Puerto San Carlos Tournament a Local Hit
Capt. Gary Graham
March 14, 2009
Baja Sur - Saltwater Fishing Report
Endless Season Update 03/12/2009
REPORT #1157 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
The composite photo above from the Puerto San Carlos Copa Gobernador Tournament last weekend is irrefutable evidence of how popular this series of tournaments has become in Southern Baja. The photo of families crowded together shoulder to shoulder fishing from the Puerto San Carlos commercial pier is one that many would have never thought would happen.
Clicerio Mercado, organizer of the Copa Gobernador Tournaments in Baja has done an outstanding job of bringing the communities together and introducing sportfishing to families and their kids and it is working. Each year the number of participants grows. Why wouldn't it? Small entry fees, cash prizes, free stuff…hats, t-shirts, good food and of course the fish.
Corvina, mojarra, cabrilla and yellowtail showed up in good enough numbers to make it a contest. As the winners were announced everyone whooped and hollered for their friend and neighbors who won the cash prizes.
According to Mercado, much of the events success was attributable to API office in San Carlos.
Congratulations to our good friend Captain Sergio Garcia from Lopez Mateos for his win in the grouper division.
Results
Water temperature 67 - 73
Air temperature 52 -73
Humidity 82 %
Wind: NW 13 to 17 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:39 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:34 p.m. MST
East Cape
Local Jim Gray with yellowtail caught near Rancho Leonero photo provided by John Torres
Unseasonably calm weather produced an uptick in the fishing action. While there were few boats and anglers to capitalize on the good bite, a couple of pangas found a drifting dead seal and the fly fishermen racked up some double digit numbers of dorado…some of them up to forty-five pounds. It was literally fish till you drop or until you can't lift a rod anymore.
The warmer water below the light house also had a few striped marlin but there were few anglers who cared.
The inshore was the place to be or maybe no one was willing to go any farther. Roosterfish cruising well within casting range could be seen at several different beaches all week with the lack of wind.
The big news was the ongoing yellowtail bite that keeps going off sporadically. One day it is over the top and the next it is all about pelicans sitting on the water. When it does go off, it is ‘bendo' for yellows all the way up to fifty pounds. The fifty pound ones are probably the ones that got away…you know how fisherman are.
Don't forget the sierra that are a nuisance when they buzz through at the same time as the yellows, leaving you with a line fluttering in the breeze as they bite through the line and all.
Water temperature 67-73
Air temperature 60-75
Humidity 77%
Wind: NE 4 to 5 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:31 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:27 p.m. MST
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
This week we are averaging about 1 or 2 sailfish a day per boat. Dorado are sparse, but the blue marlin bite is heating up. The 81º blue water is still only 5 or 6 miles off the beach, but the boats that are getting in on most of the action are getting their fish from 18 to 20 miles out. The cooler 78º water is still holding to the North, but should move in within the next couple of weeks. This will bring in the blue marlin in force.
At least 30% of the boats are getting a shot at the big blues, and a few of them have been leadered every day this week.
The super panga, Huntress, with Mike Buckley and Captain Francisco, is still holding up to be the high boat in the fleet, and has been for this last 4 weeks. When they find the fish, they are still getting double and triple hook ups, with one day being a double on sailfish, and a blue marlin taking the third bait. However, as with all the boats, the fish are not aggressive and are short-biting the baits. The total for the Huntress was 30 strikes for 5 days of fishing, and 10 sailfish released. They also got a nice 40 pound dorado.
Santiago, on the panga Gitana, is averaging 2 sailfish a day released, and got a nice blue marlin yesterday (Tuesday).
Early in the week, the private boat Moonlight, out of Marina Ixtapa, fishing with Arturo Ramirez of Morelia, Michoacán, caught a nice 500 pound blue marlin, and then the next day took a huge 56 pound dorado.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 78 - 83
Air temperature 70-88
Humidity 78%
Wind: ENE at 3 mph
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:56 a.m. CST
Sunset 7:55 p.m. CST
Cabo San Lucas
The amazing striped marlin action continues as the Golden Gate area went red hot again. It was combat fishing most of the time with boats running to the feeders as they popped up. Many boats caught good numbers by drifting with live baits set deep, while the rest of the fleet ran around chasing the bird schools. Getting your live bait on site was the key to getting good numbers.
Dorado were scattered among the feeders at the Golden Gate Bank, and there were a few fish up around the Punta Gorda area as well. The lack of floating debris to hold them makes them harder to find.
Limits of sierra are the norm now, and there is also a good showing of pargo, amberjack and yellowtail on the Pacific side.
While there has been an extraordinary showing of whales this year they seem to be beginning their northward migration.
George & Mary Landrum
Water temperature 75 – 78
Air temperature 61 – 84
Humidity 75%
Wind: WNW 13 knots
Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:31 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:28 p.m. MST
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