Few Anglers…More Fish

Humboldt squid, the nectar of the gods for tuna

Endless Season Update August 29, 2010
REPORT #1229 "Below the Border"
Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

As August comes to a close a storm called "Frank" tried to rain on the parade mid-week. There were few guests to care and the locals watched the weather channel and then went fishing as usual. The month which began with the billfish pop, is finishing with the best August fishing in a while.
Because of the lack of anglers, fewer hotel boats have been going out and the light pressure seemed to make the tuna bite even better. There has even been lots of bait including sardina, mullet, caballito, and Humboldt squid.
The tuna drew the most attention, spread out in both direction from a half mile off the coast. Smaller fish were close with the bigger boys underneath the many porpoise schools found in Palmas Bay. Cut up chunks of squid was the hot ticket for chum and out-performed live bait for the larger gorilla-class tuna.
Dorado were mixed with the tuna and spread within two miles of the beach. The average fish caught was around ten pounds. There were limits for the anglers that found the schools…at least two or three per boat per day. One or two big bull in the 40-pound class are being taken daily.
The billfish, blues, stripes and sails, were there for the taking for those anglers that targeted them off the inside and outside banks where there were plenty of tailers and jumpers.

Both blue and striped marlin are biting. Anglers targeting billfish are scoring, very light pressure
While the beach was pretty thrashed by the large swell and wind, mid-week the boats fishing along the shore found the huge bubba-class roosters along with some nice sized pargo and pompano.

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Offshore the dorado and tuna are right on the color break at 12 miles in front of Lopez Mateos outside of Boca de Soledad. Pay attention…on the run out there are a few sleepers every day and in the afternoon feeders are on the acres of bait on the surface.
There were few fishing the esteros this week but there were reports of smaller snook (under ten pounds) plus a few grouper and pargo.…Bob Hoyt
Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° blue water has moved in a bit and holding steady at around 14 miles. The fishing, even with the full moon phase is not all that bad. The boats are each averaging between one or two fish a day, with the fish being either sailfish or striped marlin. Plus, they are getting and average of one to three dorado each a day. Between the three species, it is making for a decent day on the water.
Even though Hurricane Frank transitioned from a tropical storm to hurricane status right out in front of this coast, it was nowhere near us. We didn’t even get any rain. However, we have been getting more rain in the last weeks from the thunderstorms. September is the month with the most measured rainfall of all the rainy months. As we head into September, it will take two weeks for the roosterfish action to come back around even without any more heavy rains, which is unlikely.
The inshore water is almost completely silted out, with poor visibility and poor fishing along the beaches up and down the coast. This is very evident by looking at the chlorophyll section of the Terrefin Satellite photos. Wherever a river or stream outlets into the ocean, a mass of green water is also being pushed out in front of them. The larger the river, the larger the green mass.

Fly fisher Steve Baldikoski from Los Angeles fished a day with Cheva and me on the panga Dos Hermanos II. We found some barely 'okay visibility' water up near Troncones and Buena Vista, but that even shut down around noon. Steve only managed to hook a 20-pound class jack crevalle, which broke the 17 pound test leader, and a couple of small black skipjack tuna. …Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582
Cabo San Lucas


Some sailfish have been showing up as the water has gotten warmer. Most of them have been found on the Cortez side around the 95 and 1150 areas by boats working those same areas for blue marlin. There have also been quite a few striped marlin in the same areas, strange since the water is so warm there. As far as the big fish are concerned, the blacks are still out there as several in the 400-pound class have been caught this week at both the Gorda Banks and the Inman Banks, mostly by boats hoping for a large tuna. The same areas have been producing quite a few small blue marlin in the 200-pound class as well.

Yellowfin tuna remained consistent with some quality fish in over 100 pounds being found in the San Jose area between the Gorda Banks and the Inman Banks, but most of them have been smaller, ranging in size from 15 to 30 pounds. These same size fish have been found elsewhere as well, with fish showing from the south by the 1,000 fathom line to the San Jaime Banks area.
While that action has not been wide open, everyone who has gone looking for them seems to have been able to catch a few. There were some decent fish over 100 pounds found in small pods of porpoise to the southwest of the 95 spot, and there were even more fish in the 60- to 80-pound class as well, so it is looking better for the larger tuna this year.
I fished the Pacific side for dorado this week as a guest of a client and we released three under 10 pounds and kept four fish of about 12 pounds. All of these were found close to shore, within two miles of the beach.
A scattering of wahoo were reported this week and strangely enough the best area seemed to be just along the drop-off in front of Cabo San Lucas Bay and just to the north of the arch, between there and the lighthouse. The fish averaged 40 pounds and while not every boat got bit, those that put in the time had some action as a reward.
The large swells are still inshore! Roosterfish action was down once again due to the storm swells but quite a few pangas made the run to the Gorda Banks to fish for tuna or stayed out in front working the water for dorado..…George and Mary Landrum

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

First Release Tournament at Magdalena Bay

Endless Season Update August 22, 2010
REPORT #1228 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape

Locals are shaking their head in disbelief as the fishing has broken wide open and there are no visitors to take advantage of the action. The yellowfin tuna continued to bite in close in front of La Ribera. These were not the football-sized fish that are usually common close to the beach…some hit the 20 to 40 pound class providing more than an ample amount for sashimi at cocktail hour.
The boats heading farther out found some gorilla-sized tuna that pulled like a souped-up VW Bug.

The trick was to get in front of the right porpoise school with lures or bait and then hang-on! Throughout the week, the big tuna seemed to be winning most of the tug-of-wars with an occasional toad brought to the pier.

Blue and striped marlin have kicked into high gear and are biting better than they have in the past several years. One report claimed it was some of the best billfish action in twenty-five years.

The dorado action also ticked upward which probably accounts for the increased billfish action.

Even though it's beginning to sound like a broken record, the bubba-class roosterfish bite (to 70 pounds) just doesn't want to quit, which is something to crow about.

The big Humboldt squid remain one of the best sources of bait with some scary looking 5 to 6 foot specimens being chunked up for bait or chum.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Six kayaks, 22 boats and 42 anglers participated in the first annual Fly Fish, light tackle and kayak tournament in Comondu BCS, Mexico which took place on 13, 14 and August 15, 2010 at Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos.

Considering that the event organizers only had approximately 4 months to plan the event the attendance was remarkable..

The event was held only in the Bay with fishing only from shore, kayaks or boats. Tackle included fly and conventional. With all catches released after weights and length was recorded. It was the first all release event ever held in the bay

Three species targeted were snook, grouper and corvina. During the two day event the contestants caught 16 grouper, 4 snook and 24 corvina.
Winners included click here…Bob Hoyt

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° blue water is between 16 and 18 miles off the beach and the fishing is a bit on the slow side. The few boats fishing (only 8 to 10 a day) are each averaging about 1 to 2 sailfish or striped marlin a day. Wind was a major contributor to the fishing this week as we had 3 days where it was darn uncomfortable to go out 16 to 20 miles and then get hammered coming back.

Just before the winds hit us for three days, Cheva on the panga Dos Hermanos II, went to the 22 mile mark and got three sailfish for his clients on one day. So the potential is there.
Adolfo, on the Dos Hermanos, made the 40 mile run to Puerto Vicente Guerrero and is staying down there a couple of days. He was very disappointed. The nightly rains, very intense at times, have the chocolate colored rivers running brim full. They have discolored the entire coastline South of Zihuatanejo to way past Vicente Guerrero.

There is a major movement being undertaken by sportsmen right now. A Billfish conservation act has been introduced to congress. It is for the purpose of “taking bill fish off the menu.” Please click on the attached link and then contact your congressman through the link inside the article. http://www.sportfishingmag.com/news/news/billfish-conservation-act-of-2010-introduced-to-us-congress--1000084822.html …Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

One of our friends released a black marlin estimated at 500+ pounds while working the temperature break to the south, so we know that the marlin are still out there. Striped marlin have made a re-appearance at the Golden Gate and surrounding areas; most boats are coming in with from two to more than a half-dozen releases per day. Black marlin averaging 150 to 200 pounds have been found near shore between Cabo and the Los Frailes area and blue marlin in the same size range (with a few in the 300-pound class) have been found just a few mile farther out with concentrations to the north of the temperature break.

Yellowfin tuna ranging in size from 15 to 30 pounds are being found between the Gordo and the Inman Banks, with a few in the 100+ pound class. These same size fish have been showing from the south by the 1,000 fathom line to the San Jaime Banks area. Though not wide open, everyone who has gone looking for them seems to catch a few.

On the Pacific side, the dorado action has started to open up with a lot of fish being found within five miles of the beach. One boat of clients this week released two striped marlin and landed three dorado…a 50 pound, a 35 pound and a 15 pound. Finding one usually means there are more close by!

There were a few wahoo averaging 30 pounds caught, mostly by boats working close to the beach or at the Gordo and Inman Banks…not large, but a nice surprise for those fishing for tuna and dorado.

Large swells made getting on the beach difficult, so the roosterfish action was down a bit, but the dorado, just a short way out, took their place.…George and Mary Landrum

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

Woopsie’ for me

Woopsie’ for me…I was attempting to confirm the fishability of an Estero.

Endless Season Update August 08, 2010
REPORT #1226 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Caption: One ‘

The recent good fishing for both billfish and tuna was briefly put on hold when the southeast winds arrived mid-week. Fortunately, the winds subsided after a couple of days and the fishing should be back on track in a day or two.

The bite seemed to cover all the bases. Billfish action included stripers, sailfish, blues and a few blacks to round out the catch. Excited billfish anglers were eager to take a show at an East Cape slam of three or maybe even four billfish species in one visit or maybe it was that the stars were aligned just right in one day.

On the tuna front, there were more footballs than gorilla-class but again, there were enough big ones to convince savvy anglers to break out the heavy tackle and not take any chances on being under gunned when the VW-sized tuna appeared behind the boat.

While there are ample school-sized dorado, there are just enough bull dorado to keep the anglers guessing.

Inshore the roosterfish remain off the charts as the longest bite of big fish has gone on for several months…non-stop.

Finally, the two p’s, pargo and pompano, are both making a good showing.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Action inside the Esteros was slow for the four clients who fished this week. During the three fishing days, they caught only a few grouper, a few cabrilla along with a handful of mystery bites One ‘oopsie’ for me was when I was attempting to confirm the fishability of a spot. I really would have preferred the client to catch the snook that bit.

Later in the week the action began to improve slightly with better catches in the morning as we did some exploring in the Bass Tracker…Gary Graham

Offshore dorado and small YFT’s are inside of twenty miles and there was at least one marlin seen only three miles offshore by one of the Captains…Bob Hoyt

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 84° blue water is still holding at 16 miles. There is also a huge area of very warm 88° water holding just south of Zihuatanejo, on down towards Acapulco.

Normally, water this warm would not be productive for blue marlin, but the consensus among the captains is there are as many blues out there as there are sailfish. This is probably due to the huge amount of black skipjack tuna we have here right now. The blue marlin are just simply following the food supply. Plus, a three pound tuna is too large for a sailfish.

Early in the week, the skies were clear and the fishing decent for all species. But, the last couple of nights has seen some very intense rains. This morning’s (Thursday) rain, from about 1:30 until 2:00 dumped 3” of rain and wind on us in a half hour. Plus it lasted intermittently until about 10:00, but much less intense.

Inshore has been slow, with the roosters moving off the beach and into deeper and cleaner water. One bright note is the ojtones, a member of the hard fighting jack family, is giving the inshore fisherman a lot of action. The 20 to 25 pound, good eating fish are being taken off the rock pinnacles, the White Rocks and the rocky points, on live bait and trolled Rapalas.…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

The much anticipated arrival of blue marlin began in earnest with several large fish lost, a few boated and many others released. The striped marlin along with a few sailfish remained consistent but In fewer numbers than experienced in early July.

Several larger yellowfin tuna were reported lost: most of the tuna that were caught were of the smaller variety. There were none reported over 100 pounds throughout the fleet.

In the dorado category, it was mostly smaller fish with an occasional larger fish in the forty-pound class caught farther offshore.

Inshore action consisted of a few roosters, amberjacks and pargo. Aside of those, there were a few skipjack and bonito to round out the action. Many of the pangas took advantage of the
dorado and small tuna just a few miles offshore.

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

Magdalena Produces Swordy

Offshore action at Magdalena Bay included a swordfish on 30 lb. line one of two baited.


Endless Season Update August 01, 2010

REPORT #1225 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

The Bisbee Black and Blue produced more fish than had been predicted. The winning fish, a black marlin was caught the first day and weighed in at 581 pounds, the other two winning fishe were 441 and 377 pounds. There were over 40 blues released over the three days. Striped marlin and a few sailfish action remained consistent with most boats targeting them finding at least one.
Tuna action was close to shore in front of La Ribera for the smaller fish. Further offshore there were some larger fish to over 100 pounds beneath the porpoise.

Dorado action were mainly smaller fish with an occasional bull up to fifty pounds. Inshore once again this week the larger roosters continued to dazzle the clients with some 30 – 50 pounders to take a shot at.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Offshore action included a swordfish on 30 lb. line one of two baited. Yellowtail and white seabass out at San Lazzaro and reportedly some dorado around the shark buoys. Inside the bay it was a mixed bag with nothing spectacular, but plenty of variety. The weather has warmed up but with calm winds in the morning and afternoon breezes…Bob Hoyt
Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 83° blue water is still lingering between the 16 mile and 20 mile marks as the result of the large volume of fresh water coming out of the rivers from last week’s hard rains.

The boats are averaging 1 to 2 fish a day each in the blue water, with the fishing probably affected mainly by this week’s full moon period.
Not many boats were fishing this week either, with a lot of excellent captains staying at home for several days. Early in the week, and before the full moon, Santiago on the panga Gitana only fished 1 day in the blue water releasing 2 sailfish and a striped marlin. The second day he fished inshore, catching1 nice rooster.
Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, fished two days in the blue water this week, releasing 2 sailfish and a striped marlin. Adolfo has mostly been fishing the inshore this week, as the stained waters from last week’s rains are clearing up a bit. Due to the turbidity, and the decreased salt content along the shoreline, the bait and roosterfish have moved off the beach and into deeper water. They are hanging out in the 30 to 50 foot deep water, requiring a down rigger or diving plane to get a live bait down to them. He has taken 14 roosters in the last two days.
To me, this is an interesting phenomenon. Adolfo may not understand the science of it, but he has enough experience he was able to find the fish. Last week’s heavy rains not only pushed a lot of silted and stained water out of the rivers, but it was fresh water, which also lowered the salinity content along the shoreline. The fresh water is lighter, so it sits on top the salt water.
Plus, the fresh water near the surface is stained a murky brown, but below it is clear and clean water. The closer to the shoreline, the less saline the water, as the depth has decreased. So, as Adolfo found out, a surface popper is only making for a long day and wearing the caster out, but moving 100 to 200 yards offshore, and going down deeper with a live bait, is producing. …Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

Cabo San Lucas

After a stupendous report last week, things dipped down a bit this week. Catches were not as good, mainly due to greener water moving into the area and the temperature dropping somewhat, sending the fish in search of better conditions. So we had a few slow days with things starting to now rebound somewhat, with bluer water. The bait being used is not ideal; mullet, which although a very hardy bait, living longer in the bait well, is not the first choice of marlin, who prefer mackerel, scarce at this time. Still striped marlin was the number one catch in Cabo with fifty three percent of charters catching between one and three marlin in a day, with a few sailfish mixed in. Those boats that did get “skunked” usually saw fish but couldn’t get them to bite, or hooked up but couldn’t register true a release, with the fish mouthing the baits only, or not staying on the line for very long.

Dorado catches were in second place after marlin this week with twenty nine percent of boats catching between one and five fish, with some as large as 50 lbs, like the one caught on “Tracy Ann” on a petrolero lure. Others ranged from 18 to 30 lbs and took a combination of live bait, green and petrolero lures- found from the 11.50 to Punta Gorda. Tuna catches were at twenty three percent with catches of between one and seven fish. “Attitude Adjustment” had the largest tuna of the week a 70 lb fish on July 26th, plus two others around 30 lbs at the 95 and 11.50 spots. What we did get excited about this week, were the roosterfish; we had several really large ones. The only other smaller game we had was a few jack cravelles and a couple of cabrilla.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record….the weather is still off….much cooler than normal on the Pacific, we also had a surprise thunderstorm and some rain on Sunday. Cortez side is warmer but not as it should be. Skies mostly clear and sunny, seas calm… Tracy Ehrenberg

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