Marlin, Dorado, Rooster and Wahoo off Cabo
Capt. Tracy Ehrenberg
June 2, 2008
Cabo San Lucas - Saltwater Fishing Report
MAY 22nd to 31st, 2008
Overall Catch Success Rate 80.4%
BILLFISH: The Cabo area was plagued by very strong winds and rough seas, especially on the Pacific side this past week. For the first time in as long as I can remember at this time of year, the port was closed on May 22nd, due to rough seas. In fact the sea had been worse the day before so it seemed pretty pointless to close it when they did. The majority of fishing took place on the Cortez side between Punta Gorda and Destiladeras and it was a struggle to be able to purchase bait every day. The weather teetered between spring and summer, most of the week blustery but then when the wind died and the air temperatures soared and the fishing turned good. To summarize it was an up and down week, some boats did great and got four marlin in a day, whilst others drew a blank. Boats also fished closer to shore in the San Jose area and did well on smaller game as outlined below. "Bandito" 29 feet, did really well to have two quadruple marlin days; May 26th they fished at Destiladeras with Mark Kellen and Brandon Tollfeson, from Minot, North Dakota, releasing two fish a piece in the 120 lb class. On May 24th, "Libre" also released four for Jose Rebocho and friends from Portugal. David Lee and friends from New York fished "El Gallo" on May 30th and released four marlin and boated a 30 lb dorado also at Destiladeras. To close out the week "C Rod" had four marlin after getting an early start for Ray Espinoza and Jorge Petro from Chula Vista, Ca. fishing with Alfredo Gamboa from Tijuana. Pisces anglers caught a total of 120 striped marlin this week of which all but four were released. We also released 3 sailfish. Sixty two percent of charters caught billfish this week.
OTHER SPECIES: Dorado catches were fair with twenty one percent of boats catching one or two fish, and less occasionally up to five in a day. They weren't something boats concentrated on but rather a bonus when trolling for marlin. It was nice to see some size on these fish, such as a 42 lb specimen caught aboard "Andrea" by John Hopkins from San Antonio, Texas on May 27th. Some boats had enviable mixed bags; "Ruthless" landed a 17 lb pompano, the largest seen in quite awhile, for angler Mitchell Podgorsky from Lynbrook, New York on May 27th, this same boat also caught a dorado , roosterfish and 35 lb wahoo, the only one of the week. Boats did well on sierra, with catches of up to a dozen fish not unusual….some were as large as 10 lbs. Some jack crevalle, fair amounts of skipjack and white bonita, as well as a few cabrillas, a solitary yellowtail and fair numbers of roosterfish.
WEATHER CONDITIONS: Clear, sunny, skies, very windy most of the week, impossible whitecaps on the Pacific, turning calm as the wind died.
LOCATION: Punta Gorda, Destiladeras, San Jose.
AVERAGE WATER TEMP: 72 F}
BEST LURES: Live mackerel when available, mullet, frozen ballyhoo, when there was nothing else, petrolero, guacamayo, rapalas.
BASED ON THE CATCHES OF PISCES BY TRACY EHRENBERG
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