East Cape…Something for Everyone!

REPORT #1025 “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update 08/26/06
East Cape
With Tropical Storm ILEANA meandering its way below us, we experienced some rain earlier in the week. But the rain didn’t seem to hamper the tuna bite below Los Frailies. As usual, the early bird got the action and as more boats arrived the bite slowed significantly.

The billfish action slowed early in the week and then came roaring back as the storm headed out to the west. With a little luck an angler might be able to achieve a Trifecta of billfish including; striped, blue marlin and a sailfish.

For those choosing to keep their feet dry, the beach action included ladyfish, pompano and enough shots at roosters and jacks near the hotels and between La Ribera and Punta Colorada to keep things interesting.


Water temperature 74-89
Air temperature 77-91
Humidity 83%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:41 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico


The marlin have moved closer to the Entrada this week with some reported as close as eight miles on a 240° heading. Also mixed in were some dorado up to twenty pounds. Most of the tuna action seemed to be considerably farther offshore.

At the Entrada, there were a number of small black sea bass caught and released, nothing bigger that fifteen lbs.

Devils curve produced a few corvina, grouper and a couple of snook in the ten lb. class.

Up at Boca Santo Domingo the corvina and grouper dominated the catch later in the week.

Water temperature 64 - 78
Air temperature 72-83
Humidity 86%
Wind: WNW 15 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 7:05 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:51 p.m. MDT


Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The fishing has picked up a bit over this last week. The 82º blue water is still just two miles off the beach, and the seas have calmed down after a couple of days of rain. But, the rain did push a lot of debris out of the rivers, making for some great current lines.

Marcos, on the panga Oceana, had a one day catch of 3 sailfish and 5 large dorado. He was fishing the debris laden current lines 6 miles out, and in front of Ixtapa.

The fleet is averaging two sailfish a day per boat. Plus, 40 to 100 pound yellowfin tuna have been located at 35 miles, on a 180º heading.

Kyle Trynsky from Oregon, fished with Martin one day, just after the heavy rains, and even though they experienced rough seas, they raised three sailfish and caught one. Kyle then fished with Santiago on the panga Gitana for the roosters inshore. They caught 4 roosters and 6 large jack crevalle.

Adolpho on the panga Dos Hermanos told me the hot rooster and jack fishing has not let up at all.
Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 87
Air temperature 77 - 80
Humidity 81%
Wind WSW 12 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:04 p.m. CDT

Turtle Releases and Marlin Refusals

REPORT #1024 “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update 08/19/06
East Cape
Cooler than July, August at East Cape has produced great striper fishing this week with multiple shots for those willing to put in the time to tease them close enough. The billfish teasers are also attracting a few larger dorado in the pattern.

Plenty of football sized tuna if you are willing to make the run down below Las Frailes. The better quality fish are a bit deeper below the smaller fish boiling on the sardina on the surface. A Baja Wasabi on an Eagle Claw 413 hook allowed to flutter down a bit deeper will draw a take that can rip the flyline out of your hand if you aren’t paying attention. There are also some better sized fish in front of La Ribera down deep, too deep to get to with a fly. If you get lucky, however, you may occasionally get a shot at them feeding on the surface.

Close to the beach, either from a panga or hoofing it, you can expect to get some shots at both jacks and roosters, a few of which are in the Bubba class. The best action will be where the sardina are being pushed in close to the shore by feeding fish. Watch for the diving pelicans. In the afternoon when the boats are unloading at the hotel and dumping their leftover bait, the action can be good as well.


Water temperature 74-89
Air temperature 78-93
Humidity 49%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 6:56 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:57 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico


On Saturday, August 12th, Lopez Mateos held its 4th Annual Turtle Festival in Lopez Mateos, with a crowd estimated to be at least 1,500 people. The Governor of Baja Sur, el Gobernador Narciso Agúndez, along with other government dignitaries and staff were in attendance as the townspeople celebrated their successes and considered the challenges for the upcoming year. The festivities included crowning a new queen for the Turtle Festival, along with food, music and speeches.

Sunday, El Gobernador Narciso Agúndez and his staff traveled out eight mile into the Pacific to assist graduate student, Hoyt Peckham, and his team in releasing a large turtle with an electronic tracking tag on its back into the wild.

By chance, later in the morning one of the local fisherman delivered a turtle that had been tangled in the net to the Proytecto Caguama, led by graduate student Hoyt Peckham. The Governor had the opportunity to assist the team in cleaning, measuring and tagging the animal. It was then placed in a pen to allow it to recuperate from its ordeal before being released back into the ocean.

As I promised last week, here is a photo of a nice sized rooster caught in the surf near Boca de Soledad. As you can see by its size, there are some nice ones just waiting for the right angler.

Offshore, with our client, Richard Negley Gill from San Antonio, TX, we checked out the Thetis early in the week where we found offcolor water and only raised one billfish. The highlight of the week was on Tuesday, when we worked south of the bank, we found classic Mag Bay conditions with diving frigates, marlin feeders, tuna and porpoise everywhere. While there was plenty to look at, nothing wanted to bite. For the remainder of the week we found marlin every day, but unfortunately, they seemed to have lockjaw and would barely come into the pattern, let alone get close enough for Richard to present the fly.

On our last day (Saturday) we opted to fish the esteros and had excellent action for leopard grouper and spotted bay bass. Chartreuse Baja Deepdiver was definitely the hot fly for the morning.

We were back in by 11:00 a.m. loaded up the van and headed back for the border which accounts for my report being a day late.

Water temperature 64 - 78
Air temperature 72-84
Humidity 62%
Wind: WNW 15 mph
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 7:02 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:56 p.m. MDT


Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
There has not been much change in the fishing this week. The blue water is just a very short ride of two miles off the beach, and the fleet is only averaging a sailfish or two a day, per boat.

There has been a change in the water temperatures, however. According to the Terrafin Satellite Surface Temperatures, the "cooler" 81º water is about 60 miles out, with the inshore waters as warm as 87º.

The jack crevalle and roosterfish action is continuing on its good pace, with about 4 roosters and 6 of the jacks per day.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 87
Air temperature 77 - 91
Humidity 63%
Wind WSW 12 mph
Conditions: Thunderstorms
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 7:29 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:08 p.m. CDT

Baja Surprises……

REPORT #1023. “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update 08/12/06
East Cape
Woody Spruance, Salt Lake City, emailed me the following about his trip he took last week with his son Peter: “So we are back from East Cape. Good trip. Caught an unusual fish on a fly which the guide said was a " leasone" It was a tarpon-like fish in a large school off the lighthouse near Cabo Pulmo. We were told it is rarely caught on any tackle, so my son and I are feeling smug. Great on the fly, jumps like tarpon. Also, good fishing at night on the beach just north of Rancho Leonero, from 8-9 pm, just at dusk. First two nights of ladyfish chasing ballyhoo, then the next night they were gone and replaced by snapper chasing sardina.”

Catching a new species on the fly is always a thrill. The fish is the same milkfish that you have been reading all the stories about in the other parts of the world. It is the first confirmed catch on the fly at East Cape that I am aware of. We occasionally see large schools of them on the surface but never could get them to bite the fly or anything else for that matter. Pretty exciting stuff!

The schoolie dorado have moved in closer to the shore but are mostly singles not the larger fish in schools that deliver arm numbing action. The tuna bite continues with multiple choice of either football size or even some forty pounders further down the beach outside of Las Frailes. Not quite as good as last week, but the billfish show continues with few Fly-Rodders to take advantage of the action.

Water temperature 74-87
Air temperature 78-90
Humidity 66%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 6:53 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:54 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

We have had some interesting reports coming out of Lopez Mateos this week: Wahoo out toward the Thetis Bank, a few dorado here and there and all the tuna you can handle. Weather has settled down with eighty degree temps during the day with westerly winds in the afternoon to cool things down.

Speaking of surprises……after hearing rumors for years about big roosters at Magdalena, I finally received a confirmed report of a thirty-seven pound fish caught in surf on Magdalena Island. Yvonne and I are beginning our drive down to Lopez Mateos today. I will be fishing offshore for the week so we should have lots to talk about next week. There is a digital photo of the rooster waiting for me at Lopez that I will post next week.

Still not much to talk about in the Esteros, although with the water temps climbing I look for that to change soon.

Water temperature 64 - 74
Air temperature 72-80
Humidity 62%
Wind: NW 15 mph.
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 6:58 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:04 p.m. MDT


Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 82º blue water is only 2 miles off the beach, and the fishing has improved. Sailfish are being taken at the rate of 2 to 3 per boat per day. The 20 pound yellowfin tuna are still lingering at the 5 to 7 mile mark, and several 20 to 30 pound dorado are showing up in the count. Some boats are getting three dorado a day, and at least 2 sailfish.

The fishing pressure is very low, with only about 7 to 10 boats a day consisting of the entire fleet. A few of these boats are concentrating on the inshore action. It has been outstanding. The average is still 4 roosterfish from 25 to 45 pounds, and about 6 large jack crevalle from 14 to 25 pounds.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 87
Humidity 83%
Wind Calm
Conditions: Thunderstorms
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 7:27 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:14 p.m. CDT

Few Blues…Stripey’s Thick…East Cape

REPORT #1022. “Below the Border” Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Endless Season Update 08/05/06
East Cape
After the poor weather and fishing left in the wake of Emilla, there was a collective sigh of relief this week. Nice weather greeted the participants of the Bisbee Tournament which dominated most of the attention. Unfortunately the blues missed the invitation and only two qualifying fish came to the scales at 418# and 350#. Andrew Hughes, out for the first time on his new boat, “Mi Corazon”, landed the 418# blue that won the big money. Andrew should sell the boat today; his average will never be any better. In the tuna department, another local, Bob Hardesty, “Makaria”, brought in a fat 132# tuna to win that division. In the dorado category, a 54# bull took all the marbles.

Talk about good news…bad news, everyone was complaining about how thick the stripers were and that they were shaking them off in hopes of a blue. That, my friend is good news for the fly flingers. Mark Rayor reported eight stripey bites in a couple of hours. So if you have a hankering for a marlin on the fly, now might be a good time to be in East Cape.

Inshore the water has cleaned up after the storm and the roosters are showing again. Take your pick either inshore on a panga at Punta Colorada or try Bartle Beach on foot at gray light where they are netting the bait. See through deceivers or Chivo Lisa’s should do the trick for you.


Water temperature 74-87
Air temperature 82-90
Humidity 72%
Wind: NNW 7 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:58 p.m. MDT

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The seas offshore calmed down this week allowing a few boats to go outside. Decent tuna showing with a few dorado mixed in half the distance to Thetis bank from Lopez Mateos. Also some small yellows at the Entrada. In the esteros a few corvina seemed to be the best that anyone could come up with.

Water temperature 61 - 66
Air temperature 72-82
Humidity 62%
Wind: WNW 15 mph.
Conditions: Scattered Clouds
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 6:56 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:08 p.m. MDT


Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 82º blue water is only 2 miles off the beach, and the fishing has improved. Sailfish are being taken at the rate of 2 to 3 per boat, per day. The 20 pound yellowfin tuna are still lingering at the 5 to 7 mile mark, and several 20 to 30 pound dorado are showing up in the count. Some boats are getting three dorado a day, and at least 2 sailfish.

The fishing pressure is very low, with only about 7 to 10 boats a day consisting of the entire fleet. A few of these boats are concentrating on the inshore action. It has been outstanding. The average is still 4 roosterfish from 25 to 45 pounds, and about 6 large jack crevalle from 14 to 25 pounds.

Ed Kunze

Water temperature 78 - 84
Air temperature 77 - 82
Humidity 83%
Wind Calm
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 15 miles
Sunrise 6:26 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:17 p.m. CDT