For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
East Cape
The weather over the last couple of days has been great. The wind and waves subsided for the most part and the inshore water is looking as good as it has for quite some time. Baja on the Fly Lance Peterson reported enthusiastically:
“I fished the beach hard yesterday (4/29), starting to the south and working my way back to La Capilla. I walked a few miles of beach and found few if any gamefish and very little bait for the most part, only small scattered schools of mullet and some decent gatherings of ballyhoo. I eventually spotted a pair of small jack crevalle on the prowl near La Salina. While I did not get them to eat, I was stoked to take a couple of casts at cruising fish. Hopefully, the gamefish will soon be on beach patrol and the spring season can finally kick in!”
[BotF Guide] Josh and Captain Juan on the panga “Mosca” have been working the inshore water with clients Phil Bryna and Al Tiggert, visiting from Anchorage. They have had a few roosters come up to the teasers and put on a good show. While the fish have not been numerous, they were enough fire up these hard fishing Alaskans. Both guys have hit the beach until sundown after their boat trips every day this week. Phil was even rewarded with his first rooster on the fly not far from the hotel . . . yes, persistence pays off when it comes to roosterfish. They are already talking about a return trip in June to continue their quest for the elusive pez gallo.
Offshore there continues to be striped marlin on the bite. Captain Ramon of the cruiser “Tres Hermanos” even reported a few sailfish in the spread yesterday along with the marlin. Sounds like a great time to try for billfish on the fly. A few of the Palmas boats could be seen flying tuna flags yesterday. A sign of things to come? The timing is right for the offshore fishing to really take off, let's hope it goes wide open!
However, on a sour note, by yesterday afternoon the wind had ramped up once again causing plenty of white caps and wind waves along the shore. Here’s hoping it flattens out this morning.
Report by Lance Peterson, Baja on the Fly Guide
Water temperature 69-78
Air temperature 62-89
Humidity 45%
Wind: NW 11 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:46 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:46 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay , Baja Mexico
Plenty of sun and wind is the story for Mag Bay. The giant squid continue to be the best thing going on the fishing front. Several boats spent a couple days pounding the Devil’s Curve zone with dismal results. I did hear some rumors of tuna 20 miles offshore, but with the wind and high seas, no one has been out to confirm the report.
Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 66-75
Humidity 94%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:56 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue water remains only five to six miles off the beach and the sea temperatures are in the 80s. All the conditions are in place for a great May, but the full moon hurt us a bit this last week.
The blue marlin bite is still is still strong, with three be taken in the best day this last week. At least one has been taken each day.
Roosterfish are showing again, with May be the traditional start of action for the hard fighting members of the jack family.
About two sailfish a day average, per boat, are being caught.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 89
Humidity 83%
Wind: WSW 8 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:06 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
This past week we had the pleasure of hosting a couple of experienced anglers. The Lumadue party of three from Pennsylvania all took a turn using both conventional and fly-fishing gear to great success during their four days of fishing. The weather was nice. The run to the fish was about 40 miles, but once there they enjoyed periods of non-stop action.
Fishing guide and newspaper columnist Paul Bruun, Jackson Hole, Wyo., visited us in early March. Here is a link to his entertaining story of the trip and a good example of why hunters and anglers from all over the world subscribe to the little Jackson Hole paper:
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/PaulBruun.html
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 86
Humidity 94%
Wind: SSE 11 mph
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 5:41 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:19 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
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Saturday, April 23, 2005
We Need Those Stinking Sardina
For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
East Cape
Wind continues to be a factor in the overall fishing, however, the marlin show has been extraordinary for this early in the year. It is unusual to have enough fish at this time to actually get enough shots to merit attempting the flyrod. The yellowfin tuna have appeared and the catch numbers are climbing every week. What is missing is the sardina and mullet usually found along the beaches. Of course, that not only makes the beach fishing tough, with no bait for chum on the boats, it changes the strategy dramatically for the fly-rodder.
Here is Lance's latest report of a beach day that he and co-Baja on the Fly guide Josh had this week:
“We fished the beach hard today. We came in from the backside using my truck. We walked miles and blind cast diligently. There was not one fish to cast to in all the water we fished. There was very little if any bait. We only saw a few scattered ballyhoo, no mullet and no sardina. The beach was about as lifeless as we have yet seen it.”
So, for now we, play a waiting game. Waiting for the wind to quit . . . sardina and mullet to arrive . . . I am sure in a few weeks (if we can wait that long) we will all be saying "It was worth the wait."
Report by Baja on the Fly
Water temperature 69-76
Air temperature 62-88
Humidity 45%
Wind: NNW 15 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:43 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Finally, a few yellows showed under the bird schools at the entrada; there were also a few sierra mixed in. If you ventured outside the entrada, the bird schools showed the way to some decent bonito and skipjack action. Water temperature is beginning to slowly creep up, which should bring in some of the exotics. Los Barriles produced non-stop action for cabrilla with an occasional snook grabbing the fly catching the unsuspecting angler off guard. Also a few corvina and grouper could be found up at Devil’s Curve.
Same action for skipjack and bonito could be found outside the boca up at Lopez Mateos. The esteros up there also produced a few decent shook and enough corvina to keep the anglers interested.
Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 68-75
Humidity 64%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:53 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80-degree blue water is only about 6 to 7 miles off the beach and fishing is definitely showing an improvement over the last couple of weeks. The blue marlin bite is continuing on a strong note, sailfish are steady, and the yellowfin tuna are finally making a strong showing.
This week, Ruben on the 31-foot Bertram Vamonos caught two marlin of about 250 pounds each. He had several other opportunities, but was not able to get a decent hook set.
Adolpho on the panga Dos Hermanos, fishing with clients from France, had a great day yesterday (Fri.) On conventional gear, they lost a large marlin, but caught a 100 pound yellowfin tuna. They also picked up several other 30- to 40-pound yellowfin and a couple of sailfish. On the pier early this morning, Adolpho told me the overall fishing is very good, especially with several schools of tuna out around the 16 to 20 mile mark.
The inshore action on the big jack crevalle and roosters has pretty much been blown out all this last week with a very high surf. The jacks are feeding about a mile off the beach however, and action on these hard fighting fish has been very good when trolling a live bait, Rapala, or casting a surface popper. Teasing them in with a hookless popper has been the ticket for the flyrod anglers.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 89
Humidity 78%
Wind: WSW 8 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:24 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:04 p.m. CDT
San Jose , Guatemala
The action has picked up, and the weather was great for the first part of the week. We had the pleasure of hosting return client Burt Turner and first-timer Matt Johnson for three days of fly-fishing. Burt is an experienced fly angler who has made at least one trip to Guatemala each year for the past several years, and Matt was there to experience the action for the first time after hearing Burt recount the great action over the years. Over the three days, the fishing action increased each day along with the duo's skills and they quickly built up to double digit releases and even enjoyed some dorado and tuna action. On the final day, Mother Nature kicked the seas up, but at the same time exponentially increased the sailfish action. They enjoyed a morning of non-stop action on the fly that surpassed the prior two days. As they headed out to Antigua, Matt indicated that his time in Guatemala was the best trip he had taken in 15 years, and would definitely be back.
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 86
Humidity 94%
Wind: West 8 mph
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 5:45 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:17 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
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
East Cape
Wind continues to be a factor in the overall fishing, however, the marlin show has been extraordinary for this early in the year. It is unusual to have enough fish at this time to actually get enough shots to merit attempting the flyrod. The yellowfin tuna have appeared and the catch numbers are climbing every week. What is missing is the sardina and mullet usually found along the beaches. Of course, that not only makes the beach fishing tough, with no bait for chum on the boats, it changes the strategy dramatically for the fly-rodder.
Here is Lance's latest report of a beach day that he and co-Baja on the Fly guide Josh had this week:
“We fished the beach hard today. We came in from the backside using my truck. We walked miles and blind cast diligently. There was not one fish to cast to in all the water we fished. There was very little if any bait. We only saw a few scattered ballyhoo, no mullet and no sardina. The beach was about as lifeless as we have yet seen it.”
So, for now we, play a waiting game. Waiting for the wind to quit . . . sardina and mullet to arrive . . . I am sure in a few weeks (if we can wait that long) we will all be saying "It was worth the wait."
Report by Baja on the Fly
Water temperature 69-76
Air temperature 62-88
Humidity 45%
Wind: NNW 15 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:43 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Finally, a few yellows showed under the bird schools at the entrada; there were also a few sierra mixed in. If you ventured outside the entrada, the bird schools showed the way to some decent bonito and skipjack action. Water temperature is beginning to slowly creep up, which should bring in some of the exotics. Los Barriles produced non-stop action for cabrilla with an occasional snook grabbing the fly catching the unsuspecting angler off guard. Also a few corvina and grouper could be found up at Devil’s Curve.
Same action for skipjack and bonito could be found outside the boca up at Lopez Mateos. The esteros up there also produced a few decent shook and enough corvina to keep the anglers interested.
Water temperature 62-71
Air temperature 68-75
Humidity 64%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:53 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80-degree blue water is only about 6 to 7 miles off the beach and fishing is definitely showing an improvement over the last couple of weeks. The blue marlin bite is continuing on a strong note, sailfish are steady, and the yellowfin tuna are finally making a strong showing.
This week, Ruben on the 31-foot Bertram Vamonos caught two marlin of about 250 pounds each. He had several other opportunities, but was not able to get a decent hook set.
Adolpho on the panga Dos Hermanos, fishing with clients from France, had a great day yesterday (Fri.) On conventional gear, they lost a large marlin, but caught a 100 pound yellowfin tuna. They also picked up several other 30- to 40-pound yellowfin and a couple of sailfish. On the pier early this morning, Adolpho told me the overall fishing is very good, especially with several schools of tuna out around the 16 to 20 mile mark.
The inshore action on the big jack crevalle and roosters has pretty much been blown out all this last week with a very high surf. The jacks are feeding about a mile off the beach however, and action on these hard fighting fish has been very good when trolling a live bait, Rapala, or casting a surface popper. Teasing them in with a hookless popper has been the ticket for the flyrod anglers.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 89
Humidity 78%
Wind: WSW 8 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:24 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:04 p.m. CDT
San Jose , Guatemala
The action has picked up, and the weather was great for the first part of the week. We had the pleasure of hosting return client Burt Turner and first-timer Matt Johnson for three days of fly-fishing. Burt is an experienced fly angler who has made at least one trip to Guatemala each year for the past several years, and Matt was there to experience the action for the first time after hearing Burt recount the great action over the years. Over the three days, the fishing action increased each day along with the duo's skills and they quickly built up to double digit releases and even enjoyed some dorado and tuna action. On the final day, Mother Nature kicked the seas up, but at the same time exponentially increased the sailfish action. They enjoyed a morning of non-stop action on the fly that surpassed the prior two days. As they headed out to Antigua, Matt indicated that his time in Guatemala was the best trip he had taken in 15 years, and would definitely be back.
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 86
Humidity 94%
Wind: West 8 mph
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 5:45 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:17 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
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Transition Time Below the Border
For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
East Cape
Early in the week again saw more wind that the kept most of our clients hunkered around the pool until Thurs. (4/14), when we welcomed our first flat calm morning in some time. Of course, there had to be a catch . . . there was little if any bait to be found for purchase. Both [Baja on the Fly guide] Josh and I had to search far and wide for some, but came up empty. I opted to go out and try and troll up a bonito or two. We hooked only one and I headed inshore to tease roosters. The bonito was a good teasing bait, very lively and durable, but we found no roosters to tease in the early morning. We eventually found a few ladyfish for our casts. There were even a few pompano early, but they proved difficult to hook. Large schools of jacks were seen, but they were once again milling in circles and very boat-shy. The sea lions were attacking them – which did not help their mood. Josh found some feeding jacks Wed. for his clients and brought some big ones to the boat.
Report by Baja on the Fly Guide Lance Peterson.
Water temperature
66-74
Air temperature 69-82
Humidity 39%
Wind: 5 mph from the WNW
Conditions: Scattered Clouds 25000 ft
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:40 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Not much to report this week as most of the attention was directed toward the unusual run of Humboldt squid outside the entrada. Reports of squid to 30 pounds were the talk of San Carlos. With perfect weather, the action both inside and outside should begin to pick up in the next few weeks. There are still a couple of whales hanging around, delaying their long migration North until the very last minute.
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Conditions are getting more favorable every day. The blue water is moving back in to just a few miles off the beach and the water temperature is edging into the 80-degree mark. The best results have been the blue marlin this last week. We have now had 11 days in a row where at least 1 nice blue has been boated.
Plus, the inshore fishing for jack crevalle is still holding up and has provided us a lot of action for both the anglers using light line conventional gear or the flyrod enthusiasts. Jim Kelsey of the San Francisco Bay area fished with Felipe and me on the panga Yellowfin and took 6 jacks to 25 pounds near the Valentine area.
Chase Smith of New Braunfels, Tex., fished with Ruben on the Vamonos I and got a very nice blue marlin. But, they missed a much larger one.
Santiago got another blue this week for his clients on the panga Gitana, plus 4 sailfish the next day. However, most of the boats are only getting between 1 and 2 sails a day.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 91
Humidity 78%
Wind:
Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:28 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:02 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
Sat. night (4/9) brought a tropical thunderstorm leaving a soggy San Jose that greeted Lori-Ann Murphy, Reel-Women Angling and her group of five women flyfishers who had come in search sailfish action on the fly. While long boat rides were the norm, the women weren’t disappointed; flat seas and sunny skies made the traveling easy as they searched for their first opportunity to face a sailfish with only a fly-fishing outfit between them and the fish. The entire group with the exception of one met their goal during the four exciting days of Guatemala bluewater fishing.
Those who achieved their goal of a sail-on-the-fly for the trip were Lori-Ann Murphy, Victor, Idaho; Bobbie Armor, Fremont, Calif.; Diana Rudolph, Islamorada, Fla.; Nancy Keilty, Cedar Mich.; and Jodie Reece, Florida, releasing their first sailfish on the fly and in some cases more than one. In addition to the sailfish, JoAnn “Bo” Ribaudo, Destin, Fla., found enough tuna and dorado for dinner several days to earn the title “Provider” from the group. As they toasted each other’s accomplishments with 23 year old Guatemalan rum at their awards ceremony on the final night at Villas Pacifico Hotel, they all agreed that it had been as fantastic an adventure as they had hoped for and would continue next year.
Water temperature
78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 89
Humidity 94%
Wind: NE 11 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 5:49 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:16 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
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
East Cape
Early in the week again saw more wind that the kept most of our clients hunkered around the pool until Thurs. (4/14), when we welcomed our first flat calm morning in some time. Of course, there had to be a catch . . . there was little if any bait to be found for purchase. Both [Baja on the Fly guide] Josh and I had to search far and wide for some, but came up empty. I opted to go out and try and troll up a bonito or two. We hooked only one and I headed inshore to tease roosters. The bonito was a good teasing bait, very lively and durable, but we found no roosters to tease in the early morning. We eventually found a few ladyfish for our casts. There were even a few pompano early, but they proved difficult to hook. Large schools of jacks were seen, but they were once again milling in circles and very boat-shy. The sea lions were attacking them – which did not help their mood. Josh found some feeding jacks Wed. for his clients and brought some big ones to the boat.
Report by Baja on the Fly Guide Lance Peterson.
Water temperature
66-74
Air temperature 69-82
Humidity 39%
Wind: 5 mph from the WNW
Conditions: Scattered Clouds 25000 ft
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:40 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Not much to report this week as most of the attention was directed toward the unusual run of Humboldt squid outside the entrada. Reports of squid to 30 pounds were the talk of San Carlos. With perfect weather, the action both inside and outside should begin to pick up in the next few weeks. There are still a couple of whales hanging around, delaying their long migration North until the very last minute.
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Conditions are getting more favorable every day. The blue water is moving back in to just a few miles off the beach and the water temperature is edging into the 80-degree mark. The best results have been the blue marlin this last week. We have now had 11 days in a row where at least 1 nice blue has been boated.
Plus, the inshore fishing for jack crevalle is still holding up and has provided us a lot of action for both the anglers using light line conventional gear or the flyrod enthusiasts. Jim Kelsey of the San Francisco Bay area fished with Felipe and me on the panga Yellowfin and took 6 jacks to 25 pounds near the Valentine area.
Chase Smith of New Braunfels, Tex., fished with Ruben on the Vamonos I and got a very nice blue marlin. But, they missed a much larger one.
Santiago got another blue this week for his clients on the panga Gitana, plus 4 sailfish the next day. However, most of the boats are only getting between 1 and 2 sails a day.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 91
Humidity 78%
Wind:
Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:28 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:02 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
Sat. night (4/9) brought a tropical thunderstorm leaving a soggy San Jose that greeted Lori-Ann Murphy, Reel-Women Angling and her group of five women flyfishers who had come in search sailfish action on the fly. While long boat rides were the norm, the women weren’t disappointed; flat seas and sunny skies made the traveling easy as they searched for their first opportunity to face a sailfish with only a fly-fishing outfit between them and the fish. The entire group with the exception of one met their goal during the four exciting days of Guatemala bluewater fishing.
Those who achieved their goal of a sail-on-the-fly for the trip were Lori-Ann Murphy, Victor, Idaho; Bobbie Armor, Fremont, Calif.; Diana Rudolph, Islamorada, Fla.; Nancy Keilty, Cedar Mich.; and Jodie Reece, Florida, releasing their first sailfish on the fly and in some cases more than one. In addition to the sailfish, JoAnn “Bo” Ribaudo, Destin, Fla., found enough tuna and dorado for dinner several days to earn the title “Provider” from the group. As they toasted each other’s accomplishments with 23 year old Guatemalan rum at their awards ceremony on the final night at Villas Pacifico Hotel, they all agreed that it had been as fantastic an adventure as they had hoped for and would continue next year.
Water temperature
78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 89
Humidity 94%
Wind: NE 11 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 5:49 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:16 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
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Transition Time in Baja
East Cape
Mon. (4/4) the weather was picture perfect and hopes were high that fishing would improve with the weather. Unfortunately, the ubiquitous North wind returned on Tues. afternoon and persisted through the night. Thurs., we found good numbers of big roosterfish, jacks, and big sierra (finally!) tearing the bait up in a big way. I teased with hookless mackerel all day and had guests Hegge Wilson and Jon Hickerson, from LeGrande, Ore., casting until they were worn out. Jon boated a really nice sierra and had no less than five great bites on roosterfish . . . but he did not get a good hook set and couldn’t get tight to a fish. Such is rooster fishing!
There were numerous schools of jacks on the move, but they were as spooky as I've ever seen them. Any cast would send them scattering in a panic . . . odd. Yesterday (4/8) a thick fog clung to the water for most of the morning. Josh [another Baja on the Fly guide] and I both fished inshore all day trolling hookless live bait. Wilson boated another nice sierra, but the others were not able to get a hook into a fish. We did not see the action we had the previous day. Only a couple of roosters came to the bait, as well as only a few sierra. Offshore, the marlin bite slowed down also. Only five fish on the board tonight: four marlin and one sierra.
The sardina have yet to show, so the only bait available for chum is mackerel.
Report by Baja on the Fly.
Water temperature 66-74
Air temperature 66-82
Humidity 65%
Wind: NNE 4 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:37 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
There was little surface action to talk about at the entrada, however a few grouper that were deeper in the water column were found near Santa Margarita Island. We’ve been hearing rumors of tuna 40 miles south of the entrada. Corvina and a few quality snook were found up near Devil’s Curve. The halibut bite was pretty consistent on most of the sandy beaches with the south side of Belchers being one of the better spots. A slowly retrieved olive Baja Deep Diver was doing the trick for the snook.
Water temperature 69-75
Air temperature 62-79
Humidity 6%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:09 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:46 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The water has been warming up, and sending the cold water current we have had for this last month out of the area. In summary, the sailfish action is picking up, the blue marlin are moving into the area, and we even got into the roosters yesterday (4/8). The yellowfin tuna are still a no-show.
I fished with Baja on the Fly clients The Barrow Family of Mountain Home, Ark., trying for a sailfish on the fly on Wed. (4/6). It was just too early in the week as the sailfish did not become active until yesterday. We did raise one sail and a marlin however, but were not able to get any action on the fly when they came to the boat. As of today, the fleet is averaging about one sailfish per boat on conventional gear.
This last Sun., Mon., Wed., and yesterday Felipe, on the panga Yellowfin and I fished with various clients with the flyrod, or Felipe fished alone with conventional gear, targeting the inshore jack crevalle bite. On Sun., Tom Ohlson of Colorado got a few on the fly and surface popper. Mon., Dave Powell ended up with 12 of the hard-fighting jacks on surface poppers and slow trolled live bait. Fly fisherman Chuck Smith had 4, and Greg Benfit, of Portland, Ore, and his wife got 4 jacks and 2 very nice roosterfish. Chuck found out just how hard the 6- to 20-pound jacks fight when he snapped his 10-weight in three places. He tried to lift, but the big jack wanted to go down.
Felipe told me roosters were crashing the bait on the beach, and mixed in with the jacks. "There must have been 50 or 60 roosters among the 150 or so jacks. All the roosters were in the 30- to 40-pound class. Their combs were standing straight up and you could easily see them. This is the earliest I have heard of the roosters being here in quantity, so things may really be looking up,” he said.
Several blue marlin were caught this week with the panga Oceana with one. The private boat Aleta Negra, owned by Karl Peters of Nashville released one, and the cruiser Rosa Nautica got one. The largest was caught on the panga Gitana, with Captain Santiago. The huge blue was estimated at about 575 pounds.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75 - 89
Humidity 77%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:34 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:00 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
Forty mile runs were the norm for the week. Once the fish were located, the action heated up allowing most of the fleet to maintain a decent 70% hook-to-release rate. To add to the excitement, a few marlin showed up in the pattern along with an occasional dorado. Internationally known fly-fishing guide Lori Ann Murphy and her Reel Women group will be arriving tomorrow (4/10) looking to get into the billfish-on-a-fly action. Hopefully, we will be able to deliver the same kind of trip Lori Ann’s friend Paul Bruun and Terry Shade had a few weeks ago. Sailfish, marlin, dorado and maybe a roosterfish or two inshore should be enough to keep them smiling. We know the women will be ready, so it should be a fun party if the fish cooperate!
And finally, inshore there were several roosterfish released in one afternoon of fishing.
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 74%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 5:53 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:16 p.m. CST
Mon. (4/4) the weather was picture perfect and hopes were high that fishing would improve with the weather. Unfortunately, the ubiquitous North wind returned on Tues. afternoon and persisted through the night. Thurs., we found good numbers of big roosterfish, jacks, and big sierra (finally!) tearing the bait up in a big way. I teased with hookless mackerel all day and had guests Hegge Wilson and Jon Hickerson, from LeGrande, Ore., casting until they were worn out. Jon boated a really nice sierra and had no less than five great bites on roosterfish . . . but he did not get a good hook set and couldn’t get tight to a fish. Such is rooster fishing!
There were numerous schools of jacks on the move, but they were as spooky as I've ever seen them. Any cast would send them scattering in a panic . . . odd. Yesterday (4/8) a thick fog clung to the water for most of the morning. Josh [another Baja on the Fly guide] and I both fished inshore all day trolling hookless live bait. Wilson boated another nice sierra, but the others were not able to get a hook into a fish. We did not see the action we had the previous day. Only a couple of roosters came to the bait, as well as only a few sierra. Offshore, the marlin bite slowed down also. Only five fish on the board tonight: four marlin and one sierra.
The sardina have yet to show, so the only bait available for chum is mackerel.
Report by Baja on the Fly.
Water temperature 66-74
Air temperature 66-82
Humidity 65%
Wind: NNE 4 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:37 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
There was little surface action to talk about at the entrada, however a few grouper that were deeper in the water column were found near Santa Margarita Island. We’ve been hearing rumors of tuna 40 miles south of the entrada. Corvina and a few quality snook were found up near Devil’s Curve. The halibut bite was pretty consistent on most of the sandy beaches with the south side of Belchers being one of the better spots. A slowly retrieved olive Baja Deep Diver was doing the trick for the snook.
Water temperature 69-75
Air temperature 62-79
Humidity 6%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:09 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:46 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The water has been warming up, and sending the cold water current we have had for this last month out of the area. In summary, the sailfish action is picking up, the blue marlin are moving into the area, and we even got into the roosters yesterday (4/8). The yellowfin tuna are still a no-show.
I fished with Baja on the Fly clients The Barrow Family of Mountain Home, Ark., trying for a sailfish on the fly on Wed. (4/6). It was just too early in the week as the sailfish did not become active until yesterday. We did raise one sail and a marlin however, but were not able to get any action on the fly when they came to the boat. As of today, the fleet is averaging about one sailfish per boat on conventional gear.
This last Sun., Mon., Wed., and yesterday Felipe, on the panga Yellowfin and I fished with various clients with the flyrod, or Felipe fished alone with conventional gear, targeting the inshore jack crevalle bite. On Sun., Tom Ohlson of Colorado got a few on the fly and surface popper. Mon., Dave Powell ended up with 12 of the hard-fighting jacks on surface poppers and slow trolled live bait. Fly fisherman Chuck Smith had 4, and Greg Benfit, of Portland, Ore, and his wife got 4 jacks and 2 very nice roosterfish. Chuck found out just how hard the 6- to 20-pound jacks fight when he snapped his 10-weight in three places. He tried to lift, but the big jack wanted to go down.
Felipe told me roosters were crashing the bait on the beach, and mixed in with the jacks. "There must have been 50 or 60 roosters among the 150 or so jacks. All the roosters were in the 30- to 40-pound class. Their combs were standing straight up and you could easily see them. This is the earliest I have heard of the roosters being here in quantity, so things may really be looking up,” he said.
Several blue marlin were caught this week with the panga Oceana with one. The private boat Aleta Negra, owned by Karl Peters of Nashville released one, and the cruiser Rosa Nautica got one. The largest was caught on the panga Gitana, with Captain Santiago. The huge blue was estimated at about 575 pounds.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 75 - 89
Humidity 77%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:34 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:00 p.m. CDT
San Jose, Guatemala
Forty mile runs were the norm for the week. Once the fish were located, the action heated up allowing most of the fleet to maintain a decent 70% hook-to-release rate. To add to the excitement, a few marlin showed up in the pattern along with an occasional dorado. Internationally known fly-fishing guide Lori Ann Murphy and her Reel Women group will be arriving tomorrow (4/10) looking to get into the billfish-on-a-fly action. Hopefully, we will be able to deliver the same kind of trip Lori Ann’s friend Paul Bruun and Terry Shade had a few weeks ago. Sailfish, marlin, dorado and maybe a roosterfish or two inshore should be enough to keep them smiling. We know the women will be ready, so it should be a fun party if the fish cooperate!
And finally, inshore there were several roosterfish released in one afternoon of fishing.
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 74%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 5:53 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:16 p.m. CST
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Last Gasps of Winter, We Hope!
For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
East Cape
The first three days of the week were punctuated by a strong North wind. Cecilia “Pudge” Kleinkauf’s Baja Spring Co-Ed Special began Mon. (3/28) with mixed results. Tues. and Wed. produced fair action early in the morning for skipjack in front of La Ribera. Later in the day, moving offshore, the group found plenty to look at as the marlin put on a show feeding on the surface. Steve Tomilson, New York, NY had excellent action on roosterfish inshore, landing his first-ever on the fly. He rounded off the day with a few skipjack and ladyfish. He is already talking about coming back in May to hunt for Bubba. By the end of the week, the North wind was back, keeping all but the most dedicated close to the pool with a book in one hand and a cold drink with an umbrella in the other. Ron Radwin, Pittstown, NJ drove up from Cabo San Lucas to check out the beach and liked what he saw. A frequent visitor to Baja, he plans to hang out on a Baja beach more often.
Report by Baja on the Fly.
Water temperature 67-74
Air temperature 68-82
Humidity 37%
Wind: 12 mph N
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 6:10 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:34 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
After several weeks of windy conditions, it finally settled down with welcome sunny skies and no wind. Up at Devil’s Curve, the snook began to bite and I heard of at least one that was in the 25-pound class. Out at the entrada, there were a few small firecracker yellowtail as well as sierra under the bird schools. Outside, there were plenty of skipjack to keep the rods bent.
Diana Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters, Lopez Mateos, reported some large snook at Boca de Soledad along with plenty of pompano. Still nothing of note to report offshore.
Water temperature 69-75
Air temperature 66-82
Humidity 6%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 6:17 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:43 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The inshore action has picked up a bit, with most boats still scoring on the jack crevalle and black skipjack tuna. The action on the jacks, when we find them busting bait on the beach has been about as exciting fishing as I have ever had. There will be from 100 to 300 birds diving on the melee as the jacks crash the bait in the waves. You have just enough time to make two or three casts to hook a fish. While you are hooked up, the bait is racing up the beach until the jacks and birds find them again. It is strictly run and gun action, and very productive.
The Terrifin Satellite Surface Temperature charts show 80 degree water at 16 miles. We should start getting the sails again this next week.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 73 - 87
Humidity 74%
Wind: 5 mph from the WSW
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:40 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:59 p.m. CST
San Jose, Guatemala
Cloudy skies persisted most of the week and took its toll, producing lower averages than normal for this time of year. 30-40 miles were not uncommon as the fleet spread out in search of the hot bite. Plenty of sailfish showed up in the pattern, but less aggressive. The trick was to entice them to take the fly.
Think pink, the usual mantra, wasn’t working so it was a good week to try some other colors. Dorado-colored Billfish Babies along with blue and white produced the best results. Everyone had plenty of shots and hookups and managed to release at least one sail a day on the fly. Dorado were thick and almost a nuisance, but real crowd-pleasers at the dinner table.
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 74%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 5:58 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:15 p.m. CST
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
East Cape
The first three days of the week were punctuated by a strong North wind. Cecilia “Pudge” Kleinkauf’s Baja Spring Co-Ed Special began Mon. (3/28) with mixed results. Tues. and Wed. produced fair action early in the morning for skipjack in front of La Ribera. Later in the day, moving offshore, the group found plenty to look at as the marlin put on a show feeding on the surface. Steve Tomilson, New York, NY had excellent action on roosterfish inshore, landing his first-ever on the fly. He rounded off the day with a few skipjack and ladyfish. He is already talking about coming back in May to hunt for Bubba. By the end of the week, the North wind was back, keeping all but the most dedicated close to the pool with a book in one hand and a cold drink with an umbrella in the other. Ron Radwin, Pittstown, NJ drove up from Cabo San Lucas to check out the beach and liked what he saw. A frequent visitor to Baja, he plans to hang out on a Baja beach more often.
Report by Baja on the Fly.
Water temperature 67-74
Air temperature 68-82
Humidity 37%
Wind: 12 mph N
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 6:10 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:34 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
After several weeks of windy conditions, it finally settled down with welcome sunny skies and no wind. Up at Devil’s Curve, the snook began to bite and I heard of at least one that was in the 25-pound class. Out at the entrada, there were a few small firecracker yellowtail as well as sierra under the bird schools. Outside, there were plenty of skipjack to keep the rods bent.
Diana Hoyt, Mag Bay Outfitters, Lopez Mateos, reported some large snook at Boca de Soledad along with plenty of pompano. Still nothing of note to report offshore.
Water temperature 69-75
Air temperature 66-82
Humidity 6%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 6:17 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:43 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The inshore action has picked up a bit, with most boats still scoring on the jack crevalle and black skipjack tuna. The action on the jacks, when we find them busting bait on the beach has been about as exciting fishing as I have ever had. There will be from 100 to 300 birds diving on the melee as the jacks crash the bait in the waves. You have just enough time to make two or three casts to hook a fish. While you are hooked up, the bait is racing up the beach until the jacks and birds find them again. It is strictly run and gun action, and very productive.
The Terrifin Satellite Surface Temperature charts show 80 degree water at 16 miles. We should start getting the sails again this next week.
Baja on the Fly report by Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 73 - 87
Humidity 74%
Wind: 5 mph from the WSW
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:40 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:59 p.m. CST
San Jose, Guatemala
Cloudy skies persisted most of the week and took its toll, producing lower averages than normal for this time of year. 30-40 miles were not uncommon as the fleet spread out in search of the hot bite. Plenty of sailfish showed up in the pattern, but less aggressive. The trick was to entice them to take the fly.
Think pink, the usual mantra, wasn’t working so it was a good week to try some other colors. Dorado-colored Billfish Babies along with blue and white produced the best results. Everyone had plenty of shots and hookups and managed to release at least one sail a day on the fly. Dorado were thick and almost a nuisance, but real crowd-pleasers at the dinner table.
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 82- 84
Humidity 74%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 5:58 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:15 p.m. CST
San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarlin
For additional information: bajafly@bajafly.com
USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
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