Sporadic to steady to sporadic

Endless Season Update June 20, 2011
REPORT #1259 "Below the Border"
Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

From sporadic to steady back to sporadic, a second hurricane has come and gone and has certainly messed with the fishing. For the moment, however, it seems to be in the steady mode. Too bad, there are not many folks except locals to enjoy it.

There are still some midday easterly winds, and an unusual current cooled sea temps down to as low as 70 degrees from the Light House south. However, just five miles offshore the water warms up to 84 degrees.

Most of the billfishing has been striped marlin with a few sails and even fewer blues released.

Last week's grande tuna action was basically driven down by boat traffic and now it is back to playing football with the small-grade tuna, the most common, down below Las Frailes. There is an occasional 100-plus caught but they mostly fall in the 'more lucky than good' category.

Most of the dorado are caught while trolling for marlin and while there are some quality bulls they are few and far between.

Inshore the cooler water messed up the fishing but seems to be warming back up. Small roosters and jacks are the norm from both boat and shore. Also there were some nice-sized pompano landed in front of a couple of the hotels.  If you aren't fond of  crowds…come on down.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Firecracker yellowtail mixed with sierra and bonito at the Entrada. Farther offshore, nearly twenty miles west, the shark buoys are beginning to show some promise with a some small dorado gathering beneath a few them 

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 85 degree water is still just a mile off the beach. The sailfish average per boat is only about one fish a day, but this is mostly because the boats are all chasing yellowfin tuna. The 20 to 40 pound tuna are being taken from four miles to 20 miles off the beach. This is happening all up and down the coast, including 40 miles south at Puerto Vicente Guerrero.

There are also a lot of large hard-fighting skipjack tuna, called oceanicos in Spanish. The few boats which are traveling a bit farther out, fishing the 20 to 30 mile areas, are also getting several 30 to 45 pound dorado. 

And, the inshore action is still blazing hot for the roosterfish. Sitting at your desk, in your wildest day dreams, can you imagine seven roosters a day with fish averaging 30 pounds? That is what our averages are right now. It all depends on the stamina of the client. If they can pull on more fish, they will get at least 10, but most clients pull the plug after five or six. The fish are there, we just need the people to catch ‘em, and then release them again.

Ed Kunze  

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

Cabo San Lucas

Windy and cooler most days with whitecaps several days. Water temps as cold as the upper 60's close to Cabo and up to 81 degrees at the Cabrillo Sea Mount.

Marlin catches were surprisingly quite good this week even with a full moon and a drop in water temperature. After some heat last week, it’s like the season slipped backwards and those on the Pacific side are again sleeping under quilts. There were a few more anglers in town this week and catches were good to fair for marlin and a few sailfish.

Yellowfin tuna in the 15 to 35 pound class and dorado -- very seldom more than a single fish -- continued to be sporadic with about as many good days as slow. A few wahoo were also caught throughout the fleet.

Inshore there were a few roosterfish, amberjack, skipjack and even a few stray yellowtail.

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