Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Capt. George Landrum
January 20, 2003
Cabo San Lucas - Saltwater Fishing Report
Cabo San Lucas Fishing Report Jan 12-19, 2003
Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
[email protected]
www.flyhooker.com
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT FOR JANUARY 13-19, 2003
WEATHER: Daytime highs in the mid 80’s and nighttime lows in the high 50’s made this past
week a very comfortable one. We had a little overcast in the middle of the week but the last half
was clear. No rain, as usual and only light winds except for Thursday when it picked up a bit in
the afternoon, shifted and came from the southwest (that is when we had the overcast move in).
(Banjo Blues)
WATER: I expected the water temperatures to continue dropping but they haven’t and we are
still getting an average of 74 degrees just off the Cape. If you go 15+ miles to the south or go
east to the 95 spot the temperature goes up to around 76 degrees. There has been a pretty well
defined temperature break to the southwest all week, about 30-35 miles out, but reports of fish
from the area have been scarce. Monday saw some bouncy conditions on the Pacific side but
things laid right down and the rest of the week it has been very nice water on both the Pacific and
Cortez sides of the Cape. (Train on the Island)
BAIT: With the full moon the bait has been almost all Mackerel, at the normal $2 per bait.
There have been Sardinas available for boats willing to go a bit up the coast towards San Jose,
and reports are that they are averaging $20 a big scoop. (Big John McNiel)
FISHING:
BILLFISH: It has been a pretty slow week for Marlin for most of the boats in Cabo, probably
due to the full moon. They are out there, but not in any big concentrations and not on the bite.
Some boats have been fairly consistent and have been catching one or two a day, but they have
been putting in a lot of time deep dropping live bait at the Pacific Banks (boring). Most of the
Marlin caught this week came to live bait tossed in front of tailing fish. The Pacific banks and the
warmer water to the south and east of us were where most of the fish were found. (Snowbound
Blues)
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Lots of football Tuna out there mixed in with the Porpoise. Most of these
fish have been in the 10-15 pound class. A few larger fish have been caught on the Gordo,
Golden Gate and San Jaime Banks by boats working either a chunk line or fly-lining live Sardinas
and these fish have been between 30-60 pounds. I have seen a couple of fish in the 150 pound
range and these have been reported to have come from Porpoise, but they were caught on live
bait dropped deep and well ahead of the traveling schools. Best lures for the Yellowfin have been
Marauders, cedar plugs and feathers. (Big Sandy)
DORADO: The mainstay of the fleet this week was Tuna, but there were still Dorado to be
found. Most boats were able to come up with at least one nice fish and some got lucky and
limited out with two per angler. The average size has gotten a bit larger with most of the fish in
the 20+ pound range. Live bait slow trolled around where the Dorado have been spotted has
worked well, as have trolled lures in bright colors and medium sizes. Most of the fish have been
found on the Pacific side and not too far from shore, mostly within 5 miles of the coast. (Buck
Hill Breakdown)
WAHOO: San Jaime Banks put out some nice Wahoo this week as did the Golden gate. I am not
sure if there was any action on the Gordo Bank or not. Most of the fish were in the 35-50 pound
range and dark lures trolled close to the boat were doing the job. Many more fish were lost than
were caught due to them cutting through the mono leaders! (Blue Bird Rag)
INSHORE: The fishing inshore has been hit and miss this week with the most prevalent fish
caught being the Sierra. They have been running between 25 and 35 inches and have been
striking trolled Rapallas and hootchie skirts pulled between 3.5 and 4 knots of speed. Live
Sardinas have worked also but the fish have been bit difficult to hook on them. Scattered Dorado
inshore have added to the excitement. A few Roosterfish have been reported on the Cortez side
and there has been an intermittent bite on the Snapper and Grouper, perhaps slow due to the full
moon. (Leather Britches)
NOTES: The Whales are starting to show up with predictability, almost every trip has resulted in
sightings. The fishing has not been wide open by any means, but it has been pretty consistent.
With the Tuna beginning to show up in force and the water conditions remaining favorable, we
are thinking that the bite will get much better as the new moon approaches. This weeks report
has been written to the sound of Walt Koken playing the five string Banjo, claw-hammer style, on
his 1994 release, “Banjonique”, Mudthumper Music, Rounder Records Corp. Until next week,
Tight Lines from George, Mary, Juan and Manuel, the “Fly Hooker” crew.
Fly Hooker Daily fishing Reports Jan 12-19, 2003
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 13 JANUARY 2003
Alex and his wife Jonna and their friend Jodi and his wife Marnie are visiting here in Cabo from
Anchorage (A & J) and North Dakota (J & M). Our good friends Tim and Jill Lawrence referred
them to us and they will be fishing today and on the 15th, then on the 17th it will be just Alex and
Jonna. They want meat to take home so we will be looking for Dorado, Tuna and Wahoo. With
this in mind, Juan and Manuel took the “Fly Hooker” south 18 miles to the temperature break,
where the 74 degree water is. The action was very slow for our boat although there were a few
Marlin caught in the area and a few Tuna caught among Porpoise. They did hook up to a nice
Dorado of about 25 pounds. Working their way home they came across a Marlin tailing on the
surface and tossed it a bait. Alex was on the rod and it took about 30 minutes for him to best the
fish on the 40 pound line. Most of the time the fish stayed down and when it came to the boat it
was bleeding badly from the gills. With the fish not being able to survive they decided to take it
and smoke the meat at home. Let’s hope the fishing picks up on Wednesday and the water
becomes calmer, they said it was pretty rough out there today, even though it was very nice
yesterday.
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 14 JANUARY 2003
Dean Cushman and his friends Jim and Toby were our anglers today and they just wanted to
catch fish, any fish would do, but it would be nice to get a Marlin! Knowing that there had been
Marlin found as well as Tuna and Dorado in the area, Juan and Manuel took off for the
temperature break to the south of the Cape. Again, the fishing in the area was slow and they saw
one Dorado that refused to eat a lure then disappeared, then later they saw a Marlin sleeping on
the surface. A bait was tossed to the fish and it went down. Few fish were found in the area and
unfortunately our anglers were not real happy about the lack of fish. Sorry guys, but that is
fishing, sometimes they are there and sometimes they are not. We hope you have better luck on
your next trip!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 15 JANUARY 2003
With the water being rough on Monday, Alex and Jodi were alone on the fishing trip today.
Their wives decided to stay ashore ad do some shopping instead. Getting a report upon the
return of the boat, they wished they had gone! Even though the conditions to the south of the
Cape around the temperature break had been looking great, there had been few fish in the area.
Juan and Manuel decided to take off to the Pacific side and try over there. Halfway to the San
Jaime they found an area of warm water that had hundreds and hundreds of Porpoise in it and as
soon as they approached all four lines went off with Tuna strikes! It was over very quickly but
they managed to get ten of the footballs in the fish box before the area was over-run by other
boats screaming back and forth over the fish. They left then and continued to the north a bit and
picked up a Dorado. Another hour went by and they saw Whales, Turtles, Seals and then, more
Porpoise! Working the Porpoise for a while they managed to pick up eight more Yellowfin and
then
it was time to head for the barn. The water was smooth all day and the weather was warm, the
girls really missed out! We hope the fishing and weather continue to remain good for the next
day, Friday! Until then, Tight Lines!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 16 JANUARY 2003
We went out today but it was not really a fishing trip, it was a cruise and snorkel trip. Dave
and Linda McTaggart booked the “Fly Hooker” to take themselves and their friends Kim and his
wife Teresa and Bob and his wife Judy out to check out the coastline on the Sea of Cortez and do
a bit of snorkeling. The wives had never seen the coast from the water and the guys wanted to
check and see what kind of changes had taken place since their last trip. On the snorkeling
aspect, Dave said they would really like to see an Octopus and some seashells if possible. It was
Juan’s day off so Manuel and I took the trip. We left the dock and just cruised up the coast to
Chileano Bay and there everyone except Judy got in the water. Dave had some trouble with one
of his fins and Kim had a bit of trouble with his new snorkel, but Linda and Kim did get to see an
octopus! I was surprised since it is not common to find them out of their holes in the middle of
the day. There were a lot of fish in the area but no shells that Dave could find. We went as far up
the coast as the Palmilla then turned around. On the trip we saw seals, turtles and whales. It was
a very nice, relaxing trip and everyone had a great time!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 17 JANUARY 2003
Alex and Jonna fished their last day today and Jonna was so happy that she did not get sick!
Juan and Manuel went out to the Pacific side of the Cape looking for more Tuna or Dorado to
help fill the cooler. They caught one small (very small) Yellowfin when they first found Porpoise
then a little bit later caught one that was larger. Alex fought a Marlin for 10 or 20 minutes then
the fish came off just behind the boat. It had struck a cedar plug! Juan said they had also had
strikes from another Marlin and a Dorado, but neither of them had hooked up. As they were
clearing lines with the last line about to be pulled in and the boat already speeding up, the Dorado
struck! It was a nice fish around 25-30 pounds and helped end the day on the right note. It sure
was nice meeting these folks and we look forward to seeing them sometime in the future. And
guys, thanks for taking the certificate for the “Anchors Aweigh Boat Show” with you for
delivery! Until next time, Tight Lines!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 18 JANUARY 2003
Dr. and Mrs. Powell were our anglers today and they are from the state of Tennessee. They
were not even aware that they had missed the blizzard that swept through the state! Juan and
Manuel took them to the San Jaime Banks area and the first fish they hooked up, they lost. It was
a nice Wahoo, in the 45 pound range, and they fish came off just before Juan was ready to gaff it.
The fish did not cut the leader, the hook pulled loose! later on they got a decent Dorado, one that
weighed about 25-30 pounds, and then they lost another one. The water was smooth, the sun
bright, and they got to see a Whale, Turtle, Seal and Porpoise on the trip. Thanks Dr., we are
glad you had a good time!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 19 JANUARY 2003
David and Teresa Fehr, of Houston are our anglers today. Teresa arranged the trip today and
tomorrow as an anniversary gift for David! Today is the anniversary and they are hoping for
some fillets to take home with them, and of course, it would be nice to hook up to a Marlin!
Again, the San Jaime area is the target, and Juan and Efreian (subbing for Manuel on his day off)
find fish around halfway through the trip. Two Dorado, both in the 25-30 pound class, end up in
the fish box. Teresa was excited that they saw a Marlin jumping straight up in the air, but the fish
was not on the end of their line, it was free jumping. They also saw a very small pod of Porpoise
but there were no Tuna in with them. Maybe tomorrow there will be a little more action for
them?
Until next week, Tight Lines from George, Mary, Juan and Manuel, the “Fly Hooker” crew!
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