Jack's Back

Endless Season Update April 25, 2010
REPORT #1212 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape



It was tough fishing last week, but there were a few jacks to be found

Sardina disappeared, wind kicked up and offshore action slowed and fish behaved lethargically this past week. Mark Rayor reported that his brother did manage to land a few billfish even though most of them seemed to be disinterested in even the liveliest of baits.

Mark said, "We have only been getting one opportunity a day and have been lucky enough to make the most of it. Seems like the last several days the fish have popped up for a short time during slack tide. When it happens you better be ready or your day is done. My brother found one that took a green jack…go figure!"

Women's Flyfishing's® Cecilia “Pudge” Kleinkauf, Anchorage, AK, had tough fishing for their week but did catch a few nice-sized fish. which included a few roosters and jack.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Yellowtail and white sea bass in the 20 to 30 pound class were still going off at Cabo San Lazaro. Bait was plentiful in the Esteros and the sierra along with the cabrilla, grouper and corvina are having a field day feeding on them.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° blue water is still holding at 12 miles, which is historically very unusual for April. But since the migratory fish don't know the "historical" difference, the fishing within the normal 'day-charter' distance of about 20 miles is very poor for the average charter.

Incredible action can be had, but at the magic numbers of 40 to 50 miles. There are lots of blue marlin, sailfish, and yellowfin tuna right over the near vertical drop from 6,000 feet to 14,000 feet. (Just check out Google Earth if you don't believe me about the depths.)

This trench, called the Middle America Trench, extends from a bit north of us, down to Costa Rica, a distance of 1,700 miles, with depths at times of over 21,000 feet.

It is a virtual highway for pelagic species like marlin, yellowfin tuna, and sailfish. This is where our local commercial pangueros, in a single engine open panga, go every day to make their living.

Mike Bulkley, owner of the super panga Huntress, with Francisco as the captain, told me the clients do not want to pay the extra gas money and time it takes to get to the 45 mile mark.

They read the daily charter rate on the internet, and expect the captain to take them to Hawaii, if that is where the fish are, and be back in Zihuatanejo at the end of the day.
Rather than try and explain to a client to pay extra fuel for a trip of a lifetime, the Huntress has had very satisfied clients by going inshore and catching a lot of small game fish on light line. After which, Francisco, has been taking the clients to Ixtapa Island for lunch with their fresh caught fish, a little snorkeling, and water sports before returning to the pier, without having to stop for gas in Hawaii.

Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, is very optimistic (read promoter), but then what can you expect from the very best captain in this port. He is getting a few roosters off the beach, with several sailfish and striped marlin in the blue water, when nobody else is getting them. Of course, he did not tell me where he got them, but his clients are very satisfied…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

There were a few more striped marlin found this week and most of them were on the Sea of Cortez side in the calmer water. There was a small concentration of them mid-week up off of Red Hill about two miles from the beach. Not many, but enough were caught to make it worth the effort. There were a few blue and black marlin released this week as well from the same area, although the fish were not large ones, averaging 250 pounds. I heard that there was a swordfish caught in the area of the 95 spot early in the week as well, but saw no pictures of the fish.

A few yellowfin were found in the vicinity of the Golden Gate Banks by boats brave enough to confront the seas early in the mornings before the winds started to whip things up. The bite lasted for two days, but the guys kept things kind of quiet and not many boats heard the exact area. The fish were just a little larger than footballs but the boats lucky enough to find them came in with a dozen or so.

Only a few dorado this week, but those that were caught were nice fish averaging 20 pounds. Almost every one that I heard of was caught in the Sea of Cortez, and the farther to the north you went the better your chances were. The warmer water gave you a better shot at them.

There were a few wahoo caught but they were incidental catches while boats were fishing for marlin. The wahoo were all nice ones in the 40 pound class, and were caught off the Westin, the Gordo Banks and Punta Gordo.

Inshore fishing was red hot for a couple of days with a good concentration of amberjack just off the beach. There were quite a few people fly fishing this week and if they were able to get sardina for chum they were doing well on sierra with a few small roosterfish, as well as the amberjack. Conventional fishermen were doing very well on sierra using small swimming plugs from three to five inches in length with a small wire bite tippet. There were some decent red snapper as well, on the Pacific side up in the rocks, but it was a case of being in the right place at the right time, mainly early in the morning before the winds started to whip it up...…George and Mary Landrum

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

Spring Gallo

Endless Season Update April 18, 2010
REPORT #1211 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


Women's Flyfishing's® Cecilia “Pudge” Kleinkauf, Anchorage AK landed this nice spring pez gallo recently

The recent disappearance of sardina has caused many anglers consternation. Finding the bait to purchase was the key to having a good day.

Offshore the marlin bite spiked and then fell off with the drop in water temperatures. The cooler water temps also shut off what little dorado bite there had been. While there were some yellowfin tuna found beneath the porpoise some were so small they wouldn't even be enough for a tuna sandwich.

The good news was that while it was an up and down deal, the roosterfish and jack bite was great for a few days but definitely not consistent. Many are predicting a phenomenal inshore year once the sardina reappear.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Both yellowtail and white sea bass in the 20 to 30 pound class remain hot at Cabo San Lazaro. In the Esteros there are plenty of sardines and the sierra along with the cabrilla, grouper and corvina are having a field day feeding on them. May 1st marks the beginning of clamming season.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 82° blue water has actually moved in closer to about the 12-mile mark. But the offshore fishing was not very good this last week; with last Tuesday's 5.0 earthquake centered only 40 miles away, this is not surprising.

With my hand in a cast for five more weeks, it will probably be at least end of May before the Doc lets me pick up a fly rod and get back on the water.

Mike Bulkley, the owner of the super panga Huntress, emailed me this:
"Offshore fishing has been very slow with one or no strikes per trip. Inshore remains reliable with good catches of bonito, jacks and some chula's.

Cheva, on the panga Dos Hermanos II, told me he is getting some chulas, an excellent eating small tuna with white meat (about five pounds), with a mean set of teeth. Cheva has also been working the area down by the white rocks and getting some large jack crevalle, to over 20 pounds, on trolled Rapalas and live bait.

Mike Bulkley also emailed this event:
"A note, on an offshore trip to the curve on Wednesday, the Huntress saw four or five dead Olive Ridley turtles floating from 15 to 30 miles offshore. These turtles did not appear to be damaged by ships and there were several breeding pairs also spotted in the same area."

This is really disturbing for me to have to report this, but I know of no destination in Mexico not affected by long lines. As turtle egg laying season will soon start on the beaches, the most likely cause of their deaths are from a long line. Shrimp boat nets in Mexico, not fitted with Turtle Extraction Devises can also kill them, but the shrimp boats work the shallower inshore waters. At 15 miles, the depth is 3,000 feet, and the 1,000 fathom line (6,000 feet) at the curve is at 30 miles. This is where the pangas using long lines work…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

The striped marlin bite picked up a little bit as the couple we had fishing for three days demonstrated. There were no fish on the first day; the water was rough and it was an early return. The second day they caught two marlin and they saw a few fish on the third day. Other boats were doing about the same; the fish were showing around the 95 spot moving slowly to the east. One of the fleet boats landed a small blue marlin in the 250 pound class while fishing up around Palmilla.

Tuna were once again a ‘hit or miss’ fish. A few boats were able to get fish, but most of them were blind strikes with no porpoise in the area at the time. The fish were slightly larger than footballs at 20 to 25 pounds, but there were no large numbers of them reported. A few boats did find porpoise that held fish, but they were on the San Jaime Banks in very rough water and only a few boats braved the conditions to fish there; those that did had only scattered success.

The water in the Sea of Cortez has warmed up and there are a few more dorado being caught. No large numbers but the fish were decent sized at a 20-pound average.

There were a few wahoo caught in the area of the Gorda Banks, but no large numbers of them. They averaged 25 pounds with the best bite being very early in the morning. Fishing out of San Jose on a panga was the best bet, since there was only a 15 minute boat ride to get there. By the time most of the boats from Cabo San Lucas arrived, the bite was finished.

Inshore action has remained good for sierra, roosterfish, grouper and snapper. The sierra and roosterfish provided great action close to the beach and the grouper and snapper were a steady pick for those anglers bottom fishing.

With the water warming up and a blue reported the other day, we might have a few more showing up soon. ..…George and Mary Landrum

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

Sierra Thick…Sardina Missing?

Endless Season Update April 11, 2010
REPORT #1210 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


Right place…right time can yield some extraordinary sierra action.

The spring thaw seems to be for real. Both sea and weather temperatures continued to climb in spite of the wind early in the week. More spring-like sounds can be heard; birds chirping as they flit about building their nests, as well as the familiar drone of carpenter bees buzzing looking for some wood to make their home.

Inshore in spite of the scarcity of sardina, the sierra and roosters have been better than good. Some of the bait boats are running as far as Punta Perico to find the precious sardina that can make the difference between a so-so and good day.

Reports of a huge volume of stripers and sails offshore. Finding them was the easy part, getting them to bite was another story. So far April has been devoid of any significant dorado or YFT action. But everyone expects them to show up any day.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Yellowtail and white sea bass in the 20 to 30 pound class continue to provide the best action again this week. It is a pretty good ride from the Boca all the way out to Cabo San Lazaro. Inside the Esteros the pressure was very light this week. The few who were fishing reported a decent cabrilla and grouper bite with an occasional mangrove snapper to spice things up.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The water has actually warmed up a bit, with a band of 84° (surface temp) water between the 15 to 35 mile mark, and extending all up and down the coast for at least 50 miles in each direction.

My right hand had a serious encounter with a machete, and I have been out of commission. So, for the 'on the water report and observations' Mike Bulkley, the owner of the panga Huntress, came to my rescue. He emailed me the following:

"Fishing has been great inshore again this week with lots of jacks, bonita and big jurel (jack cravelle) off Ixtapa Island. Offshore is still spotty with good catches of sails, stripes and blues if you can find the fish. We have been running 20 to 30 miles south before wetting the lines. We had a triple sailfish hookup on Monday."

Photo (by Mike Bulkley) - Jack Noble, age 7, from Indianapolis, Indiana, about to release his first sail while fishing with Capt. Francisco on the Huntress about 20 miles south of Zihuatanejo.

Also, while talking on the phone with Mike, he offered the following additional information: "Santiago, on the panga Gitana, had released three sails and a striped marlin at the 32 mile mark. The Huntress was working the area at 20 miles, and near where Margarito on the cruiser Gaby was hooked up to a blue marlin when they had the triple hookup on sailfish. Plus, the water is clear at 12 miles, but deep blue at 20 miles."…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

There was no change in the marlin bite this past week; it is still very slow. We had a couple of fish Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. While looking for striped marlin, they released a shark the first day, a shark and a baby striped marlin of around 20 to 25 pounds the second day, and on Saturday they hooked another small one that came off right away and then hooked a decent fish that they fought for about 2 minutes before it threw the hook. Most of the fish that have been found have been on the Pacific side fairly close to the beach.

Yellowfin tuna are here one day and gone the next. The schools have been moving rapidly and not all of the porpoise have had tuna with them. When the fish have been found they have been footballs or slightly larger. The schools are being found from the San Jaime Banks to 40 miles due south of the Arch

The water is still cold for dorado but there are a few caught every day…most of them in the 12-pound class with an occasional larger fish. Most of them have been found around the 95 spot and also close to the beach on the Cortez side.

There was a short flurry of wahoo action early in the week out at the San Jaime Bank as a school passed through the area. Several boats working the same area received multiple hookups as they passed over the school, but few of the fish were landed as these sharp toothed fish cut the mono-filament leaders easily. The fish that were brought in were in the 30 to 40 pound class.

Inshore action remained good as anglers got their fill on sierra, roosterfish, grouper and snapper this week close to the beach while the grouper and snapper were a steady pick for those anglers choosing to try bottom fishing from pangas..…George and Mary Landrum
Current Cabo Weather http://tiny.cc/cabo191

Spring Thaw?

Here is the evidence that billfish are venturing close to shore to feed on the squid. That's a squid tentacle hanging from the gill plate.

Endless Season Update April 4, 2010
REPORT #1209 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

As the wind slammed the door on March, April began with warmer temperatures and positive hints of the quickly coming Spring season. Inshore the roosters, jacks, African pompano and pargo are all biting well along with the still thick sierra, even on the windy days, providing spring-like action for those choosing to remain in sight of land.
Even the billfish including sails and stripers are all only a few miles farther outside.

What's missing are the yellowfin tuna, skipjack and dorado that should be part of any self respecting Spring thaw.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Either the fishing is wide open and everybody is too busy to talk about it, or all the Semana Santa (Easter) activity was too much of a distraction. One report was that the recent big tides made it tough for fishing inside the Esteros.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 82° blue water is holding at about 10 miles, with most of the action taking place between 12 and 15 miles. The very good striped marlin bite is still holding up, with each boat in the fleet averaging about two striped marlin and a sailfish a day.

Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos told me the jack crevalle action is still slow, but there are a lot of other small game fish around to keep a light line rig very busy. He reports acres of black skipjack tuna, which are not table fare, but very hard-fighting machines. And, there are lots of small "chicken" dorado who are growing up fast.

Mike Buckley of the super panga Huntress, with captain Francisco emailed me the following:
"Fishing was very good inshore. Lots of bonita and small dorado inshore off Ixtapa Island. We had only one or two strikes out between the 15 and 25 mile lines"...…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582


Cabo San Lucas

Marlin fishing has remained slow, again this week. A few were taken inshore close to Cabo, but the bite is just not happening. There have been reports of tailers seen up around the lighthouse area on the Pacific side, but not much interest when baits are thrown at them. It's fine water temperatures; they just aren't biting.
Yellowfin tuna are there, then gone. Last week there was a good bite out at the Gate, next they were found again out by San Jaime, but not the number of schools we are used to seeing this time of year. Lots of porpoise out there, but the tuna are not with them.

Still a few dorado popping up here and there, with only one or two blind strikes, no school concentrations. It seems like the rougher it gets, the better they bite.

Sierra and more sierra, roosterfish, grouper, snapper, triggerfish, a smorgasbord inshore! We have had quite a few fly fishermen recently on the pangas doing very well chumming the fish up with sardina to cast their flies into schools…mostly roosterfish and sierra on the fly.

Lots of families for the holiday, and it's been all about keeping the younger kids happy so they will keep an interest in fishing. So a lot of boats have stayed inshore where they are catching lots of fish, instead of offshore for one or two fish, if any. It was a pretty busy week here with the younger kids traveling with Mom and Dad for their spring break.…George and Mary Landrum

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