Baja Mexico: Magdalena Bay, Baja Sur & East Cape.
Capt. Gary Graham
December 19, 2003
Baja Sur - Saltwater Fishing Report
East Cape's Cool, Zihuatanejo Hot
REPORT FROM GARY GRAHAM'S BAJA ON THE FLY:
PROVIDING QUALITY SALTWATER FLY-FISHING 365 DAYS A YEAR IN BAJA FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: [email protected]; USA toll-free (800) 919-2252; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
Thurs., Dec. 18, 2003, Report covers the period Sat.-Thurs. (12/11 - 12/18)
EAST CAPE, MAGDALENA BAY, ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO; AND IZTAPA, GUATEMALA CONDITIONS
EAST CAPE, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
IN GENERAL: Windy and cool seems like the needle is stuck on the record. With few guest at any of the hotels, most of the boats stayed close to home.
AIR & SEA -
Water temperature 67°-72°
Air temperature 59° - 77°
Humidity about 55%
Wind NW at 13 mph
Conditions Partly Cloudy (FEW) : 20,000 feet
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:53 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:36 p.m. MST
Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter
o OFFSHORE: Heard of a billfish or two and an occasional dorado for very few trips.
o INSHORE: Tin boat fleet is managing to get out early and score of a few sierra.
o BEACH: When the wind backs off early morning in the gray is best
BILLFISH – A few home guard still around.
YELLOWFIN TUNA – Only a memory for now.
DORADO – Pretty slow.
ROOSTERFISH – La Ribera early best bet.
JACK CREVALLE - A few small fish at La Ribera and out toward Punta Colorada.
BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - A few closer to shore, but difficult to find.
PARGO AND CABRILLA - Quiet.
SIERRA - Gray light just at dawn is best.
MAGDALENA BAY, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
IN GENERAL: All of the action centered on the esteros and there was little new to report outside. Most of the yachts have headed to greener pastures leaving the locals to search for the hot bite outside.
Water Temperature 66°-73°
Air Temperature 68°- 78°
Humidity 76%
Wind NNE 11 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds.
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:05 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:40 p.m. MST
Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter
YELLOWTAIL – Reports of a few at the entrada in deeper water.
CORVINA - They just keep on biting
SNOOK – Fair to good action near Devil’s Curve on the northwest side of the channel.
HALIBUT – Still enough to make fishing the sandy beaches worthwhile.
SIERRA – Out toward the Entrada near Belchers.
ZIHUATANEJO, MAINLAND MEXICO
IN GENERAL: The 80º blue water has moved off the beach to about 10 miles. The main action for sailfish is taking place about 14- to 18-miles out. A very nice bonus is the mature dorado are starting to show in good numbers.
Fly-fishing client Butch Cooley, of Seattle, fished two more days with us and we raised 8 sailfish each day. On the fly, he hooked an average of 3 fish a day.
Steve Miller of Albuquerque, had a tough day with Captain Martin and me on the panga “Isamar” when the S/E winds blew and dropped the barometer. The winds were not over 10 knots, but it shut down the fishing for the one day. As conditions stabilized on the next day, we raised 4 sailfish and hooked 3. Steve also made a great cast to a 32-pound dorado. The dorado ended up as dinner for all of us. All fish were caught on the fly and using IGFA rules.
Jason Cook, of Carson City, Nevada fished on the panga “Gitana” with Santiaga. They released 9 sailfish in two days.
Captain Adolpho on the panga “Dos Hermanos” told me this morning the roosterfish action has slowed down, but he did manage a huge rooster of 80-pounds on conventional gear yesterday. They then got into "mucho" jacks running to 25-pounds. The rooster and jacks are crashing on bait just off the surf line about 8 miles north of Zihuatanejo Bay. Adolpho also reports a lot of sierras are rounding out the day for his clients.
Water Temperature 79º-86º
Air Temperature 71° - 81º
Humidity 83%
Wind Calm
Conditions Haze Smoke
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:14 p.m. CST
Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo report by Ed Kunze
IZTAPA, GUATEMALA
IN GENERAL: As we get closer to the peak part of the sail-fishing season, the daily averages are going up. This week we had 13 boats out in 5 days of fishing. They were able to average 17 releases out of 24 shots on sailfish, with the high boat for the week releasing 39 of 52. There was also one lone marlin released. By Guatemala's standard the action is starting to get good, and compared with other locations the numbers are incredible! It is still a pretty good run to the action, but it is worth it. For those wanting to try fly-fishing for the first time, Guatemala offers enough opportunities that you will look like a pro by day’s end. Action on dorado and tuna is spotty, but consistently available. Inshore, there were no boats out. Stay tuned for better release numbers as we get into the first couple of months of 2004.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 78°-82º
Humidity 73%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 6:20 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:39 p.m. CST
Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
. . .
CHECKLIST OF THINGS TO BRING TO THE EAST CAPE
(We’ll continue to publish this every month or so for new recipients of our report, but we suggest you print it out and keep it handy.)
· _______ FISHING CLOTHING - Lightweight, fast-drying technical clothing.
Long sleeve shirts and long pants if you burn easily.
· _______ TENNIS SHOES, BOAT SHOES OR RUBBER SOLED SANDALS.
. _______ HAT - For protection from the sun.
· _______ POLARIZED SUN GLASSES. (All dark glasses are not polarized. Be sure yours are.)
· _______ WINDBREAKER OR SWEATSHIRT.
· _______ SHORTS.
· _______ SWIMSUIT.
· _______ COSMETICS OR SHAVING GEAR.
· _______ SUN PROTECTION (lotion or block.)
· _______ LIP BALM.
· _______ SEASICKNESS MEDICATION.
· _______ TYLENOL OR ASPIRIN.
· _______ BENEDRYL SPRAY OR OINTMENT.
· _______ FLASHLIGHT (For walking on the beach at night.)
· _______ CAMERA, EXTRA FILM.
· _______ VIDEO CAMERA AND TAPES (Optional.)
. _______ EXTRA BATTERIES.
. _______ SNORKEL EQUIPMENT (Optional. Can be rented there.)
. _______ U.S. $1 DOLLAR BILLS (For tips.)
SHIRTS AND SHOES ARE REQUIRED IN THE DINING ROOM
FISHING GEAR YOU MAY NEED:
See Gary Graham’s “No Nonsense Guide to Fly Fishing Southern Baja” or his website: www.bajafly.com
· ________8-, 9-, or 10-weight rod for surf fishing and casting. A 9-weight is ideal if you are bringing only one rod. Add a 12-weight if you are fishing from a boat. Rental tackle is available, but must be reserved.
· ________Reel(s) direct or anti-reverse, anodized. Good disc drag and plenty of backing. Reels with a quick take-apart feature are ideal for cleaning.
· ________Lines - Beach and Inshore: Intermediate or sink-tip for rocky areas. Full line (350 grain) or shooting head for sandy areas. Offshore: 10- or 12-weight rod. Full flyline (650 grain) shooting head/intermediate. For marlin and big tuna: 14-weight, quality reel, lots of backing 125#, and 36-inch bite tippet. Extra fly lines and shooting heads -- better safe than sorry.
· ________Leaders and Tippet.
· ________Stripping Basket.
· ________Flies. Contact your fly shop for the most current flies in use.
· ________Hook sharpener.
· ________Foot protection for the rocks.
REPORT FROM GARY GRAHAM'S BAJA ON THE FLY:
PROVIDING QUALITY SALTWATER FLY-FISHING 365 DAYS A YEAR IN BAJA FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: [email protected]; USA toll-free (800) 919-2252; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
Thurs., December 18, 2003, Report covers the period Sat.-Thurs. (12/11 - 12/18)
EAST CAPE, MAGDALENA BAY, ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO; AND IZTAPA, GUATEMALA CONDITIONS
EAST CAPE, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
IN GENERAL: Windy and cool seems like the needle is stuck on the record. With few guest at any of the hotels most of the boats stayed close to home.
AIR & SEA -
Water temperature 67°-72°
Air temperature 59° - 77°
Humidity about 55%
Wind NW at 13 mph
Conditions Partly Cloudy (FEW) : 20000 ft
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:53 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:36 p.m. MST
Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter
o OFFSHORE: Heard of a billfish or two and an occasional dorado for very few trips.
o INSHORE: Tin boat fleet is managing to get out early and score of a few sierra.
o BEACH: When the wind backs off early morning in the gray is best
BILLFISH – A few home guard still around.
YELLOWFIN TUNA – Only a memory for now.
DORADO – Pretty slow.
ROOSTERFISH – La Ribera early best bet .
JACK CREVALLE - A few small fish at La Ribera and out toward Punta Colorada.
BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - A few closer to shore, but difficult to find.
PARGO AND CABRILLA - Quiet.
SIERRA - Gray light just at dawn is best.
MAGDALENA BAY, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
IN GENERAL: All of the action centered on the Esteros and there was little new to report outside. Most of the yachts have headed to greener pastures leaving the locals to search for the hot bite outside.
Water Temperature 66°-73°
Air Temperature 68°- 78°
Humidity 76%
Wind NNE 11 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds.
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:05 a.m. MST
Sunset 5:40 p.m. MST
Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter
YELLOWTAIL – Reports of a few at the Entrada in deeper water.
CORVINA - They just keep on biting
SNOOK – Fair to good action near Devils Curve on the northwest side of the channel.
HALIBUT – Still enough to make fishing the sandy beaches worthwhile.
SIERRA – Out toward the Entrada near Belchers.
ZIHUATANEJO, MAINLAND MEXICO
IN GENERAL: The 80º blue water has moved off the beach to about 10 miles. The main action for sailfish is taking place about 14 to 18 miles out. A very nice bonus is the mature dorado are starting to show in good numbers.
Fly fishing client Butch Cooley, of Seattle, WA, fished 2 more days with us and we raised 8 sailfish each day. On the fly, he hooked an average of 3 fish a day.
Steve Miller of Albuquerque, N.M. had a tough day with Captain Martin and I on the panga Isamar when the S/E winds blew and dropped the barometer. The winds were not over 10 knots, but it shut down the fishing for the one day. As conditions stabilized on the next day, we raised 4 sailfish and hooked 3. Steve also made a great cast to a 32 pound dorado. The dorado ended up as dinner for all of us. All fish were caught on the fly and using IGFA rules.
Jason Cook, of Carson, Nevada fished on the panga Gitana with Santiaga. They released 9 sailfish in two days.
Captain Adolpho on the panga Dos Hermanos told me this morning the roosterfish action has slowed down, but he did manage a huge rooster of 80 pounds on conventional gear yesterday. They then got into "mucho" jacks running to 25 pounds. The rooster and jacks are crashing on bait just off the surf line about 8 miles North of Zihuatanejo Bay. Adolpho also reports a lot of sierras are rounding out the day for his clients.
Ed Kunze
Water Temperature 79º-86º
Air Temperature 71° - 81º
Humidity 83%
Wind Calm
Conditions Haze Smoke
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:14 p.m. CST
Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo report by Ed Kunze
IZTAPA, GUATEMALA
IN GENERAL: As we get closer to the peak part of the Sailfishing season, the daily averages are going up. This week we had 13 boats out in 5 days of fishing. They were able to average 17 releases out of 24 shots on Sailfish, with the high boat for the week releasing 39 of 52. There was also one lone Marlin released. By Guatemala's standard the action is starting to get good, and compared with other locations the numbers are incredible! It is still a pretty good run to the action, but it is worth it. For those wanting to try fly fishing for the first time, Guatemala offers enough opportunities that you will look like a pro by days end. Action on Dorado and tuna is spotty but consistently available. Inshore there were no boats out. Stay tuned for better release numbers as we get into the first couple of months of 2004.
Water Temperature 80º-85º
Air Temperature 78°-82º
Humidity 73%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility
Sunrise 6:20 a.m. CST
Sunset 5:39 p.m. CST
Dec. 23 New, Dec. 30 First Quarter Jan. 7 Full, Jan. 14 Last Quarter
Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
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