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Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Capt. George Landrum
December 10, 2001
Cabo San Lucas - Saltwater Fishing Report
Cabo San Lucas Fish Report
Capt. George Landrum
“Fly Hooker” Sportfishing
[email protected]
www.flyhooker.com
CABO FISH REPORT FOR DECEMBER 3-9 2001
WEATHER: This week has remained mostly cloudy with scattered sprinkles mid-week. There
has been a band of weather coming over the top of us, coming from the southwest, and it looks as
if it might continue for a few more days. There have been no heavy winds associated with it and
it has kept the temperature very comfortable. The daytime highs have been in the low 80’s and
the nighttime lows in the low 70’s. The precipitation has been just enough to keep the plants
watered and the cars looking messy. (Truckin’)
WATER: Wonderful conditions! There have been large widely spaced swells on the Pacific side
with little if any wind and on the Sea of Cortez it has been almost like a lake, at least here at the
Cape. I heard that up towards San Jose it got a bit windy and rough early in the week but lately
has settled down. The water temperature at the end of the week is about two degrees cooler
across the region than last week. The temperatures on the Pacific are about 79-76 degrees just
offshore and drop to the 75-74 degree range once you get much farther out than 15 miles. The
warm water band still exists and has just as abrupt an edge as it did last week but the temps are
cooler on both sides. On the Sea of Cortez we had an upsurge of cooler water in the vicinity of
San Jose at the beginning of the week and it lasted to at least mid week. The temps on the banks
were in the mid 70’s and surrounding water was still in the low 80’s. (Rosemary)
BAIT: Pretty much a repeat of last week except that the big schools of Mackerel that were being
found on the Golden Gate Banks moved farther north. Bait is still available, both Caballito and
Mackerel at the usual $2 per bait and there have been Sardinas at $20 a scoop. (St. Stephen)
FISHING:
BILLFISH: The great action we were having on the Striped Marlin at Golden Gate Banks has
continued but has moved even farther to the north. This has placed it out of range for most of the
charter fleet here in Cabo but a number of the private boats are still taking advantage of the
action. For the charter fleet, working the temperature break about 15 miles offshore on the
Pacific side has proven to be the best bet, with fish striking both trolling lures and pitched live
bait. A few of the boats have been having spotty action trying drifting live baits off of Cabo
Falso. The fish are averaging 120 pounds and most of the action (about 70%) has been on lures.
The most popular color has been Mean Joe Green in an 8” lure with a straight runner head.
(Uncle John’s Band)
YELLOWFIN TUNA: A few fish in the 30-40 pound class are being found mixed in with the
Porpoise, but they have been very wary of the boats. Most of the Porpoise have been found at
the temperature break on the Pacific side. There have been a few scattered pockets of Yellowfin
in the 10-15 pound range located much closer to shore both on the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez
but there have been no surface indicators on them, just blind strikes when they are found. I have
been told that Gordo Banks was putting out a few fish but in no large numbers. Best lures overall
on the Tuna have been cedar plugs in natural wood color and 6” heavy straight running lures in
blue/silver and hot pink. (Casey Jones)
DORADO: This week the Dorado bite fell off compared to the red-hot action we saw last week.
It may have something to do with the cooler water. When we did find floating debris this week
we were only getting one or two small Dorado off of it, not the numbers we were seeing last
week, plus the temperature was about three degrees cooler. Boats traveling 40+ miles north on
the Pacific were finding concentrations of the fish, along with the Striped Marlin and the
Mackerel. Looking at the sea temp. maps, this is where there is an eddy of warmer water worked
it’s way up the coast line. Nearer to home there have been scattered schools of Dorado found but
no heavy concentrations. Best bets have been to work due south or towards the west and keep
your eyes peeled for anything in the water that might hold fish, otherwise it has been just blind
luck. Lures on the troll have been Striped Marlin lures for the most part and live bait pitched to
floating debris has worked when fish have been there. (Mexicali Blues)
WAHOO: Here one day, gone the next! When the concentrations of debris disappeared, so did
the Wahoo. There are still some fish out there and they have been associated with structure at the
banks, but the bite really fell off, perhaps it has a lot to do with the waning moon also. Marauders
on planers have been producing results as they have been working the lures deep enough to find
the Wahoo, and boats working live baits off the edges at San Jaime for Tuna are still picking up
an occasional Wahoo. Average size is down from last week, most have been around 25-30
pounds. (One More Saturday Night)
INSHORE: Good news for those that like to catch Sierra, there are fish showing up in the boxes
now. They are averaging only 5-6 pounds but it bodes well for the future. I have seen some very
nice snapper catches coming off of the commercial Pangas so if you get a boat and Captain that
have a clue, there should be some good action on them for you as well. A few scattered
Roosterfish and Jacks have been found just outside the surf line and a little further out there have
been a few football Yellowfin and Dorado. There has been fairly consistent action for Skipjack
Tuna and Bonito within two miles of the coast. (Friend Of The Devil)
NOTES: The Gray Whales are starting to show up, we have seen a few every day this week.
The Purse Seiners were still working the Pacific Banks early in the week but are gone now. We
are wearing long pants and sweaters in the mornings. Written to the sounds of “The Grateful
Dead” on their compilation “Skeletons From The Closet, The Best Of The Grateful Dead”, 1974,
Warner Bros. Records.
"Fly Hooker" Daily Catch Report
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 4 DECEMBER 2001
Today Juan and Manuel had a treat on the boat as we had three beautiful ladies as anglers.
Tammy and Corynn are from Hawaii and their friend (whose name I forgot, sorry!) is from
Wisconsin. Tammy and Corynn have fished before but this is the first time for their friend, and of
course she was the one to get seasick. Tammy and Corynn were up to the events that happened
however and they managed to bring in 10 Dorado between the two of them. Juan and Manuel
worked an area west of Cabo Falso for the fish, finding a piece of wood drifting in a current line.
Almost all the fish were caught on live bait and the largest was around 25 pounds. A good trip
for everyone except the girl from Wisconsin, and they left the Marina with plenty of fish for
dinner!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 5 DECEMBER 2001
Harry and Carol Hudson fished with Juan and Manuel today and they have booked the “Fly
Hooker” for the 7th and 9th as well. The Hudson’s fished here last year and went out on a
different boat but saw the service we provided and how our clients were pleased with Juan and
Manuel so they decided to give us a try this year. Harry really wants to catch a Marlin this trip
but the first day is dedicated to getting fillets to take home so Juan and Manuel head out to the
current lines near Golden Gate Banks on the Pacific side again. The water is a little lumpy but
with just large swells, even so Carol started to get a little sick. They hooked up a Dorado on
lures as they trolled and she brought it in and that was the end of the day for her. Carol spent
most of the rest of the trip curled up on one of the engine covers sleeping. That left all the fishing
action up to Harry and he was no slouch when it came to putting the hurt on the fish. The next
Dorado was on lures also and he had it into the fish box in short order then the action died down.
After several uneventful hours they worked their way off the banks and Manuel decided to head
out to the current lines east of Jaime banks to see if they could find any debris in the water that
might be holding fish. On the way they got a call on the radio and were quickly working a small
piece of wood alongside two other boats. The first cast with a live bait on the spinning rod
resulted in hooking of the largest fish of the day and Harry proceeded to fight a 35 pound Dorado
for about 15 minutes before Juan was able to gaff the fish. They worked the wood for a while
longer and caught seven other Dorado before it was time to head back. Lots of fish and a big job
for Juan and Manuel to fillet them out, but Harry and Carol left the marina with a cooler of fresh
Dorado fillets to take home! Lets keep our fingers crossed that the Marlin hunt works out as
well! Until then, Tight Lines!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 6 DECEMBER 2001
Today was a special trip both for me and for our anglers. Don and Michele Hirschault of
“Earth, Sea and Sky” travel agency are here in Cabo, they purchased “Cabo Fishing Vacations”
from the former owners. We (Mary and I) have talked with them a bit on the phone and through
e-mails but this was our first chance to meet them in person. Since I had the day off it was a
good chance to visit a bit and introduce them to our personalized service and the talents of Juan
and Manuel. Jared and Wendy (kissy-kissy!) were with them and everyone was excited about
getting out on the water. Since the fishing has been good out in the current lines off of the east
side of the Jaime Banks so Juan and Manuel decided that we should head out there and work the
area to see if we could find another piece of wood holding Dorado. Everyone really wanted to
have fresh Dorado for dinner! On the way out to the grounds we saw Whales breach and spout
and saw some large Black Porpoise cruising along. We ran out about 18 miles and started the
search in the same area they had found debris on the last two trips. The search was fruitless for
several hours and Don was beginning to nod off in the chair and Michele was sleeping on the
engine cover when Manuel spotted Dolphin several miles ahead. I was hoping for Tuna and we
changed three of the lures before we got there but left the lure in the bridge rod unchanged. It
was a good thing we did because after the first pass on the Dolphin that was the lure that got hit!
It was a Custom lure made for us by Hi-5 Lures in green/black and it was not a Tuna that hit! As
the reel screamed I looked up to see Manuel with the rod in his hand and setting the hook. I still
thought it was a large Tuna until he yelled “Marlin!”. We got Don in the chair and he started to
work the fish. There was quite a bit of surface action on the part of the Marlin and we did get a
few good pictures of the fish jumping in the distance. It took Don about 15 minutes to bring the
fish to the side of the boat and I placed a Billfish Foundation Tag after Juan removed the hook.
The fish was released and swam away healthy and unharmed and Juan filled out the release card
that said Don had released a Striped Marlin of approximately 125 pounds. Nice work Don! The
effort seemed to have tired him out though and he rested for a bit. Juan and Manuel tried
working the Dolphin more but we had no luck with any Tuna so eventually we left them in search
of debris that might hold Dorado. The swells were a bit on the large side and perhaps that is what
caused it, but Don ended up hanging over the side for a few minutes chumming for us. He said he
felt better afterwards. At the end of the trip everyone admitted to feeling a bit queasy but no one
else felt quite as bad! We had another Marlin strike on the same lure about an hour later but the
fish did not stick. Finally Manuel spotted a large piece of wood in the water and we thought our
search had finally ended! As the boat slowed and Juan readied a live bait to toss out we had a
strike on the port rod. I gave the rod to Michele and as she brought in the fish Juan worked the
wood with the live bait. When Michele’s fish got close to the boat we had her stop reeling and
searched to see if there were any other Dorado following the one she had on. No such luck, and
there was no action on the live bait that Juan had tossed out! Michele’s fish was just a little one
so we released her and tried for a few more minutes to get something else off of the wood but we
had no luck. That was the extent of the action for the day as we kept on looking, searching for
signs of fish on the way back to the Marina. We sure are sorry there was no fresh Dorado for
dinner but at least Don got to catch a Marlin and everyone had a chance to meet! Thanks for the
experience and until we get to do it again, Tight Lines!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 7 DECEMBER 2001
This is the second day of fishing for Harry and Carol but today it will be just Harry as Carol is
not feeling well, perhaps a touch of intestinal flu. It is a Marlin search day and Juan and Manuel
have decided that their best chance is to get up to Golden Gate Banks and drift live Mackerel on
the edges. That is the method that has been taking most of the Striped Marlin for the past few
days and there are a lot of other boats with the same idea! They get up to the banks and end up
joining what both Juan and Harry say are close to 60 boats, all working the same method. Well,
maybe it worked yesterday, but something has changed overnight! Between 60 boats they saw
only one boat hook up to a fish! Not good odds at all and after about a half day of attempting to
entice a Marlin to eat a live bait they ended up leaving the area to try trolling lures. That did not
work either and they ended up the day with a big fat goose-egg. Sigh. Well, there is one more
day that they have a chance so we will keep our fingers crossed!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 8 DECEMBER 2001
Ken Wirtjes has fished with Juan and Manuel before and this trip has along his friends Greg,
Tony and Robbie. They went fishing yesterday on a Panga and caught two Dorado but have a lot
of room left in the coolers for fillets! Off to the current lines, this time to hopefully find a log that
holds fish! Again they run into a pod of Dolphin and today they get a triple strike on one of the
passes! Unfortunately none of the fish remains hooked up for long and they make another pass on
the pod. This time there is a single strike and they are able to boat a Yellowfin Tuna of about 25
pounds. Juan and Manuel kept working the Dolphin but were not able to get any other strikes
from the Tuna. Eventually they left and went in search of Dorado. They hooked up one while
trolling lures and there was another fish that followed it to the boat. Juan tried but they could not
get the other fish to bite on anything they tossed out. Eventually they brought in the first Dorado
hooked up and it was a decent fish, about 25 pounds. That was all the fish for the day, not
enough fillets to fill the coolers but at least there was fish to take home! Thanks guys, and until
next time, Tight Lines!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 9 DECEMBER 2001
All right, I’ll give it away at the beginning of the report! Harry got his Marlin! Again Carol
stayed at the resort, she said that she felt more comfortable there for the time being. It was
Manuels day off so we had Juan and his older brother Juan on the boat. With the last attempt up
at Golden Gate Banks a washout, and after checking the water temperature charts and talking
with other boats, Juan and Juan decided to stick close to home today and work the area just to the
south-west of the cape. They started off working off the old lighthouse on the ledge but there
was no sign of fish there. Slowly they worked their way out to the south until they were 15 miles
out and still no signs of anything. As they worked their way back towards the lighthouse again
they spotted a Striped Marlin on the surface. Juan and Manuel worked and worked the fish!
They used both live and dead bait, they tried with the lures! They followed the fish as it worked
it’s way downswell and all they got were refusals! They worked the fish for almost an hour
before they got a sign of interest. Guess what, it wasn’t from the Striped Marlin they were
working on! Another billfish struck a lure as they were chasing the tailing Striped Marlin and all
of a sudden they were hooked up (finally). Harry was in the chair, rod in hand as the fish took
line. After a little while he told Juan and Manuel, a bit jokingly, that they didn’t need to let the
fish take that much line since he was going to be the one who had to reel it all back in! Joke on
you Harry! It was not a Striped Marlin, it was a Blue! Harry was in the chair for about 25
minutes and with his technique was able to get the Blue Marlin close to the boat in fairly short
time. It took about 25 minutes, at least that was the time written on the release card, for Harry to
get the Blue Marlin close enough to tag and release. The fish was still full of energy and a tired
Harry was happy to watch the 250+ pound Blue Marlin swim off to fight someone else another
time. Congratulations Harry! We are happy that the Marlin hunt finally paid off, sometimes it
never does! We hope to see you and Carol here again next year! Until then, Tight Lines and Big
Fish!
Until Next week, Tight lines form George, Mary, Juan and Manuel, The “Fly Hooker” Crew
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