Cabo Bite Report
Capt. George Landrum
July 2, 2012
Cabo San Lucas - Saltwater Fishing Report
FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
[email protected]
www.flyhooker.com
http://captgeo.wordpress.com/
Cabo Fish Report
June 25 – July 1, 2012
WEATHER: Once again it was a mix of wind and calm as well as hot and humid vs. just hot. We are past the usual time frame for this type of weather but it is what it is and we deal with it. As the week ends we have a high overcast with light winds from the northwest here in Cabo. I just returned from a delivery to La Paz and the skies were clear, the water flat and there was almost no wind the whole trip, so things can change quickly. This morning we have a high of 82 degrees to go with the overcast and this was an average low for the week with a range between 87 and 78, highs ranging between 87 and 98 degrees.
WATER: We ended the week with a 5 miles wide band of cool 68 degree water just off the beach and wrapping around the Cape. Once past Gray Rock that band warmed to 71 degrees until it dispersed at San Jose. Farther offshore on the Pacific side the water across the Golden Gate Bank and the San Jaime Bank was 74 degrees and this water extended out to well past the 1,000 fathom line to the west. The cool water close to shore was very green, and the water slowly cleared up the farther you went offshore, but never did clear to a nice blue color. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water was 71 degrees close to shore, warming to 74 degrees at a line between the Punta Gorda and the 95 spot. Outside that line the water was 76-77 degrees but green everywhere you went. Up past the Punta Gorda area the water was 76-78 degrees and still a bit green but not quite as dirty in color. Early in the week there was an area of warm water the was 78 degrees 35 miles to the SSW of the Cape and the water cleared up quite a bit, but still had a green tinge to it.
BAIT: Caballito and Mullet were available at the normal $3 per bait and there were plenty of green Jacks if you wanted them.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: It was a mixed and varied week for anglers in Cabo as the best Marlin fishing was a long run, but if you took a gamble and stayed closer to home you might have ended up catching a few anyway. Running up to the Vinorama area early in the week had quite a few boats getting into Striped Marlin, one of the best catches I heard of from that area was 5 releases, but it was an "good one day, poor the next" area, so the run was a gamble. Staying closer to home meant fishing the green water and there were a few fish to be found there as well, the 95 spot continued to kick out a few fish as did the San Jose Canyon area. There were a few Blue Marlin reported being hooked up in the Vinorama area and I saw several large Marlin marks on the depth sounder as I went through this area on my delivery to La Paz, as well as many smaller Marlin marks. Both lures and Caballito were catching Marlin this week, but if you were able to get Mackerel (difficult, as there were few to be had) your chances increased quite a bit.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Well, the Yellowfin remained a so-so catch this week with the majority of fish found being footballs sized. There were a few larger fish, some of them actually very nice, as in 80 pounds, but there were no large numbers of them. I went to the 1,000 fathom line off of Vinorama early in the week after reports of some of these nice fish mixed in with Dolphin but found no Dolphin or Tuna, and everyone in the area was mentioning the sudden absence. Later in the week I went 40 miles to check out the warmer, cleaner water to be found to the SSW and once again found no Dolphin but managed to get four footballs and two fish of about 20 pounds, all in the blind and all within a mile of the same area. Small pods of Dolphin close to home were producing some footballs but not every pod of Dolphin held the Yellowfin so it was a matter of moving on if nothing bit after working the pod. We did find that all the Tuna, as well as the Dorado that we caught were stuffed with red crab, and we could see shoals of these encrustations just under the surface and marking on the depth sounder. Its hard to get fish to bite when all they have to do is swim around with their mouths open to get fed!
DORADO: There were a few large Dorado reported this week from the Punta Gorda area, averaging 25 pounds, but closer to home the size average remained 8-10 pounds. Out at Punta Gorda and beyond the fish were found on Shark Buoys, and while not every buoy held Dorado, most of them had something around. On my trip to the area early in the week we caught two small Dorado off of one buoy, had another one hit a lure after coming out from under a turtle and another after coming out from under a pod of logging Pilot Whales. A friend went up there two days later and found a great concentration of good fish under a buoy but could only get one hooked up, and it was spraying red crab everywhere during the fight and after it was boated. Closer to home the fish were found between the arch and Chileano Bay at a distance between 2 and 5 miles, scattered out. The key was small feathers and looking for working Frigate birds.
WAHOO: I thought that the green water would keep the Wahoo bite down even though we are coming up to a full moon, but there were a few fish reported this week, almost all of them from the Punta Gorda to Vinorama area in the cleaner water. The sizes were small with an average of 20 pounds, and the numbers caught were small as well, I only heard of four of them, but there were surely many more lost.
INSHORE: This weeks inshore report is a repeat of last weeks as there was no significant change in results or locations. Still slow, the bite on Yellowtail was almost non-existent, the Sierra bite slowed way down as well. The positive note for Sierra was the size increased by quite a bit with some of the fish being caught being larger, in the 8-12 pound class. Add in an occasional Grouper to 25 pounds, a few Roosterfish to 40 pounds, an Amberjack once in a while and there was something to catch for almost everyone.
FISH RECIPE: Check the blog for this weeks recipe!
NOTES: I have to think positive and what has me in that mode this morning is the water I experienced on the trip to La Paz and what I heard about the fishing up at the East Cape. The bite has been turning on up there as the water warms and clears, Blue Marlin, Dorado and Yellowfin Tuna would happen now and then. These fish move into our area as the warm water works it's way down so it should be here shortly! My music for the week is a compilation of the best of "Earth, Wind and Fire", been a while since I have listened to a horn section like theirs! Until next week, tight lines!
Target Species:
billfish, tuna, dorado, wahoo, and inshore species
More Fishing Reports:
