September Secret

Endless Season Update September 5, 2010
REPORT #1230 "Below the Border"
Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Shrimp season is just around the corner and if last year was any indication, the Esteros should light up soon

East Cape

Once again, September keeps its secret! All of the area hotels are nearly empty because September is rumored to be a poor Baja month. It’s too bad, because the yellowfin tuna fishin’ continues to dominate the action throughout Palmas Bay and beyond, producing limits for most. The fish closer to the beach are ranging from football size to thirty pounds. Farther offshore, where the porpoise play, there have been some bruisers that some claimed were approaching two hundred pounds.
The Humboldt squid continues to be a predictable bite in the morning, providing the morning workout for those heading out for the bigger tuna that can't get enough of the chunked squid.
Percentage-wise, the dorado counts climbed a click or two…nothing huge, mostly under twenty pounds. However, about the time the light tackle came out for sport, a big dorado would cruise through the chum and play havoc with the light line.
Wahoo have been putting on a pretty good show early morning tight to the beach from Punta Arena and down beyond Cabo Pulmo Marine Park below Las Frailes.
It seemed to be a bye-bye blue kind of week in the billfish department with mostly stripers and some sailfish offshore up above Punta Pescadero.
There was a little bit of buzz about some huge roosterfish lurking close to shore below Punta Arena at Rincon.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Shrimp season is just around the corner and if last year was any indication, the Esteros should light up soon.

Offshore the dorado and tuna remain outside the twelve mile mark. Yellowtail are still hanging out off the rocks beneath the lighthouse at San Lazaro as well as at the Entrada.

So far, the Southern California season has been slow, and we expect more of those boats to be showing up at Magdalena Bay soon as they make their way to Cabo for the October tournament season..…Bob Hoyt

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° blue water is at least 30 miles out past the 1,000 fathom curve; the 80° greenish (off-colored) water is clear out to about the 9 mile mark. From 10 miles to at least 30 miles out, the water is clear and clean, but not the desired deep blue we always look for.

The commercial pangeros have found the yellowfin tuna, but they are traveling at least 35 miles each way to get them.

Mecate, on the 35 foot cruiser Aqua Azul, got four sailfish for his clients, but the numbers for the fleet are less than that, averaging one or two sailfish a day per boat.

Besides the sailfish, the main attraction right now is the three to five dorado per boat average. The dorado are running between 15 and 20 pounds, with a few larger fish in the mix. Most sailfish and dorado are being taken around the 12 to the14 mile marks.. …Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582

Cabo San Lucas

 

The billfish bite picked up this week. Most of the black and blue marlin were in the 200- to 300-pound range but a few larger fish to 450 pounds were found as well. Striped marlin and some sailfish in the 100- to 120-pound class were also found. With warm water in both directions, both sides of the Cape were producing.
Yellowfin action has finally picked up as larger schools of fish move through the area. Mostly in the 40- to 50-pound range, the fish are associated with porpoise for the most part and getting in front of the moving schools and dropping back bait has worked well. There are still larger fish being found at the Gordo Banks, the Inman Banks, the Cabrillo Seamount, off the Lighthouse on the Pacific side and south of the San Jaime Banks. There isn’t a steady bite, but there are quality fish ranging in size from 80 to 200 pounds.

Dorado finally showed up, close to home. Boats have done very well on fish to 30 pounds with numbers ranging from three to eight per boat. Getting the first one hooked and attracting more to the boat with it was the key.

There were wahoo found in the same area as the tuna; that is, on the banks and sea mounts. Most of the fish were single hook-up with the average size being 35 pounds
The swells were smaller recently so there were more fishermen going after roosterfish, and finding them on both sides of the Cape. Almost any sandy beach area with scattered rocks or that abutted a rocky point, produced fish averaging 25 pounds with an occasional 60 pound or larger fish in the mix. There were also snapper and bonito and dorado to be found. With the good water conditions, many of the pangas were going a bit offshore and focusing on tuna and marlin...…George and Mary Landrum

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