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From Jan 01, 1999 To Sep 09, 2010
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Jan 24, 2009; 11:07AM - Zwhat Rocks…Mag Tournament
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 01/21/2009
REPORT #1150 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Very few visitors in the hotels again this week with only a boat or two heading out on the non-windy days. One Palmas boat returned yesterday sporting two blue flags with small red flags beneath. I guess that means they caught something with a bill that they let go??? They also flew five yellow flags indicating dorado, I suppose. Most of the locals have had to be content with sierra, small roosters and jacks before the north wind cranks up.
Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 62-73
Humidity 71%
Wind: NE 2 to 2 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:57 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Lopez Mateos Copa Gobernador Tournament will take place January 30-February 1st
There will be a new category:
Estuary fishing for Adults and teenagers the rule states they can fish aboard pangas no bigger than 20 feet long, prizes;
10,000, 7,500 and 5,000 pesos per category and for deep sea fishing the prizes are also very good, 5 places 50,000 pesos to 10,000 Dorado, Wahoo & Tuna. Program
Registration January 30th at Aquendi Restaurant, from 2:00 PM on
Fishing on January 31st
Awards ceremony on February 1st at 7:00 PM
Good news for the whale watchers….more whales! And for the surfers, the bigger surf has attracted surfers on Jet Ski’s. Both of which have over shadowed the fishing this week. There were a few sierra and corvina along with a few grouper and pargo deeper in the water column. Out at the Entrada there were more firecracker yellows under the bird schools. However, the show went pretty much unnoticed because of a lack of anglers in the area.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 62 -77
Humidity 56 %
Wind: NW 4 to 6 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:13 a.m. MST
Sunset 6:03 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Our sailfish fest is still holding up. The 83º blue water is still just off the beach and the boats are all scoring well. Early in the week the counts were down a bit because of a lot of fishing pressure with most boats working an area 8 to 12 miles in a southerly direction, but now the concentrations of fish been relocated and they have moved more to the North-West.
The Tournament Anglers Association is holding their annual 4-day tournament this week, with 17 pangas and 34 anglers. After day two days of the tournament, the points leader was John Jackson, with 7 sailfish and 1050 points. The TAA is an outstanding group of fishermen dedicated to the conservation of the billfish species. Their point system is set up so the angler gets 150 points per fish when the leader is touched within 5 minutes. Points are deducted for every 5 minutes after that. No points are given for a fight of 1/2 hour or more. And, all of this is using circle hooks and a maximum of 20 pound test line.
I am getting reports of a few roosters being caught up North above Saladita, so tomorrow I will try that. Today (Thursday), I am fishing with Toronto, Canada angler, Gary Megan, with the fly rods for sails. He hooked two a couple of days ago, and wants to do that again.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 74-89
Humidity 58%
Wind: SW at 12mph
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:35 p.m. CST
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Jan 18, 2009; 08:25PM - Mexican Fishing Licenses: More = Less
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 01/14/2009
REPORT #1149 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
The box below compares the cost of the 2009 Mexican Fishing licenses with the cost in 2008. The price of the licenses actually went up about 8%. However, the peso rate increased in favor of the dollar by about 31%. The lesson here is to purchase your Mexican License with pesos and it will be cheaper than it was last year.
Mexican Fishing license cost two year comparison
2008 1 USD =10.9076 MXN 2009 1 USD = 14.2829 MXN
2008 1 day license 130 pesos ($11.92) Weekly 260 pesos ($23.84) Annual 500 pesos
($45.84)
2009 1 day license 136 pesos
($9.17) Weekly 290 pesos ($20.30) Annual 540 pesos
($37.81)
There are few guests at the hotels so most of the boats are not heading out. North winds blew most of the week creating a left over lump along the beach which prevented even the tin boat fleet from getting a couple of hours fishing in before the relentless wind pounded the beach in the afternoon.
Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 57-77
Humidity 65%
Wind: NNW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:53 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
The annual influx of tourists arrived in search of a close encounter with the rapidly growing number of whales that have begun arriving from the North. Every year the number of visitors seems to grow. Meanwhile the fishing almost comes to a standstill while the town puts on a short lived, eco-friendly image. An image that quickly disappears when the ‘big guys’ leave.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 56 -78
Humidity 68 %
Wind: WSW 5 to 6 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:13 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:58 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
It is still only a short ride to the 83º blue water, and the outstanding fishing for sailfish continues. And, we were in the middle of the full moon phase last week. It is hard to believe, but the great fishing we have now is going to get even better in this next few weeks.
Each boat in the fleet is averaging between four and six sailfish a day, and at least one 20+ pound dorado. Most of the blue water action is taking place between the 12 and 13 mile mark.
The individual counts are almost too numerous to list, but a few examples are like Martin on the Nautilius, averaging five sailfish and a dorado per day, with a high day of nine sailfish released. Martin also hooked a large blue marlin, but lost it after a few minutes. Annual returning fishermen, Billy and Barbara Gray of Hilton head, South Carolina fished 3 days with Santiago on the panga, Gitana, releasing 19 sails, and then one day with Adan on the panga Gitana II, releasing seven.
There is a large group of fishermen from Denmark here now, and they are having a blast. The days they fish the blue water, they gets lots of sails and dorado. The days they are inshore, they are getting lots of jack crevalle and sierras. The only thing missing inshore are the roosters, but they will be back in May.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 73-89
Humidity 65%
Wind: Calm
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:20 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:31 p.m. CST
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Jan 11, 2009; 09:30AM - Good-to-Great Greets 2009
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 01/07/2009
REPORT #1148 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Winter conditions persist with sporadic north winds dictating the quality of fishing each day. There are still reasonable quantities of fish to be found on the good (no wind) days.
Though none of the hotels have more than a few guests and the number of boats going out is light, when they do go out, it is more often than not for half a day until the wind gets them.
In spite of the fact that most of the boats are fishing within 5 miles of shore, the catches have been remarkably good. Plenty of marlin are found tailing down-swell with an occasional bite yielding a fish per day for those targeting them.
Dorado in January? You bet…a few fish are being caught from 5 to 35 pounds, mostly free swimmers in open water.
Sierra continues to be the go to’ fish when nothing else wants to bite or the boats are forced to remain near the shore.
Water temperature 71-76
Air temperature 57-81
Humidity 76%
Wind: NNW 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:48 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
As usual, sportfishing has taken a backseat to Magdalena Bay’s other cash crop…whale watching.
With a few whales beginning to arrive and the promise of more to follow, everyone is focused on preparations for the visitors wanting to get up ‘close and personal’ with these friendly giants of the sea and their newborn.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 52 -79
Humidity 44 %
Wind: W 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:13 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:53 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Our fantastic sailfish action has not let up, plus we are seeing more 20+ pound dorado each day. The 82º blue water is just 8 miles off the beach, with almost all the fishing action taking place between the 10 and 15 mile areas.
Jaime Morales, the owner of the Vamonos fleet, told me the Vamonos I fished three days, accounting for nineteen sailfish, four dorado, and one small blue marlin. The Vamonos II had five sails and two dorado for one day, and the Vamonos III had seven sails and one dorado for one day.
Martin on the Nautilus, and Margarito on the Gaby, both told me they are getting an average of five to seven sailfish and two dorado a day.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 71-91
Humidity 77%
Wind: SW at 2 mph
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:19 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:26 p.m. CST |
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Jan 3, 2009; 08:08AM - Recollections, Anticipations and Updates
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 12/31/2008
REPORT #1147 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
2008 Looking back, our fishing season was largely spent on the beach in pursuit of roosterfish on the fly. So, as to be expected, it was wind and waves that determined when the ingredients for successful fishing would come together.
As the winter months faded into spring, the opportunities on the beach increased as the North wind subsided. Early season found the usual ‘fast movers’ (jack crevalle and roosterfish) within range of a fly from shore. But it was a few big yellowtail in March that made for the most noteworthy targets from shore.
While the roosterfish are not often big early in the year, the potential for a grande pez gallo is always there, and by spring the reality of roosters pushing the 50 pound mark (and beyond) made every day on the beach interesting to say the least.
Good numbers of big roosterfish made an appearance at the East Cape in 2008 but finding yourself on the right beach, at the right time, with fish ready to eat a fly was critical. When it all came together, countless hours on the hunt paid off in memorable action and a few amazing fish. Beyond playing the rooster game there were ample opportunities for several other species including sierra, pompano and pargo. Lance Peterson, BOF Guide
2009 The last days of 2008 have provided some great weather and calm seas. The early morning bite has been consistent, providing action on a mixed bag of fish. Most of the roosterfish are under 5 pounds as is usually the case in the winter, but there are some bigger fish around also. I have spotted two roosters in the 30 pound class recently, giving hope to the idea of hooking big fish from shore in the winter months.
Of course, I can't help but look ahead to spring, the last of the North winds, and the best months for hunting roosterfish with a fly. The sardina have been concentrating quite well along the shoreline. If that trend continues, I'm optimistic that we will see great fishing at East Cape in the coming year...it's all a matter of being there when the bite is on! Lance Peterson, BOF Guide
Water temperature 71-76
Air temperature 60-80
Humidity 55%
Wind: NNW 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 7:01 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:43 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Dropping sea temps have slowed the offshore fishing. However, one boat fishing the Thetis reported good catches of yellowtail. There are also some smaller yellowtail, as well as sierra, at the Entrada.
Estero action provided some grouper under ten pounds along with some good surface action for corvina.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 58 -79
Humidity 44 %
Wind: WNW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:48 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Fly angler: Chris Sovak, New York
Location: Mahuja, North of Zihuatanejo about 30 miles
Guide and photo by Ed Kunze
2008 This last year was really kind of a disappointment for fishing here on the West Coast of Mexico. During the peak of the high season, we had unusual cold water currents move in, which caused our warm water game fish to leave for parts unknown. We look at this as not being a long term affect, rather a short term 10-year cycle about to repeat itself.
2009 This coming year should prove this out as our blue 80º water is currently just off the beach, and the fishing is outstanding. Sailfish action will peak during the dark of the moon periods for January and February, with another mini-migration occurring in July. Roosterfish action will heat up in May, and peak at the end of July, but we will still be getting decent fishing into late December. Blue marlin and yellowfin tuna will be best in May and June.
Our fishing is continuing its excellent action on sailfish. The 82º blue water is just off the beach, with most of the fish being taken between 7 and 10 miles.
The yellowfin tuna are still a ‘no show’, but a few blue marlin and dorado are being taken.
Mecate, on the boat Aqua Azul, is averaging 7 sailfish a day released. He has a total of 34 releases in 5 days, but many other boats are doing almost as well.
Plus, the fly fishermen are finally getting a number of shots at sailfish and a decent chance for a hookup. Fishing with Andre Padovanti, of British Columbia, we teased four fish to the boat and he got the hook into two. We were up at Mahuaja fishing with Ramon on his open panga, and launched off the beach.
A couple of days later I went back to Mahauja with Chris Sovak of New York. The fish had apparently moved out of the area, because we raised only one fish all day. At 11:00 a.m., we got the strike, teased it to the boat, and Chris got a good hook set, with the fly firmly in the corner of its mouth. It was Chris's first ever billfish, either on the fly or conventional gear, so it turned out to be a decent day after all.
The next day (yesterday), I went down to Puerto Vicente Guerrero with Joe and Denette Romano. Joe is a hunting/fishing guide out of Anchorage and an avid fly fisher. We raised six sails, and had four come to the boat. He hooked two, and she hooked one.
Inshore action is still holding steady with lots of sierra and smaller sized jack crevalle.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 71-88
Humidity 65%
Wind: SW at 12mph
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 7:18 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:23 p.m. CST |
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Dec 26, 2008; 07:20PM - Merry Christmas to All
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 12/2t/2008
REPORT #1146 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
You gotta’ love Christmas in Baja…perfect weather with the sierra snapping at anything thrown at them. Then just a few miles farther offshore, the dorado are still mingling about. Offshore who knows? Everyone was scurrying about doing last minute Christmas shopping or toasting the holidays with a margarita or two. Which reminds us, MERRY CHRISTMAS and we hope to see you here in Baja in 2009!
Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 61-80
Humidity 77%
Wind: NNE 5 to 6 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:58 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:38 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
There are still some dorado and tuna about ten miles out but there are few takers on the angling side. There are only a few visitors and even less who are interested in going offshore.
Even the inshore took a back seat to the Christmas festivities.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 72 - 76
Air temperature 58 -77
Humidity 88 %
Wind: E 14 to 19 knots
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:09 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:43 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Fishing certainly has picked up. The blue water is close, and the boats are getting most of their fish around the 11 mile mark. Each boat in the fleet is getting an average of three to four sailfish a day. three days, with each successive day getting better and better. They totaled 18 sailfish released and they also took three nice dorado. They started on Saturday, with yesterday (Tuesday) being their best day, with 9 sailfish and 1 dorado.
Inshore, there have been a lot of jack crevalle and sierra around, giving the light line angler a great day on the water.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 68-86
Humidity 72%
Wind: NE at 3
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:14 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:18 p.m. CST
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Dec 20, 2008; 08:56AM - Only 18 Species…
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 12/17/2008
REPORT #1145 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Water temperatures still in the high 70’s continue to produce a few stripers and dorado for the few boats heading out. All the hotels opened have few visitors. The action seemed to be split about fifty- fifty between off of Punta Pescadero and La Ribera. Probably depends on the wind, when the Captains think the north wind will blow they tend to point the boat up toward Punta Pescadero so the ride downhill back to the hotel when the wind kicks up.
The other benefit of the warm water is the sardina are still abundant along the beaches from Rancho Buena Vista to Punta Colrada according to our friend David Lee. He and Candida experienced slow to good fishing for almost two weeks. Fishing from the beach from Lighthouse Estates to Punta Colorada.
They landed 18 different species; roosterfish, sierra, toro , ladyfish , leopard Grouper , flag cabrilla , barred pargo , yellow snapper , yellowfin croaker , halibut , pacific porgy , lookdown , needlefish , cornet fish , bullseye puffer , and three miscellaneous. . One of th3 sierra weighed in at fourteen pounds a possible new IGFA record and also a fifteen pound rooster both on the fly.
During their trip they were blown out for 3 days and had some wind in the afternoon on the other days.
Speaking of sierra the Tin boat fleet is catching them early morning tight to the beach. If they would stay in an area where they get bit instead of straight lining up and down the beach they could really whack them.
Lance also sent in the following update: I've been hitting the beach early the last few days and finding some good action on a mixed bag of small roosterfish, jack crevalle, green jacks, ladyfish, pompano and a few sierra. Most of the roosters are small but there are a few bigger fish here and there.
I landed one of about 8 lb's yesterday. Schools of milling jack crevalle are making an appearance near the beach with most of them being about 10lb's. Yesterday there were what appeared to be skipjacks feeding and leaping just offshore. Every now and then they would crash the beach but it was a super quick bust and very tough to get a fly on them. All in all, there's some fun morning fishing when the wind is down.
Seeing whales frequently now. The last 2 days there were a number of them spouting and breaching off shore.
Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 61-78
Humidity 80%
Wind: N 10 to 13 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:55 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:36 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Windy conditions and big swells made it impossible to go out through Boca de Soledad. Which was frustrating because the dorado and tuna were inside of ten miles off the beach.
Of course, the estero action was not affected by all that nonsense. The leopard groupers have been going off for several weeks must be all the shrimp in the bay right now. Throw in a few snook weighing in and who cares if they can’t get outside in the open water.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 72 - 76
Air temperature 56 -72
Humidity 85 %
Wind: NNW 11 to 14 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:06 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:41 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
Fishing did pick up this week, and we anticipate it to get better each day as we get out of the full moon phase. By this time next week, we should be back into some very good action.
Early in the week, Santiago on the panga Gitana, fished with Harry Schuler of Los Angeles and released 3 sailfish. They also picked up a nice 20 pound dorado.
Terry Carter from Iowa fly fished two days with Adan on the panga Gitana II. On the first day they got a very nice 40 pound dorado, and then on the second day released two sailfish.
Joe Carroll of Atlanta caught two sailfish with Captain Mecate on the Aqua Azul.
Bob Beck of British Columbia is here trying to get his first blue marlin on the fly. He is fishing with guide Paul Phillips on the panga Huntress. In three days of fishing, they have raised 3 blue marlin and a few sailfish. Two of the marlin did not want the fly and the third inhaled it. But, a poor hook set sent him off to parts unknown. He still has a couple of days left, and will probably get it done.
Inshore is not seeing much action. Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, reports lots of sierra, but not much else.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 72-87
Humidity 61%
Wind: NE at 3
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:11 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:15 p.m. CST
Cabo San Lucas
BILLFISH: The fantastic Striped Marlin bite at the Golden Gate Bank continued for another week, but at the end of the week the bite had turned into an afternoon experience as we worked our way through a full moon phase and the fish fed all night. It was common for boats to return after having released half-dozen Stripers and a few boats did double-digit numbers. Along with the Striped Marlin were hordes of seals and sea lions; it was often very difficult to keep your bait away from them as they followed the pods of Marlin around waiting for the bait to be chased up. I overheard a few boats up at the Finger Banks and the activity there pretty much mirrored that at Golden Gate, but there were fewer boats to compete against and there was also the chance of hooking up a big Yellowfin.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I know of one boat that did well on Yellowfin this week outside the San Jaime Bank. They got into a pod of Porpoise and were the only boat there, landing 30 Yellowfin to 80 pounds and keeping seven of them. They also said they lost one fish around 180 pounds just before being able to grab the leader. Other than that, there were only occasional fish caught, but there were big fish seen. Early in the morning at the Golden Gate boats were seeing large Tuna estimated at #200+ clearing the water, but that activity was short lived, as soon as several boats had shown up the fish went down.
DORADO: The only place that I heard of having a decent Dorado bite was just off the beach between the lighthouse on the Pacific side and the beach to the inside of the Golden Gate Bank. Within a mile of the shore boats were picking up between one and five Dorado, some of them very nice fish around 25 pounds, but most of them around 15 pounds.
WAHOO: This week was a repeat of last week on the Wahoo. There were a few nice Wahoo taken this week ranging in size from 20 to 40 pounds. Most of the action was around the rocky points on the Pacific side or up around Punta Gorda on the Cortez side of the Cape. A few boats working the Finger Bank reported multiple strikes as well while trolling lures. A few fish were reported caught while blind trolling offshore.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week, I saw a few Pangas coming in with nice Sierra to 9 pounds, a few with a lot more fish but smaller in size, a few decent Yellowtail to 25 pounds, a few nice Grouper to 20 pounds. There were quite a few Dorado caught just off the beach as well.
George & Mary Landrum
Water temperature 73 - 82
Air temperature 63 - 83
Humidity 83%
Wind: WNW 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:55 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:38 p.m. MST |
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Dec 12, 2008; 05:52PM - Winter Sets In
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 12/10/2008
REPORT #1144 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
A limited number of copies of The Unforgettable Sea of Cortez is now available for purchase online. Complete details may be found on this page:
http://www.mexfish.com/apgs/ufsc/ufsc.htm
December is here and another Baja winter has begun to set in. If you look at the moderate temperatures for the different areas, it seems odd to be declaring the end of fall and arrival of winter, but Baja winters are more about wind then cold. Of course the wind is welcome if your interest is wind-driven like wind surfing or kite boarding, but for the rest of us, whose interest is fishing, it is definitely unwelcome.
For the few anglers who are interested, there are plenty of sierra and small roosters inshore and along the beach. The big news this week was a wahoo snap at Punta Colorada which caused a flurry of IM’s and hastily written emails. Will it last? Probably not, but it was fun while it lasted for a few lucky ones.
Most locals are claiming this is the slowest December in recent memory in terms of the number of visitors. Two hotels are basically closed for the month and the some of the others are wishing they were.
Gary Graham
Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 63-85
Humidity 73%
Wind: NNW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:33 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
A windy week with slower fishing in all the ‘stock’ spots seems to indicate that the fall season is winding down here as well. The number of boats fishing the area has dwindled. Reports are that the bite below Punta Tosca has moved farther south toward Cabo.
In the Esteros the snook to 15 lbs., corvina and grouper finally decided to bite and it was limits for the few boats fishing
I attended a Tuna Club luncheon yesterday and spoke with Steve Bridges who had recently returned from one of the best Magdalena Bay fishing adventures he had experienced on his boat, the Honey. Steve regaled everyone with the remarkable volume of fish they had found. Upon their return, the crew discovered half a dozen ‘spikes’ broken off in the hull of the Honey from retaliating, angry marlin. The story reminded me of one of Southern California’s legendary anglers, John Tanner, who owned the Twin B. John had the same experience with angry marlin several times back in the old days off of the San Diego coast. He had proudly drawn ‘bulls eyes’ around the impaled bills to go along with the sharks teeth that he always had painted on the bow of his boat.
Gary Graham
Water temperature 72 - 76
Air temperature 50 -85
Humidity 87 %
Wind: WNW 8 to 11 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:02 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:38 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue water is just a couple of miles off the beach, the seas are very calm, all conditions favorable, and the fishing is poor. We are all scratching our heads trying to figure it out. Some of the guys are making 25 to 30 mile runs, while others are working the close-in areas, and nobody is getting much more than a strike or two all day…on any kind of a fish.
Martin, on the Nautilus, came over to my house and told me how he and Paul Phillips couldn't get anything in the blue water. Adolfo on the panga, Dos Hermanos, and Arturo on the panga, Janeth, told me there were no roosters to the north, which I already knew from a trip up there with fly fishing client Kacey Halligan of Seattle.
Cheva, on the panga, Dos Hermanos II, lives close to me so I gave him a ride back from the pier yesterday afternoon. He told me he found lots of big jack crevalle 8 to 10 miles south in the Barra Potosi area, but the client wanted roosters. They went 26 miles south to the antennas without a strike. On the way back, they got back into the big jacks and caught a few of the 18 to 20 pound hard fighting fish to wrap up the day.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 72-86
Humidity 77%
Wind: ENE at 2
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 7:07 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:12 p.m. CST
Cabo San Lucas
BILLFISH: Striped Marlin continued to bite for everyone, but there were a couple of slower days when they kept their mouths closed. Boats were averaging 2-5 hook-ups per trip at the Golden Gate but a few were able to be at the right place at the right time and do better, often releasing 6 or more fish. Matching the hatch by catching your own Mackerel was key to a decent catch rate. Farther to the north at the Finger Bank boats were consistently in double digit numbers, one of my friends released 30 marlin in three hours while fishing with very experienced anglers. Elsewhere the bite was slow, a few Stripers here, a few there with no concentration to be found
YELLOWFIN TUNA: We got out on Monday for a food trip, targeting yellowfin. The focus was to the south of the San Jaime Bank (a friend had reported there being a nice school of fish there). We went to the numbers and could not find a thing. We finally found some white-bellied dolphin in the middle of the San Jaime and were able to pick a double on the first pass - decent fish at 25 pounds. After working them for awhile, and having to return soon, we did the ‘run and gun’, getting ahead of the moving pod of dolphin and dropping back two mackerel. That resulted in a double hook-up of 35-40 pound fish. That was it for the trip for us. Other boats reported the same slow pick results from small pods of dolphin both to the south of us and slightly to the north and west. Boats that ventured much farther north (private boats on multi-day trips) reported continued good action on fish in the 100-200 pound class using live bait on downriggers and on kites.
DORADO: Once again the dorado remained ‘on the bite’ off of the beach on the Pacific side between the lighthouse and El Arco. Slow trolled live bait and fast trolled plastic lures worked well there, and they also did the job on fish that were on the Cortez side up around Punta Gorda. Most boats were able to get several fish between 12 and 20 pounds and there were a few larger ones to 40 pounds as well. A few of the boats on the Pacific side were able to get schools of dorado behind an already hooked fish and were able to catch limits.
WAHOO: There were a few nice wahoo taken this week ranging in size from 20 to 40 pounds. Most of the action was around the rocky points on the Pacific side or up around Punta Gorda on the Cortez side of the Cape. A few boats working the Finger Bank reported multiple strikes as well while trolling lures. A few fish were reported caught while blind trolling offshore.
INSHORE: I saw a few pangas coming in with nice sierra to 9 pounds, and some coming in with a lot more fish but smaller in size. There were a few decent yellowtail to 25 pounds, and a few nice grouper to 20 pounds. There were quite a few dorado caught just off the beach as well.
George & Mary Landrum
Water temperature 73 - 82
Air temperature 63 - 82
Humidity 74%
Wind: WNW 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 6:51 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:35 p.m. MST |
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Dec 5, 2008; 09:45AM - Holiday Bite Continues
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 12/03/2008
REPORT #1143 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
December has brought slower offshore fishing…a few blue marlin and stripers are being taken (along with some dorado) but the tuna have all but disappeared of late.
The good news…the inshore fishing is great! Large numbers of dorado are showing on the blue water line and inside. We have a mixed bag of roosters and sierras working in close to the beach. Still a few jacks and roosters can be found feeding on the surface near the shore and from the beach along, with some good-sized pompano. Cabrilla and pargo are still being taken along the beaches near some of the rocky points
Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 64-80
Humidity 57%
Wind: E 5 to 7 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:41 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
The better marlin action remains below Punta Tosca. Between Cabo San Lazzaro and the Thetis, the dorado and tuna action have continued to be the show stopper.
How thick were they? I had loaded my Hobie Mirage i9S Inflatable on the Mar Gato and wanted to give it a try if the bite was good. Weighing only 53 pounds, the Hobie quickly inflates and deflates and is designed to be easily transported. But more importantly, the Hobie MirageDrive allows you to use your leg muscles to pedal, freeing your hands for casting.
With every rod on the boat bent, Captain Sergio Garcia couldn’t wait to give the Hobie a shot. Before I knew it, he had it in the water and in minutes he was being towed around by an obliging tuna. It only took a few minutes for him to get the hang of maneuvering the kayak with its pedals and he quickly brought the fish to the side of the Hobie for a photo.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 72 - 78
Air temperature 62 -81
Humidity 68 %
Wind: WSW 5 to 6 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:37 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The surface water temperatures are showing between 80º and 83º, which is confusing because the sailfish are acting like the water is very cold and have had a bad case of lock jaw all week. They are here, but just have not been biting. It is possible they are gorging on squid, and are not interested in a trolled surface bait.
A few dorado are biting, but nothing like year's past when late November and December are the hot month for big dorado.
Almost every captain tells me they are getting blue marlin and sailfish in the trolling pattern, but after making a couple of swipes at the baits, they leave. There have been a few blue marlin taken however.
Inshore has shown very few roosters, but lots of sierra and small jack crevalle. Plus, there are a lot of black skipjack tuna, which is marlin candy bait.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 71-92
Humidity 40%
Wind: SW at 6
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:10 p.m. CST
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Nov 30, 2008; 09:21AM - Some Hot…Some Not
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 11/25/2008
REPORT #1142 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
With the north winds blowing on some days and lack of clients on others, fewer and fewer boats are getting out these days.
Still there are some dorado to be had along with a few tuna. Billfish has been action spotty throughout Las Palmas bay.
Inshore a few sierra are beginning to show, and there are still some small roosters and jacks feeding on sardina along the beach.
Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 65-78
Humidity 71%
Wind: WNW 6 to 8 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:42 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:31 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Unusual shirtsleeve November weather greeted Jamie Pierre, from Seattle, who fished offshore with his friends and family. Limits of dorado along with good grades of yellowfin tuna kept their rods bent the three days they fished. A few marlin were seen but the herds seem to be down south of Punta Tosca.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 78 - 78
Air temperature 55 -78
Humidity 88 %
Wind: NW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 6:52 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:36 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80º blue water is just off the beach, but the fishing has been very poor this last week. One explanation is that a 60 boat/4 day tournament is flaying the water fairly hard. Yesterday, Wednesday, the second day of the tournament, saw only ten sailfish one blue marlin, and no dorado caught. On Monday, Captain Margarito worked hard and never got a fish with his client Chris Varando.
Martin, on the Nautilus, also struck out this last couple of days. Santiago, on the Gitana, did get a couple of sailfish, with the high boat in the fleet this week being Adan on the Gitana II, and released four sails on each of two days.
The Huntress, with Captain Francisco, and the Gitana with Santiago both fished the inshore a couple of days, but only recorded a couple of roosters, a few jack crevalle, and lots of needlefish and black skipjacks.
The new moon is today, Thursday, and as we go into the dark of the moon period, I really expect things to improve.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 80
Air temperature 72-87
Humidity 80%
Wind: SW at 12
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:09 p.m. CST
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Nov 20, 2008; 06:13AM - Magdalena Slows a Tad
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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Author E-mail: bajafly@bajafly.com
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Report Description:
Endless Season Update 11/18/2008
REPORT #1141 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Consistent northerly winds equaled slower fishing this week. Some of the boats have relocated to San Jose or Cabo to escape these winds. Those that remain are finding tuna beneath the porpoise on the good days. Some of the reported fish seen are fifty pounds and over.
The billfish, including sailfish, seem to still be around but they are spread throughout Las Palmas Bay. With few boats and light pressure, finding them can be difficult. Dorado action is spotty; if you find floating debris, there are usually a few fish under it. Last week a floating dead whale produced a serious bite until it disappeared…either drifting over the horizon or sinking out of sight.
Wind waves and beach fishing was not a good combination this week. If you were on the beach early (gray light) you could expect to find a few small roosters, jacks and perhaps a sierra or two.
Water temperature 76-80
Air temperature 66-87
Humidity 60%
Wind: NNW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Partly Sunny
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:32 p.m. MST
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Sam and Janet Farish, from Atlanta, GA, fly fishing with Baja on the Fly Guide Lance Peterson on Mag Bay Outfitters’ boat, Mar Gato, with Captain Sergio Garcia, completed five days of fishing from the casitas in Santa Maria this week. Final count: marlin 11, wahoo 2 (lost 9 to sea lions), dorado 32, and yellowfin 26. We still have open dates for fly fishing for November and December.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 78 - 79
Air temperature 67 -85
Humidity 73 %
Wind: NW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 4 miles
Sunrise 6:47 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:38 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
We had a group of clients from England this week, led by Alan Bird. Many people in the U.S. do not have much contact with our European fishermen brethren, and do not understand they are excellent fishermen and sportsmen. They show up with gear that makes any professional fisherman's mouth water. And, they know how to use it!
When I met with them at the hotel, they were asking me about fishing for roosters and jack crevalle on conventional gear. I told them the best method is using a surface popper, but you need to you cast it a long ways.
'What is a long ways,” they asked.
My answer, 'At least 50 yards' brought a round of laughs.
As it turns out, a couple of them cast for distance in competition. They are hitting 250 yards with 12 pound gear! It is a science to them.
But a pendulum swing, in a rocking panga, cannot happen. However, there was no doubt in my mind they would hit a 100 yard cast with no problem....incredible.
Using light tackle, they fished the blue water offshore on Monday, releasing 6 sailfish, 4 nice dorado, a couple of very large jack crevalle, and a small (115 pound) blue marlin.
On Tuesday, they fished the inshore on pangas, with really light gear, down to 12 pound test. Six roosters were leadered, and an estimated 60 pound rooster came unbuttoned right at the boat, just before the leader was touched. I will call it a release anyway. They also took several jack crevalle in the 15 to 20 pound range, along with several black skip jack tuna.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 71-88
Humidity 65%
Wind: SW at 12
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:04 p.m. CST
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