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Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Capt. George Landrum
September 10, 2001
Cabo San Lucas - Saltwater Fishing Report
Cabo Fishing Report
Capt. George Landrum
"Fly Hooker" Sportfishing
[email protected]
www.flyhooker.com
CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 3-8 2001
WEATHER: Today it finally cooled off a bit and we had nighttime temperatures around
82 degrees. Early in the week the highs were getting into the 100 degree range and
the nighttime temps were in the low 90’s to high 80’s. No air-conditioning needed last
night! We had quite a few clouds this week as storms continued to pass well to the
south. These clouds dropped a lot of rain in the Sierras but we only got a little bit here
in Cabo. Our strongest downpour was Thursday afternoon and we had a bit of
lightning and thunder to accompany it. (Possession)
WATER: Early in the week the surface conditions were not too bad, but after mid-week
the passing of bad weather to the south of us caused the swells to increase and the
wind to shift. Both the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez experienced choppy conditions
and the Pacific side became a bit rough. Water temperatures on the Pacific side
averaged 80 degrees while that on the Sea of Cortez maintained about 3 to 4 degrees
warmer. Near shore the water was a bit turbid and green. (Wait)
BAIT: The usual $2 per bait and almost exclusively Caballito. Those wanting live baits
for larger Blue or Black Marlin were able to catch small Skipjack Tuna just offshore.
Sardinas were available to the boats running up to Gordo Banks and the price on them
had gone up to $30 a scoop. (Plenty)
FISHING:
BILLFISH: Blue Marlin to #700 were caught this week, but most of them weighed
200-300#’s. There are still some Striped Marlin hanging around, mostly on the Pacific
side of the Cape. The Blues are on the Cortez side and up the Pacific to the area of
the lighthouse. That is not the only area they have been found but that is where the
concentrations have been found. One nice thing about this week has been that they
are not too far offshore, only around 2-8 miles! The Blues have been attracted to Lures
and if not hooked on them, live bait dropped back has worked. Live bait for the Striped
Marlin has been the ticket this week. Best lures have been blue/silver and the mean
Joe green. (Good Enough)
YELLOWFIN TUNA: My favorite fish to catch made a showing mid week 30 miles
offshore mixed in with a large pod of Porpoise. I didn’t get a chance to work these fish
but the boats that did were catching 2-6 per boat and the weights were ranging from
60-100 pounds. Cedar plugs were the ticket for the boats that were there. The fact
that the water roughened up quite a bit the day they were found kept a lot of boats from
working the area. Gordo Banks has continued to put out some nice Tuna and the best
results have been by boats using Sardinas for bait. These fish have been averaging
15-20 pounds but a few are in the 40-60 pound class. An occasional larger fish was
hooked up but due to the light line being used to get the strikes, these fish were lost.
(Hold On)
DORADO: Still the number one catch this week as well as last week, the average size
has been around 10-12 pounds. Quite a few in the 25# plus category were caught and
most of the very large fish, 50#+ were associated with floating debris. 6 inch feathers
and jigs were the lure of choice for the schooling fish and once the larger fish showed
up live bait worked very well. Most of the Dorado were found on the Pacific side of the
Cape within 5 miles of shore. (Circle)
WAHOO: Pretty much absent for the past week. (Elsewhere)
INSHORE: Most of the inshore fishing was for Dorado this week. The large swells
made working the surf line a bit dangerous and not many Roosterfish were caught due
to that reason. Other inshore species were found scattered on the Cortez side of the
cape but not in any quantity. (Fumbling Towards Ecstasy)
NOTES: My musical selection for the week was Sarah McLachlan’s “Fumbling
Towards Ecstasy”, 1993, Artista records. What a beautiful voice!
Until Next Week, Tight Lines,
Geroge Landrum
“Fly Hooker” Sportfishing
[email protected]
www.flyhooker.com
"Fly Hooker" Fishing Report
Steve Rinaldi and his longtime friend Nelson Howard are here from Florida on a
quest. Steve has been fishing offshore in Florida for 20 years and had never caught a
Billfish! With his wife’s permission and his longtime fishing buddy at his side he arrived
in Cabo to fullfill a dream. Flying in on the 3rd they had booked the “Fly Hooker” for the
4th and 5th and were flying back out on the 6th, all to make a dream come true!
Unfortunately it was not the role of the “Fly Hooker” to make it possible. The morning
of the 4th the fluids were checked prior to starting the engines and everything was fine.
Once the equipment had a chance to warm up the transmissions were checked again
and water was discovered in the port transmission! The oil cooler had a hole in a
cooling tube and it could not be repaired until mid morning. Arrangements were quickly
made to place Steve and Nelson on the neighboring boat and off they went. They
fished the ledge off the Lighthouse on the Pacific side all morning and there was no
action until around 9:30. A Blue Marlin appeared in the spread of lures and took a
whack at the one run in the short outrigger position, but the fish did not hook up. A
small live Tuna was dropped back into the pattern and the Marlin switched it’s attention
to the easy meal! The hook was set and Steve was into the fish of his dreams! Nelson
was the cheerleader and advisor as the battle took place. The Captain worked the
clutch and throttle as the mate made sure the lines were cleared, the excess equipment
put away and made the cockpit shipshape for the war that was about to be waged.
Because a war it was by all accounts given to me, one that took place over a period of
3 hours and 56 minutes (thanks Nelson!).
The fish made a jump very early in the fight and everyone got a good look at it. The
Captain estimated it at 250#’s, the mate at 300#’s, but Nelson thought the fish would go
400#’s if it went an ounce. Steve was the picture of concentration as he worked the
fish towards the boat and was able to bring him alongside in about 30 minutes. The
flying gaff was ready and the mate took the leader. Nelson said that the mate looked
nervous because the fish was still green and full of energy. The fish took off again and
a short while later came up and started up a washing machine on the surface as she
thrashed her head back and forth and went in tight circles. Sometime during that
action, as Nelson began to think the Marlin was going to saw through the leader, the
leader became entangled with the pectoral fin. The remainder of the fight lasted three
hours as the fish was brought to the surface, the boat was backed down faster than
Steve could reel and the fish went down again. It didn’t take long for a pattern to
develop and Steve was asking Nelson what else he could do, or if he was doing
anything wrong. Nelson kept encouraging Steve to hang in there, but Steve was
beginning to fade. Steve is a diabetic and they had forgotten most of his food at the
room in the morning in their haste and excitement to get fishing. Nelson, being the
good friend that he is, shelled shrimp and popped them into Steves mouth during the
fight so that he would have enough energy to finish. With an effort that was described
as almost the finish of him, Steve was able to bring the fish to the side of the boat.
With Nelson yelling “Stick It, stick it!” the mate struck with the flying gaff. The gaff
struck a bit low on the fish and somehow the gaff rope was not tied off. One last gasp
on the Marlins part and she was swimming again with the gaff stuck in her stomach and
trailing the rope. That was the end of the war however, and minutes later the leader
was taken for the last time and the fish pulled into the boat. The mate struck the Marlin
on the skull several times with the aluminum bat and placed the board into the slots in
the transom door. Did I say the war was over? Almost over is what I meant to say!
The board touched the fish on the tail, while she still had blue color flushing along her
sides. If you have caught Marlin before and brought one into the boat, you can
probably guess what happened next! The Marlin went ballistic! The fighting chair was
knocked off the pedestal as Steve scrambled onto the gunnel trying to get out of its
way, the transom board went 15 feet into the air as the fish beat a tattoo on the back
deck and began to work her way back out of the boat. The mate was trying to hold the
beast in as the Captain came flying down off the bridge and began raining “Ichiro”
blows on the fishes head with the aluminum bat! Now that was the end of the war!
Back at the dock at 2:30 the pictures were taken and the fish weighed. Nelson was
very close in his estimate, the final tally was 440#’s! Steve had fullfilled his dream and
had gotten the fight of his life! Later he said he would have been happy with something
a little smaller to start with but was not about to complain. Later at the hotel Nelson
marinated some Marlin steaks in teriyaki, soy, ginger, garlic and olive oil and we had a
finger lickin’ good feast, washed down with ice cold Pacifico’s.
O.K., that was what happened yesterday. This morning the “Fly Hooker” was ready
and eager to go. Juan and Manuel were very worried because how were they going to
be able to beat the action that happened yesterday? Any fish that they caught today
would be anti-climatic. Last night Nelson and Steve had decided that the Blue Marlin
that Steve caught was enough Billfish action, and Nelson had all the meat he needed,
filling two 100 quart coolers with Marlin rounds. Today they wanted to try and tangle
with a little lighter game, perhaps some nice Tuna, Wahoo or Dorado. Steve also
wanted to catch a small Roosterfish to take home. He has a friend that was going to
make him a Japanese fish print of the rooster. We explained to them that it would be a
2 hour run out to the area the Yellowfin had been found in and they decided that they
didn’t want to spend that long running. Instead the decided to try for Roosterfish first,
off the Pacific side, then go for Wahoo or large Dorado. When they arrived off the
beaches on the Pacific side it was found that the swell caused by both the Hurricane
and the Tropical Storm to the southwest had made the inshore fishing unsafe. Working
the offshore ledge they were able to get one very nice 50# Dorado, caught by Nelson.
It struck a lure and he had it to the boat in 15 minutes. Steve had sworn not to touch a
rod today, claiming he was still beat from the Marlin yesterday, but when the chance
came he was able to get a Dorado that weighed about 35#’s to the boat and in the fish
box. Four other Dorado in the 10-15 pound range were caught and they had a chance
to toss a live bait to a Striped Marlin, but did not hook up (probably to Steve’s relief!).
No Wahoo were found but boats that did make the 2 hour run out to the tuna came in
with some nice 60# fish. Juan filleted the Dorado on the way in and there were enough
fillets to top off the other (3rd!) 100 quart cooler the Nelson had brought. Remember
me saying that Nelson had done up some grilled Marlin on the evening of the 4th?
Well, at the end of this day he placed a 5-star, gourmet meal on the table using the
fresh Dorado. Dorado Piccatta marinated with Butter, Oil, Chardonnay, Capers, Lime
juice and Garlic! Steve fixed Kidney Beans with Rice and had chopped up and sauted
some Poblano Chilies and Onion to mix in. Add a very nice green salad and we were
in seventh heaven! After dinner, Churchill Cigars and glasses of “El Jimador” repasado
Tequila!
Once in a great while you find the type of people that make you feel at home and a
friend right away. Steve and Nelson were that way with us and we were glad to have
them as both clients and friends. We look forward to seeing both of them again,
hopefully in the near future! Until then, Tight Lines from the “Fly Hooker” crew!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 7 SEPTEMBER 2001
Mike Crawford and his buddy Rick were fishing on the “Fly Hooker” toady. All they
wanted to do was catch some fish and have a good time. Rick has fished before and
Mike has had the opportunity but was never able to make it out. They told us that they
would like to be able to get a little fish to have for dinner, their wives were expecting
them to come in with something! Juan and Manuel decided to head out to the Pacific
side of the Cape, that is where the Dorado have been concentrated. Well, one of the
reasons that Mike has not had a chance to actually get on the water is that most of the
time arrangements have been made, the water has gotten too rough. With the wind
and the swells the water was a bit large and uncomfortable today but the fish were
there. In about an hours time they managed to get 8 Dorado. The largest was about
25#’s and the rest were between 10-15#’s. All these fish were caught on lures but
there were several larger Dorado that Juan tried to tempt with live bait. Perhaps these
fish had sore mouths already, but they wanted no part of the bait dropped back. With
plenty of Dorado in the box they decided to head offshore a little farther and search for
Marlin, Wahoo and Tuna. Juan said they saw no other fish for the rest of the day and
with the water being a little rough, Mike and Rick decided to come in a bit early.
Thanks guys, we are glad you caught fish and were happy with the trip. Maybe we will
see you down here again next time you come, until then, Tight Lines!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 8 SEPTEMBER 2001
Today we had Walter Tandu and three of his friends aboard the “Fly Hooker” for a
trip that was to target Marlin. Juan and Manuel headed out to the pacific side of the
Cape first thing as that was where all the larger fish have been found lately. At about
9:30 there was a strike on the rigger, just next to where Walter was sitting and he was
on the rod right away. Juan yelled to him to “Strike, set the hook!” but it appeared that
the fish was already hooked up. It happened to be on a Bleeding Mackerel Zuker 5.5
that Walter had rigged with 7/0 hooks. The fish did quite a number of acrobatic jumps
and everyone got a good look at the fish. Juan estimated it at well over 300#’s and
Manuel said at least 400#’s. A short while later the fish was able to toss the hook and
swam away, a little scared but learning from the experience. In the same area a short
while later Juan and Manuel spotted a 35 gallon can floating in the water and they
proceeded to catch 8 or 9 Dorado to 25#’s off of it before the action was noticed by
nearby boats. Shortly thereafter over ten boats were working the can and
circumstances got a little tight. With dinner in the box they continued on the hunt for
another Marlin, but it appeared that lady luck had only struck once today. Tomorrow
they are going to fish Gordo Banks from a Panga out of San Jose and plan to target
Tuna. I hope they have good luck and have a great time! Until next time, Tight Lines!
George, Mary Juan and Manuel, The “Fly Hooker” Crew
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