East Cape Flying High

Endless Season Update APRIL 11, 2011
REPORT #1252 "Below the Border"
Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

Pudge Kleinkauf owner of  Women's Flyfishing® returned to Buena Vista Beach Resort for the fifteenth consecutive year. The group including first timers and seasoned veterans were greeted by signature East Cape warm springtime weather. To everyone's delight  the fly fishing yielded a nice variety including, bonito, skipjack, sierra, jack cravelle roosterfish and cabrilla. According to guides Jeff De Brown and Lance Peterson the skipjack were thick and it wasn't unusual for all the ladies on the boats to be hooked up at the same time.

Hotel Rancho Buena Vista that closed suddenly several months ago reopened their bar this week. Tony Marron, a 36-year-employee of the Ranch and his son, Tomas greeted the crowd of locals that eagerly returned to the watering hole that has been a favorite dating back to the Ray Cannon era.

 Offshore action took a back seat for most visitors this week. Most were content to bask in the warm sun and catch whatever wanted to bit close to shore including jacks, small roosters, skipjack and sierra.

Up to the north outside of Pescadero as well as south in front of La Ribera there were some deepwater (150 to 250 feet) yellows to be had with some weighing in at forty pounds.

The few hotel boats that ventured further offshore were rewarded with multiple striped marlin, a few dorado and some early season wahoo including one sixty pound toad. Also intriguing were the swordfish spotted by several offshore boats. However excitement soon turned to frustration as the clearly visible two finners ignored the baits presented to them. A couple did bite but either spit the hook or broke off before the battle barely had begun.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

With the exception of a few courageous pangueros willing to brave the elements there few going offshore now. There are the usual rumors of yellowtail at the Entrada as well as  outside the rocks below the lighthouse at Lazaro.

The Esteros provided good catches of corvina according to Captain Roddy Garcia up above Lopez Mateos. He added that there were also a few grouper and pargo found in some of the deeper channels near the old Gypsum pier.  

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The warmer 82ş water is definitely moving back in earlier than expected, and the good fishing we usually get in May and June should soon follow.

Currently the clean water is just 4 miles off the beach with the boats averaging a sailfish or striped marlin a day each. However, the inshore action is still holding strong, with the roosterfish making an early appearance. Normally we start targeting roosters from about mid-May, but Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, went south to the antennas and releasing 5 from 35 to 45 pounds for his French clients. The fish were taken on slow trolled live bait and surface poppers.

Cheva, on the Dos Hermanos II fished inshore with Troy Sturm of Minnesota for one day. Troy and his wife caught about 20 fish, including lots of sierras, a few chulas, and a couple of other species…Ed Kunze    

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

Cabo San Lucas

Striped marlin did finally show up, but they are a long way offshore and they still are not very hungry.  The question we have is how long they are going to stay in the area, and will they get hungry?  A trip of 30+ miles has been needed to get to them, and that is a trip out to the Cabrillo Seamount area, making for a choppy ride home afterward, but boats that have been doing the trip have been seeing between 12 and 20 fish per trip and getting 5-6 bites, averaging 3 releases per trip. 

There were scattered yellowfin tuna found, but still nothing in any size or numbers.  It is quite possible that they are out there on the Pacific side but the water has been rough and few boats have been willing to go out there and get beat up on slim chance of finding fish.  The area of the Gorda Banks has been producing an occasional Yellowfin Tuna, but better luck has been had for large Bonita, some of them going 12 pounds.

Inshore conditions really changed where most of the Pangas went.  On the Pacific side you could hug the beach and get as far north as Punta San Cristobal for some sierra and a decent yellowtail bite.  There were also a few snapper to be found in the rocks between there and the arch, but the swells kept many boats from getting close enough to fish for them.  You had to be a hardy, determined soul to fish the Pacific side!  On the Cortez side there were fish as well, but there seemed to be a few less sierra. Most of the boats were working hard to get a few fish and  sardina were definitely the key to success…George and Mary Landrum

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