Cabo Bite Report
Capt. George Landrum
December 1, 2008
Cabo San Lucas - Saltwater Fishing Report
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
[email protected]
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
November 24-30, 2008
WEATHER: This weeks weather was a repeat of last weeks, highs in the mid 80's and lows in the high 60's with just a slight breeze most of the time, only one day in the middle of the week, Wednesday, when it picked up and blew pretty good. We had scattered clouds all week long, another week of perfect sunsets!
WATER: Water conditions were great this week again, with just the one-day, Wednesday, when the winds from the northwest made conditions on the Pacific side a little choppy. The swells remained small and wide apart on both sides of the Cape, and most days the Cortez side looked like a pool table, flat and smooth. Water temperatures on the Pacific side have dropped down quite a bit as the near-shore areas are showing most days at 76-78 degrees. The water farther offshore has also dropped several degrees into the same range. On the Cortez side of the Cape things have remained warm at 80-81 degrees.
BAIT: Caballito, Mackerel and Mullet were available at the now normal $3 each and there were Sardinas available up in the area of San Jose if you were there early, but they were pricey at $25 a bucket.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: The fishing for Striped Marlin is really something this year as once again the concentration of fish on the Golden Gate Bank amazes us. Boats that are really concentrating on the Marlin and are spending the time are releasing over 20 fish per day. Most of the fleet boats are trolling there and back and are getting two to five fish per trip. The fish are all in the 110-pound class and over. Working the bait balls between 150 and 200 feet deep with live bait caught on the spot has done the trick for most boats, the baits bought at the marina work for Dorado and an occasional Marlin, but matching the hatch with really fresh bait seems to do the trick. Elsewhere, there are a few scattered Marlin along the coast one to two miles off the beach on the Pacific side and a few showing up on the Cortez side close in as well.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: One boat this week got into a good bite on Yellowfin Tuna averaging 40 pounds while fishing the 77 spot, a high spot between the Golden Gate and San Jaime Banks. The fish had pushed up bait balls of Sardinas and would not hit artificials, so they drifted into one of the balls and scooped up several loads of Sardinas. That did the trick and they were almost limited out when a helicopter showed up and then as they were leaving the school, a tuna seiner showed up. Needless to say, there were no more fish to be found in that area the next day. There were larger fish north of the Golden Gate again, but it was a very slow pick on big fish, worth the work if you wanted quality, but with no guarantees at all of getting bit.
DORADO: The Dorado remained on the bite off of the beach on the Pacific side between the lighthouse and El Arco. Slow trolled live bait and fast trolled plastic lures worked well there, and they also did the job on fish that were on the Cortez side up around Punta Gorda. Most boats were able to get several fish between 12 and 20 pounds and there were a few larger ones to 40 pounds as well.
WAHOO: I heard that there was a good bite on Wahoo to 40 pounds up in the Punta Gorda area, and I know that there were Wahoo on the Pacific side. Of course, the fish on the Pacific side were just little ones; the bites were happening close to shore and a three-foot long Wahoo only weighs about 10 pounds. Some guys mistook them for large Sierra!
INSHORE: The Roosterfish bite seems to be dropping off and the cool water fish are showing up. Sierra and Yellowtail are beginning to be caught and the bottom fishing is picking up as well. With the calm waters though, most of the Cabo Pangas are working off of the beach searching for Dorado and Marlin.
NOTES: I got to play Palmilla again this week as well as Cabo Del Sol, maybe someday my golf skills will match the beauty of the courses I get to play! On another note, the Whales are here! We have seen Humpbacks every day we have gone out, and on one day this week there was a pod of three that kept doing full breaches and lots of tail lobbing, they did the full jumps in pairs and must have come out of the water a dozen times, really great action. Ok then, I am out of here, tight lines until next week!
Target Species:
billfish, tuna, dorado , wahoo and inshore species
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