REPORT #964. "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Summer has definitely arrived with temperatures climbing above the 90˚ mark. Best yet is more marlin this week to keep the clients happy. Dick Haas, manager of Adventure Outfitters, Louisville, fished the entire week. The day he arrived he announced that his goal was to break the century mark on his all-time species list. He was at 95 and looking for five more. He wasn't disappointed and by the week’s end he had added nine more to his list including two marlin. Can't get much better; the first marlin he had ever cast a fly to gobbled it up like a kid eating cotton candy at a County Fair. Don't get me wrong, he did have a couple of tough days chasing Bubba on the beach. Enough shots at Bubba and jacks to leave him shaking his head in dismay. Sooo . . . clever marketers that we are, we held back two more species to assure he comes back next year in search of Bubba and Charley (as in tuna.) Was it a good week? Not bad considering the sardina is still among the missing. It was way ahead of going to the office.
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Baja on the Fly
Water temperature 70-82
Air temperature 75-91
Humidity 70%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:34 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:08 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Fishing at the entrada produced fair fishing including a few grouper, yellowtail and lots of barracuda. The shark buoys out to the west are producing a few dorado to 15 pounds. With seven commercial net boats fishing for the sardines in the bay, the bait resource is quickly disappearing and the poor fishing being reported is the result this continuing assault on the resource. Two boats fishing Thurs. (6/23) could only come up with a few corvina, cabrilla and grouper. Makes one wonder when the Mexican government will wake up and smell the coffee and stop the carnage.
Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 70-77
Humidity 90%
Wind: West 15 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:38 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:20 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The temperature break was at six miles Thurs., but the blue water was out at the 14 mile mark yesterday (6/24) with most of the action out a few miles further. The results are the same however, with an average of 2 to 3 sailfish per boat a day being taken. However, I believe this is a very short term situation for the blue water, because there has been some fairly severe weather out a couple of hundred miles affecting the currents here.
Yesterday afternoon, Captain Jaime of the Vamonos fleet was telling me he released two sails, but also caught several school-sized tuna in the same 16 mile area, and straight out of Zihuatanejo Bay.
The roosterfish have been tough to get all week, because these same offshore storms have really been kicking up some high surf.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 80 - 86
Humidity 94%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Thunderstorms
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:13 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:24 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
Sporadic rain showers persisted most of the week keeping most of the boats at the dock. The few that ventured out found fair to good action for sailfish out 25 miles and beyond. There were a few blue marlin reported along with plenty of dorado and tuna.
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 94%
Wind: SE 6 mph
Conditions: Thunder Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:37 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:34 p.m. CST
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Marlin Takes . . . Bubba Refusals
East Cape
Marlin. . . marlin. . .marlin provided the best action most of the week. There were enough for the dedicated fly-fisher to get a handful of shots a day. Add to that plenty of football-sized tuna to provide sashimi for cocktail hour. Among the missing are the dorado; a few singles here and there, but no schools to beat the water to a froth. On the beach, the roosters continue to cruise in search of the almost non-existent sardina. With more mullet showing most of the flies we are using lately have taken on a distinctive “mullet beige” tint. While our clients this week had to be satisfied with smaller roosters and jacks, we had lots of Bubba sightings, but, unfortunately, no takers. With pleasant weather and warming sea temps hope springs eternal that what seems like a late season will kick into gear big time soon.
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Baja on the Fly
Water temperature 70-80
Air temperature 75-85
Humidity 70%
Wind: SE 4mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:33 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:06 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Diana Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters reported excellent fishing in the surf on Magdalena Island for corvina and pompano. The esteros continue to produce grouper, corvina, snapper and a few smaller snook. Devil’s Curve and Los Barriles produced the best action. For the land-locked at San Carlos there was fair fishing under the bridge at the entrance to town. If you are into Mako sharks there has been a good show 10 miles north of Boca Soledad just a few miles off of the beach.
Out of San Carlos at the entrada, Enrique Soto reported a fair snap for small yellowtail to 8 pounds and a few grouper in the low double digits. Outside, a few smaller dorado have been caught under the shark buoys on a 210-40˚ headings approximately 20 miles. With the continued winds, few are venturing outside the entrada because of rough seas.
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Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 69-77
Humidity 90%
Wind: West 17 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:18 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° blue water is still close, and the fishing has not changed much in the last couple of weeks. Sailfish action is still averaging 2 to 3 fish a day for the fleet of 10 to 12 boats. The blue marlin bite is not as hot as a few weeks ago, but there are still plenty of shots at a blue, with a few of them hooked and brought to the leader. There have also been a few nice dorado boated.
Inshore, the best game is roosterfish. We are moving on into the season for them now, and they are starting to show up in decent numbers. The best roosterfish action is taking place about 26 to 30 miles South of Zihuatanejo Bay.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 80 - 86
Humidity 66%
Wind: WNW 4 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:22 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
Typical weather prevailed throughout the week with mixed thunderstorms and seas to 3 feet. The fleet is now in the off-season routine with few boats fishing mid-week. The boats venturing out over the weekend found good fishing at the 30 mile mark with a few boats reaching double digit scores for sailfish. In addition to the sailfish, there were enough dorado and tuna to fill in the gaps. Two boats, La Piragua and the Full Circle (31-foot Bertrams) reported releasing a blue marlin each, in the 300-pound range.
Reports provided by Brian Barragy, Lissa McFarlin and Les Kagel, Carlos Morales
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 100%
Wind: SW 8 mph
Conditions: Thunder Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:36 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:32 p.m. CST
Marlin. . . marlin. . .marlin provided the best action most of the week. There were enough for the dedicated fly-fisher to get a handful of shots a day. Add to that plenty of football-sized tuna to provide sashimi for cocktail hour. Among the missing are the dorado; a few singles here and there, but no schools to beat the water to a froth. On the beach, the roosters continue to cruise in search of the almost non-existent sardina. With more mullet showing most of the flies we are using lately have taken on a distinctive “mullet beige” tint. While our clients this week had to be satisfied with smaller roosters and jacks, we had lots of Bubba sightings, but, unfortunately, no takers. With pleasant weather and warming sea temps hope springs eternal that what seems like a late season will kick into gear big time soon.
http://www.bajafly.com/Newsletter/yakjosh.gif
Baja on the Fly
Water temperature 70-80
Air temperature 75-85
Humidity 70%
Wind: SE 4mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:33 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:06 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Diana Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters reported excellent fishing in the surf on Magdalena Island for corvina and pompano. The esteros continue to produce grouper, corvina, snapper and a few smaller snook. Devil’s Curve and Los Barriles produced the best action. For the land-locked at San Carlos there was fair fishing under the bridge at the entrance to town. If you are into Mako sharks there has been a good show 10 miles north of Boca Soledad just a few miles off of the beach.
Out of San Carlos at the entrada, Enrique Soto reported a fair snap for small yellowtail to 8 pounds and a few grouper in the low double digits. Outside, a few smaller dorado have been caught under the shark buoys on a 210-40˚ headings approximately 20 miles. With the continued winds, few are venturing outside the entrada because of rough seas.
http://www.bajafly.com/Newsletter/leopard.gif
Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 69-77
Humidity 90%
Wind: West 17 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:18 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° blue water is still close, and the fishing has not changed much in the last couple of weeks. Sailfish action is still averaging 2 to 3 fish a day for the fleet of 10 to 12 boats. The blue marlin bite is not as hot as a few weeks ago, but there are still plenty of shots at a blue, with a few of them hooked and brought to the leader. There have also been a few nice dorado boated.
Inshore, the best game is roosterfish. We are moving on into the season for them now, and they are starting to show up in decent numbers. The best roosterfish action is taking place about 26 to 30 miles South of Zihuatanejo Bay.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 80 - 86
Humidity 66%
Wind: WNW 4 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:22 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
Typical weather prevailed throughout the week with mixed thunderstorms and seas to 3 feet. The fleet is now in the off-season routine with few boats fishing mid-week. The boats venturing out over the weekend found good fishing at the 30 mile mark with a few boats reaching double digit scores for sailfish. In addition to the sailfish, there were enough dorado and tuna to fill in the gaps. Two boats, La Piragua and the Full Circle (31-foot Bertrams) reported releasing a blue marlin each, in the 300-pound range.
Reports provided by Brian Barragy, Lissa McFarlin and Les Kagel, Carlos Morales
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 100%
Wind: SW 8 mph
Conditions: Thunder Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:36 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:32 p.m. CST
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Psst………Wanna buy some sardina?
East Cape
Weather continues to be remarkably cool for June. Sardina are still among the missing, though we are beginning to see a few small schools along the beach. The only bait available are the "bigger baits" which can be anything from bonefish (yes, bonefish) to mackerel. With plenty of marlin offshore the big baits are fine for teasing. Most of the tuna being found are of the football variety and tough to keep around the boat long enough to get in a few casts. Inshore the roosters and the jacks are the best bet but without the sardina, techniques are reduced to slow trolling the bigger baits, and that has produced less than stellar results. With the lack of sardina for chum, the beach has been the most productive for us this week. Omar Moniem, Norwalk CT and his buddy, Shane, drove up from Cabo to spend the day with our Guide Josh Dickinson to get some pointers. It must have worked! This is the email we received several days later: "Josh, we hit the beach again on the way back to Cabo. I caught a small rooster and Shane had what was probably a medium sized jack hooked but lost him. Thanks for your help. We had a great time, I learned a lot about a new kind of fishing, which is always my primary goal."
Talk about Guide frustrations, Josh and I both had clients on a panga Friday and the action was slow (no sardina again). Then, after the clients left, he, Josh, walked back to the house, and had a handful of shots. He landed a nice rooster right in front of the house. Go figure, right place…….right time.
Baja on the Fly
Water temperature 68-80
Air temperature 73-85
Humidity 69%
Wind: South 6 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:04 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay , Baja Mexico
Earlier this week Jamie Pierre and his buddy Jim Lasardi met us at Lopez Mateos. Bob and Diana Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters had arranged the trip for us and it was an adventure. The first morning we loaded the 4x4 Jeep and Suzuki Sidekick on a ferry and headed for Magdalena Island. The exhilaration we all felt as sped down the deserted beach toward Cabo San Lazaro was very special treat. The surf fishing from the rocks was extraordinary. Standing high on a rock sight casting to big jacks, pargo, snook and white sea bass all in the same wave………priceless! Then a late lunch at one of the fish camps that consisted of all you can eat lobster topped off a day that we all will remember for a long time. Devils Curve went off the week with some fatty snook that got the best of our clients so they had to satisfy themselves with leopard grouper and pargo. Outside the west winds have prevented much exploring. With water temperatures climbing it won’t be long before the offshore action begins to heat up.
Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 66-73
Humidity 76%
Wind: West 20 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:16 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° blue water is holding at 6 miles, and the fishing activity is picking up. The blue marlin bite is still running strong, and in my opinion, for this last few weeks we have been probably the hottest place in the world for a chance at a blue or black marlin. Sailfish action, while not as hectic as in the winter months, is still producing two to three fish per boat a day on conventional gear.
I guided Abe Moskow of South Carolina for two days of fly fishing. The first day we fished the blue water with Adan on the panga Gitana II. Abe hooked one sailfish. The second day, Abe had a blast while we worked the near vertical walls of the White Rocks. With Abe casting from the bow, Felipe on the panga Yellowfin was masterful at keeping the panga in position. By following the birds and the bait schools, Abe would cast into the boiling white water, and at times, was hooking a fish on every cast. We were mostly getting jacks and black skipjack tuna. These hard fighting fish were really pulling on the 10wt rod.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 87
Humidity 66%
Wind: WSW 11 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:20 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
The weather has been nice, ranging from overcast to sunny skies with some rain during the nights. The boats that did venture out and did quite well finding action at thirty miles that produced good sailfish catches ranging from the low single digits to a few double digit scores along with a few tuna and dorado. Several boats reported blue marlin catches as well. One boat fishing inshore enjoyed excellent action and released 6 roosters in the 25 to 45lb class.
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 100%
Wind: WSW 4 mph
Conditions: Thunder Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:34 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:31 p.m. CST
Weather continues to be remarkably cool for June. Sardina are still among the missing, though we are beginning to see a few small schools along the beach. The only bait available are the "bigger baits" which can be anything from bonefish (yes, bonefish) to mackerel. With plenty of marlin offshore the big baits are fine for teasing. Most of the tuna being found are of the football variety and tough to keep around the boat long enough to get in a few casts. Inshore the roosters and the jacks are the best bet but without the sardina, techniques are reduced to slow trolling the bigger baits, and that has produced less than stellar results. With the lack of sardina for chum, the beach has been the most productive for us this week. Omar Moniem, Norwalk CT and his buddy, Shane, drove up from Cabo to spend the day with our Guide Josh Dickinson to get some pointers. It must have worked! This is the email we received several days later: "Josh, we hit the beach again on the way back to Cabo. I caught a small rooster and Shane had what was probably a medium sized jack hooked but lost him. Thanks for your help. We had a great time, I learned a lot about a new kind of fishing, which is always my primary goal."
Talk about Guide frustrations, Josh and I both had clients on a panga Friday and the action was slow (no sardina again). Then, after the clients left, he, Josh, walked back to the house, and had a handful of shots. He landed a nice rooster right in front of the house. Go figure, right place…….right time.
Baja on the Fly
Water temperature 68-80
Air temperature 73-85
Humidity 69%
Wind: South 6 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:04 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay , Baja Mexico
Earlier this week Jamie Pierre and his buddy Jim Lasardi met us at Lopez Mateos. Bob and Diana Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters had arranged the trip for us and it was an adventure. The first morning we loaded the 4x4 Jeep and Suzuki Sidekick on a ferry and headed for Magdalena Island. The exhilaration we all felt as sped down the deserted beach toward Cabo San Lazaro was very special treat. The surf fishing from the rocks was extraordinary. Standing high on a rock sight casting to big jacks, pargo, snook and white sea bass all in the same wave………priceless! Then a late lunch at one of the fish camps that consisted of all you can eat lobster topped off a day that we all will remember for a long time. Devils Curve went off the week with some fatty snook that got the best of our clients so they had to satisfy themselves with leopard grouper and pargo. Outside the west winds have prevented much exploring. With water temperatures climbing it won’t be long before the offshore action begins to heat up.
Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 66-73
Humidity 76%
Wind: West 20 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:16 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° blue water is holding at 6 miles, and the fishing activity is picking up. The blue marlin bite is still running strong, and in my opinion, for this last few weeks we have been probably the hottest place in the world for a chance at a blue or black marlin. Sailfish action, while not as hectic as in the winter months, is still producing two to three fish per boat a day on conventional gear.
I guided Abe Moskow of South Carolina for two days of fly fishing. The first day we fished the blue water with Adan on the panga Gitana II. Abe hooked one sailfish. The second day, Abe had a blast while we worked the near vertical walls of the White Rocks. With Abe casting from the bow, Felipe on the panga Yellowfin was masterful at keeping the panga in position. By following the birds and the bait schools, Abe would cast into the boiling white water, and at times, was hooking a fish on every cast. We were mostly getting jacks and black skipjack tuna. These hard fighting fish were really pulling on the 10wt rod.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 87
Humidity 66%
Wind: WSW 11 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:20 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
The weather has been nice, ranging from overcast to sunny skies with some rain during the nights. The boats that did venture out and did quite well finding action at thirty miles that produced good sailfish catches ranging from the low single digits to a few double digit scores along with a few tuna and dorado. Several boats reported blue marlin catches as well. One boat fishing inshore enjoyed excellent action and released 6 roosters in the 25 to 45lb class.
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 100%
Wind: WSW 4 mph
Conditions: Thunder Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:34 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:31 p.m. CST
Saturday, June 04, 2005
East Cape in the Starting Gate
East Cape
Off to the races? Everybody is still standing in the starting gate waiting for the door to fly open! The weather is cool and comfortable; unfortunately the water is also cooler than usual and seems to be influencing everything. Basically, inshore and offshore the bite has its moments with some boats coming in with multiple flags while most have few if any. Plenty of billfish are being seen but few bites, the theory being they are plumb full of squid. Tuna are racing around and if you get lucky and bump in to them your rod will get bent for sure. If you think I am kidding, a few boats ran as far as 50 miles for a bunch of footballs while some guys fishing from the beach at the lighthouse got spooled a lot and still landed two yellowfin from the beach that weigh 40+. Only at East Cape! Speaking of the beach, that has been the best bet all week for our clients. Every client caught at least one rooster from the beach and one had four, plus two jacks. Most of them were in the low teens while several Bubbas demonstrated how they got so big. Putting in the time on the beach has definitely paid off. Who needs those stinking ATVs? We are headed up to Magdalena Bay to pick a fight with Mr. Snook – more on that next week. If you have a hankering for a rooster on the fly and aren’t here you are in the wrong place!
Baja on the Fly
Water temperature 68-80
Air temperature 73-93
Humidity 69%
Wind: SSE 4 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:01 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay , Baja Mexico
Still some wind to contend with this week that kept most of the anglers close to the beach. The corvina bite lit up at Lopez Mateos with double digit catches the norm. A few snook hooked and lost after they scurried back into the mangrove stumps. A few snapper were caught at Devil’s Curve. Offshore, the tuna seemed to be in the 20 mile range and outside of Lopez Mateos the dorado continued put on a show only a few miles from shore. Everybody is just waiting for the water to warm up a few degrees and the exotics should kick in nicely. We will be fishing with clients for the next few days out of Lopez Mateos and will have a first hand report next week.
Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 66-73
Humidity 77%
Wind: WNW 17 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:13 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° plus blue water is still just a mile or so off the beach. The outstanding fishing for the blue marlin has made this run one of the absolute best in years. We are boating between 18 and 20 blues or blacks a week. These are very good odds for catching a marlin, because we are not considering the numerous missed opportunities, and all of this is from only a fleet of about 10 boats a day hitting the water. This last Tuesday, the fleet boated 5 marlin. Remember, these are not those dinky striped marlin you read about in Baja. Stripers are not much larger than a sailfish. These blues and blacks are averaging about 250 pounds, with several hitting the 500 pound mark.
Besides releasing 5 sailfish on Thursday for Texas clients Jeff and Wayne Bair, Captain Santiago on the panga Gitana, also had a blue marlin on Wednesday. Clients Sonny and Magi Stolsig of Seattle got the blue marlin on sailfish gear while trolling a cut bait. They fought the 330 pound blue for a little over two hours on the 50 pound gear. After a spectacular series of greyhounding leaps, the marlin sounded and died. It took Santiago another 45 minutes of hand lining to get the fish to the boat.
I fly fished with Mike Poor and Ralph Logan of Lubbock, Texas. After raising a double on sails, but only teasing one to the boat, the sailfish was so aggressive, Mike had the opportunities and missed twice with the fly. Bad habits developed from trout fishing, by setting the hook with the rod tip, just do not work here on salt water big game. You must set the hook with a hard strip of the line. After the third attempt, the fish lost interest, so I pinned an 8" live goggle eye on a circle hook, made the cast and passed the rod to Ralph. A few minutes later, we tagged and released Ralph's first ever sailfish
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 80 - 89
Humidity 66%
Wind: WSW 8 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:18 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
The weather this past week has been nice during the day with occasional showers in the evenings. The winds have remained light and variable and pick up temporarily during the showers. Since we led this condition report with the weather you have probably figured out no one fished this week.
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 79%
Wind: WSW 4 mph
Conditions: Thunder Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:34 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:28 p.m. CST
Off to the races? Everybody is still standing in the starting gate waiting for the door to fly open! The weather is cool and comfortable; unfortunately the water is also cooler than usual and seems to be influencing everything. Basically, inshore and offshore the bite has its moments with some boats coming in with multiple flags while most have few if any. Plenty of billfish are being seen but few bites, the theory being they are plumb full of squid. Tuna are racing around and if you get lucky and bump in to them your rod will get bent for sure. If you think I am kidding, a few boats ran as far as 50 miles for a bunch of footballs while some guys fishing from the beach at the lighthouse got spooled a lot and still landed two yellowfin from the beach that weigh 40+. Only at East Cape! Speaking of the beach, that has been the best bet all week for our clients. Every client caught at least one rooster from the beach and one had four, plus two jacks. Most of them were in the low teens while several Bubbas demonstrated how they got so big. Putting in the time on the beach has definitely paid off. Who needs those stinking ATVs? We are headed up to Magdalena Bay to pick a fight with Mr. Snook – more on that next week. If you have a hankering for a rooster on the fly and aren’t here you are in the wrong place!
Baja on the Fly
Water temperature 68-80
Air temperature 73-93
Humidity 69%
Wind: SSE 4 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:01 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay , Baja Mexico
Still some wind to contend with this week that kept most of the anglers close to the beach. The corvina bite lit up at Lopez Mateos with double digit catches the norm. A few snook hooked and lost after they scurried back into the mangrove stumps. A few snapper were caught at Devil’s Curve. Offshore, the tuna seemed to be in the 20 mile range and outside of Lopez Mateos the dorado continued put on a show only a few miles from shore. Everybody is just waiting for the water to warm up a few degrees and the exotics should kick in nicely. We will be fishing with clients for the next few days out of Lopez Mateos and will have a first hand report next week.
Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 66-73
Humidity 77%
Wind: WNW 17 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:13 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° plus blue water is still just a mile or so off the beach. The outstanding fishing for the blue marlin has made this run one of the absolute best in years. We are boating between 18 and 20 blues or blacks a week. These are very good odds for catching a marlin, because we are not considering the numerous missed opportunities, and all of this is from only a fleet of about 10 boats a day hitting the water. This last Tuesday, the fleet boated 5 marlin. Remember, these are not those dinky striped marlin you read about in Baja. Stripers are not much larger than a sailfish. These blues and blacks are averaging about 250 pounds, with several hitting the 500 pound mark.
Besides releasing 5 sailfish on Thursday for Texas clients Jeff and Wayne Bair, Captain Santiago on the panga Gitana, also had a blue marlin on Wednesday. Clients Sonny and Magi Stolsig of Seattle got the blue marlin on sailfish gear while trolling a cut bait. They fought the 330 pound blue for a little over two hours on the 50 pound gear. After a spectacular series of greyhounding leaps, the marlin sounded and died. It took Santiago another 45 minutes of hand lining to get the fish to the boat.
I fly fished with Mike Poor and Ralph Logan of Lubbock, Texas. After raising a double on sails, but only teasing one to the boat, the sailfish was so aggressive, Mike had the opportunities and missed twice with the fly. Bad habits developed from trout fishing, by setting the hook with the rod tip, just do not work here on salt water big game. You must set the hook with a hard strip of the line. After the third attempt, the fish lost interest, so I pinned an 8" live goggle eye on a circle hook, made the cast and passed the rod to Ralph. A few minutes later, we tagged and released Ralph's first ever sailfish
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 80 - 89
Humidity 66%
Wind: WSW 8 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:18 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
The weather this past week has been nice during the day with occasional showers in the evenings. The winds have remained light and variable and pick up temporarily during the showers. Since we led this condition report with the weather you have probably figured out no one fished this week.
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 79%
Wind: WSW 4 mph
Conditions: Thunder Storms
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 5:34 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:28 p.m. CST
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