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Mar 17, 2003; 11:11AM - 'Fly Hooker' Daily Reports
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR MARCH 10, 2003
The Brian Doughty party from Alaska were our anglers today and unfortunately it was just
another boring day on the water. Everyone, including Juan and Manuel, wanted to catch fish
today but they were very far away! By the time Juan and Manuel go the boat to the porpoise it
was too late and the fish were down. The first two boats there did well, but when you are number
10 or 11 it becomes a bit tougher. Juan said that they did spot a Swordfish on the surface but it
went down fast as they approached. Like John said, “It was a good boat trip”. Sure wish it had
been more than that. Hopefully the fish will come in a little closer as the week goes on.
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 13 MARCH, 2003
Mike and Karen Huss are back for their third of four trips with us and they have brought
another couple along with them today, Allen and Cathy. Mike and Karen have already gotten a
Marlin each and they really want their friends to get hooked up also, but it was not to a Marlin
when it did happen. Early in the trip they came across a few scattered, small pods of Porpoise
and hooked up to a total of eight football Yellowfin Tunas, the largest of them perhaps 20
pounds. Not a bad way to start the day but it ended up being the only fishing action they had.
That was 26 miles south of the Westin and apparently they needed to go another 10 miles to the
south to get into the area where the Marlin were, but by the time they found out, it was too late.
The swells were a bit larger than a few days ago but there was no wind to speak of so it was a
comfortable trip. Lets keep our fingers crossed that tomorrow is a better one for fishing!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 14 MARCH, 2003
Mike and Karen’s last day of fishing here in Cabo was almost a repeat of yesterdays trip. No
other people were with them this time and instead of eight Tuna they were able to come up with
nine fish. They were all footballs again and today they did not have to go quite as far to get to
them, only 22 miles out today. Unfortunately Mary and I were not able to meet the boat when it
came in but Juan said that they had a wonderful time. I was glad to hear that and would like to
apologize for not being there. Thank you very much for fishing with us!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 15 MARCH, 2003
Our good friends Dave and Peggy Reese are back in Cabo and David went fishing today with
his friend Hayden. This was the first time to fish like this for Hayden so he had no idea what to
expect. Juan and Manuel went out to the same area they had been finding the Tuna on the last
two trips but there was nothing there. The water was great but no fish were in the area. Add to
that the fact that there were no Porpoise and they did not spend a lot of time working the area.
Instead, they came closer in and eventually found fish. About eight miles out they caught a
couple of small Skipjack Tuna, they saw a Marlin that was not hungry and they had a blind strike
form a fish with a little bit more power than the Skipjack. This fish was a Yellowfin Tuna that
weighed about 25-30 pounds, nice fillets came off of him! We were glad that Hayden caught
himself a fish but wish the bite had been better for them. Dave is talking about taking the kids out
on a half-day trip this week for Sierra, I’ll let you know how it goes!
Until Next week Tight Lines from George, Mary, Juan and Manuel, the “Fly Hooker” Crew
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Mar 17, 2003; 11:09AM - Cabo Fishing Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT FOR MARCH 10-16, 2003
WEATHER: Once again we had a week with mixed skies, partly cloudy most of the time but
clearing up toward the end of the week. No rain, of course, but we did have a few mornings with
very humid conditions and lots of condensation. Our lows in the early morning have been a bit
warmer than the last few weeks with the coolest I recorded at 64 degrees. Our daytime highs
have been in the mid to high 80’s. (Skies The Limit)
WATER: Very nice surface conditions this week on the Sea of Cortez side of the Cape and on
the Pacific side things were smooth as well, at least until this weekend when the swells picked up.
The Pacific side has seen cool water all week long with the warmest areas being right off the
lighthouse and showing us temperatures in the 71-73 range at the start of the week and at the end
of the week the warmest was 69 degrees. It appears that the current down the Pacific coast has
forced cooler water into the area and at the end of the week we had a strong temperature break
running from the Cape to the southeast with the west side being around 68 degrees and the east
side showing 72 degrees. This extended out to a distance of about 30 miles or so. (Stand On The
Rock)
BAIT: A pretty even mix of Caballito and Mackerel right now with the number of Mackerel
increasing as we approached the full moon. These baits are still the normal $2 per bait and there
have been some smaller ones available as well, but at the same price. I did not hear from anyone
on the availability of Sardinas this week. (Do You Know)
FISHING:
BILLFISH: The Marlin bite dropped off this week as we approached the full moon and they
moved further away from our area as well. Boats finding Striped Marlin were having to travel as
far as 40 miles out to get to them but it was worth it if you wanted only Marlin and were willing
to run for three hours to get there. The few boats that made that run at the end of the week were
still getting shots at multiple fish per day and often catching two or three, but for most of the
boats, that was just too far to go. There were Striped Marlin scattered around the area closer to
home and the majority of fish caught this week were found within 20 miles of port. Not every
boat found fish, and not every fish found bit, but there was a fair chance for someone to hook-up.
Also, a 600 pound Blue was caught this week, and it was found in cool water on the Pacific side!
There were a couple of Swordfish caught this week as well, both of them in the 150 pound class.
(Love Is Dangerous)
YELLOWFIN TUNA: The fish of the week for most boats, they were found along the
temperature break and started out 30 miles out at the beginning of the week and worked their
way closer as the week wore on. They started out mixed in with porpoise and most of them were
footballs, but there were a few school fish mixed in as well. At the end of the week there were
fewer porpoise in the area and most of the fish in the temperature break were caught in the blind.
A few boats working the banks were able to hook into larger fish, up to around 120 pounds using
chunk and live baits. Perhaps 50% of the returning boats were flying at least one Tuna flag this
week. (Save Me)
DORADO: Not the fish of the week, the bite was off and the fish were scattered. A few boat
hooked into as many as four Dorado, but most boats were lucky to get one. Most of them were
found close to shore, often by Pangas fishing just outside the surf line for Sierra. (Behind The
Mask)
WAHOO: I talked to a few anglers who reported hooking up to Wahoo this week, but none of
them were able to get the fish to the boat. Perhaps the upcoming full moon will be more
productive for these great fish! (Freedom)
INSHORE: This was a nice week for boats working from the surf line to a mile offshore as
there was quite a mix available. The biggest surprise was the appearance of large squid from
Grey Rock to the Pacific lighthouse, just out in around 150 feet of water. They were easy to spot
and were coming to the surface at around 9:30 in the morning. Most of them were in the 2-3 foot
range, not the monster 5’, #80 squid we sometimes get, but it was still a blast to catch them on
light tackle. On the Pacific side, the Sierra continue to slowly work their way north and at the end
of the week were being found in the Migrainos area. many of these fish were large ones, in the 8
pound range, and when they were found the bit aggressively. Off the Arches, there were a few
days at the beginning of the week when Amberjack, Pargo, Yellowtail and small Hammerhead
Sharks supplied lots of action. That dropped off a little later on and the squid moved in. There
were quite a few small Roosterfish being caught this week and a few larger ones mixed in as well
and almost all the action on all the fish except Sierra was on small live Caballito and Mackerel. I
have seen schools of small Mullet beginning to show up and those mean a better chance at
Roosterfish for anglers wanting to target them. Oh yeah, don’t forget that there was fair action
for Dorado inshore as well! (Hard Feelings)
NOTES: Fishing this week was fair for most boats. There were quite a few that got skunked
and a few that had great trips, but all in all it was not a bad week. The Tuna seem to be moving
closer are a few large fish showing up, the Striped Marlin bite is dropping off but the Blues are
beginning to show up, inshore action is hot. A few Whales are still in the area and the current line
is holding bait, seals, turtles and fair fishing. Good water conditions and sunny skies make for a
great day on the water and it sure beats shoveling snow! This weeks report was written to the
music of Fleetwood Mac on their 1990 Warner Bros. release “Behind The Mask”. Thanks for
sending me some new music! (My dad is such a great guy!) Until next week, Tight Lines!
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Mar 14, 2003; 09:26PM - Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo fish Report 3-8-03 to 3-14-03
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Category: Mexico Ixtapa Zihuatanejo
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Author Name: Susan Richards/Stan Lushinsky
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Dramatically better sea conditions last week started a change to more productive fishing in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. Although the SAILFISH bit remains slow, there were increasing numbers brought to the boat each day. The on coming full moon and cooler water along with huge schools of MACKEREL and BONIT brought in a good MARLIN bite. First time visitors to I/Z from Cabelas Outdoor Adventures, John and Sonia Wilkinson, fishing four days aboard the El Soltar landed a 220lb. BLUE MARLIN, a 225lb BLACK MARLIN and 1 SAILFISH. They also found schools of big YELLOWFIN TUNA at the 42 mile mark but the fish were unwilling to bite. French angler, Mr. Delnatte, while fishing aboard the Super Panga, 'Janeth', hooked a big BLACK MARLIN and lost the fish after a 3 1/2 hour fight. Returning angler, Ray Brill, landed one 130lb SAILFISH along with several DORADOS. The inshore water continues to be cold for this area, 72 degrees. The blue water is at the 10 mile mark but the real action is at the knuckle, 37 mile south where the water has reached the low 80's.
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo Climate: Seasonably great
Best Fishing Area: 5-7 miles offshore for Black Marlin, Dorados and Sailfish.
35-40 miles offshore for Blue Marlin and Tuna
Sea Conditions: Calm
Bait Supply: Good
Stan Lushinsky
Susan Richards
Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters
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Mar 10, 2003; 11:02AM - 'Fly Hooker' Daily Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR MARCH 3, 2003
Rick and Debbie Williamson and friends Ashok and Terry Prasad were our clients today and it
was the Prasad’s first saltwater expedition. Rick and Debbie are old hands at this so it good they
were along. The water had calmed down a bit from yesterdays choppy conditions but Debbie and
Ashock decided that chumming would help things along. Terry did not feel well herself but
managed to keep from feeding the fish. Rick claimed that he did not get sick because he was the
only one drinking beer, and since there was a whole case, he hated to see it go to waste!
According to him, if everyone else had helped out on the beer consumption, they would not have
had a problem....well maybe not! The fishing was good today and things started off with Ashock
getting the first fish, a very nice Dorado that struck a lure. The second fish of the day was
Debbie’s. It was her turn to get a fish and she was hoping that it would be a Dorado, but
nooo...It had to be a Marlin! With a little coaching and help from Juan and Rick, she was able to
get it to the boat after about 20 minutes. One of the hooks on the lure had gone through it’s eye
so the fish was taken instead of released. Over the course of the day they also managed to catch 6
Yellowfin Tuna, football fish, and three Skipjack Tuna. One of the Yellowfin was taken on
Rick’s spinning gear he had brought along and gave him a nice fight! A good fishing trip and
everyone enjoyed it, except for the chumming part!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR MARCH 4, 2003
David Lavier and his friends John and John Jr. were refereed to us by a mutual friend as the
people to go to when they decided they wanted to fish on this vacation. David called and said
that they wanted to catch fish and preferred Tuna and Dorado. Guess what, that’s what were are
getting right now! Juan and Manuel headed out and found the fish at 26 miles to the south, mixed
in with porpoise. The bite was not hot and heavy but the fishing was good. They ended up with
the biggest Tuna weighing 61 pounds and a few in the 25-30 pound class and a bunch of 10-15
pound fish. The water was a bit rough and while no one chummed, John and John Jr. both said
that they had times when they thought about it! It was a good time though and they were glad
they went! Thanks guys!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR MARCH 5, 2003
Steve and Alice Berstler fished again today and I went with them. Our intention was to go to
the same area, about 26 miles to the south, that they had been finding the Yellowfin at. Our only
worry was that the wind had continued to blow all night, it had lightened up a little but was still
blowing. Well, about 7 miles out we decided to turn downswell and work our way back to
calmer water. The deciding event was a broadside that soaked Juan and Manuel up on the bridge
and put enough water in the cockpit that the fish box was floating around! Three other boat
continued on for a few more miles before they also turned back. It was a bit better working our
way to a lee and we put out one Marlin lure and three feathers. Three times I thought I saw a
Dorado come in on the short rigger but the fish never bit. Around 8:40 we got into calmer water
and at that time Manuel spotted a Striped Marlin on the surface. Juan ran downstairs and pitched
a bait to it, the fish lit up and swam in and attacked the bait. There were some good jumps from
the fish at the beginning and then the fight was down and dirty. I thought Alice was going to fight
this one but she had hit her head a couple of days ago and had a headache so Steve got to fight it.
The fish on the first day took him 68 minutes and this one was 55 minutes so he was getting
better! Juan had leader in hand twice during the fight before I was able to place a tag on the third
attempt, the fish then surged and the leader parted. Nice fight, healthy fish and Steve re-opened
the blister on his thumb that he got the first day. Later on we hooked a couple of small Skipjack
Tuna that we released and that was the extent of the action for the day. In the calm water there
was no action at all, we saw one small boat fighting a Marlin and that was it. About 1pm we saw
a nice big bull Dorado jump just a little distance away and made a pass in the area but no action.
Like Steve said, “It sure is better than a day in the office!”. Thanks folks, and we are looking
forward to dinner tomorrow night!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR MARCH 7, 2003
Mike Huss has booked the “Fly Hooker” for today, tomorrow, the 13th and 14th. He is here
for the week on a big convention and today he fished with friends Rich and Gary. Juan and
Manuel took off towards the Gorda Banks area and put lines in the water when they were off of
the Westin. The water was great in that direction and at about 9:30 they hooked up their first
fish. It was a nice sized Striped Marlin, around 120 pounds, and it hit on a lure. Mike was the
angler on it and it did not take him long to get the fish to the boat. Once Juan got his hands on
the leader he was ready to tag the fish, but just before he could do so, the hook pulled loose. All
right, one Marlin, caught and released. In the same area they picked up three small Skipjack
Tuna, all released. At about 10:30 they had been trolling live bait for a little while and had
another hit. This time the marlin was not hooked well and was only on for a few seconds. An
hour later they had another fish in the pattern that just followed and would not eat anything. Back
at the dock at 2:30 they had a good day and arrangements were made for an earlier start for
tomorrow, since the best bite had occurred early today. I’ll let you know how it goes!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR MARCH 8, 2003
Today Mike Huss was fishing with his wife Karen. Juan and Manuel went back to the area
outside of the Gorda banks to find her a Marlin and they were successful. The fish was hooked
on live bait and it took Karen quite a while but she was able to finally get the fish to the boat for a
tag and quick release! Another Marlin was hooked up on live bait and it charged the boat, Juan
thinks the fish actually struck the port side on the charge. This fish was an acrobat and after
charging the boat it passed across the transom toward the starboard side and then tried to cross all
the lines, staying on top of the water the whole time. Great action from both the fish and the
second one spit out the bait after the action, and the bait was still alive! They saw more Marlin
than they did yesterday but the bite was off and they were not able to get any other solid hookups.
They did have a few more half interested fish and caught a couple of small Bonita. The water was
rough today as the wind had switched directions and was coming from the northeast. Mike and
Karen will be fishing again on the 13th so I will have a further report then!
Until next week, Tight Lines from George, Mary, Juan and Manuel, the “Fly Hooker” crew!
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Mar 10, 2003; 10:59AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
WEATHER: The week started windy but through the weekend it finally laid down a bit. There
was no consistency to the winds in the later part of the week as it would be calm here and blowing
from the northeast up in San Jose one day and the next it would be calm up there and blowing
hard from the northwest here. Most of the wind in the later part of the week occurred in the
afternoons. Our daytime highs reached the high 80’s while our nighttime lows were in the low
60’s. We were partly overcast much of the week but there was no rain (as usual), but we did
have a couple of mornings where condensation covered everything. (Layla)
WATER: Our warmest temperatures this week were on the Sea of Cortez around the Gorda
Banks area where it reached 77degrees. Closer to the cape we were seeing 68-72 degrees. There
was a fairly well defined temperature break running from the arches to the southeast where the
cool, Pacific side was 70.5 and the warm east side was 72.5 degrees. This break was holding
some fish but it was there because of the strong current and wind, making it difficult to fish.
Tuesday night the wind never stopped blowing and on Wednesday morning a few boats tried to
get to an area 25 miles to the south and had to turn back after less than 10 miles due to the water
conditions, and these were boat to 38 feet in length. Conditions changed day to day as the winds
changed. (Badge)
BAIT: A good mix of baits was available this week and they ranged from big Mackerel to Big
Caballito to small Caballito and some Sardinas showing up as well. Sardinas were $25 a scoop
and the others were the normal $2 each. (I Feel Free)
FISHING:
BILLFISH: The wonderful Striped Marlin fishing we had last week continued early this week
but the fish moved further away. It was still easy to get at least one Marlin and you could see fish
everywhere. Many of the boats were still getting multiple hookups and flying plenty of flags on
their return. The bite slacked off as the week wore on but there were still fish there, they just did
not eat as readily. There were Striped Marlin scattered in other areas as well, just not in any
concentration. One day the bite would be on lures, the next on live bait. The best fishing was just
past the Gorda Banks and around the 1150 spot where the water was warmer. Sure hope it
moves back this way! There was one large fish hooked up this week that I know of. A personal
friend of mine hooked a Blue Marlin he and his clients estimated at over 700 pounds and fought
the fish for 70 minutes before loosing her! Twenty miles out on the Pacific side, what was that fish
doing in the cold water? (Sunshine Of Your Love)
YELLOWFIN TUNA: You could have Marlin this week or you could have Yellowfin, but not
both! The Tuna were out there, and there were fish to 70 pounds, but they were 25 miles to the
south while the Marlin were 25 miles to the east. Unfortunately for us the wind started to kick up
strong from the northwest on Tuesday and by Wednesday we were blown out for a southern trip.
The fish were still there but not for us. The fish were mostly footballs in the 10-15 pound class
but there were enough in the 25-35 class to keep everyone happy and a few over 50 pounds to
keep everyone on their toes. The best lures were feathers in dark colors pulled close to the boat
in the second or third wakes. The winds died down and allowed boats to get back to the area at
the end of the week but the bite was not as good though the fish were still there. There were a
few fish caught in other places but not in any dependable location. (Crossroads)
DORADO: There were not to many Dorado found this week and there were not any
concentrations. It appeared that they were showing up as incidental fish for the boats working the
Marlin and the Tuna with most of them being caught while trolling to or from the fish
concentrations. Most of the fish were in the 15-20 pound class and were hitting lures pulled for
other fish. (Strange Brew)
WAHOO: The same situation as the Dorado with a few fish caught by boats looking for either
Tuna or Marlin, but most of them found in the warmer water with the Marlin. Not many fish and
not large ones, but they were there on and off. (White Room)
INSHORE: Name of the game this week was Sierra, no doubt about it. Large concentrations
were found in San Lucas Bay as well as around the corner on the Pacific side up to the lighthouse.
The fish ranged from 3 to 10 pounds in size and were striking on both Rapallas and hootchies.
For anglers trying live bait, there was a decent bite on Amberjack and small Sharks at the arch and
a few Yellowtail to 20 pound (most 8-12 pounds) at both the arch and Grey Rock. The Dorado
that had been providing a lot of inshore action thinned out. There were a few small Roosterfish
caught and I know of one nice 30 pounder that was caught and released. (Bell Bottom Blues)
NOTES: The fishing was good this week, you just had to decide what you wanted to target.
There were still a few Whales seen as well. The water has maintained it great blue color and has
not turned green yet. Nice temperatures in the mornings and some great days on the water, all in
all a really nice week! This weeks report was written to the sound of Eric Clapton on the
Polygram compilation C.D., “The Cream Of Clapton”. Until next week, Tight Lines!
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Mar 8, 2003; 01:02AM - Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Sportfishing Report 3/1 - 3/7/03
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Category: Mexico Ixtapa Zihuatanejo
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Author Name: Stan Lushinsky / Susan Richards
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Much of the same conditions that have been in place over the past two weeks were once again in place for last week's fishing. The fishing could best be described as long periods of nothing between very few bites for just a few fish. There were many boats returning each day without raising a single fish. The SAILFISHING remains slow with anglers going far offshore to find good looking water. Although the YELLOWFIN TUNA are being sited, getting them to bite has been difficult. Inshore, the YELLOWTAIL JACK bite has picked up but the ROOSTERFISH remain elusive. Angler Tom Baldwin' s group fishing on The Intruzza landed 2 SAILFISH and 1 DORADO on the new Cruiser Liberty. Pennsylvania angler Mr. Slachta landed 1 SAILFISH and 1 DORADO in two days of fishing aboard the Secuestro De Amor. Angler, Russell Potterfield also fishing aboard the Secuestro managed just 1 DORADO in three days of fishing. Captain Chiro of the Yellowfin II reported a single SAILFISH, 2 DORADOS and a lost MARLIN in three days of fishing. Captain Adolopho Espinosa reported difficult inshore conditions as well landing 9 YELLOWTAIL JACKS and 2 ROOSTERFISH ( up to 40 lbs. ) in two days of fishing. There remains good schools of Bonito in the area leaving captains puzzled why the Marlin and GiantTuna have not made a better showing. Blue water continues to be far offshore. With warming waters and more favorable currents the area is poised for better fishing in the weeks ahead.
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Climate: Seasonably mild, Temps in the high 80's
Sea Conditions: Moderate to rough
Bait Supply: Fair
Sincerely,
Stan Lushinsky
Susan Richards
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Mar 3, 2003; 10:25AM - Fly Hooker Daily Fishing Reports
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 24, 2002
Repeat clients John Ridella and his friends Fred, Bruce and Bob are fishing with us today and
on the 27th. Today is to be a meat trip and on the 27th they want to go for Marlin. I did not
have a lot of hope for Dorado and Tuna when we left this morning as the bite had really dropped
off (so I assumed) since no one had been flying the white or yellow flags. We started off the
morning slow trolling live Mackerel off of the lighthouse ledge on the Pacific side and had no
action. We were watching a few boats inshore trying for Sierra and decided after talking to
several of them on the radio that the action in there was just as slow. Several of those boats
headed offshore instead and we changed to lures and continued up the Pacific side about two
miles offshore, looking for birds or porpoise. About 45 minutes later we received a call on the
radio that one of the boats we had been talking to earlier had found porpoise and were catching
Yellowfin Tuna to 35 pounds. Reel in the lines and start the run to them! We cruised for more
than an hour then saw them on the horizon. There had been only three boats working the fish and
they had caught their fill and were leaving the area. Most of the other boats had headed up the
Cortez around 25 miles to fish for Marlin so we had the fish to ourselves. For the next hour and a
half we had a blast! Singles, doubles, triples, all five lines at once, big gear, small gear, we were
doing the “tuna tango” in the cockpit! We finally had our fill and decided to look for some
Dorado, we had managed to put 13 Yellowfin in the box and had released two small ones, we had
also caught a couple of Bonita. On the way back towards the Marina we managed to hook into
two nice Dorado, one about 35 pounds and the other about 25 pounds and had a quadruple strike
on Yellowfin Tuna, no porpoise in sight! What a day! Now we just have to hope that the Marlin
bite is still on when we go out on the 27th!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 25 FEBRUARY, 2003
Brad and Larry were last minute clients, literally. Another boat on the dock had broken down
and we were available. Marlin were what they wanted so Juan and Manuel headed up the Sea of
Cortez to the area 25 miles to the east where the action had been happening. Results were good!
Two Marlin tagged and released, one that died and was kept, two other Marlin hooked and
fought but lost and bait tossed to five others on the surface. Marlin everywhere! They trolled all
the way back in since the wind had really kicked up. Two very happy anglers arrived back at the
dock and said they were looking forward to going out again!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 26 FEBRUARY, 2003
Scott and Terese Lindquist along with their friends Jay and his wife Lucy were our anglers
today and their aim was to catch some eating fish to take home, along with the chance to catch
something larger than two pounds! Accordingly, Juan and Manuel took the boat to the area
12-17 miles to the south of the Arch, the area where the Tuna have been for the last few days.
Almost the first thing that happened was sighting and tossing a live bait to a Marlin. The Marlin
moved in and crushed the Mackerel with his mouth but did not swallow it. Juan reeled the bait in
and replaced it with a Caballito and this time the bait was swallowed. The fight was about 25
minutes and the fish was released unharmed. They continued working a north/south pattern
looking for porpoise that might be holding the Tuna but it was not until very late in the trip,
around 12:30, that they received a call on the radio and they headed out a further 4 miles.
Porpoise everywhere and they ended up limiting out with 20 Yellowfin Tuna, all between 10 and
25 pounds, and all caught in 45 minutes. About the time the found the fish, the wind started
howling so it was a slow troll back to the Marina, with four happy anglers aboard!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 27 FEBRUARY, 2003
John, Bob, Fred and Bruce were out today for the second trip of the week and their target was
Marlin. On Monday they caught enough Tuna and Dorado to feed the whole hotel and now they
want a chance at a Marlin. As they left the slip we teased Juan and said they needed to catch a
Marlin each! With the target indicated, Juan and Manuel headed east, way east. They ended up
29 miles out and at 11:30 I received a phone call that they had released three Striped Marlin so far
and were fighting a fourth, and could I please bring more Billfish Foundation tags to the boat, as
they were now out of stock. The fourth fish was released and they saw many more than they
hooked up! A good day on the water and the wind did not start blowing today so the ride back
was smooth! Thanks guys, we were glad to help make your vacation a great one!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 2 MARCH, 2003
Steve and Alice Berstler were our clients on the “Fly Hooker” today. They are fishing again on
Wednesday as well. Today is Alice’s birthday and she has a birthday wish for a Roosterfish!
Unfortunately we were unable to fullfill her wish. We tried though. We started the morning
getting the best bait we could find for the Roosterfish. Ideally I would want Mullet, but there
were not any available. Instead we got the second best bait, small Caballito, most of them about 6
inches in size. I also told the bait guys to put in one big Mackerel just in case we saw a Marlin.
There were reports of Roosters being caught between 13 and 18 mile to the north on the Pacific
side a few day ago and we headed in that direction to see what we could find. What we found
was cold water, the warmest we got was 68.5 degrees. We put in two live baits and one
swimming lure (just in case there were Sierra around) when we reached La Margarite and we
worked that whole stretch of beach without a strike from anything. The water was rough, cold
and non-productive. I had been afraid that this might happen but we did try. Juan let me know
that he felt any further attempts to catch Roosterfish in these conditions would be in vain so I
discussed the situation with Alice and Steve. The decision was made that any action was better
than no action so we pulled in the lines and scooted offshore. At a distance of 12 miles out we
put one “Mean Joe Green” Hi-5 lure on the shotgun rod and an Ahi-P on the long rigger, along
with two small green feathers on the short rigger and the short bait. There were birds working
the area and the water was still pretty rough, but about 20 minutes after putting the lures in the
water two line went off. I was in the head at the time so did not see the strikes, but we managed
to get the two football (10 pound) Yellowfin in the fish box anyway. The lures were quickly reset
and after 15 more minutes of trolling it was gently suggested by Steve that maybe I needed to go
to the bathroom again! Hahahaha!!!! Funny guy! Anyway, around 15 minutes later I was eating
my peanut-butter and jelly sandwich (fisherman’s food) when I thought I saw a fin dash between
the rigger lures. I stared a minute and then I saw the bill and dorsal of a Marlin behind the Ahi-P
on the long rigger. I yelled “Marlin” and ran to hook up the Mackerel to the bait rod. I was not
watching what was happening as I pinned on the bait but I felt the surge of the engines as Juan
tried to tease the fish and keep it from eating the lure. Once the bait was pinned on I dropped it
back and the Marlin came in on it right away. It struck and I gave it until a count of 10 before I
moved the drag lever to the strike position and waited for the line to come tight. As soon as it did
I tried to set the hook but there was just an initial resistance and then the feel of a dead bait on
the line. I reeled like crazy and the Marlin followed the bait back towards the boat. At about the
original position the Marlin took the bait again and this time I let him swim off with it for 15
seconds (slow count this time). Advanced the drag lever, line came tight, tried to set the hook
and nothing!! All over again, I worked the dead bait back to the boat and amazingly enough the
Marlin followed it in! As soon as I saw the fish was still with the bait I let it back to free spool
and this time felt that I had let the fish have the bait for 30 seconds (with a major amount of line
gone off the reel) before I tried to set the hook. This time it worked! The hook was set and the
rod was handed off to Steve. It was time to fight the fish and he was up to the task The fish
never jumped during the first 15 minutes of the fight and seemed to come to the boat fairly
quickly, causing Steve to ask it there was something wrong with it. We knew what had happened
and told him that the fish was hooked in the corner of the jaw and was not hurt, just feeling the
pressure! As soon as the fish got near the boat it took off on another run and this was to be
repeated for the next hour. Steve was able to work the fish up to the boat twice in the first half
hour and Edgar was able to touch the leader each time but not able to get a wrap on it. After
about 15 minutes I asked Steve if he wanted to try and fight it stand-up style and brought out the
fighting belt. The next 30 minutes were done standing up and by that time his back was starting
to ache (shoveling all that snow back home did not help!) and he was in and out of the chair for
the remainder of the fight. Finally the fish was worked close to the boat and Edgar was able to
get a good grip on the leader. The tag was placed and the fish was photographed quickly and
release! Steve had a blister on his thumb and stated that he had changed his mind about wanting
to catch a Blue Marlin! Alice was able to get some great action on the video and then we re-set
the lure and were off to try again. Around 30 minute after Steves 68 minute battle, Juan spotted
another Marlin on the surface. Edgar pinned on one of our small Caballito baits and dropped it
back in the pattern and the Marlin saw it. Alice was not sure that she wanted to battle a Marlin
after seeing what Steve had gone through, but a fish was a fish and she was game. The marlin
came in on the bait and we thought it had eaten it, but when Edgar tried to set the hook there was
nothing there. The Marlin had picked the bait off the hook! We quickly pinned another one on
and dropped the second bait back. We scanned the water looking for the Marlin to return and
suddenly, there was a blue knife cutting through the water towards the bait. It was not the Marlin
though, this was a Dorado, a nice female of about 20 pounds! You should have seen Her face
when she knew that she was not in for a fight with a Marlin! It did not take her long to get the
fish to the boat and then we had the ability to fly three flags when we came into the Marina.
Edgar cleaned the fish and we turned towards home. As we worked our way in we had shots at
two other Dorado but both of them failed to get hooked up very well. All to the good, as far as
we were concerned! It had been a great day on the water, no Roosterfish, but steady action and
some great memories! Thanks Steve and Alice, I just hope the fishing on Wednesday lives up to
the promise that today has offered!
Until Next week Tight Lines from George, Mary, Juan and Manuel, the “Fly Hooker” Crew!
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Mar 3, 2003; 10:18AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2003
WEATHER: Most of this week was partly cloudy with our highs in the low 80’s and lows on
the mid to low 60’s. The clouds brought no rain with them but sure did bring strong afternoon
and evening winds in the last half of the week. (Carry On)
WATER: The Pacific side had rough conditions most of the week but there were a few days
when it was good in the morning. When the winds started to blow from the west we had choppy
conditions returning home after fishing for Marlin further up the Sea of Cortez, but conditions in
the mornings were fine. Water temperatures around the Cape had been fairly consistent at 71-72
degreesearly in the week and there was warmer water to the south and east about 20 miles out ,
creeping farther away as the week progressed. As of Sunday, the warm water was 35 miles
distant and water nearer the Cape was in the 68-69 degree range. (Teach Your Children)
BAIT: There was a very good mix of baits available this week, large and small Mackerel and
small Caballito, all at the normal $2 each. Sardinas were there at $25 a scoop but you had to go
up the Cortez side to Chileno to buy them. (Almost Cut My hair)
FISHING:
BILLFISH: This past week was one of the most outstanding weeks for Striped Marlin that we
have seen for a long time. The type of fishing that was available to us was the kind you think
about when someone says “wide open bite”! The Striped Marlin varied in size from 80 to 180
pounds and were very concentrated. When you were in the fish there were at least 50 boats in the
area. Now, we have seen fishing concentrations like this at time at the Golden Gate Banks, but
then you were deep dropping live bait. This week the fish were on the surface, attacking lures
and eating live bait on the surface. And, you did not need to get roughed up on the Pacific side!
The fish started out at a distance of 20 miles to the east at the beginning of the week and the
concentration slowly moved to the east as the week progressed, possibly following the water
temperature. It was not uncommon to catch and release 4-8 Striped Marlin a day, and have shots
at several dozen and see even more. Multiple hookups, with three fish on at a time were
common. One day only lures worked, the next day all they would touch was live bait, crazy fish
changed their minds every day. As of Sunday the big concentration of fish is getting just out of
reach, we are hoping they return soon! meanwhile there are still Marlin in the area, just not in
such a confined area. (Helpless)
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Football Tuna remained available to the south of the Cape all week long,
you just had to be willing to put up with the choppy, sloppy water conditions to get to them.
They were mixed in with porpoise and they ranged from 13 to 20 miles out. Most of the fish
were in the 10-15 pound class but we did catch some that ran up to 35 pounds. There were fish
caught in the blind in the same areas. Due to the water conditions and the excellent Marlin bite
going on up the Sea of Cortez, there was little pressure on the Tuna so the bite remained good.
Small feathers and cedar plugs worked well, as usual with green being a favored corlor.
(Woodstock)
DORADO: We did not see any massive schools of Dorado this week but there were some nice
sized fish scattered around. There were fish with the Tuna and with the Marlin, but there seemed
to be more Dorado available in close to the beach. The same small feathers that worked for the
Tuna worked well for the Dorado and the favorite color we found was green! Frigate birds
working an area were a good indicator as is normal. (Deja Vu)
WAHOO: A few fish were caught this week but there were no concentrations, the fish were
scattered and were an incidental catch. Most of them were smaller, in the 20-25 pound range and
found in the same area as the Tuna and the Marlin. Guess where there is bait, there be fish! (Our
House)
INSHORE: Due to the afternoon winds the inshore fishing was a morning show and had a pretty
mixed bag. There were a lot of Dorado caught as well as plenty of Sierra. Some of the Sierra
were reported to be as big as 10 pounds. Yellowtail were hooked and landed, with more lost than
not, and ranged in size from 8 to 15 pounds. A few Jack Crevalle and Amberjack came to live
baits and there were Grouper and Snapper as well. Very few Roosterfish were reported this
week, and those that were found were well up the Pacific coast. (4 20)
NOTES: There were Swordfish reported hooked and lost in the same area as the Marlin were
found and there were Swordfish found on the Pacific side as well, but none of them were hooked.
Still seeing Whales out there and they seem to be increasing in numbers, at least last week they
were. The fish of the week was “Striped Marlin”, there was no doubt about that. It was one of
those weeks where you could have been sure of at least one Marlin every day if you wanted. This
weeks report was written to the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young on the 1970 Atlantic
release “Deja Vu”. If you are coming to Cabo, I will not turn away a donation of good music
Cd’s, I am re-running a lot of what I have and am always looking for new misic!
Until next week, Tight Lines from George, Mary, Juan and Manuel, the “Fly Hooker” crew!
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Feb 28, 2003; 12:17PM - Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Sportfishing Report 2-21-03 to 2-27-03
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Category: Mexico Ixtapa Zihuatanejo
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Author Name: Susan Richards/Stan Lushinsky
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The turn of the full moon brought with it a cold green current form the North and the combination of the two events spelled disaster for the fishing in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo last week. The once abundant SAILFISH were last seen moving South to warmer temps and any boat raising one last week was considered lucky. Mr. Don's Orem's group fishing 4 days on 5 Super Pangas landed 3 SAILFISH, (one which went close to 150 lbs), 18 YELLOWFIN TUNA to 40lbs. as well as a host of Big YELLOWTAIL JACKS and BONITOS. French angler, Mr. Germain fishing aboard the Super Panga, 'Monica' landed 1 SAILFISH, 2 YELLOWFIN TUNAS and 1 ROOSTERFISH. Returning New Jersey angler, Mr. Ron Reinhardt fishing aboard the 'Yellowfin II' landed 3 YELLOWFIN TUNA. Mr. Sammy Branoff, 76 years young, fishing aboard the 'La Bamba' was able to wrestle two nice 40lb DORADOS to the boat on his first day out. Capt. Adolopho Espinosa reports that the YELLOWFIN TUNA as the best game in town at this time but they have been difficult to locate moving between the 20-40 mile mark. Even when the schools were found they were often reluctant to bite. Finding some floating debris this afternoon Capt. Adolopho landed 1 SAILFISH, 6 AMBERJACK and 7 SHARKS. Several BLUE MARLIN were also reported as well as other boats hooking up but loosing MARLIN this week. As the week ended the blue water was moving closer to shore and hopes of better days lay ahead.
The next few weeks should see an increase in the TUNA and MARLIN activity as there continues to be schools of BONITO all around the Ixtapa area. As water conditions improve the inshore bit should also begin to develop. For those anglers interested in red hot Roosterfishing May through August can be spectacular. Read about Mr. Ken Schultz's comments in his latest article for Field & Stream on Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Roosterfishing. Here is the link to Ken's article.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/destinations/article/0,13199,426328,00.html
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Weather: Sunny, highs in the 80's
Sea Conditions: Moderate to Rough
Bait Supply: Fair
Sincerely,
Stan Lushinsky
Susan Richards
Ixtapa Sportfishing Charters
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Feb 24, 2003; 10:56AM - 'Fly Hooker Daily Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
“FLYHOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 18, 2003
Rod Parker fished with us today and it was nice to finally have the boat out and working after
the last two weeks struggle. Rod was supposed to fish yesterday but there was just one, little
final thing that had to be done...so..the water was a little bit rough but not too bad and Juan and
Manuel worked to a distance of 22 miles to the southeast of the lighthouse. The final total was
three nice dorado, one of them was around 40 pounds while the others looked to be about 20
pounds, nice fish, and they were scattered, not all on one piece of wood or anything like that.
Thanks for being patient with us!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 22 FEBRUARY, 2003
Pat McShane and fellow attorneys from New Orleans, Andrew and Arrissa, are here in Cabo
for just three days...36 holes of golf yesterday, fishing today and 18 holes tomorrow before they
fly back tomorrow afternoon. A nice day on the water and the boat worked an area about 25
miles to the east. Off to a bit of a late start this morning, they did not arrive to the area until
about 11am and then they had one Marlin kill a live bait and they got a few jumps from it, tossed
bait at a few others and saw a few more. There was one big Porpoise and they got to see whales
as well. No fish but they had a good time!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 23 FEBRUARY, 2003
Our friend Carlos has his sister and her husband, along with two friends, visiting here for a few
days and I went along with them. I was not able to hold much of a conversation with them but
Carlos tried to be an interpreter. They are from Mexico City and this is the first time to fish on
the ocean. The brother in law is used to catching Bass, so he has an idea of how to fight the fish!
Back to the area 25 miles to the east and about 8am we had the first strike. Carlos’s sister got to
try to fight the fish and we got a lot of jumping from the Marlin as it did all the tailwalking and
greyhounding you could want. Unfortunately, she was so busy watching all the jumping that she
forgot to keep the line tight and the fish got off! At 11am we finally got another hookup and it
was the brother in laws turn. It took him about 30 minutes to get the fish to the boat and it was a
very nice Striped Marlin, estimated at 160 pounds. That was all the fishing action, but we did see
porpoise and whales!
Until next week, tight lines from George, Mary, Juan and Manuel, the “Fly Hooker” crew!
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