Roosters Rock!

Endless Season Update May 9, 2010
REPORT #1214 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

The roosterfish and jacks held the most promise for many anglers, both from boats fishing close to shore or from the beach itself.

Another week of mixed reviews for the fishing. Some tuna have begun to show up north of Punta Pescadero, but most of the fish found with the porpoise are barely football size. There were a few better grade tuna caught close to shore up toward Bahia de los Muertos.

The boats seeking billfish are complaining that they are getting little return for lots of effort.It seems that one billfish for the day is a good score.

Also reports indicate that there is just an occasional dorado showing up behind the boats with little rhyme or reason.

The roosterfish and jacks held the most promise for many anglers, both from boats fishing close to shore or from the beach itself. There was one report of nearly thirty anglers fishing one popular stretch of beach…definitely not like the old days when you could fish the beach all day and not see another angler.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

There were some decent-sized yellowtail under the birds at the Entrada. Offshore the water is pretty cool but there are already reports of both billfish and dorado being spotted near the shark buoys scattered out to the west of the Entrada.

Inside the esteros, the bite remains slow for the few boats that even bothered fishing this week.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Historically, we have always had a poor March/April for the blue water species, with this year being no different. And, after the 1st week of May, things usually turn around completely. This is what is happening again this year.

The 30+ year annual sailfish tournament was held this last Friday though Sunday. It was a record breaking year, but fortunately not for the number of sailfish killed; but rather for the 220 boats signed up for the tournament. With wind and rough seas, the tournament averaged fewer than a sailfish a day per boat. The overall winner took home a nice first prize of a Hummer truck, with a small (by other year comparisons) 86 pound sailfish.

Since last weekend's tournament, the current prospects show the blue 80° water moving in a full 10 miles, and 20 miles off the beach today (Thursday). Give the water a few days to calm down, after being beaten by more than 200 boats, and we can expect a very decent turn around.
Adolfo and Cheva, on the pangas Dos Hermanos I and II, fished the area at 20 miles on a straight out 200° heading today, releasing two striped marlin for Adolfo, and two sailfish for Cheva.

The inshore water is still very cold at 72°, with not much action other than the hard fighting jack cravelle. The jacks are being taken on light line outfits with a slow trolled Rapala or live bait.…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

One of our friends pre-fished an angler for the IGFA tournament for two days and only saw one striped marlin in the distance that sunk out as they approached. Another friend, on a private boat, fished five days for three marlin, two of them as a double header. The fish that were found seemed to be fairly close to land and in the cooler water on the Pacific side. All we can hope for is an improvement on the billfish scene. I had reports, unconfirmed, of several blue marlin coming into the lure patterns this week; let's keep our fingers crossed!

Some tuna action took place on the Pacific side up around the Golden Gate Bank as well as closer to home off of the lighthouse, and of course to the south of the San Jaime Bank. The fish were associated with porpoise for the most part and were halfway decent fish averaging 25 pounds with an occasional fish to 40 pounds. You had to be the first (or only) boat there for the action to take place, but most of the boats that got in on it were able to boat a half-dozen fish before the action quit. There were several spots where blind strikes took place as well, but in those instances it was just for one or two fish.

There were a few more dorado caught this week than were brought in last week, and it may have a lot to do with the warmer water, but maybe not, as there were some fish caught on the Pacific side as well. Of course, on the Pacific side the fish were caught close to the arch, where on the Cortez side most of the fish came from farther north, up in the Punta Gordo area or far offshore in the area of the Cabrillo Seamount. The fish averaged 15 pounds with the larger ones in the 25 pound range and the best luck was with brighter colored striped marlin lures. Not very many fish had followers behind them when brought to the boat, so most of the flags were flying by themselves on the boats return.

There were still a few wahoo caught this week, but not in the numbers we were seeing during the full moon phase. Most of the fish reported were found close to the Punta Gordo area or offshore in the wide open sea with nothing else around. Go figure.

The inshore action dropped off just a little, but there were still some nice fish to be had. One couple who tried offshore got nada; then they decided to drop some bait down and landed one grouper of 48 pounds and lost another. The bite on amberjack has been an on/off bite, but the fish have been slightly larger than last week with a few in the 40 pound range. Sierra are still out there but not in large numbers, and there are still roosterfish to be found in the smaller sizes.....…George and Mary Landrum

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

Wind Again

Endless Season Update May 2, 2010
REPORT #1213 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


Jason Abrams of Park City, Utah landed this quality rooster on the fly from the Jen Wren.

Some reports are bubbling with optimism expressing their certainty that fishing is going to get better. The 'boots on the ground' reports offer a little different take. The lack of sardina combined with some of the strongest winds in recent memory produced conditions that many say cannot go anyway but up. There were a few instances of good catches but not many.

There was a least one quality roosterfish when Mark Rayor's Jen Wren came upon a huge school of roosters feeding on the surface near Punta Pescadero. But, alas that was the exception.

The good news is the winds seem to be abating and water temperatures are rising. If the conditions continue along that path, fishing could be on track in no time at all.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Few were willing to make the long run to Cabo San Lazaro this week. Most of the focus remained closer in the Esteros. The sierra along with the cabrilla, grouper and corvina have been the primary targets for the few anglers fishing the area.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 79 degree clean water is holding around 12 miles, with the deep blue water about 30 miles, and along the 1,000 fathom line. Inside 30 miles, fishing for the offshore species has been slow, and as reported by Mike Bulkly, the owner of the super panga Huntress, many boats are not even getting a strike. However, he did tell me that the inshore fishing for jack cravelle, chulas (a small, but excellent eating tuna with teeth), and black skipjack tuna is still good.

Plus, this weekend, starting Friday, is the annual offshore tournament, with a new car or pickup given as the prize for the largest three sailfish, largest marlin, and largest dorado. Fortunately, with the tournament starting on the full moon cycle, and slow conditions anyway, the normal 120 to 150 boat tournament should have poor results. I say fortunately because Zihuatanejo has yet to get out of the stone age with this 30+ year running 'kill' tournament. In years past, with just slightly more favorable conditions, I have seen as many 750 sailfish hitting the dock over the course of the three day tournament. …Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

There were a few striped marlin found this week; most were caught on the Cortez side of the cape, in the slightly warmer water, and in the calmer conditions. The area off Red Hill was once again the best area for these fish as well as the few wahoo that were caught by the early birds. One blue marlin of approximately 500 pounds was also caught in this area.

The rough water conditions prevented boats from fishing the San Jaime bank, the area that normally produces yellowfin tuna, but there were a few fish reported offshore around on the Cortez side.

Just a few scattered dorado were found near the Red Hill and the Punta Gordo areas on the Cortez side, but no concentrations were found. The best results were within a mile or so of the beach, using brightly colored lures. The dorado averaged 12 pounds, but a few were in the 25-pound range.

There were some nice wahoo averaging 30 pounds caught to the north on the Sea of Cortez, but if you were not one of the first boats to the area, you didn't have much luck. The best areas were off the ledge at Red Hill, Gordo Banks and the In-man Banks area.

For some time, inshore fishing has been the most productive. Good catches of small to medium roosterfish are found just off the beach as well as some decent concentrations of sierra. There were some good snapper taken from the rock piles, but due to the rough conditions on the Pacific side, almost all of this action took place on the Sea of Cortez....…George and Mary Landrum

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

Jack's Back

Endless Season Update April 25, 2010
REPORT #1212 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape



It was tough fishing last week, but there were a few jacks to be found

Sardina disappeared, wind kicked up and offshore action slowed and fish behaved lethargically this past week. Mark Rayor reported that his brother did manage to land a few billfish even though most of them seemed to be disinterested in even the liveliest of baits.

Mark said, "We have only been getting one opportunity a day and have been lucky enough to make the most of it. Seems like the last several days the fish have popped up for a short time during slack tide. When it happens you better be ready or your day is done. My brother found one that took a green jack…go figure!"

Women's Flyfishing's® Cecilia “Pudge” Kleinkauf, Anchorage, AK, had tough fishing for their week but did catch a few nice-sized fish. which included a few roosters and jack.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Yellowtail and white sea bass in the 20 to 30 pound class were still going off at Cabo San Lazaro. Bait was plentiful in the Esteros and the sierra along with the cabrilla, grouper and corvina are having a field day feeding on them.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° blue water is still holding at 12 miles, which is historically very unusual for April. But since the migratory fish don't know the "historical" difference, the fishing within the normal 'day-charter' distance of about 20 miles is very poor for the average charter.

Incredible action can be had, but at the magic numbers of 40 to 50 miles. There are lots of blue marlin, sailfish, and yellowfin tuna right over the near vertical drop from 6,000 feet to 14,000 feet. (Just check out Google Earth if you don't believe me about the depths.)

This trench, called the Middle America Trench, extends from a bit north of us, down to Costa Rica, a distance of 1,700 miles, with depths at times of over 21,000 feet.

It is a virtual highway for pelagic species like marlin, yellowfin tuna, and sailfish. This is where our local commercial pangueros, in a single engine open panga, go every day to make their living.

Mike Bulkley, owner of the super panga Huntress, with Francisco as the captain, told me the clients do not want to pay the extra gas money and time it takes to get to the 45 mile mark.

They read the daily charter rate on the internet, and expect the captain to take them to Hawaii, if that is where the fish are, and be back in Zihuatanejo at the end of the day.
Rather than try and explain to a client to pay extra fuel for a trip of a lifetime, the Huntress has had very satisfied clients by going inshore and catching a lot of small game fish on light line. After which, Francisco, has been taking the clients to Ixtapa Island for lunch with their fresh caught fish, a little snorkeling, and water sports before returning to the pier, without having to stop for gas in Hawaii.

Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, is very optimistic (read promoter), but then what can you expect from the very best captain in this port. He is getting a few roosters off the beach, with several sailfish and striped marlin in the blue water, when nobody else is getting them. Of course, he did not tell me where he got them, but his clients are very satisfied…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

There were a few more striped marlin found this week and most of them were on the Sea of Cortez side in the calmer water. There was a small concentration of them mid-week up off of Red Hill about two miles from the beach. Not many, but enough were caught to make it worth the effort. There were a few blue and black marlin released this week as well from the same area, although the fish were not large ones, averaging 250 pounds. I heard that there was a swordfish caught in the area of the 95 spot early in the week as well, but saw no pictures of the fish.

A few yellowfin were found in the vicinity of the Golden Gate Banks by boats brave enough to confront the seas early in the mornings before the winds started to whip things up. The bite lasted for two days, but the guys kept things kind of quiet and not many boats heard the exact area. The fish were just a little larger than footballs but the boats lucky enough to find them came in with a dozen or so.

Only a few dorado this week, but those that were caught were nice fish averaging 20 pounds. Almost every one that I heard of was caught in the Sea of Cortez, and the farther to the north you went the better your chances were. The warmer water gave you a better shot at them.

There were a few wahoo caught but they were incidental catches while boats were fishing for marlin. The wahoo were all nice ones in the 40 pound class, and were caught off the Westin, the Gordo Banks and Punta Gordo.

Inshore fishing was red hot for a couple of days with a good concentration of amberjack just off the beach. There were quite a few people fly fishing this week and if they were able to get sardina for chum they were doing well on sierra with a few small roosterfish, as well as the amberjack. Conventional fishermen were doing very well on sierra using small swimming plugs from three to five inches in length with a small wire bite tippet. There were some decent red snapper as well, on the Pacific side up in the rocks, but it was a case of being in the right place at the right time, mainly early in the morning before the winds started to whip it up...…George and Mary Landrum

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

Spring Gallo

Endless Season Update April 18, 2010
REPORT #1211 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


Women's Flyfishing's® Cecilia “Pudge” Kleinkauf, Anchorage AK landed this nice spring pez gallo recently

The recent disappearance of sardina has caused many anglers consternation. Finding the bait to purchase was the key to having a good day.

Offshore the marlin bite spiked and then fell off with the drop in water temperatures. The cooler water temps also shut off what little dorado bite there had been. While there were some yellowfin tuna found beneath the porpoise some were so small they wouldn't even be enough for a tuna sandwich.

The good news was that while it was an up and down deal, the roosterfish and jack bite was great for a few days but definitely not consistent. Many are predicting a phenomenal inshore year once the sardina reappear.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Both yellowtail and white sea bass in the 20 to 30 pound class remain hot at Cabo San Lazaro. In the Esteros there are plenty of sardines and the sierra along with the cabrilla, grouper and corvina are having a field day feeding on them. May 1st marks the beginning of clamming season.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 82° blue water has actually moved in closer to about the 12-mile mark. But the offshore fishing was not very good this last week; with last Tuesday's 5.0 earthquake centered only 40 miles away, this is not surprising.

With my hand in a cast for five more weeks, it will probably be at least end of May before the Doc lets me pick up a fly rod and get back on the water.

Mike Bulkley, the owner of the super panga Huntress, emailed me this:
"Offshore fishing has been very slow with one or no strikes per trip. Inshore remains reliable with good catches of bonito, jacks and some chula's.

Cheva, on the panga Dos Hermanos II, told me he is getting some chulas, an excellent eating small tuna with white meat (about five pounds), with a mean set of teeth. Cheva has also been working the area down by the white rocks and getting some large jack crevalle, to over 20 pounds, on trolled Rapalas and live bait.

Mike Bulkley also emailed this event:
"A note, on an offshore trip to the curve on Wednesday, the Huntress saw four or five dead Olive Ridley turtles floating from 15 to 30 miles offshore. These turtles did not appear to be damaged by ships and there were several breeding pairs also spotted in the same area."

This is really disturbing for me to have to report this, but I know of no destination in Mexico not affected by long lines. As turtle egg laying season will soon start on the beaches, the most likely cause of their deaths are from a long line. Shrimp boat nets in Mexico, not fitted with Turtle Extraction Devises can also kill them, but the shrimp boats work the shallower inshore waters. At 15 miles, the depth is 3,000 feet, and the 1,000 fathom line (6,000 feet) at the curve is at 30 miles. This is where the pangas using long lines work…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

The striped marlin bite picked up a little bit as the couple we had fishing for three days demonstrated. There were no fish on the first day; the water was rough and it was an early return. The second day they caught two marlin and they saw a few fish on the third day. Other boats were doing about the same; the fish were showing around the 95 spot moving slowly to the east. One of the fleet boats landed a small blue marlin in the 250 pound class while fishing up around Palmilla.

Tuna were once again a ‘hit or miss’ fish. A few boats were able to get fish, but most of them were blind strikes with no porpoise in the area at the time. The fish were slightly larger than footballs at 20 to 25 pounds, but there were no large numbers of them reported. A few boats did find porpoise that held fish, but they were on the San Jaime Banks in very rough water and only a few boats braved the conditions to fish there; those that did had only scattered success.

The water in the Sea of Cortez has warmed up and there are a few more dorado being caught. No large numbers but the fish were decent sized at a 20-pound average.

There were a few wahoo caught in the area of the Gorda Banks, but no large numbers of them. They averaged 25 pounds with the best bite being very early in the morning. Fishing out of San Jose on a panga was the best bet, since there was only a 15 minute boat ride to get there. By the time most of the boats from Cabo San Lucas arrived, the bite was finished.

Inshore action has remained good for sierra, roosterfish, grouper and snapper. The sierra and roosterfish provided great action close to the beach and the grouper and snapper were a steady pick for those anglers bottom fishing.

With the water warming up and a blue reported the other day, we might have a few more showing up soon. ..…George and Mary Landrum

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

Sierra Thick…Sardina Missing?

Endless Season Update April 11, 2010
REPORT #1210 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


Right place…right time can yield some extraordinary sierra action.

The spring thaw seems to be for real. Both sea and weather temperatures continued to climb in spite of the wind early in the week. More spring-like sounds can be heard; birds chirping as they flit about building their nests, as well as the familiar drone of carpenter bees buzzing looking for some wood to make their home.

Inshore in spite of the scarcity of sardina, the sierra and roosters have been better than good. Some of the bait boats are running as far as Punta Perico to find the precious sardina that can make the difference between a so-so and good day.

Reports of a huge volume of stripers and sails offshore. Finding them was the easy part, getting them to bite was another story. So far April has been devoid of any significant dorado or YFT action. But everyone expects them to show up any day.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Yellowtail and white sea bass in the 20 to 30 pound class continue to provide the best action again this week. It is a pretty good ride from the Boca all the way out to Cabo San Lazaro. Inside the Esteros the pressure was very light this week. The few who were fishing reported a decent cabrilla and grouper bite with an occasional mangrove snapper to spice things up.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The water has actually warmed up a bit, with a band of 84° (surface temp) water between the 15 to 35 mile mark, and extending all up and down the coast for at least 50 miles in each direction.

My right hand had a serious encounter with a machete, and I have been out of commission. So, for the 'on the water report and observations' Mike Bulkley, the owner of the panga Huntress, came to my rescue. He emailed me the following:

"Fishing has been great inshore again this week with lots of jacks, bonita and big jurel (jack cravelle) off Ixtapa Island. Offshore is still spotty with good catches of sails, stripes and blues if you can find the fish. We have been running 20 to 30 miles south before wetting the lines. We had a triple sailfish hookup on Monday."

Photo (by Mike Bulkley) - Jack Noble, age 7, from Indianapolis, Indiana, about to release his first sail while fishing with Capt. Francisco on the Huntress about 20 miles south of Zihuatanejo.

Also, while talking on the phone with Mike, he offered the following additional information: "Santiago, on the panga Gitana, had released three sails and a striped marlin at the 32 mile mark. The Huntress was working the area at 20 miles, and near where Margarito on the cruiser Gaby was hooked up to a blue marlin when they had the triple hookup on sailfish. Plus, the water is clear at 12 miles, but deep blue at 20 miles."…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

There was no change in the marlin bite this past week; it is still very slow. We had a couple of fish Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. While looking for striped marlin, they released a shark the first day, a shark and a baby striped marlin of around 20 to 25 pounds the second day, and on Saturday they hooked another small one that came off right away and then hooked a decent fish that they fought for about 2 minutes before it threw the hook. Most of the fish that have been found have been on the Pacific side fairly close to the beach.

Yellowfin tuna are here one day and gone the next. The schools have been moving rapidly and not all of the porpoise have had tuna with them. When the fish have been found they have been footballs or slightly larger. The schools are being found from the San Jaime Banks to 40 miles due south of the Arch

The water is still cold for dorado but there are a few caught every day…most of them in the 12-pound class with an occasional larger fish. Most of them have been found around the 95 spot and also close to the beach on the Cortez side.

There was a short flurry of wahoo action early in the week out at the San Jaime Bank as a school passed through the area. Several boats working the same area received multiple hookups as they passed over the school, but few of the fish were landed as these sharp toothed fish cut the mono-filament leaders easily. The fish that were brought in were in the 30 to 40 pound class.

Inshore action remained good as anglers got their fill on sierra, roosterfish, grouper and snapper this week close to the beach while the grouper and snapper were a steady pick for those anglers choosing to try bottom fishing from pangas..…George and Mary Landrum
Current Cabo Weather http://tiny.cc/cabo191

Spring Thaw?

Here is the evidence that billfish are venturing close to shore to feed on the squid. That's a squid tentacle hanging from the gill plate.

Endless Season Update April 4, 2010
REPORT #1209 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

As the wind slammed the door on March, April began with warmer temperatures and positive hints of the quickly coming Spring season. Inshore the roosters, jacks, African pompano and pargo are all biting well along with the still thick sierra, even on the windy days, providing spring-like action for those choosing to remain in sight of land.
Even the billfish including sails and stripers are all only a few miles farther outside.

What's missing are the yellowfin tuna, skipjack and dorado that should be part of any self respecting Spring thaw.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Either the fishing is wide open and everybody is too busy to talk about it, or all the Semana Santa (Easter) activity was too much of a distraction. One report was that the recent big tides made it tough for fishing inside the Esteros.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 82° blue water is holding at about 10 miles, with most of the action taking place between 12 and 15 miles. The very good striped marlin bite is still holding up, with each boat in the fleet averaging about two striped marlin and a sailfish a day.

Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos told me the jack crevalle action is still slow, but there are a lot of other small game fish around to keep a light line rig very busy. He reports acres of black skipjack tuna, which are not table fare, but very hard-fighting machines. And, there are lots of small "chicken" dorado who are growing up fast.

Mike Buckley of the super panga Huntress, with captain Francisco emailed me the following:
"Fishing was very good inshore. Lots of bonita and small dorado inshore off Ixtapa Island. We had only one or two strikes out between the 15 and 25 mile lines"...…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582


Cabo San Lucas

Marlin fishing has remained slow, again this week. A few were taken inshore close to Cabo, but the bite is just not happening. There have been reports of tailers seen up around the lighthouse area on the Pacific side, but not much interest when baits are thrown at them. It's fine water temperatures; they just aren't biting.
Yellowfin tuna are there, then gone. Last week there was a good bite out at the Gate, next they were found again out by San Jaime, but not the number of schools we are used to seeing this time of year. Lots of porpoise out there, but the tuna are not with them.

Still a few dorado popping up here and there, with only one or two blind strikes, no school concentrations. It seems like the rougher it gets, the better they bite.

Sierra and more sierra, roosterfish, grouper, snapper, triggerfish, a smorgasbord inshore! We have had quite a few fly fishermen recently on the pangas doing very well chumming the fish up with sardina to cast their flies into schools…mostly roosterfish and sierra on the fly.

Lots of families for the holiday, and it's been all about keeping the younger kids happy so they will keep an interest in fishing. So a lot of boats have stayed inshore where they are catching lots of fish, instead of offshore for one or two fish, if any. It was a pretty busy week here with the younger kids traveling with Mom and Dad for their spring break.…George and Mary Landrum

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

Whoosh Closes March

Lance Peterson landed this rooster from the beach in spite of less than ideal conditions.


Endless Season Update March 28, 2010
REPORT #1208 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


Mixed bag throughout the week; on the windy days, the marlin show and then on a flat calm day, they couldn't be found. Out in front of La Ribera there were plenty of small tuna and skipjack as well as some amberjack, grouper and yellowtail in deeper water. There were even a few sailfish in the count.

The dorado are scarce with only a few landed all week.

Surprisingly the roosterfish bite continued in spite of the windy conditions with a few decent-sized fish being caught from the beach.

Boats focusing on the inshore were able to score on sierra, jacks and pargo.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

According to the locals the white sea bass action has been great outside of Cabo San Lazaro. The Humboldt squid are also still in the neighborhood.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

With the change to cooler, dirty water and some very large waves hitting the beaches, the very good inshore action for jack crevalle and sierras has taken a nose dive this week. However, the slack has been taken up in spades with excellent blue water fishing.

Striped marlin, like last year, showed up again this year. Historically, we rarely catch striped marlin here, but when they have shown up this past two years, we have been getting more striped marlin than sailfish.

Most of the fish are being caught between 12 and 18 miles, with each boat in the fleet averaging two striped marlin and a sailfish per day. Naturally the better captains are doing better than that.

Some notable catches this last week were with Adolfo on the panga, Dos Hermanos, releasing four striped marlin and five sailfish in one day.

Santiago, on the panga Gitana, reported the following:
Debbie Goggins from Alaska released two striped marlin and one sailfish fishing with Adan on the Gitana II.

Dan Gaffney, with his wife and son from North Carolina, released three striped marlin, two sailfish and they caught many jacks and bonitos, during six days of fishing over the past week. They fished with Santiago on the Gitana.

Also, Cheva on the panga Dos Hermanos II released three striped marlin yesterday, and Arturo on the panga Janeth released three striped marlin and two sailfish..…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582


Cabo San Lucas

Marlin fishing has remained slow. Victor, my panga guy, had to have the catch of the week on these guys. Pulled in close to the lighthouse to check for sierra and released two striped marlin in the 150-pound range. They were just cruising for a bite to eat! While some folks in PV brought in a 684-pound black this week, we haven't seen anything like that yet. So with these warmer waters moving in, there is a chance!

Yeah I had sashimi for dinner last night!!!!! Finally, Friday some yellowfin tuna showed up. Of course being the only game in town you had to get to the school early or they were scattered. Fish were in the 15 to 30 pound range. Hope this warmer water will keep them around, although yellowfin don't mind the cooler waters.

Dorado on the other hand like these warmer waters and a couple came up to play. Decent ones also in the 15-pound range, not those little slippers that we had last month. Dorado grow fast, but not that fast!

Sierra , roosterfish, grouper, snapper, a smorgasbord inshore. Sure glad the tuna have shown up to relieve the pressure on the inshore fisheries. We want to keep those reefs full all year round. …George and Mary Landrum

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

March Marlin

Mark Rayor launched his new Cabo and promptly landed their first fish of the year.
Endless Season Update March 21, 2010
REPORT #1207 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

For those willing to brave the windy conditions, there were striped marlin to be caught. Mark Rayor launched his new Cabo and promptly landed their first fish of the year even though the water was slightly off-color.

Didn't seem to bother the Humboldt squid action that has been going on for awhile. It's a good thing, since live bait has been hard to come by because of the wind.

Even the dorado have been squirrely…up one day and down the next, with no rhyme or reason. Meanwhile, back inside, the yellows and amberjack were found at the drop offs.

Roosterfish are still around but most that were caught seemed to be small and smaller. There were a few better size reported but no photosto put them into the unconfirmed category.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

This was the only area reporting decent weather. Yellowtail to forty pounds were found under the debris floating outside Boca de Soledad. Outside of Magdalena Island there has been a good whack on white seas bass feeding on small squid. Speaking of squid, the commercial fishermen are loading up on Humboldt's every night.

Inside the Esteros, few bothered to fish this week so there is little to report.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° blue water has moved into the six mile area. The fishing has picked up some, with the best hard-working captains all getting a few fish.

Karen and Saxon Hutmacher of Alaska fished two days with Cali on the Vamonos II. On the first day they had a couple of strikes on sailfish, got a striped marlin, and then also got a blue marlin of about 300 pounds to the boat. The next day they got two sailfish.

Mike Buckley, owner of the twin engine super panga Huntress, emailed me with the following: "We had two charters, one inshore with lots of bonito and two dorado and one offshore with three sailfish at 22 miles. All three sails struck at the same time and we released them all. Water was beautiful, but that was the only action all day."

Todd Sandell and his friend Ron of Seattle treated themselves to their 40th birthdays by fishing with Cheva on the panga Dos Hermanos II with their 8wt fly rods. They had excellent action on the small game, with most of the fish being the hard-fighting black skipjack tuna, but they also got a very nice sierra, which was their dinner that night.…Ed Kunze

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

Cabo San Lucas

Marlin fishing has remained slow again this week. Still a few bites close to shore, but not hearing of anything offshore. Even the bottom fishing for marlin up the Pacific side isn't working yet. Where are they? Just not here in the numbers we have seen in the past. March should be great for striped marlin.

Still pretty thin in the tuna department and it's not pretty water getting to them. Reports of porpoise schools in close but the boats working the schools are reporting only small bonita. There were a couple of fish coming into the docks but all reported that there were some pretty rough seas getting there and back. Rumors of a good bite past San Jaime the other day, but I never saw any fish to match the rumors.

A few dorado saved the day for some this past week. Not in numbers, but the ones caught were all in the 15 to 20 pound range instead of the four to six pound range that have been passing by.

Wahoo: Okay, let's change this just for spring to Mexican Wahoo…still pretty much the catch of the week…although they are taking a big hit. If you are into the bigger 6 to 10 pound fish, there aren't as many of them being caught. Still lots of the smaller ones. Hey guys throw those two to four pound fish back; let them grow up! Got to leave some as breeders for next year!!!

Inshore continued to prove to be the best action. Snapper bite is alright…haven't seen the numbers of red snapper hitting the docks like in years past, but they are there. People are just spending more time targeting the sierra I think. Don't laugh, but I did see some decent triggerfish come into the dock. (they really are good eating!) Also a few small mako shark were being released. Maybe with this cooler, high sixty degree water moving in the yellowtail bite will pick up again. …George and Mary Landrum

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

El Nino Surprise…

John Barley and his son landed five of the squirters in short order near the surface.

Endless Season Update March 15, 2010
REPORT #1206 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


To clarify the daylight savings time change, it turns out that here in Baja Sur the change actually takes place April 4th.

Weather permitting, offshore fishing Is enjoying an uptick…enough striped marlin to keep things interesting. Sunday one of the Palmas boats landed a 180 pound swordfish.

There are also reports some yellowfin tuna with skipjack mixed in along with rumors of some larger tuna on the outside down below Las Frailes.

Inshore there has been a decent show of roosters, jacks, sierra, pargo and an occasional yellowtail.

One El Nino surprise for March is the Humboldt squid being caught within a mile of shore. Part-time resident John Barley and his son landed five of the squirters in short order near the surface.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Windy conditions prevented any fishing this week.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

With the clean 80° water only six miles off the beach, and the deep blue water out about 18 miles, the fishing is still fairly slow. Our bread and butter fish for the area, the sailfish, has been averaging less than a fish per day per boat.

However, not is all bleak as Kjell of Sweden fished with Luis on the panga, Gringo Loco, for two days, taking a huge 50 (plus) pound dorado off a partially sunken tree limb. He released an estimated 250-pound blue marlin the next day.

Cali, Captain of the Vamonos II, did get two sailfish on Friday for his clients, and an estimated 110-pound striped marlin. He told me, as well as the other captains, that the seas were very rough on Thursday.

However, the inshore action has been very good. Adolfo on the Dos Hermanos, Cheva on the Dos Hermanos II, and Arturo ????? all have been getting into large jack crevalle. The 15 to 20 pound jacks are coming off trolled rapalas, live bait, and surface poppers, with most of the action down near the white rocks. …Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

Marlin fishing has remained slow again this week. Still a few more boats were able to find the fish this week, but it was nothing to write home about…at least for those of us who go out all the time. The fish seemed to be concentrated closer to shore than normal; most of the fish were found within three miles of the beach and on both sides of the Cape.

Just like last week, most of the tuna were found quite a long way from home, necessitating a two-hour or longer cruise to get to where you might find some. Out by the Seamounts reports were that bigger schools had small fish, smaller schools had bigger fish. Not pretty water getting there though. My friend who made it out there said he was the only boat there. There are always exceptions though, and on Saturday there was a pod of dolphin found three miles off of Chileno Beach that had loads of football tuna, 5- to 20-pound fish, and the first dozen boats to get there had a blast!

Just a few yellow flags were flying this week on Wednesday with the heavy winds and rough seas the dorado came out to play. The fish were found offshore on the Cortez side by boats searching for tuna and there were a few very small ones found in close to the beach, as well as on the Cortez side of the Cape.

Inshore fishing: sierra bite busted wide open on the Pacific side late in the week. Same again this week with some boats coming in with 30 or 40 fish. There are also reports of the snapper bite picking up…George and Mary Landrum

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

March Blast…

This is what an angler with a March rooster looks like…it's not often you see a guy in a fleece vest with a roosterfish! photo Colleen Hubbard.

Endless Season Update March 7, 2010
REPORT #1205 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

Further signs of spring will happen next Sunday when Baja switches to daylight savings time.

Meanwhile, most of the action remains close to shore or from the beach. Lance Peterson submitted this week's photo confirming both the presence of some nice size roosters along the beach and that it is chilly enough for a fleece vest. Along with the roosters there are schools of sierra chasing sardina close to shore.

Even with the spotty weather, a bit of rain and the ever present wind, either way fishing can still be a blast!

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Another quiet week with few anglers even in the neighborhood this week. The entrada produced some nice sized sierra along with a few small yellows and the sandy beaches at Belchers were holding some of the smaller variety of halibut in very shallow water.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The blue water fishing has been slow this week, with the inshore action being the best bet. The full moon caused the normal slow down in the blue water, but with the earthquake down in Chile, it really shut down. It was way too far for us to feel the quake here, but the small tsunami which came through acted like several major shock waves to the sailfish.

The recorded tsunami was only about three feet high, and did not go much higher than our normal high tide line. When it came through, I was guiding with Cheva on the panga, Dos Hermanos II, and fly fisherman Steve Mara of Seattle. We were in touch with the Port Captain's office, which was in touch with the entire coast of Mexico. We didn't feel or see a thing, but we didn't get any fish either.

The sensitive lateral lines on a sailfish can pick up a school of bait fish a half-mile away. The tsunami comes in with a series of shock waves, and it must really put a scare into the fish!

A couple of days after the quake, Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, called me on his cell phone. He was into a very large school of jack crevalle, and they were huge! He was down at the Valentine river mouth, with the hard fighting jacks being an astonishing 25 to 30 pound average.

Yesterday (Wed.), Ken Unger of Calgary, Canada, fished with Santiago on the panga, Gitana. They didn't get a strike on a sailfish, but found a floating grass patch and managed to pull a couple of smaller dorado and one nice dorado of about 30 pounds off it. Ken's 13 year old daughter, Shelby, had the honors of bringing in the dinner. They had it cooked up at Lety's Restaurant, which is probably the best seafood restaurant here, and very economical.

Today, Ken and Shelby fished with Cheva and meI on the panga, Dos Hermanos II, up on the Buena Vista Beach area. Ken was fly fishing, and Cheva was throwing a surface popper or lure out 75 to 100 yards, and then handing off the caught fish to Ken's daughter, Shelby. She darned near got worn out. We did manage to raise a few roosters, and caught a jack crevalle. Plus, we found our own dorado hotel in the form of a huge patch of floating grass. We pulled eight dorado off it. Nothing was big, but it was a fun…and, I got to take dorado home tonight for my wife Rebecca to cook up. …Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

Marlin fishing has remained slow, though quite a few more boats were able to find the fish and they were biting a bit better…still it was nothing to write home about. The fish seemed to be concentrated closer to shore than normal, with most of the fish being found within three miles of the beach, and on both sides of the Cape.

Just like last week, most of the tuna were found quite a long way from home, necessitating a two hour or more cruise to get to where you might find some. There are always exceptions; recently there was a pod of dolphin found three miles off of Chileno Beach that had loads of football tuna, 5- to 20-pound fish, and the first dozen boats to get there had a blast. There were a few other clos- in fish found this week as well but for the most part, tuna were a long run from home with your fingers crossed!

Just a few yellow flags were flying recently; most of the boats did not have any luck with dorado and those that did only caught one or two at the most. The fish were found offshore on the Cortez side by boats searching for tuna and there were a few very small ones in close to the beach, also on the Cortez side of the Cape.

The sierra bite busted wide open on the Pacific side and it was disappointing to see so many of these so called “conservationist” captains load up with two, three or more times their limits. Come on guys! You have two clients on the panga, come in with 40+ pound sierra and then complain the next day that the fish have disappeared? Get a clue, please. Anyway, the bite was good and there were a few decent yellowtail caught as well as a few grouper and snapper. The surprise for many was the marlin that were found so close to the beach. While dropping bait to the bottom for grouper and snapper, many boats keep a live bait half-way down for amberjack, but there were quite a few marlin caught doing that.

The whales are beginning to thin out. There were still plenty of Humboldt Squid out there if things seem really slow fishing...George and Mary Landrum

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

One Month Closer to Spring…

Charlie McCrow of London, England, with his 20 pound rooster on the fly, Panga - Dos Hermanos II with Captain Cheva, Photo and Guide - Ed Kunze
Endless Season Update February 28, 2010
REPORT #1204 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

Typical up and down wind didn't prevent some lucky anglers to land some nice-sized yellowtail. Actually, the no-wind days outweighed the windy ones. For some it was just a mixed bag, producing some fun days on the water; to keep things interesting, several of the local reefs are holding grouper, cabrilla and pargo

There is enough bait around to attract both jacks and roosters. There are a few schools of 'grandes' exhibiting their ability to provide many more refusals than takes. There were a few nice sized fish caught, but not in the 'Bubba' class for sure.

As normal the trick was to stick with the inshore as long as it produced. Many days it remained consistent throughout the fishing day. On other days it slowed down and heading outside, while tempting, was not worth the effort. Thank goodness we are done with February and getting closer to Spring every day!

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The most consistent activity throughout the bay is the whale watching which continues to attract many tourists eager to photograph the mom's and their calves.

Lance Peterson and his friend, Brad Ellis, spent several days fishing out of Lopez Mateos with excellent results. They caught a variety of species including the elusive snook..all on the fly.

Lance reported that though they were mostly smaller fish, they were still very cool. Even though he has caught more roosters on the fly than anyone else I could name, this was his first snook on the fly and he was stoked! The fishing was pretty impressive. He went on to say that his Panguero Roddy was a master at boat handling. Having the right Captain, the right gear and the skills to make it happen made the team a deadly combo!

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The blue water fishing has been a bit erratic, but the quality has increased dramatically. The boats are averaging about a sailfish a day each, but the 15 boat blue water boat fleet caught three blue marlin on Tuesday, six on Wednesday, and another five today (Thursday). Plus, the action is taking place only 10 miles off the beach in front of Ixtapa. This does not reflect how many other boats, armed with lighter sailfish gear, lost a blue. For every blue marlin hooked, there had to be at least three lost.

As Paul Phillips was telling me..."there is a blue water dead sea area out there, and when it passes through, the fishing will be decent." The beautiful blue water…better than I had seen in a month…was at 14 miles but held no life. It passed through, and we are now getting fish.

Inshore has been incredibly unseasonable, with a great showing of roosterfish. Fly fishing client, Charlie McCrow of England got a nice 20-pound rooster while fishing with Cheva and me on the panga, Dos Hermanos II. We were up at the Pantla/Buena Vista Beach area, which Adolfo had tipped us off as to being a good bet.

And Adolfo, on the Dos Hermanos, has been doing his usual inshore magic. Fishing the areas from Playa Linda to Troncones, his conventional gear clients caught 15 jack crevalle and 6 roosters on one day, and the next day they caught "mucho" jacks and 4 roosters…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

Striped marlin are being caught, but not in numbers to get excited about. Fish were seen close to the shore in the greenish water on the Cortez side, and anglers bottom fishing for grouper and snapper who dropped a live mackerel halfway to the bottom in 150 feet of water hooked two marlin, releasing one and losing the other. Other boats were seeing one here and one there on the surface in the same type of conditions. There was no consistent bite nor was there any regularity to the areas they were being found.

Well, the yellowfin had some regularity to where they were being found, and that was way out there! Most of the fish found this week were from football size to 30 pounds and it was a long run for a consistent bite! While there were fish found as close as 18 miles due south and 24 miles at 210 degrees, most of the action has been due east 35 miles or due south at 40 miles, a long two-hour run for the charters. If you got into the right porpoise pod, the action was 'hot and heavy', but there were a lot of pods with no fish. If you did happen to be in the right ones, almost anything was working, from feathers to marlin lures to cedar plugs.

Dorado seemed to be missing in action this week. While boats were able to find the type of debris that would normally hold these fish (weed lines, dead seals, wood), there were few if any fish under any of them.

Inshore fishing provided the most consistent action. Though not large, there was an abundance of fish. The most common catch was sierra and most boats did not have any problem limiting out on them. Small swimming plugs, hootchies and live sardina, all rigged with a small trace of wire leader resulted in plenty of fish in the box. Anglers working yo-yo style jigs on the rocky bottom did well on amberjack to 25 pounds, grouper to 20 pounds and snapper to 20 pounds with an occasional larger specimen of each in the mix. There were also plenty of roosterfish to be had; unfortunately most of them were in the small five pound or less class, but there was an occasional school of 20 to 25 pound fish that gave good action. Yellowtail provided some steady action with fish to 30 pounds for boats that worked the points on the Pacific side, but several shrimp boats put a crimp on the action as they anchored on the schools and had 10 guys hand-lining with shrimp heads as bait. Watching the fish come over the rail one after the other really let you know how many there were in the school.

Whales are still providing a show for everyone, both humpbacks and a few grays are always in view. I don't know if there is any correlation between these things, but along with the warm, green water has come the Humboldt squid. A lot of the boats are stopping to jig up a few of these after a long offshore trip just to get something for their anglers to pull on. Spot the bird piles working just off the surface and you can see the squid. Pull up so that your lures sink and pretty soon you are hooked up. Don't get inked though, it's pretty nasty to get off. ...George and Mary Landrum
Current Cabo Weather http://tiny.cc/cabo191

Z Rooster

Henning Morek - Denmark, Huge rooster Panga Dos Hermanos with Captain Adolfo

Endless Season Update February 21, 2010
REPORT #1203 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape


This has probably been the wettest February in a while. The good news is that it was the gentle soaking type rain that doesn't run off quickly. I guess it is a clue how slow the fishing has been recently, one hotel sent five boats out one day which is the single day's record for 2010. The lack of sierra continues to dismay fishermen who depend on them as a fallback. I saw a report this morning from down toward Cabo that suggested that there were reports that the lack of sierra was caused by gill net activity happening along the remote and unpatrolled East Cape region.

Inshore there are a few small dorado buzzing around that don't seem to stay in one place long. Offshore once in awhile a boat finds a cooperative striper and one unusual catch that was reported a few days ago was a sailfish which stayed late or arrived really early.

The most excitement is all the whales close to shore, huffing and puffing and leaping with reckless abandon.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

What little action there was this week was at the Entrada where the firecracker yellowtail could be found feeding on the surface under the bird schools. Unfortunately, the sierra were mixed in with the yellowtail and there were a lot of fish lost because of the lack of wire leaders. Up above Lopez Mateos, the action was mostly grouper and cabrilla.

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The fishing has been a bit erratic, but it is improving. On Monday, as brothers Henning and Ole Mork of Denmark did on the panga, Janeth with Captain Arturo, you go out and get three sailfish. Then go out the next day, but in a bit different area and a different boat, and not even get a strike all day.

However, Henning is on a roll. He is fishing with conventional gear but fished with Adolfo and his fly fishing son, Ufe, on the panga Dos Hermanos on Wednesday. They went up north to the Pantla area for jack crevalle and the possible shot for a rooster.

For three hours, Ufe had been up on the bow casting the fly…every time the hookless teaser came back to the boat. He took less than a 2-minute break to gulp down a sandwich and chug some water. Of course, this is when the huge rooster came slashing to the boat. The potential fly fishing world record was incredibly aggressive and going after anything near it. With Ufe unable to do anything but just watch, Henning was able to flip a bait at the fish with a spin rod and was hooked up solid.

The rooster was released, but Adolfo estimated it at 68 pounds. This is the second time this has happened with Ufe. Last year he and his Dad fished with me down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero. Ufe did get several dorado and a couple of decent roosters on the fly, but his Dad is the one who got the 50 pound rooster on conventional gear.

I had seen some small yellowfin tuna in the local Mercardo fish market, so I knew the commercial pangeros had found at least one school of tuna. Then, Santiago on the panga Gitana, came across diving birds at 10 miles fromr the port while fishing for sailfish. A live bait cast at them produced an 80-pound yellowfin for Ken Erdman of Pennsylvania.

Also, talking to Cali on the Vamonos II, he said he has been averaging about three sailfish a day for his clients…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

Marlin and sailfish continue to be scarce and while a few are being spotted as well as caught, there are no large numbers of them anywhere. It appears that we are not going to see a repeat of the fantastic striped marlin fishery we have been having this time of the year for the past three years, but if we do, it means that everything else is going to be all contrary for the rest of the year. The few fish that were caught were found up in the Punta Gordo and Gordo Banks area, as well as very close to the beach on the Pacific side up around the Golden Gate Bank.
News is bad for the yellowfin tuna fishermen.

The catch on tuna is still spotty, with a few fish found here and a few found there. The fish that were found were smaller school fish to 35 pounds, but most of them were footballs at 5 to 15 pounds. All the fish found were associated with porpoise.

The good news was the reappearance of the warm water and a few more dorado showing up… most of them were actually worth catching. This warm water brought in some larger fish and though the numbers have not been high, the fish have been quality fish in the 25- to 40-pound class. A few of these fish were found on the Pacific side around the seamounts in the warm water, but the better ones came in on the warm water flow from the east.

Surprisingly there are still wahoo to be caught out there. Most of those were incidental catches, but at least they were there. The fish were not large, averaging just under 25 pounds.

Inshore is providing the best action but that isn't working for everyone. The fish are concentrating in one area for several days and then they are gone. They seem to be constantly on the move. The sierra, yellowtail and amberjack will be in one place in the morning and two miles away in the afternoon. This may be due to the changing water temperature moving the bait around, but for whatever reason, one day can be red-hot and the next ice-cold.

The whales are still providing thrills and if you are fishing offshore that is sometimes the only action you might see. The whales are inshore as well, so if you combine the inshore action with the whale action, inshore is definitely the place to be. ...George and Mary Landrum

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

Early Easter Egg Hunt??

Endless Season Update February 14, 2010
REPORT #1202 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


So you thought that Mexico was protecting the turtles…click here http://tiny.cc/turtleeggs

After a week of up and down weather, including some gentle rain, today finally seemed like the beginning a few good days. Throughout the week on the good days the sierra were thick enough to attract the attention of the local gillnetters…sigh. The bad news is the roosters have begun to show and of course the nets are not very selective. A few of the boats that did venture offshore, however, found a few tailers below the lighthouse, but unfortunately they didn't seem to be too interested.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Still slow action or is it lack of fishermen? Either/or the squirrely weather has kept everyone off the water.

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° water is still here, but the blue water is still off the charts somewhere. At about six miles, we at least have a decent "clean" water, so a few fish are still in the area.

The fleet is averaging only about onw sailfish a day per boat, with a few small dorado showing up for a few boats. The biggest problem has been the tremendous amount of debris in the water. From just off the beach, to out beyond 20 miles, the floating grass and river bank vegetation that washed out of the Rio Balsas River has made it real difficult to keep a trolling spread from getting fouled. Last week's 12" of rain in 30 hours really opened the flood gates on the rivers and washed a lot of debris in.

It has been a deckhand's nightmare. Even with the captain dodging the worst of it, a line is always getting fouled.

Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos II, has been working the areas to the North and has been doing well on some large jack cravelle......…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

For most of the week the marlin and sailfish would not bite; you could
find them but they were not hungry. Finally at the end of the week the bite picked
up a little and boats began to get them to take both bait and lures. Most of
the fish caught were found on the Cortez side of the Cape and the majority of
them were striped marlin. There were some sailfish caught as well, a real surprise
considering the water temperature.

Yellowfin tuna still spotty…a few fish found here and there. Mostly it seems to be a matter of luck by boats that are actually in the historically producing areas. The fish that were found were smaller school fish to 35 pounds, but most of them were footballs from 5 to 15 pounds. All the fish found were associated with porpoise.

Early in the week dorado were tough to find, but just after the first heavy winds came through there was a big school of small fish (and some of them were really small…smaller than sierra) just off of the beach between Gray Rock and the Westin on the Cortez side. These fish were within a mile of the beach and unfortunately they were hammered hard by the fleet. The school was blasted quickly and by the end of the week the fish were almost gone. There were a few larger fish found offshore on the Cortez side with some of the fish going as large as 35 pounds. Most of these were caught on lures by boats looking for marlin.

There were a few wahoo being caught this week, and they were found close
to the beach by boats working for the dorado in the area. None of the fish were
large, averaging around 15 pounds.

While the action offshore was slow, the inshore fishing was the way to go if you wanted action. There were plenty of sierra on both sides of the Cape to keep rods bent and fishermen happy. Along with the sierra were the occasional showing of yellowtail, snapper and grouper...George and Mary Landrum

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

Sierras Snap

Endless Season Update February 7, 2010
REPORT #1201 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape

Sierra…it's all about teeth.

Very little offshore action this week. Even the tin boat fleet remained on the beach except for the few with raincoats.
There were some rumors of a good yellowtail bite at the drop off at La Ribera and the reef in front of Rancho Leonero.

Believe it or not the roosters and jacks are still around and biting both lures and flies. I heard of at least one rooster landed that hit the fifteen-pound mark. But the fish of the week seemed to be the sierra. They provided the best beach action mostly early in the morning.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The scheduled annual Governor's tournament was cancelled this week due to the poor weather conditions. It will be rescheduled in March. Aside from some snapper action in the Esteros, it has been a quiet week.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Earlier in the week the action had really picked up with Margarito on the Gaby getting five sailfish and Cheva on the panga, Dos Hermanos II, releasing eight sails. They got their fish about four to seven miles in front of the White Rocks. Plus, Adan on the panga, Gitana II, went up north near the river bar at Union, getting three roosters and a sailfish on the way back.

Then things went bad on us. On Tuesday morning we woke up to a very freak storm of lightning, thunder and rain. We got about 4" between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., with a total for the day of 8"... then another 2" last night plus an inch today. Incredible.

The weather is predicted to be fine tomorrow so we are all going out. We all have clients wanting to get out of their hotel rooms. We'll soon find out how the rains affected the fishing.....…Ed Kunze

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

Cabo San Lucas

Billfish have not been the best choice to target as the success rate for those looking for a trophy fish have been low. Fish have been spotted but very few have been brought to the boat.
Yellowfin tuna were scarce this week; the ones found were mostly football-sized fish up to 20 pounds and it was a long run south to get to the fish, sometimes as much as 40 miles. There were plenty of schools of porpoise but few of them were holding fish. A few boats were able to score fish closer to home, as well as to the south but we are talking about one or two fish per boat. I have heard that there had been some fish show up in the area of the Gordo Banks.
The cool water has really shut down the bite for dorado, if you were able to find any. They have been scarce, and the word was that the few boats that found the fish could not get them to eat. No lures, no live bait, no fresh cut strips, nothing seemed to interest them. There were a few dorado brought in, but the consensus was the season is over unless we get a warm water eddy coming through.

Inshore sierra showed up in good numbers with most anglers able to catch easy limits. While most of the fish are in the five to six-pound class, there have been a few good sized ones to 10 pounds. Don't turn away from these fish in disgust at their size. Match your tackle to the fish and they can provide lots of fun and are great smoked or for cerviche. Both side of the Cape have been producing well.

Yellowtail are beginning to show up, mostly firecrackers this early in the year but there have been some fish to 20 pounds. Fishing around the points and rock bottom areas using live bait or iron jigs produced the majority of the fish. The pangas have also been getting into some grouper and a scattering of smaller sized roosterfish........George and Mary Landrum

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

It's Called a 'Fakey'

A week in Cancun

Endless Season Update January 31, 2010
REPORT #1200 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


This was one of those 'nice weather' weeks that are often bookended by north winds on both sides. The forecast indicates that it will hold through late next week, so the fishermen are smiling! They found a few dorado offshore and wonder of wonders a few billfish as well. Inshore they have been whacking the sierra.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Mark and Jennifer Rayor, along with their good friend John Torres, spent most of the week at Cancun, a fishing village down at the southern end of the bay. They reported nice weather and all the spotted bay bass they wanted to catch along with several handfuls of small halibut.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The deep blue water is still off the map, but the 82° clean water is here. The fishing for sailfish has been improving steadily, with two to three sailfish a day being posted by each boat in the fleet. Plus, a few boats, like the Gaby and the Gaviota, are getting between three and four per day.

Dave Walmsley, of Calgary, Canada, fishing aboard Mike Buckley's panga, the Huntress with Captain Francisco, celebrated his birthday by releasing four sailfish. The first three were taken before 9:30 a.m....…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

No Report

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

Cows Hit the Beach

Even the livestock enjoys a morning stroll on the beach.

Endless Season Update January 24, 2010
REPORT #1199 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape


Mark Rayor reported, "very nice weather this week. Tin boaters are getting limits of sierra and an occasional small dorado. Not much traffic on the charter boats. I did hear that one Palmas boat got a couple of dorado to 35 pounds and a sailfish. Our dive instructor recorded 75 degree surface temp and 73 degrees at 80 feet of depth this week. Much warmer than normal. Air temps have been nice also. We have not had to light up our fireplace and are sleeping with windows open. As you can see in the photo I shot this morning even the livestock enjoys a morning stroll on the beach."

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Storms in southern California brought windy conditions until Sunday when the wind stopped. Prior to the storms many marlin had be see outside along with huge schools of dorado.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

Historically, this week has been the best week of the best month of the year for sailfish action, with several boats flying double digit release flags on a daily basis.
I am not going to jump on the bandwagon and blame it on global warming, but we certainly have not had that kind of a week. This last two weeks have not been anything like what we expected.

At 80°, the water temperature is correct, but the blue water has been out there somewhere off the charts. However, even though the game rich deep blue water is a long ways off, the water is "clean" at about 6 miles, and we are catching a few sailfish.

It appears the fleet is averaging about 1 to 2 sailfish per boat per day.

For fly fishing, we have actually been having a bit better luck than the conventional gear fishermen. We have been averaging about 6 sailfish a day raised to the spread, 2 to 4 strikes a day, and 2 hooked fish.

Last Sunday, fly fisherman Gary Lien of Seattle fished with Arturo and me on the panga Janeth. He hooked two sails. But, the next day he fished with Margarito, and they never even had a shot at a fish.

Meanwhile, I went down to Puerto Vicente Guerrero with fly fisherman Gary Meger and his son James of Toronto Canada, and we had a very good day. First we fished the inshore to see if the roosters were still there. We raised 4 large ones, and Gary had a legitimate shot at a 40 pounder as he turned on the fly.

We then went out to the 9 mile mark and Gary hooked a sail, James tagged and released a sailfish, and Gary also hooked an estimated 140 pound blue marlin.

Unfortunately, a hooked fish does not always translate to a tagged and released fish. Gary's sailfish gave us one of the most photogenic leaps I have ever seen. And, I did not have my camera in hand, as I was getting the teaser rod out of the way. About 30 feet from the boat, the sailfish went vertical, with the early sun gleaning off its silver sides for the entire length of his body. The bright pink, red, and white fly was hanging from the corner of the mouth, and the cut leader about 5 feet behind.

The marlin, lit up with incredible hues of ultra violet, teased to the boat´ perfectly, and ate Gary's fly just like you read in the books. As he took line, we were all congratulating ourselves, and then the hook pulled. We still have no idea why..…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

Striped marlin have been spotty and difficult to find, and most often they were not in the feeding mood. The few marlin spotted, combined with the rough seas, convinced most anglers to target other species.

Several blue and a black marlin in the 600 to 800 pound range were reported feeding on dorado just off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. An occasional large marlin was spotted on the Cortez side as well, but there were no reported hook-ups.
Smaller school-sized yellowfin tuna were found along the ridge between the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Banks, but when the winds kicked up, the tuna catch became confined to an occasional hook-up on the Gordo Banks.

Small dorado averaging twelve pounds were taken just off the beach along the Cortez coastline between the Santa Maria Bay and Red Hill, but catch numbers have diminished as the water temps continue to cool.

There was a decent bite on wahoo averaging 30 pounds in the same area as the dorado, probably feeding on the same baitfish. While there were no big numbers, there were about two dozen caught each day. A few boats came in with two or three per trip.
Due to strong winds and big swells, most of the action took place on the Cortez side of the Cape.

Most days, the action was fair for sierra but the fishing really shined when schools were found and the anglers were able to get limits on fish averaging five pounds. There was sporadic, wide-spread action on other near-shore species such as snapper and grouper.......George and Mary Landrum

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

Wind Howls as Playoffs Loom

Endless Season Update January 16, 2010
REPORT #1198 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

Will Long, with his first tuna on a 12-weight rod earlier this month off Cabo.

East Cape


Plenty of north wind and few visitors resulted in the lack of fishing information available this week. I guess the theory is, if you can't say anything good, don't bother!

According to Lance Peterson, it's wind, wind, wind and just when you've had your fill...more wind! Of course, the first sign of calm and the fish become active along the shoreline. Small schoolie roosters and good-sized sierra put on an early show as they dart to and fro feeding on tiny baitfish until the wind begins, and then they disappear.

Meanwhile, many fantasize about how good the fishing must be offshore while they sit with eyes glued to their TVs waiting for the kickoff to begin this weekend's playoffs.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Rumors of of-color water on the Thetis discouraged anyone from considering a trip there. While there is still decent action for small tuna and dorado about ten miles off outside the Bocas, there are few visitors to care.

Most of the interest is in the arriving whales that can be found cavorting in the bay. The crowds are not as large as some years but there are more and more buses arriving loaded with tourists eager to gawk at the huge mammals.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° water is still with us, but the sailfish action tapered off this last week. There were days where some boats did not even get a strike. Part of the reason was the blue water took off to parts unknown. However, the blue water is coming back now, and we are out of the full moon period.

Fly fishing client, Enrique Amorte of Argentina, and I fished a day down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero, and much to our surprise, the roosterfish were there. Normally they are gone to parts South by now, but we raised seven. And, they were huge. All of them were 40 pound fish or more.

The bite died off about 9:30, so we went out 9 miles and had two solid strikes on sailfish.

Yesterday, Gary Meger of Toronto and I went North with Arturo on the panga Janeth. We started out with the sailfish and only had one strike. So we went back inshore. Along the beach at Saladita we raised a couple of small roosters and small jack cravelle. But, when we got to the beach at Buena Vista, we got in to a lot of nice jacks, and a few more large roosters.…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

Striped marlin are still being caught close to home, but not in any great numbers. A few boats went to the Golden Gate and Finger Banks to check out the activity and reported that there was no bait to be found in either place, but reports from boats transiting the area between Mag Bay and Cabo have reported good numbers of fish midway, so hopefully they will soon appear here.

There have been some yellowfin in the 20- to 30-pound class south of the San Jaime Banks and were found with the white bellied porpoise but only the first few boats on the scene have been having any luck.

Though scattered, the dorado saved quite a few charters this week. I am surprised that they are still around with the water as cool as it is, but most boats have been able to get a few in the fish box by the end of the day. Watching the frigate birds has been the best way to find them.

Inshore the bite has been hit or miss on the sierra. There are still a few small roosterfish being caught and I had a report yesterday of a couple of small yellowtail as well. Some decent snapper and grouper are starting to show up in the fish wells also......George and Mary Landrum

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

54 to 78 Degrees Outscores Bone Chilling Cold

The teeth of winter always come out in January.

Endless Season Update January 9, 2010
REPORT #1197 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape

The recent stretch of north winds seems mild compared to recent U.S. headlines declaring "bone chilling cold" enveloping most of the country. Below the border visitors and locals alike are content with the current 54 to 78 degree sunny weather.

Lance Peterson had an upbeat report of more fish feeding along the shore with the subsiding wave action…typical winter roosterfish, 5 pounds or so scattered in the usual spots along with jacks. While he hadn't fished the grey light recently, the sierra had been coming within fly casting range when he last fished. We're due for a couple of flat days so conditions should improve.

Mark Rayor also commented on the recent north winds. He went on to say that one of his boats was up at Punta Perico on a dive trip this week. The local pangeros were catching some decent sized YFT's to 30 pounds and there are some new shark buoys outside that were loaded with dorado.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

The reports of the continuing wahoo snap as well as the limits on dorado and tuna for the few anglers fishing make it seem almost like November. In addition, the marlin are finally around and feeding on a few bait balls.

But it is January and much to everyone's relief the whales are here, right on schedule. This week marked the first new-born calf of the year. The weather has been perfect…no wind or swell.
And finally, the grouper, sierra and corvina are biting full speed in the esteros...Bob Hoyt

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° blue water is still holding about 8 miles off the coast. Sailfish action has been very good this week, but a lot depended on whether your captain went North out of Zihuatanejo Bay, or South. For instance, the boat going to the North are averaging 1 or 2 sailfish a day, and boats to the South are doing much better, as summarized by Mike Buckley for the super panga Huntress on a trip earlier this week: We went 4 for 5 on sailfish yesterday about 20 miles south. Bait has been scarce over the holidays. Water temp was 83 and clear.

A few blue marlin have been caught, with more expected in the upcoming month.

This morning (Friday) was the first time in my 12 years of living here I had to cancel a trip due to rain at this time of the year. We have had a very unseasonable low over us the last three days, and even a little wind to make things a bit uncomfortable on the water.

Adolfo and Cheva, on the pangas Dos Hermanos I and II, are reporting good sailfish action in the blue water, and very good jack crevalle action to both the North and South. Adolfo went down near Puerto Vicente Guerrero earlier this week and found the roosters. They released 10 before the clients had enough of the hard fighting fish and headed home...…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

As the water continues to cool the number of larger marlin is diminishing. However, as long as there are large bait in the area there is a chance at a blue or black marlin. The only large fish caught recently was a black marlin around 450 pounds between the 95 and 1150 area.

Striped marlin action has been very sporadic with the off-days outweighing the good days. The favorite and best producing area continues to be from the Lighthouse on the Pacific side to the Lighthouse on the Cortez side. The expected action at the Finger and Golden Gate Banks has yet to happen, and it may be awhile before it does.

Football-sized tuna were the most common caught, with only a few boats scoring on the better quality fish from 30 to 40 pounds. There were few however with the Pacific side between the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Bank seeming to produce the best; at least these areas were reachable by the day charters. The Gordo Banks also produced an occasional larger fish, up to 100 pounds, but it was a scratch fishery, nothing steady.

The cooling waters have slowed the dorado action dramatically. About the only dorado action is beneath anything floating out in open water. Most boats were happy to get several dorado and a few were lucky enough to get a half-dozen during a trip. We had fly fishermen who caught a few on the fly every day…after hooking one on the troll, casting to following fish resulted in some in the 10 to 18 pound class. Most of this action occurred just up the beach on the Pacific side.

There were a couple of days when I heard of boats getting one or two wahoo a day, mostly coming from the area of Gray Rock.....George and Mary Landrum

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

"Na na na na..na na na na...hey hey, hey hey!

Endless Season Update January 2, 2010
REPORT #1196 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996

East Cape


Ryan Eardly - age 10 Michigan jack cravelle Caught on a ranger surface popper lure while fishing with his dad, Pete, and Ramon out of Majahua (about 20 miles North of Zihuatanejo). Photo by Ed Kunze

Compared to what is happening throughout the U.S., the relatively warm weather reinforces why many of us choose Baja. The only white stuff around here is the froth on the cold Cerveza and margaritas not snow on the ground.

Sailfish the last week of the year along with dorado. Sure there is a little wind here and there.

Some mornings the tin boats barely catch a limit of sierra before they can be seen scurrying back to shore as the wind picks up.

Everyone's betting that the first flat day will yield plenty of first of the year catches.

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

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Whale watching is center stage or will be when the whales complete their journey down the coast. Meanwhile the wahoo bite that won't quit has continued to provide limits for the few brave souls willing to make the bumpy ride uphill to Thetis. Water temperatures continue to remain in the low seventies. If they hold up it could be quite a January.

Not many bothering to fish in the Esteros with all the holiday activities and whale watching preparations going on.

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

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The 80° blue water is about 8 miles off the beach. Between the full moon phase and a barometer which has been bouncing up and down, the sailfish fishing has backed off a bit compared to the previous few weeks. Each boat is averaging one to two sailfish a day. Plus, most every boat is getting a shot at a decent 20-pound dorado or two.

The larger numbers of rooster fish have fairly much left the area, but Adolfo, fishing up near the river bar at Union, is picking up one or two a day. Plus, he is also getting several nice hard fighting jack cravelle..…Ed Kunze

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


Cabo San Lucas

A few decent blue marlin and black marlin in the 400-pound class were recently found on the Pacific side close to the beach. In the case of the blue marlin, they were feeding on dorado, and on the Outer Gorda Bank feeding on bolito in the case of the black marlin. A few decent-sized sailfish were found as well; a few stripers were caught every day, but the best results were three fish in one day. At least they were close to home, almost on our doorstep. The action was between the lighthouse and the Solmar Hotel and deep drifting with live bait or slow trolling them on top produced the best results. However, most boats were getting shut out on the billfish.

Football sized tuna were caught but only a few boats got into fish in the 30- to 40-pound range. Though the yellowfin were few and far between, the Pacific side between the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Bank seemed to produce more than most areas. The Gordo Banks continued to produce an occasional larger fish, up to 100 pounds.

What happened to the dorado? One week it was great and then all of a sudden they seemed to disappear! From the coastline to Todo Santos only one striped marlin and one dorado were produced; up until recently, it was no problem getting limits on dorado in that area.

Sierra action had been great but recently the bite has really dropped off; most boats were happy to get a few in the box. Small roosterfish and a few bottom fish rounded out the inshore action....George and Mary Landrum

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