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From Jan 01, 1999 To Mar 14, 2010
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Oct 26, 2009; 10:19AM - BC Coho and Steelhead REPORT
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Category: Canada
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Author Name: Noel Gyger
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Author E-mail: noel@noelgyger.ca
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Report Description:
The photo of the week shows Ron Wakita with a very bright Kalum River doe Steelhead caught Saturday, October 24, 2009. The fish was released after this quick photo. This fish is a “star” in my latest video clip…see below.
Noel Gyger - WEEKLY FISHING REPORT dated October 18 – October 25, 2009
Dear Fishing Friends:
SUMMARY: Weather was fair all week but lots of rain today. Some rivers have come up but most are still in fishable shape. The Coho runs are coming to an end and most fish are in their spawning colours. By regulation it closes for Coho on October 31. We’ve had a very good run of Coho this year. Both spin, conventional, spey fly fishing and single hand fly fishing have been working well. The Kitimat Coho run is really slowing down but catches can happen if you know where the fish are holding upriver. I think it is a good idea to release all dark Coho and keep only the bright ones. Another good idea, for conservation, would be to keep only males. Cutthroat Trout fishing on the Kitimat River is good. For all of the fine details and photos on the Kitimat River and Douglas Channel please check out the Ron Wakita report below. The Zymoetz (Copper) River is fishing “fair” for Steelhead. The Kalum is fishing only “fair” for Steelhead but “excellent” for Coho. Check out the Steelhead video clip on the Kalum River I shot yesterday, Oct 24. I was float fishing with Ron Wakita. Please scroll down to see the “new” Product Profile section…tackle you need to know about to catch more fish!
VIDEO CLIP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C98RpIASXjM
Video Clip preview: Ron Wakita and I were float fishing for Steelhead on the Kalum River Saturday, October 24, 2009. Ron landed this beautiful doe using Delta artificial “drifter” salmon eggs (aka space-man), white wool and a super sharp 2-ott Gamagatsu barbless hook. The rod was a 10.5 foot Skeena King Trophy XL graphite class 10 – 17LB. The reel was an Abu Garcia 6600 C4 filled with 15-pound Berkley Big Game. The foam float was made by Gibbs Tackle. Cast here for a direct link to the video. It is also listed on the Video Clips webpage: Title: Float Fishing for Steelhead and is Steelhead video Clip #0074
NOTICE Cast to http://noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm to view open dates for guides and lodges. Their season is running short but they still have a few spots open.
LIST OF “New” ITEMS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE THIS WEEK:
- One New video clip posted on ''Video Clips'' Oct 25/09
- One New update posted on ''Quality Waters Strategy'' Oct 21/09
- One New item posted on ''Special Guided Fishing Trips'' Oct 21/09
- One New item posted on ''Conservation'' Oct 19/09
NOW BOOKING: Let me know if I can be of service to book you with the ''best'' fishing guide and/or fishing lodges for both river and ocean. There are NO extra charges to book through me, just a lot of free information and advice from a person with years and years of fishing and fish guiding experience. It is like hiring two guides for the price of one. I will promptly answer your questions and concerns. Cast here http://noelgyger.ca/special-guided.htm to read more of what I have to offer.
Many people book three trips per year to our area; one trip in the spring (March-April-May), one trip in the summer (June-July-August) and one trip in the fall (September-October-November). They love having the same guide but fishing for different fish in different areas.
Be sure to check out my website at www.noelgyger.ca for news bulletins, mid week fishing updates, conservation, my history, quality waters strategy, special guided fishing trips, video clips, podcasts, scenic river photos, wildlife photos and others, comments from past guests, informational articles, archived fishing reports from 1996 through 2002 and a sportfishing market place. I hope it meets with your entire satisfaction. I am at your service.
FISHING GUIDE REPORTS FOR THIS WEEK ARE FROM:
Ron Wakita, Todd Haynes, Ariel Kuppers and Chad Black
CURRENT REPORT and summary for Skeena and Tributaries:
TYPE OF FISH CAUGHT: Coho, Steelhead, Trout and Dolly Varden Char for river. Salmon, Halibut, Bottom Fish and Dungeness Crab for ocean.
Thank you for using barbless hooks!
FISHING THIS WEEK: GOOD
LARGEST FISH OF THE WEEK: River: Ron Wakita 12-14-pound Steelhead. Ocean: none reported this week.
WEATHER: Rain. Amount 10 to 20 mm. High 8. Sunrise 8:23 AM Sunset 6:14 PM. Today’s yearly average temperatures: Maximum 8 degrees. Minimum 2 degrees.
WEATHER REPORTS VIA TELEPHONE: Terrace 250-635-4192 Kitimat 250-632-7864 Prince Rupert 250-627-1155 Smithers 250-847-1958.
SKEENA RIVER: is borderline fishable. The larger runs of Steelhead and Coho are coming to an end. Time to target the tributary rivers.
Skeena River height: http://scitech.pyr.ec.gc.ca/waterweb/fullgraph.asp
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO): Tyee Test Fishery for the Skeena River.
KALUM RIVER: Fishing for Steelhead is “only” fair. Fishing for Coho (Silver) Salmon is “excellent”. The water coloured up on Friday and Saturday but is clean now.
KASIKS RIVER: is in fair shape. This is prime time to fish for Coho (Silver) Salmon.
EXCHAMSIKS RIVER: is in fair shape. This is prime time to fish for Coho (Silver) Salmon.
EXSTEW RIVER: is fishable. This is prime time to fish for Coho (Silver) Salmon. If Coho are there you can usually see them rolling.
ZYMOETZ (COPPER) RIVER: The water is in fishable shape. This is “prime time” to fish for Steelhead using Spey, Single hand fly rods and conventional gear.
Fishing Report from: Ron Wakita of Reliable Guide and Charters
Cast on link below to view flyer: http://www.noelgyger.ca/ads/Instore_Flyer_July_2009.pdf
KITIMAT RIVER: With a little rain that we received this week the Kitimat Creek (as we have called it lately) has started to flow at a level to be once again called the Kitimat River. The upside to very low water conditions is that anglers are able to find a bunch of fish grouped up in deeper pools and cut banks. The challenge is to find them. Many anglers fishing for Cutthroat Trout found them in good numbers and they also found lots of Coho stacked up in the same pools.
Oct 20 Dave Bergeron reports catching 9 Cutthroat. Three of these were in the 2 to 3lb range. “Wow!” He also reports catching Coho while he was float fishing for Trout. Be careful Dave, some of these big Coho can put a big hurt on your Ultra light Trout Rod. Dave was going to share some photos for this report but unfortunately they didn’t turn out. Thank You for your efforts Dave and congratulations on your catch.
Oct 21 Ariel and Brandon landed 6 Trout and 5 Coho. Ariel was Fly Fishing with his Spey Rod and Brandon was using a Spinning Rod. Ariel was using a #2 Silver Dick Nite with Type 8 Rio Sink Tip. Brandon was using a Gibbs Koho 45 Blue Illusion Lure. Well Done Ariel and good job Son.
Oct 21 Dave Olsen and his fishing partner report catching lots of Trout in the Nalabila Stretch. They also reported catching Coho while targeting Trout.
Oct 22 Greg Gardiner and James Wright report hooking a dozen Trout every time they went out this week. The biggest was 18 inches. They were using 3'' Berkley Power Worms and said that they fished “better than bait”. Greg said that they had better success with pink bubble gum impregnated worms than with real worms. The proof is in the results. Well done Guys!
Summary: The majority of Coho on the Kitimat River have turned to their spawning colours with fewer and fewer bright Coho. The Trout fishing on the Kitimat River has been excellent. Many anglers have reported good results using a wide range of lures. Float Fishing natural dew worms is still popular and now artificial worms such as Berkley’s Power Bait Worms are also catching some Trout. The Dick Nite were also fishing very well for Trout and Coho also love them. The Dick Nite Spoon is productive both on a Fly Rod and on a spinning rod. The Kitimat 32 Silver Red was also a hot lure this week. Fly fishing with minnow patterns continue to be excellent. Most Fly fishers usually tie their own version of a minnow pattern to catch Trout on the Kitimat River. Some anglers reported that the flies out fished tackle although they caught Trout using both types of gear. I subscribe to the theory of doing “whatever the fish tell you to do”.
There are a mixture of a lot of Cutthroat, Dolly Varden and Rainbow Trout in the Kitimat River right now available for anglers to catch using whatever preference of Gear type. The weather and river conditions will soon be a major factor so my advice is to get out and catch them while the conditions are good. Weather and river conditions in the North West can change almost by the hour.
DOUGLAS CHANNEL: There is not a lot to report from the Douglas Channel but a few boaters were talking about doing some fishing this weekend. The target was for Halibut or Crabbing with another boater testing the Winter Chinook fishing in the Kitimat Harbour. With the expectation of the up coming Winter Chinook Fishery in the Kitimat Harbour I am excited about two Lures that I saw while at the Redl Sports Distributor Dealer Show.
These are the True Troll Lures and Rhys Davis Strip Teasers Holders with Baitrix's new imitation Herring Strip.
The True Troll Lures have a bunch of new colours that I am looking forward to trying out for Winter Chinook. True Troll lures really got my attention in Coho Season and has become one of my favorite lures that has moved to the top drawer of the tackle box. They were dynamite for Coho! They should also be good for Winter Springs. Stay Tuned for Noel Gyger’s new “Product Profile” section.
Rhys Davis is one of the most popular bait holder lures fished in the Douglas Channel and has been around for decades. Rhys Davis has teamed up with Baitrix, a manufacturer of imitation Herring bait. Baitrix has developed a Herring Strip imitation that will fit Rhys Davis’s Super Herring Teaser and a Rhys Davis Large Strip Teaser. Trolling Herring Strip has always been one of the most popular lures of choice for Coho and Winter Springs in the Douglas Channel for years. Berry’s Bait stopped distributing frozen Herring Strip a few years ago and Herring Strip was no longer available. Accordingly Herring Strip was not fished as much because anglers were now forced to make their own strip by cutting up whole Herring. A few anglers continued to make their own strip but most switched to fishing anchovies or Herring minnows. Fishing Strip is back! Baitrix is very life like and can be impregnated with scent to complete the disguise. They are more durable than actual Herring strip and more important, they will be readily available on the market soon. Stay tuned to this report and Noel’s Product profiles section for the fishing results of the samples that Gord McKay from Baitrix and Tom Davis from Rhys Davis kindly gave to me to test.
I am looking forward to fishing both True Roll and Baitrix with Rhys Davis Strip Teaser holders in the Kitimat Harbour Winter Chinook Fishery. Stay Tuned!
Special Report:
I had the pleasure of fishing with my good friend and associate, Noel Gyger on the Kalum River Saturday morning. As usual we had an excellent outing looking for our first Steelhead fishing together on the Kalum. Mission accomplished as we landed a beautiful Steelhead, a small Coho and a bunch of Trout. I consider Noel as the foremost authority on Fishing in the North West, especially the Kalum and he predicts that Steelhead will get better in the coming weeks. Thanks for a great trip Noel. Hope we can get out again!
Special Thanks to all the anglers who have contributed info and photos to this report.
Good Luck! and Good Fishing!
Sincerely
Ron Wakita
Fishing Report from: Nicholas Dean Lodge
Gary Bartholomew and Deb Morrow pose with two Coho from one of 8 double headers they experienced en route to a 50 fish day. Astounding numbers of Coho landed by our clients point to one conclusion - this year's return is easily the best in the last 10.
Hello Anglers,
It's that time of year again. The forests of northwest BC are making their transition from the subdued shades of Summer, to more brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows, and mountain peaks gleam with a fresh layer of powder born from the previous night. It's Fall and the combined look and feel of the landscape just seems fishy. Maybe it's the knowledge that Steelhead and Coho are stacked in my favourite Skeena River tributaries in peak numbers. Or, perhaps it's because I force myself away from the demands of the office and fish more than I do at other times of year. Either way, I always find myself anticipating the late Fall, and getting out on the water serves as a great reminder of the wild spaces we get to live and work in. And it doesn't hurt that clients have experienced exceptional fishing this week either...
The last few days, Gary Bartholomew and Deb Morrow have been guided by Dustin Kovacvich, lodge manager and head guide, and had arguably some of the best fishing of the year - perhaps in lodge history! On one of our favourite Lower Skeena Tributaries, the run of Northern Coho has been staggering this year, with multiple fish days the norm. In most years, competent anglers can expect to hook between 4 to 10 Coho per day on the fly, and anything over that is exceptional. Well, Gary and Deb surpassed this well and truly, landing over 50 Coho on Tuesday and 60 on Wednesday. Most of these fish were in the 10-15 lb range, but there were several landed just shy of 20 lbs. Regardless of where you are, those are monster Coho. All I can say is...well done!
Now when it comes to describing our fishing with clients, both Dustin and I always err on the side of being conservative, because there are all too many fishing operations out there who claim to catch ridiculous numbers of fish when, in fact, many times they do not. We always prefer to be up front and honest with our fishing, so when our clients get to experience legitimate days like this, it really highlights just how prolific our west coast fisheries can be.
Over the years, our guides here at Nicholas Dean Lodge have developed specialized techniques for targeting Coho Salmon in our rivers with flies, to the point where fly fishing is often just as productive as casting spoons and/or marbou jigs.
Until next week, tight lines and screaming reels...
Chad Black, Operations Manager
Fishing Report from: Nautical West Fishing Adventures
Hi Noel, sorry I could not type a report for you. I am actually in Vancouver waiting to watch an NHL Hockey Game tonight. Please just remind the fishing folks I have some open dates for spring Steelhead 3rd week April 2010 and for them to contact you for more info and/or book it if they so wish.
Thank you.
Todd Haynes
PRODUCT PROFILE:
I really enjoyed spin fishing with this “new” super braided line. It was engineered for spinning reels. The smooth coating on the line slips through the guides quietly and effortlessly. No more wind knots and tip wraps. My casting distance improved and I had instant hook-sets. It is small in diameter but extremely strong. I snagged up and had to pull so hard to break it that I pulled my anchored jet boat half way across the river. It finally broke. Actual break strength is 53 lbs. You will recover more jigs and lures as the hook usually straightens out. I fished all day and lost only one jig. So outstanding is Dura Cast’s performance that the line won the Best New Braided Line award at the prestigious European Fishing Tackle Trade Association show in June of 2009. Dura Cast will revolutionize your experience.
AREA RIVER RECORDS: Chinook Salmon: Skeena River, 92.5-pounds; Kalum River, 85-pounds; Kitimat River, 74-pounds; Steelhead: Skeena River, 45-pounds; Coho Salmon: Skeena River, 27-pounds.
FISHING REGULATIONS WEBSITES:
2009-2011 BC tidal waters and non-tidal (Federal) Salmon fishing information:
www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011
2009-2011 Freshwater (Provincial) Fishing Regulations Synopsis:
www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish
Effective April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011 (Note regs good for two years)
GUEST FISHING PHOTOS:
*** If any of you have special fishing photos, testimonials, scenic river photos, wildlife photos or articles I would love to see them.
Hi Noel, I always read your and Ron's Newsletter with great interest. Here's my first ''Northern'' caught two weeks ago during my short trip from Switzerland on a Skeena Trib. I believe you are always looking for good pics. Say hello to Ron from Alex (we were both in love with Maria from the Motel in Kitimat...).
All best,
Alex (from Switzerland)
Catch & Release formula:
- Chinook: girth squared x length x 1.54 divided by 1000 (inches)
- Steelhead: girth squared x length x 1.33 divided by 1000 (inches)
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To view the items currently listed please cast to: http://www.noelgyger.ca/market-place.htm
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Cast here to check out some super deals for Halibut tackle from Halibut.net
GOOD LUCK and GOOD FISHING!
Yours sincerely,
Noel F. Gyger
Back to: http://noelgyger.ca/past-fishing-reports.htm
Home page: www.noelgyger.ca |
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Oct 19, 2009; 10:36AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
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Report Description:
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Oct 12-18, 2009
WEATHER: We had a break last week as we expected Tropical Storm Patricia to come over the top of us. She did, but only as a remnant low-pressure system, thank goodness she fell apart early. She did bring three days of gentle rain, and the hills are bright green now. Due to the swells and gusty winds the Captain of the Port closed the port Wednesday and Thursday morning. We were hoping the clouds would help lower the temperatures a bit and they did for a few days, then we were back to the mid 90’s with high humidity during the daytime and the mid 80’s at night. Now we have something else to worry about, and we can only hope that Hurricane Rick, a category five hurricane at this time, and 555 miles away and with core winds at 180 mph, either gets directed more to the west or falls apart soon. As of now we are expected to get a very close pass mid-day Wednesday with core winds at 125 mph, and storm force winds out to 140 miles from the center.
WATER: Choppy water was the norm early in the week and things finally mellowed out on Friday. We had swells at 2-5 feet on the Pacific, 1-3 feet on the Cortez side with winds that varied direction, occasionally from the east but mostly from the northwest or north. The water on both sides of the Cape was in the 84-85 degree range at the end of the week, as far as you could fish on the Cortez side and out to 35 miles from shore on the Pacific side. Once past that 35 miles it dropped to 81 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito and Mullet were the usual $3 per bait and there were some Sardinas available up in San Jose at $25 a bucket, or here in Cabo at $30 a half bucket. Prices seem to go up in tournament time for Sardinas, as they are needed to catch the small tunas used for baiting the big Marlin.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: There were still plenty of Striped Marlin out there but getting them to bite was sometimes difficult. Most boats were able to hook and release at least one fish per day, and a few boats were releasing two or three per trip. They really seemed to like the Pacific side of the Cape close to the shoreline, as did the occasional Sailfish. The Larger Marlin were in different areas. Running the ridge between the San Jaime and Golden Gate Banks brought up quite a few Blue Marlin this week with a couple of fish that were in the 200-300 pound category. The biggest fish were the Black Marlin, and there seemed to be more of them than this time last year. The Los Cabos Billfish Tournament was two days this year due to the port being closed for the first half of the first day, but there were four Black Marlin weighed that were over #300 with the largest at #550, all on live bait and all at the Outer Gorda Banks.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: While the number of Yellowfin caught this week dropped off from last weeks catch, there were some quality fish taken. Among the 39 boats fishing the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament there were four Yellowfin over 100 pounds. Earlier in the week there was a reported cow over #300 taken from the Gorda Banks area. Most fish found were smaller, in the 20-35 pound class and were found with porpoise. Good areas were to the south between 8 miles to 30 miles.
DORADO: Once again Dorado were the fish of the week as the action was wide open on fish ranging in size from 4 pounds to 25 pounds with an occasional 45 pound fish tossed in. Almost all the action was on the Pacific side where the water was a bit on the rough side once again. Limits were common as was boats going way over the established limit of 2 fish per angler. Many boats left Dorado in order to catch something different!
WAHOO: Surprisingly we still had a decent Wahoo bite happening this week as fish averaging 30 pounds were caught on both sides of the Cape. Working structure was the best method, back and forth across peaks and drop-offs with heavy lures.
INSHORE: Dorado were the target of almost every Panga Captain and angler I talked to this week. With the bite as good as it is and with a few billfish to toss in for some action there was little effort made to work the beach for Roosterfish or the bottom for Snapper and Grouper.
NOTES: Please keep your fingers crossed that Hurricane Rick does not hurt us too bad. We just had one huge noisy squall come, part of the feeder bands Cats and dogs hiding everywhere! We may end up with a one-day Bisbee tournament as the fishing is supposed to be on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Maybe we will be able to fish on Friday at least! This weeks report was written to an album first released in 1971, “L.A. Woman” by the Doors. I thought the song “Riders On The Storm” was appropriate. Until next week, tight lines. |
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Oct 17, 2009; 07:07PM - Peacocks Only
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Category: Hawaii
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Author Name: Stan Wright
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Author E-mail: stanwright@hawaii.rr.com
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Report Description:
Haley needs to work on the casting part a little more, but once those schooling peacock bass hit the fly they don't stand a chance.
Aloha,
Grand Pa Stan |
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Oct 12, 2009; 11:50AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
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Report Description:
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Oct 5-11, 2009
WEATHER: We had a week with no influences from storms finally! Well, with the passing of Olaf we did get some very nice cool weather early last week, so nice in fact that we felt that we might just be getting into the fall weather pattern, but that was a short lived wish. At the beginning of the week we had our nighttime lows in the low 70’s with low humidity as well, and light breezes, perfect evening weather. The daytime highs were in the mid 80’s and also with low humidity, even though we had a fair amount of cloud cover. Later in the week things warmed up almost 10 degrees across the board. At the beginning of the week the wind was from the southwest, then it started to shift around and come from the northwest at 15-20 knots in the afternoons with lighter winds in the mornings. In the afternoons late in the week, Thursday and Friday in particular, the wind shifted hard and blew at about 15-20 knots from the east, surprising everyone.
P.S. Update: Since writing the report an area of disturbed weather to the southeast has been designated as Tropical Storm Patricia and is expected to move over or very near the southern tip of the peninsula (that’s us!) on Tuesday evening with winds to 50 knots, gusting to 60 knots, and it looks like there is a lot of rain with it.
WATER: The water was choppy almost all week on the Pacific side and in the afternoons on the Cortez side of the Cape this week. At times it looked as if there were sheep feeding all over the place out there as everywhere you looked there were whitecaps. I was fishing on Monday and when we went out in the morning toward the Gorda Banks the water was perfect, when we started to come back in the afternoon we were taking an occasional dose of water on the fly bridge of the 40’ Blackwatch I was on. The same thing happened for boats that went to the Pacific side later in the week as they faced winds from the east on their way back, hugging the beach helped them a little bit. Early in the week the water temperatures close to shore on the Pacific side were cool at 77-80 degrees between the beach and the offshore banks while the water on the Sea of Cortez remained a steady 85 degrees everywhere. This changed late in the week and on the weekend the warm water from the Sea of Cortez had wrapped its way around the Cape so that we had 83-85 degree water everywhere on the Cortez side as well as from the San Jaime and Golden Gate Banks to the beach on the Pacific side. Outside the Banks the water dropped quickly to 79-80 degrees. Surprisingly enough, the water on the Cortez side of the Cape was slightly green, even though it was the warmer water for most of the week.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait and they were occasionally hard to come by, perhaps the product of coming off the full moon. There were Sardinas available at San Jose if you got there early, at the normal $25 per bucket.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: The billfish bite dropped off quite a bit this past week, perhaps due to the full moon. There were Sailfish and Striped Marlin found close to home and close to shore, just not in any number and the ones that were found were not in a very hungry mood. We should have been seeing more Black and Blue Marlin than we have been, but once again the full moon had an effect on that. Now that we are in the last quarter perhaps things will get better with these larger billfish. Don’t get me wrong; there are still Marlin and Sailfish out there, just not in great numbers. There have been all species caught everyday, with the exception of Black Marlin, just no really large specimens or in large numbers.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: This was a nice week for a number of boats that went out and got into the Tuna. The bite got quite a bit better late in the week with fish showing up close to home and in a feeding mood. As close as two miles from the arch there were pods of porpoise holding fish that averaged 30 pounds. We had clients on two days bring in Tuna that weighed over 100 pounds, one of them scaled out at 150 pounds. The rough water conditions extended the fight as did the fact the fish were caught on #30 test line. Live bait was the key to the larger fish while the smaller fish often turned their noses up at normal sized lures and demanded small hootchies in red or pink. At the end of the week the Tuna had worked their way to 24 miles offshore toward the southeast.
DORADO: Dorado were the fish of the week as the action was wide open on fish ranging in size from 4 pounds to 25 pounds with an occasional 45 pound fish tossed in. I heard of one boat that landed a fish over 70 pounds but did not see the fish or a photo. Almost all the action was on the Pacific side where the water was a bit on the rough side. To my surprise it seemed that dark colored lures worked better this week for those using artificial lures. Many of the boats opted to catch a few skipjack and chunk them up for chum, and then using strips for bait as the Dorado showed up. It was no problem at all to limit out, and with the action this hot and heavy many of the boats went overboard and caught three or four time their limit (two Dorado per angler). There were scattered Dorado offshore as well, and boats that caught Dorado limits early and headed offshore for something else still caught them 20 miles out.
WAHOO: We still had a decent Wahoo bite happening this week as fish averaging 30 pounds were caught on both sides of the Cape. Working structure was the best method, back and forth across peaks and drop-offs with heavy lures. Trolling at a higher than normal speed kept many of the nuisance small Dorado off the hooks. 9.5 to 11 knots worked for us, and we still got larger Dorado as well as Striped Marlin hook-ups at that speed.
INSHORE: There was a three day showing of football Yellowfin and decent sized Dorado off of the Cabo Del Sol beaches during the middle of the week and Pangas that made the run to San Jose for Sardinas did well with plenty of both species of fish showing up in the catches. There were even a few Wahoo caught this way. Those willing to work their way offshore and brave the seas did well trolling lures for the smaller Tuna and a few Pangas managed to get Yellowfin to 60 pounds with live bait when the fish were close to shore. Most of the Pangas focused on Dorado as the water conditions made working very close to the beach uncomfortable.
NOTES: The hills and desert are nice and green and there are flowers coming up everywhere. If you are coming down, take a day and get out into the surrounding area to check it out. There are plenty of companies that do excursions into the hills. On the fishing side of things, it’s finally happening, the Tuna are here and have been biting well, there are plenty of Dorado around, and in my mind that means that as the new moon approaches the large Marlin should be starting to feed. We have the bait in Tuna and Dorado, the water temperature is right and the moon should be perfect! Lets keep our fingers crossed! This weeks report was written to the blues of Taj Mahal on the 2000 Sony Music release “The Best Of Taj Mahal”. My great thanks to Tom Hispanski for bringing me this CD as well as the ones I have been using for my reports for the past three weeks, and the one I will use next week, thanks Tom I hope Herman gets a Marlin on the next trip! Until next week, tight lines
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Oct 11, 2009; 09:07AM - A Hint of Things to Come
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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 10/10/2009
REPORT #1186 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Caption: Brian Kelley, wearing the white cap, with three of his buddies celebrating his 50th birthday with a fat one …Mark Rayor.
The first serious north wind of the season arrived late this week along with grouchy seas that caused short days for some.
Still seem to be enough fish around to keep things interesting; it is just tougher to find them. There were a few porpoise schools found closer to shore that did produce some tuna for the first handful of boats that found them.
Dorado action was also a little sketchy with most boats finding only a few, if any, but there are still some skipjack and football sized tuna out in front of the lighthouse.
As usual the beach was trashed from the wind waves which created difficult conditions for the beach walkers.
The good news is the winds are predicted to subside soon and hopefully the bite will pick right back up.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Well so much for the quickie trip last Friday. By the time I arrived at the border a small tropical depression, Olaf, had turned and was headed on an erratic path for Baja’s midsection.
Since my trip only allowed for a few days of fishing with little or no wiggle room, I delayed the trip until this Monday.
Turned out to be a good call; Olaf dumped plenty of rain from Cuidad Constitution to Mulege. There were a few washouts and one group driving down reported 30 water crossings during their trip from the border to East Cape.
The storm left unsettled conditions but they seem to have dissipated by the end of the week.
So I will be driving down the peninsula Monday, the 12th, with a stop planned in Mulege to check out some rumors of large snook appearing in the Santa Rosalia River. Then on to Lopez Mateos to fish both beach and offshore for three days with Lance Peterson, our Mexico Guide.
I will return on Monday, the 19th, and should have an update on the aftermath of the recent storms.
Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The 80° blue water has cooled down a bit from last week, and has moved in very close to the beach. This should improve the fishing, but we have had a series of hard rains and wind and a full moon period, combined with few clients fishing. An accurate picture of the fishing action is hard to describe at best.
The average for sailfish is about one or two a day per boat, and few nice size dorado are also being taken.
Inshore, there are a lot of small jack crevalle, and even a few sierra, but the roosterfish bite also seems to have died off. However, we also had strong surf all this last week, so the roosters have moved offshore, and should move back in when the moon phase affects the surf to a lesser degree.…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582
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Oct 5, 2009; 11:30AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
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Report Description:
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 21 - 28, 2009
WEATHER: Tropical Storm Olaf was the influence this week as it slowly worked it’s way up the Pacific side of Baja California, finally crawling across the central part of the peninsula before going off onto the mainland. At the slow speed Olaf was moving, we received lots of clouds and some more much needed rain. With light rains every other day and an occasional one-hour drench, the whole of Baja California Sur is looking clean and green! Our daytime highs dropped a bit due to the clouds and averaged 95 degrees with an occasional short jump to over 100 when the sun showed itself. Nights were in the low 80’s. Winds were from the west and southwest for the middle of the week through the end of the week due to the trailing feeder bands from Olaf.
WATER: Long slow rollers were the word of the week for most of the time with the water on Friday becoming very confused and rough on the Pacific side as the wind finally switched directions. Seas averaged 2-5 feet on the Pacific and 1-3 feet on the Sea of Cortez. Water temperatures were down a bit due to the cloud cover and also they were hard to get unless you were actually on the water for the same reason. What we did see was temperatures on the Pacific side at mostly 79-80 degrees while the Cortez side was 76 degrees inshore and out to 10 miles along most of the coast with a plume of warm water to 82 degrees intruding across the 1150 and Cabrillo Seamount from the southeast.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: Striped Marlin and Sailfish were found rather close to shore on the Pacific side once again. There were reports of some decent Blue and Black Marlin being hooked up on the Cortez side up in the San Jose area, but I did not get to confirm that, just rumors I heard. The water conditions on the Pacific side at the end of the week had many of the boats focusing their efforts on the Cortez side of the Cape and it appears as if there are a few Striped Marlin and Sailfish to be found there as well, just not in the numbers we were seeing on the Pacific. Like the fish found to the west, these fish were not really in the eating mood either, drop a bait on their heads and the odds were 20% for a hook-up.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: While the Tina Seiners the week before last caused a couple of days of no Tuna action, they seemed to have returned a few days later. Still not in the numbers we saw before the seiners came through, they are being found in decent numbers farther offshore on the Pacific side. Running 30-40 miles in the choppy conditions we had was not in the books for most of the boats though, and few of them made it out to the fish, therefore there were few Tuna flags flying. Heading out between 175 and 210 degrees for 30 miles put you in the area, then it was a job to find the porpoise, when the chop started they seemed to disappear!
DORADO: Dorado action was good at the end of the week. These fish seem to like the conditions a bit choppy and most boats were coming in with at least four or five fish, averaging 12-15 pounds with good numbers of larger fish to 40 pounds. Most of the action was on the Pacific side of the Cape close to the beach.
WAHOO: There were some nice fish last week and with the full moon on the 4th, there should be more this week. Most of the Wahoo taken this week were found by boats working just of the beach fishing for Dorado, so you know there were a lot of fish lost due to small diameter Mono leaders!
INSHORE: The Pangas were not doing a lot of inshore fishing this week as the conditions were a bit rough, but there were some decent catches of small grouper and snapper made by boats working the bottom. For Pangas that were surface fishing, most of them were working just off the beach for Dorado and the occasional Striped Marlin and Sailfish.
NOTES: I love the rain that we have been getting, it is just the right volume and scattered out so that it soaks into the ground instead of washing everything away. It has caused a bit of a problem with the road construction however, and for those of you who actually expected the crews to meet the August 1 completion deadline, this is Mexico, we will be lucky if it is finished by the end of October! Full moon in October this week should mean Wahoo in decent numbers and, hopefully, some big Marlin showing up! This weeks report was written to the music of the king of blues, B.B. King on the 2008 Geffen Records release, “One Kind Favor”. Until next week, tight lines!
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Sep 28, 2009; 10:49AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
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Report Description:
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 21 - 28, 2009
WEATHER: We started this week with clear skies, had a small squall come through and wreaked havoc on us Friday morning. We had thunder and lightning, along with a decent rain for about a couple hours. Along with that came the wind. Apparently they were still parasailing during the squall. One boat crashed on the rocks by the arch, the folks dropped into the water and were rescued, but it was enough for the Port Captain to close the harbor and tell everyone to come back. After sitting around for an hour looking at flat calm water, he reopened the port. Some called it a day, and some headed back out fishing. Our daytime highs were in the high 90’s to low 100’s again, while the nighttime lows were in the mid 80’s.
WATER: Early in the week the seas were big but spaced far apart coming from TS Noro off to the west of us. Seas are back to normal now 1-6 feet, slow rollers. Water temps aaround 89-90 in the Sea of Cortez around the Gordo Banks to 1150, 95 and past Cabo up the Pacific to Golden Gate. Slightly cooler temps out at San Jaime in the mid 80’s
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. Sardinas available at the usual $30, if you are heading up towards San Jose, they are not bringing them down to Cabo.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: With the warmer waters coming back the Striped marlin bite has dropped off again. They are all over the place but being finicky eaters. Bouncing bait off their noses, just gets you “the look” before they swim away. Head of one 550 brought in on Friday. Makes me sad when people still kill these beauties for a couple tacos. Just a reminder to everyone, those fish over 300 #’s are the female breeding stock! Take your picture at the side of the boat and let her swim away. Fish like that are the future of marlin fishing.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Tuna were the fish of the week with almost every boat being able to get into them. Sizes ranged from 230 pounds to 15 pounds with most of the larger fish being caught on live bait dropped in front of the moving pods of Spinner Dolphin or Spotted Dolphin. Report from San Jose of a 357lb Yellowfin brought in up there. And this was the story until Thursday night when 3 purse seiners moved in the Pacific side with their helicopters. Not a tuna flag flying Friday or Saturday. Ok last minute update, I did get a report Sunday afternoon, that were a couple boats that finally found tuna late Saturday, so hopefully they will make a quick comeback this time.
DORADO: Dorado were an off and on event this week, one day there would be plenty and then the next day they could not be found. When you could find them they seemed to be close to the shore on the Pacific side in the warmer water. Averaging 12-15 pounds, there were enough larger ones out there to make things interesting. Lures accounted for the first fish for most boats and then live bait dropped back usually accounted for the next one or two. Boats that did well on Dorado were catching between five and ten per trip and releasing two or three of the smaller fish. Same this week as last week.
WAHOO: I saw some nice wahoo come in this week. We had one client bring in a nice 50 lb fish, and I saw a few more in the 20-30 lb range.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week’s inshore report. Most of the Panga Captains are doing well on Dorado and Tuna since they are close to shore. There are still some decent Roosterfish being found and a few snapper and some nice 8-10 lb grouper as well. Not many marlin offshore but one panga released a sailfish and a striped marlin! The Pacific side has been the favorite side of the Cape this week.
NOTES: The week started off great with lots of fish being caught all different kinds. It’s amazing how a couple of purse seiners setting their nets scares most of the fish off for a couple days. Hopefully the did not completely deplete the stocks as they have done in the past. 5 cruise ships coming to Cabo today, bringing a much needed boost to the local economy!. This weeks report was written while listening to a new CD our clients brought down, flashback to the 60’s with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Greatest Hits. Brought to you by Curb records 1990. Until next week, tight lines!
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Sep 26, 2009; 08:37AM - Tough Tuna
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Category:
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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 09/25/2009
REPORT #1184 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Once again, September has been a winner. The Humboldt squid continues to be the first stop in the morning for many of the boats. Talk about matching the hatch! Fresh cut chunks of squid are the perfect chum or bait for the dorado and small tuna and when fishing near the rocky points that dot the East Cape.
Of course if you want to go farther offshore and chase the porpoise schools, there are still some gorilla-class tuna reaching 200 pounds. Pulling on one of those behemoths can easily replace the day’s workout on the Nautilus machine…and then some.
If you are trying to avoid the tuna workout, there are still plenty of sailfish, as well as blue and striped marlin to take care of the billfish urge.
Most of the dorado, tuna and skipjack caught close to shore are in the single digit to mid-teen range; offshore don’t be surprised if a larger one shows up in one of the porpoise schools.
The beach is the beach and it is still hot midday. That said, if you are looking for sight casting opportunities, midday is the best time. Later, as the sun sinks behind the hills, it seems like the fish come alive for a brief period before it gets too dark to fish.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Local commercial fishermen are reporting lots of dorado around the shark buoys, and the clear blue water close to the shore is holding plenty of smallish tuna as well as a few larger ones up to 30 pounds.
With many of the Soouthern California yachts beginning their long trek down the coast to Cabo San Lucas, we expect to hear good reports of the numbers of fish found as they pass by Magdalena Bay.
Inside the esteros, there has been little current and both grouper and snapper have been on the bite. Still there’s only an occasional snook caught, most weighing no more than ten pounds.
The yellowtail action at the Entrada is mostly the smaller firecracker variety chasing small sardine to the surface, which in turn attracts the birds, making it easy to spot the schools. Farther outside the Entrada there are schools of skipjack and a few dorado to be found.
Though there are plenty of fish, there are few tourists visiting the area recently.
Reports are that Mex 1 is passable all the way from the border to the tip! However, road crews working on the road are causing some short delays…Bob Hoyt
Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The average water temperature is back up to 85° with the blue water only a couple of miles off the beach.
Santiago, on the panga Gitana, told me there is very decent fishing, but few people to take advantage of it. The boats going out have each been averaging two to three sailfish a day, plus a couple of nice dorado around 20 pounds.
We have had some hard rains, which has discolored the inshore water some, but when you find the open patches, the roosterfish action is still holding very strong. Three to four roosters a day is common with at least a couple of them approaching 50 pounds…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582
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Sep 21, 2009; 12:37PM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Author E-mail: gmlandrum@hotmail.com
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Report Description:
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
Sept. 14-20, 2009
WEATHER: We started this week with partly cloudy skies, had partly cloudy skies during the middle of the week and ended the week with partly cloudy skies. Tropical Storm Marty was well off to the west of us at the beginning of the week and remained stalled in the same area for several days until degrading and falling apart. Marty brought us just a sprinkle of rain. At the end of the week an un-named storm came up quickly from the south bringing more clouds and we received a bit of rain from these on Saturday night, enough to leave small pools of water on the sidewalks in the early morning. Our daytime highs were in the mid to high 90’s while the nighttime lows were in the mid 80’s.
WATER: Tropical Storm Marty brought the swells up early in the week, most of them at 6-7 feet but spaced well apart. With no wind on top of them it was very nice water. At the end of the week the Port Captain closed the port to all vessels Saturday afternoon and to small vessels (Pangas) Sunday morning due to the large swells brought by the un-named storm. Again, there was no wind on top of these swells so conditions were still good. At the end of the week the water temperatures on the Pacific side from the beach to 10 miles out stayed in the 84 to 85 degree range while farther out they dropped to 81-82 degrees. Both areas had blue water. On the Cortez side there was a finger of cool water of 83 degrees that had pushed its way between the 1150 and the Cabrillo Seamount toward the Gorda Banks. Everywhere else on the Cortez side was 85 degrees and blue.
BAIT: Almost all the larger baits this week were Caballito and mullet at the normal $3 per bait. Sardinas were not available due to the large swells most of the week.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: Marlin fishing picked up a bit when compared with last weeks result with more Striped Marlin appearing within several miles of the beach on the Pacific side. We had one dedicated angler who had never caught a marlin of any kind release three Striped Marlin on Saturday while working this area. I fought and released a small Blue Marlin of around 150 pounds on Wednesday while out to the south of the San Jaime Bank and another client had a Blue in the 260 pound range in the same area on Friday. There were still a few Sailfish around but I did not hear of any Black Marlin caught. Sunday we had to clients release 300-400 lb blues.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Tuna were the fish of the week with almost every boat being able to get into them. Sizes ranged from 230 pounds to 15 pounds with most of the larger fish being caught on live bait dropped in front of the moving pods of Spinner Dolphin or Spotted Dolphin. The White-Bellied dolphin often only held smaller fish but an occasional larger one would surprise an angler. Almost all the fish in our area were caught inside the 1,000-fathom line from due south, then up to the San Jaime Bank and then up to the Golden Gate. This made for easy trips to find the fish, and I know of one Panga that caught a fish over 200 pounds just off of the lighthouse.
DORADO: Dorado were an off and on event this week, one day there would be plenty and then the next day they could not be found. When you could find them they seemed to be close to the shore on the Pacific side in the warmer water. Averaging 12-15 pounds, there were enough larger ones out there to make things interesting. Lures accounted for the first fish for most boats and then live bait dropped back usually accounted for the next one or two. Boats that did well on Dorado were catching between five and ten per trip and releasing two or three of the smaller fish.
WAHOO: I saw a few red/orange flags being flown this week but was never able to contact the Captains or anglers on the boats to find out where or when they caught the fish, or even if they were for Wahoo at all.
INSHORE: A repeat of last week’s inshore report. Most of the Panga Captains are doing well on Dorado and Tuna since they are close to shore. There are still some decent Roosterfish being found and a few snapper and grouper as well. The Pacific side has been the favorite side of the Cape this week.
NOTES: The fishing has been very good this week and almost all the anglers I have talked to have been very happy with the results of their trips, and some of them have been worn out afterwards from fighting Marlin and some of the large Yellowfin that have been around. We hope the action continues this week. Until next week, tight lines!
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Sep 19, 2009; 09:59PM - First The Squid…Then Tuna
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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 09/19/2009
REPORT #1183 'Below the Border' Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Caption: Check out this nice yellowfin tuna we caught in the East Cape. It weighed in at 201 pounds. http://tiny.cc/rayortuna091509
I don’t know if it is a coincidence, but the Humboldt squid show up and suddenly, it was tuna time. Tales of broken tackle and disappointed anglers were common this week. However, for the few who closed the deal, they were so exhausted that even the ‘high-fives’ were difficult. Not all the fish are VW size; for the wimps, (or is it the smart ones?), in your group there are plenty of smaller fish mixed in. Most of the action is out 20 to 40 miles providing time to find a sailfish.
The dorado are thick down toward Los Frailes and beyond all the way to Gordo Bank…most of them are weighing in the mid-teen range.
Near the Lighthouse, there is also a good concentration of smaller yellowfin tuna with skipjack mixed in.
The water along the beaches has cleaned up, but there is still plenty of bait attracting roosters, jacks, ladyfish and pompano. It is still warm enough that if you go out on the beach midday, it may feel more like an Ironman competition, than fishing. If you think that ‘heats not neat’, try early morning and late afternoon.
Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Just outside Boca Santo Domingo 8 – 10 mile the tuna bite has returned with some fish to 35 pounds. Further out the wahoo have begun to show outside the double 23’s and small groups of marlin are also being spotted.
Shrimp season began the 18th which brings much more feeding activity in the Esteros for a long list of predators including grouper, corvina, snapper and snook.
The cannery in Lopez Mateos is still closed and in Puerto San Carlos the job of removing sunken boats is underway.
Finally, I returned home this week and Mex 1 is open all the way… Bob Hoyt
Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
We've had some decent rains from storms pushing up from the South, with the effect of cooling the surface temperatures down quite a bit. Last week we were at a tepid 85°, and we are now averaging a perfect 80°. The cooling water trend actually heated the fishing up.
Stan Hootman of Houston, TX is fishing several days with Adolfo on the panga Dos Hermanos. They are doing excellent. I talked to Stan by cell phone as they were returning to the dock today (Thursday) after a very successful day of rooster fishing. Using a blue and white surface popper, they caught 6 roosters of 60#, 50#, 45#, 40#, and a couple of smaller ones.
Yesterday they had fished for sailfish and released four. Plus, they got into the football yellowfin tuna and caught 6 tuna averaging 10 pounds...…Ed Kunze
Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582
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