidity
88%
Wind:
West 4 mph
Conditions:
Light Rain
Visibility
10 miles
Sunrise
6:52 a.m. MST
Sunset
6:13 p.m. MST


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Wind and rain dominated the area this week. Whale watchers needed slickers to stay dry. No one seemed to mind as there are plenty of whales and even a few with calves already. The trip out to the entrada yielded small yellowtail, barracuda and a few leopard grouper. The trick is getting your fly down deep enough in the water column for the grouper. For the first time this year, Devil’s Curve produced a couple of decent snook – one 16-pounds and the other 12. Weather reports call for improving conditions during the week. Anyone want to get snookered? Up at Lopez Mateos the Whale Festival is in full swing and the town is packed with tourists who couldn’t resist the combination of whales and a party.

Water temperature
69-75
Air temperature
62-69
Humidity
25%
Wind:
WNW 15 mph
Conditions:
Clear
Visibility
3 miles
Sunrise
7:07 a.m. MST
Sunset
6:14 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue water is only a mile off the beach and the sailfish fishing has been very good. Historically, Feb. is one of our very best months. But, the last three years has seen a 150 boat kill tournament at the end of Jan., and unseasonable cool water moving in about the second week, essentially shutting everything down. This year, we were able to eliminate the kill tournament (which is another story), and the current has cooperated.

Client Jim Rainey of Denver fished with Captain Cheva on the Dos Hermanos II earlier in the week, and released eight sailfish on conventional gear. The next day, Cheva went back out to the same spot and released 10. While guiding Tim Martin and Russ Coleman of Houston, with Cheva yesterday (Fri.), we raised one blue marlin and six sails. We were fly-fishing with only two hookless teasers out. Russ hooked two sailfish, and missed one. We backed the missed fish up with live bait, a circle hook, 30-pound gear, and shortly Tim had his first ever sailfish released. With nothing on the boat other than flyrods or 30 pound gear, we did not even try for the marlin.

Captain Santiago, on the panga Gitana, is averaging about five tagged and released sailfish a day, for this last seven days. And, for some interesting competition, his brother Adan, on the new Gitana II, is doing exactly the same.

The blue marlin are finally showing up in decent numbers. The 38-foot cruiser Yellowfin II has raised five marlin in three days and hooked one. The released fish was estimated at about 250-pounds.

(On a special note, I want to thank David Holts, of the NOAA in La Jolla, for sending me another 250 tags for tagging and releasing the billfish. I distribute them to all the captains. Please, when you come down here to Zihuatanejo, bring some of the Billfish Foundation or NOAA tags with you. E-mail me if you need instructions on how to get them.)

I may have to eat a few words I have written in the last couple of weekly fish reports. I thought the roosterfish, in catchable numbers, were out of here, at least for the time being until their appearance again in July. However, Adolpho, on the panga Dos Hermanos, fishing with a client from England, caught 18 jack crevalle and six roosters Thursday (2/10). They got the roosters on poppers and slow-trolled live bait near the antennas location, 26 miles south. Then yesterday, Martin on the panga Isamar, went 15 miles north and hooked four nice roosters on live bait. All the roosters were in the 30- to 40-pound class.

Inshore, several nice sierra to eight pounds have been taken.


Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze

Water temperature
80 - 84
Air temperature
77 - 87
Humidity
83%
Wind:
West 11 mph
Conditions:
Clear
Visibility
10 miles
Sunrise
7:14 a.m. CST
Sunset
6:46 p.m. CST
San Jose, Guatemala
Conditions in Guatemala have been unusual with the fleet putting the teasers out just a few miles from the marina. I only have stats from Thurs. (2/10), where boats on the conventional side released 156 of 217 hooked sails. On the fly-side, 13 of 31 hooked sails were released. There were also some stellar performances with one boat that had a 90% hookup ratio on 40 raised sails. No marlin to report this week, but the dorado made a strong showing. Inshore, there were several roosters released in one afternoon of fishing.
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature
72 - 82
Air temperature
77 - 82
Humidity
94%
Wind:
Calm
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
6 miles
Sunrise
6:27 a.m. CST
Sunset
6:07 p.m. CST

Oh, to be in Guatemala for the Sailfish Blitz

For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
East Cape
There’s no nice way to say it: the fishing is slow. Five days of north winds have cooled the water and made it a cloudy green. There are still some small dorado by Punta Pescadero. Sierra are scattered and only seem to bite early. Best sierra bite is by Rancho Leonero. Boats going 40 miles out have had some luck on dorado and marlin. The possibility of strong winds has kept most of the fleet closer to home. The wind finally died down some yesterday (2/4). Hopefully we will get a break for a few days.
Water temperature
70-74
Air temperature
64-68
Humidity
43%
Wind:
NNW 14 mph
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
10 miles
Sunrise
6:56 a.m. MST
Sunset
6:09 p.m. MST


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Whales dominated the scene at both Puerto San Carlos and Lopez Mateos this week. The few pangas that ventured out to the entrada found scratchy fishing yielding only fair results including a few small yellows, grouper and barracuda. Up at Lopez Mateos, the annual celebration of the whales, “Festival Ballena Gris,” will be held Feb. 12. The event will include the crowning of a Queen of the Festival and the celebration of what many locals are calling the best whale-watching season in several years. The esteros continued the same pattern of slow fishing influenced by poor weather reinforced by strong winds.

Water temperature
69-75
Air temperature
62-69
Humidity
25%
Wind:
WNW 15 mph
Conditions:
Clear
Visibility
3 miles
Sunrise
7:07 a.m. MST
Sunset
6:14 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue water has moved out to about 12 miles. Most of the fleet is fishing the area between 14 and 22 miles, and not doing very well. They are only averaging about one sailfish a day. The Terrifin Satellite Surface Temperature service clearly shows the cooler water being within the 10 mile mark, mixed water out to about 28 miles, and then good warm water from 30 miles and beyond.

It also stands to reason the few boats fishing beyond the 30 mile mark are doing very well, averaging five and six sailfish released a day.

A few mature dorado, between 20 and 35 pounds, are being taken at a rate of one dorado for every five boats on the water.

Butch Cooley, fishing with Capt. Martin on the panga “Isamar,” made a 35 mile run yesterday for roosters. They only had one strike on a surface popper.


Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze

Water temperature
80 - 84
Air temperature
75 - 86
Humidity
63%
Wind:
South 4 mph
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
10 miles
Sunrise
7:16 a.m. CST
Sunset
6:43 p.m. CST
San Jose, Guatemala
The overall conditions have been very nice in the San Jose area this past week. There were more boats out for a women’s light tackle tournament that is going on. For sailfish there were 447 releases on 668 bites. On the fly-fishing side, there were 34 releases for 60 bites. The action has been at 10 miles on quite a few of the days, with still a few boats ranging out as far as 20 miles. There are good reports of dorado being caught by the boats, but no action on tuna. Inshore, once again there were no clients out, but there were several roosters caught by a couple of the captains who were testing the waters.
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature
72 - 82
Air temperature
78 - 84
Humidity
100%
Wind:
ESE 8 mph
Conditions:
Scattered Clouds
Visibility
6 miles
Sunrise
6:25 a.m. CST
Sunset
6:01 p.m. CST

For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373