Wind Howls as Playoffs Loom

Endless Season Update January 16, 2010
REPORT #1198 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

Will Long, with his first tuna on a 12-weight rod earlier this month off Cabo.

East Cape


Plenty of north wind and few visitors resulted in the lack of fishing information available this week. I guess the theory is, if you can't say anything good, don't bother!

According to Lance Peterson, it's wind, wind, wind and just when you've had your fill...more wind! Of course, the first sign of calm and the fish become active along the shoreline. Small schoolie roosters and good-sized sierra put on an early show as they dart to and fro feeding on tiny baitfish until the wind begins, and then they disappear.

Meanwhile, many fantasize about how good the fishing must be offshore while they sit with eyes glued to their TVs waiting for the kickoff to begin this weekend's playoffs.

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Rumors of of-color water on the Thetis discouraged anyone from considering a trip there. While there is still decent action for small tuna and dorado about ten miles off outside the Bocas, there are few visitors to care.

Most of the interest is in the arriving whales that can be found cavorting in the bay. The crowds are not as large as some years but there are more and more buses arriving loaded with tourists eager to gawk at the huge mammals.

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° water is still with us, but the sailfish action tapered off this last week. There were days where some boats did not even get a strike. Part of the reason was the blue water took off to parts unknown. However, the blue water is coming back now, and we are out of the full moon period.

Fly fishing client, Enrique Amorte of Argentina, and I fished a day down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero, and much to our surprise, the roosterfish were there. Normally they are gone to parts South by now, but we raised seven. And, they were huge. All of them were 40 pound fish or more.

The bite died off about 9:30, so we went out 9 miles and had two solid strikes on sailfish.

Yesterday, Gary Meger of Toronto and I went North with Arturo on the panga Janeth. We started out with the sailfish and only had one strike. So we went back inshore. Along the beach at Saladita we raised a couple of small roosters and small jack cravelle. But, when we got to the beach at Buena Vista, we got in to a lot of nice jacks, and a few more large roosters.…Ed Kunze

Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582


Cabo San Lucas

Striped marlin are still being caught close to home, but not in any great numbers. A few boats went to the Golden Gate and Finger Banks to check out the activity and reported that there was no bait to be found in either place, but reports from boats transiting the area between Mag Bay and Cabo have reported good numbers of fish midway, so hopefully they will soon appear here.

There have been some yellowfin in the 20- to 30-pound class south of the San Jaime Banks and were found with the white bellied porpoise but only the first few boats on the scene have been having any luck.

Though scattered, the dorado saved quite a few charters this week. I am surprised that they are still around with the water as cool as it is, but most boats have been able to get a few in the fish box by the end of the day. Watching the frigate birds has been the best way to find them.

Inshore the bite has been hit or miss on the sierra. There are still a few small roosterfish being caught and I had a report yesterday of a couple of small yellowtail as well. Some decent snapper and grouper are starting to show up in the fish wells also......George and Mary Landrum

Current Cabo Weather http://tiny.cc/cabo191