Baja Windy...Zihuatanejo Blues

REPORT #999 . “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update 02/22/06
East Cape
We started off with great weather early in the week as the north wind took a few days off allowing a few boats to get in on the unusual winter dorado bite. Nothing huge, still fifteen-pound dorado aren’t to be sneezed at. Beyond that, fishing was pretty sketchy with good catches of white bonita being the lead item.

By mid-week the wind was back in full force causing grumpy seas. Even the early risers in search of some gray light sierra action were greeted with blown out beaches and few if any fish.

According to the extended wind forecast, it may be Tuesday before things settle down, so we are declaring this a Baja kickback weekend which I imagine will include some pool time laced with an occasional margarita or cerveza for East Cape visitors which isn’t a bad way to spend a February weekend.

Baja on the Fly

Water temperature 62-72
Air temperature 63-78
Humidity 34%
Wind: NNW 13 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:43 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:20 p.m. MST

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Outside, the conditions are windy, sloppy and the water temps have dropped like a rock down to the 60 degree range. Inside, the Entrada is still producing fair catches of firecracker yellows and leopard grouper. At Puerto San Carlos, under the bridge at slack tide there are a few corvina to be found.
Whale watching continues to keep the panga fleet busy.

Same deal up at Lopez Mateos, more whales than fish this week. The corvina bite continued to produce the best action with a few mystery bites sprinkled in…….snook maybe?


Water temperature 68-73
Air temperature 61-74
Humidity 79%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:52 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:26 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Blue Marlin are the big story this week. There have been (literally) a ton of them caught. There are about 5 hook-ups a day for the fleet on these 250 pound average fish, with several of them over 400 pounds. One fish boated this week was almost 700 pounds. Yesterday, Mike Griffen of Alaska, wanted a few more hours of fishing with Captain Poli on the Don Gordo before he had to catch a flight home. At only 4 miles outside Zihuatanejo Bay he released a sailfish, and a few minutes later, hooked into a 350 pound marlin.

The fleet is averaging about 2 sailfish a day, but this will definitely improve as we go into the dark of the moon period next week.

One large 75 pound rooster was taken this week at the White rocks. It ate a slow-trolled live mackerel. Not much else has been reported inshore.

Ed Kunze, Zihuatanejo

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 87
Humidity 79%
Wind W 8 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:06 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:51 p.m. CST
San Jose, Guatemala
Like Zihuatanejo, it sounds like the sailfish slowed a click and took a back seat this week while the blue and black marlin went off pretty well. This accentuates the point that you never know what may show up in the pattern. Talk about a thrill, you are staring at the teasers expecting a sailfish to appear and a monster marlin the size of small VW suddenly appears. That could intimidate even the most seasoned fly fisher.


Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 72- 82
Humidity 94%
Wind: SS6 6 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:21 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:10 p.m. CST

East Cape Dorado...Guatemala Sailfish

REPORT #998 . “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update 02/18/06
East Cape
Our guide, Lance Peterson, reports – “The weather has been great the last few days and it offered Dwight Scott, Houston TX, and me a great chance to fish 28 miles offshore on a flat calm sea. There were good numbers of schoolie sized dorado to 10lbs on the prowl. Mostly singles but we did draw in schools to the boat on two occasions and had fun casting to them. They proved a bit picky and wanted their flies ripped across the surface as fast as possible. Blue and white or pink and white tube flies with Sigler popper heads were the ticket. It was really cool to see them around the boat in the clear, flat water. There were plenty of "hit and run" strikes on the teasers, and seeing them hard charge across the wake barely subsurface for a look at the spread was very exciting. We also saw a few free-jumping marlin, but couldn't draw them into the pattern. We even found a few whales out there, including what appeared to be a big sperm whale, lounging on the surface enjoying the unusual spring like weather.

Inshore sierra action continues, but it's a very early morning bite. We cast a bit along the shore early yesterday but the action had subsided by the time we got there. The local hand-liners on shore did well. We saw one guy walking home with 3 sierra in each hand. Those guys really know how to catch 'em!”

Baja on the Fly

Water temperature 62-70
Air temperature 61-78
Humidity 34%
Wind: NNW 13 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:49 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:16 p.m. MST
San Jose, Guatemala
Early in the week the wind blew all night and Monday morning the fleet was greeted with grumpy seas and the prospect of it getting worse before it got better. However, by late Monday afternoon the seas had subsided and the sun was shining bright.

Chris Pearson, from Boise, Idaho, and Jack Balch, Fremont, California, wrapped up their trip early this week calling it one of the most intense fishing trips of their collective lives. While the action was slower than usual for Guatemala they considered the trip a complete success. In the four days they raised 47 sails, cast to 27 and landed 11. During their entire trip they were never out further than 24 miles and had excellent weather except for Monday. Chris landed his first sailfish and he was thrilled with the results. Jack, a seasoned veteran having fished with us once before, demonstrated what he had learned on his previous trip by out-fishing his buddy Chris by one sail caught in the final few minutes of the trip. Fly selection was pretty basic with pink poppers being the definite winner for the guys on this trip.
Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 63- 84
Humidity 94%
Wind: SSW 6 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:25 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:09 p.m. CST


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Throughout the bay, there are plenty of sierra and corvina along with good halibut action in the shallows near sandy beaches. Try a slow retrieved, chartreuse Clouser along the bottom for best results. The Entrada continues to produce fair yellowtail action and down deeper a few grouper have been caught. Whale watching is still keeping most of the fleet busy as more and more folks make the trek to either Puerto San Carlos or Lopez Mateos to “ooh’s and ahh’s” over the mothers and babies. Windy conditions most of the week have kept the boats inside the bay up at Lopez Mateos.

Water temperature 68-73
Air temperature 60-74
Humidity 86%
Wind: NW 13 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:04 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:17 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Even with the full moon, which usually causes a bit of a slow down with our sailfish counts, the fishing has been good. We are averaging about 2 to 3 sailfish a day for each boat. The 20 to 35 pound class dorado have also been active, along with the blue and black marlin.

Several dorado were taken this week, with a couple of 50 pound fish boated. The fleet is averaging a couple of large marlin a day, with at least three large marlin this week over 400, 500, and 550 pounds.

A nice surprise has seen the yellowfin tuna finally come within range. Several boats scored on the 50 pound class fish.

Ed Kunze, Zihuatanejo

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 66 - 86
Humidity 79%
Wind WSW 8 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:48 p.m. CST

Gray Light at East Cape..Guatemala Rocks

REPORT #997 . “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update 02/04/06
East Cape
Our guide Lance Peterson reports – Beach fishing at this time is an early morning deal. And I mean EARLY! Hit the beach at gray light and you'll have a shot at sierra. The bite lasts for 20 minutes or so. Once the sun hits the water, the action moves out of range. The anglers fishing from boats, however, have a longer lasting bite. I fished from my neighbor’s 12-foot Livingston three days ago and we had great action on the troll. Casting however proved more challenging as the sierras would pop up on the surface for a few seconds and then vanish. Fun stuff though.

I've found isolated pockets of beach action in the evening, too. It's a ladyfish show at that time of day. But these ladies are tough! They are feeding on fry that look to be about ¼-inch long and they are very tough to catch. I've been trying to "match the hatch," but don't quite have small enough flies.

Offshore, there has been tuna action for those who make it out. On the flat days I see good numbers of tuna flags. And from what Bob at East Cape Tackle says . . . those who find marlin have been doing very well indeed.

Baja on the Fly

Water temperature 62-70
Air temperature 59-76
Humidity 34%
Wind: NNW 11 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:54 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:12 p.m. MST
San Jose, Guatemala
Action was hit or miss this week with more fish beginning to show later in the week. Chris Pearson, from Boise, Idaho and Jack Baltch, Fremont, Calif., after a slow start in the morning with more misses than hits, came up with a strong finish in the afternoon with Chris catching his first sailfish ever. Jack, not to be outdone, added to his total with the first one of the trip late in the day. Lots of high fives and more than a little bit of Guatemalan rum in the bar. With three days to go, it could get interesting tomorrow.

Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 70- 84
Humidity 62%
Wind: SSE 6 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:28 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:06 p.m. CST


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The whale action continues to dominate the scene. There are plenty to go around and hence most of the pangas are busy doing whale watching tours. Still plenty of action for corvina, a few pargo and grouper and of course the spotted bay bass. Out at the entrada there are still a few yellows and grouper for the persistent.

Water temperature 68-73
Air temperature 51-77
Humidity 100%
Wind: WNW 6 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:04 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:17 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
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This week has seen some good fishing. The 82º to 84º water is all along the coast, with the cobalt blue water only a couple of miles off the beach. Most boats are averaging about two sailfish a day, with an additional 25- to 35-pound dorado, but several boats have had days with four to five sailfish a day. Adan, on the “Gitana II” released seven sailfish in four days; Santiago on the panga “Gitana” released 10 sails in five days; and Martin on the panga “Isamar” also held the two fish a day average all week. Adolpho on the “Dos Hermanos,” and Cheva on the “Dos Hermanos II” each had a couple of days with four to five fish a day.

Inshore action is finding a lot of jack crevalle, with Bill Berg of Minnesota fishing with Adan, and releasing enough for Bill to call it an early day. Adolpho found some roosters, which must have been heading South to warmer water from a destination up in the colder Baja regions, because he took seven roosters and several big jacks up near the Pantla beach area.

Other inshore action is seeing a lot of sierras and black skipjacks.
Ed Kunze, Zihuatanejo

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 66 - 86
Humidity 79%
Wind W 9 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:15 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:45 p.m. CST

Guatemala Hot. . . East Cape Cold

REPORT #996. “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update 02/04/06
San Jose, Guatemala
Plan on something between one-half to 1-½ hours to get to the fishing grounds as the blue water moves in and out between 12 to as far as 30 miles. They’re experiencing calm seas in the morning and wind at your back in the afternoon. The fleet has been reporting fair action early in the week that improved to good action for everyone by week’s end. In addition to the sailfish, there were also a few dorado in the 20 pound class.

I will be heading down mid-week and can’t wait to be back on the water. If you want to see what kind of action I am looking for, here’s a video to get you in the mood.

Water temperature 78 - 82
Air temperature 70- 82
Humidity 94%
Wind: SE 8 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:30 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:04 p.m. CST
East Cape
Good day . . . more bad days and the North Winds strut their stuff. With most hotels hosting only a few guests, the pools have been more popular than the white capped Sea of Cortez. Our guide Lance Peterson put it this way regarding the beach: “I fished gray light today. It was so cold. I had all of my Patagonia gear on, a wool cap, a jacket. My bare feet were so cold they hurt! I finally did catch one sierra . . . but boy, have I put in some time to catch him!” Wednesday was more of the same. Wrote Lance, “I fished the evening last night. The wind came up and made it tough. And cold!! There are some mullet milling about and schools of very small fry. I saw some ladyfish feeding on them just as it was getting dark. But they were so keyed in on the little stuff they wouldn't bite. The ladyfish look a lot smaller than they are in spring; they are about 12-inches or so it seems. Maybe there are some big roosters about too . . . but have yet to see any sign of them.” The boats that do make it out on the calm days are finding a few tuna, fewer dorado and billfish.

Baja on the Fly

Water temperature 62-70
Air temperature 59-76
Humidity 52%
Wind: NNW 11 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:08 p.m. MST


Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Most of the visitors are looking for an up-close and personal experience with one of the visiting whales and if they are real lucky they may get to see one of the newly born. The entrada is still producing a few yellowtail; and after returning, a few of the whale watchers have found fair action for corvina and grouper under the bridge at the entrance to Puerto San Carlos. Up at Lopez Mateos, it is pretty much the same story with more whale watching than fishing. For something different some of our clients explored Magdalena Island and couldn't resist a trip to one of the Fish Camps for all you can eat lobster lunch

Water temperature 68-73
Air temperature 51-73
Humidity 100%
Wind: NNW 11 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:07 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:13 p.m. MST

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
We did not receive a report this week. Ed must be experiencing server problems again. Here is a repeat of last week’s report.

We are coming out of the full moon phase, and those clients who fished for three or more days ended up with some very good numbers. Those who gave it a one day try may have done well . . . or maybe not.

The 82º blue water is a very short run, and we are averaging about two to three sailfish a day per boat. Plus, the blue marlin are showing up in the catches for an average of about one blue for every six boats.

Both the panga “Gitana” with Santiago, and his brother Adan, on the “Gitana II” had some respectable numbers this week. Minnesotan Bill Berg – down for a break from winter’s ice and snow – released 11 sailfish and two yellowfin tuna for four days of fishing with Santiago. Mel Walberg and Troy Courneya each fished three days with Adan, releasing a total of 12 sailfish and one dorado.

The inshore action for fly-rodders has been best for the black skipjack tuna and green jacks.

Ed Kunze, Zihuatanejo

Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 66 - 84
Humidity 94%
Wind SW 6 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:17 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:42 p.m. CST